An improved dynamic bidirectional coupled hydrologic-hydrodynamic model for efficient flood inundation prediction

Shen, Yanxia; Zhu, Zhenduo; Zhou, Qi; Jiang, Chunbo

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106

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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106

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06 Jul 2023

| 06 Jul 2023

An improved dynamic bidirectional coupled hydrologic-hydrodynamic model for efficient flood inundation prediction

Yanxia Shen, Zhenduo Zhu, Qi Zhou, and Chunbo Jiang

Abstract. To improve computational efficiency while maintaining numerical accuracy, coupled hydrologic-hydrodynamic models based on non-uniform grids are used for flood inundation prediction. In those models, a hydrodynamic model using a fine grid can be applied for flood-prone areas, and a hydrologic model using a coarse grid can be used for the rest of the areas. However, it is challenging to deal with the separation and interface between the two types of areas because the boundaries of the flood-prone areas are time-dependent. We present an improved Multigrid Dynamical Bidirectional Coupled hydrologic-hydrodynamic Model (IM-DBCM) with two major improvements: 1) automated non-uniform mesh generation based on the D∞ algorithm was implemented to identify the flood-prone areas where high-resolution inundation conditions are needed; 2) ghost cells and bilinear interpolation were implemented to improve numerical accuracy in interpolating variables between the coarse and fine grids. A hydrologic model, two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear reservoir (NLR) model was bidirectionally coupled with a 2D hydrodynamic model that solves the shallow water equations. Three cases were considered to demonstrate the effectiveness of the improvements. In all cases, the mesh generation algorithm was shown to efficiently and successfully generate high-resolution grids only in those flood-prone areas. Compared with the original M-DBCM (OM-DBCM), the new model had lower RMSEs and higher NSEs, indicating that the proposed mesh generation and interpolation were reliable and stable. It can be adapted adequately to the real-life real flood evolution process in watersheds and provide practical and reliable solutions for rapid flood prediction.

Received: 25 May 2023 – Discussion started: 06 Jul 2023

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

09 Jul 2024

An improved dynamic bidirectional coupled hydrologic–hydrodynamic model for efficient flood inundation prediction

Yanxia Shen, Zhenduo Zhu, Qi Zhou, and Chunbo Jiang

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2315–2330, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2315-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2315-2024, 2024

Short summary

Yanxia Shen, Zhenduo Zhu, Qi Zhou, and Chunbo Jiang

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

RC1:
'Comment on egusphere-2023-1106', Anonymous Referee #1, 29 Jul 2023

The paper presents an interesting approach of coupling hydrologic and hydrodynamic models to improve computational efficiency while maintaining numerical accuracy. However, to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach, it is essential to conduct a thorough comparison with state-of-the-art individual hydrology and hydrodynamic models. This will help highlight the advantages and necessity of the coupled modelling approach. It's crucial to show how the proposed method outperforms existing models in terms of both efficiency and accuracy.
1, In the introduction, the authors should focus more on recent progress in coupled hydrology-hydrodynamic models, especially with respect to their proposed coupling method, which seems different from the common coupling methods. Additionally, a detailed explanation of the non-uniform grid generation should be provided to give readers a better understanding of its significance in the proposed approach.
2, The modelling performance is highly influenced by the underlying mesh generation. Even with advanced adaptive methods using meter-scale data, there can be uncertainties impacting the modelling performance. It is recommended that the authors perform an uncertainty analysis on the mesh generation process to understand its potential effects on the model results.
3, The paper mentions the use of a coarse grid. What is the resolution of a coarse grid? What is the ratio between find grid resolution and coarse grid resolution? Will the coarse grid resolution/ratio have a large impact on modelling performance? Understanding the impact of this coarse grid resolution/ratio on the modelling performance is crucial.
4, Providing a detailed description of the hydrology and hydrodynamic components, especially on their treatment of flow variables (e.g., discharge, depth), would greatly enhance readers' understanding of the coupling process at the interface. This information is vital to evaluate the robustness of the proposed coupling approach.
5, The paper uses small test cases to evaluate the modelling efficiency. However, it is important to validate the model's performance on larger scales, to ensure its practical applicability. Even the hydrodynamic models working on ~10m-30m can be configured for model run covering an area of several hundred kilometres and quite efficiently.
6, The choice of using Fortran for coupling the two modelling components, while the SWMM model is written in C++, raises questions about the rationale behind this decision. The authors should provide a clear explanation for this choice, considering factors like compatibility, performance, and ease of implementation.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-RC1
- AC4: 'Reply on RC1', Yanxia Shen, 28 Oct 2023
  
  We have read all comments from the reviewer very carefully. Those comments are very valuable and helpful for revising and improving our paper. We believe we have addressed the comments thoroughly (please see detailed responses to each comment in the supplement). Hope these will make it more acceptable for publication.
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-AC4
AC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1106', Yanxia Shen, 02 Aug 2023

We have read all comments from the reviewer very carefully. Those comments are very valuable and helpful for revising and improving our paper. We believe we have addressed the comments thoroughly (please see detailed responses to each comment in the supplement). Hope these will make it more acceptable for publication.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-AC1
AC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1106', Yanxia Shen, 02 Aug 2023

The corresponding author, Chunbo Jiang, has additional viewpoints, which were listed in the supplement.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-AC2
RC2:
'Comment on egusphere-2023-1106', Anonymous Referee #2, 29 Sep 2023

The authors present an improvement to the multi-grid hydrological/hydrodynamic SWMM/IM-DBCM model which partitions the model domain into a coarse resolution part (away from rivers) and a fine resolution part (areas susceptible to inundation). The authors present the mesh-generation approach and test the model in 4 configurations with a variable number of grid cells (ranging between 59k-207k cells). Results of discharge are compared to observed values, inundation depth is presented without comparison to observations. Advances are said to stem from improved computational efficiency, the main reason for the multi-grid approach of the model, while retaining an acceptable model performance. I provide two
1) The state-of-the-art approach to the problem of variable resolution grids is a coarse-resolution hydrological model coupled with a 1D river routing model that activates a 2D model when channel capacity is exceeded. While the authors acknowledge this in the manuscript, they fail to compare their approach to results of such a model chain to demonstrate their advance. Admittedly, producing the same results with such a model chain to use as a baseline is a non-trivial task, but some comparison if not in the same catchment, should be considered mandatory.
2) The authors present model runtimes of the four grid configurations in Fig 13. It is apparent that runtimes scale linearly when comparing the uniform grid case to the variable-grid case (cf case00 to case12). This relationship does not hold, however, in coarser configurations of the multi-grid models (cases 15/10), i.e. the runtime/grid is significantly higher. E.g. going from 105k cells to 59k cells only brings moderate efficiency savings of 10-15%. This shows the limits of the approach, presumably because more time is spent on coupling the coarse and fine grids.
-l.74 -85 unclear, needs proofreading
- l.117 Ghost cells need to be defined before
- l.498 and l.501 "last moment" > in the last time step?
In conclusion, I feel the merit of this paper is confined to the user group of the presented model chain. In its current form, the improvements present limited advantages to other models. I thus leave it up to the editor to recommend major revisions or reject the manuscript in light of these shortcomings.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-RC2
- AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Yanxia Shen, 28 Oct 2023
  
  Dear reviewer，
  Sincerely thank you very much for your valuable comments. All your suggestions are very important and have important guiding significance for our writing and research. When revising the article, we considered thoughtfully what you have advised. We also responded point by point to reviewer’s comments as listed below, along with a clear indication of the revision. You can review it in the attached file. Hope these will make it more acceptable for publication.
  Best regards.
  
  Yours sincerely,
  Yanxia Shen
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-AC3

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

RC1:
'Comment on egusphere-2023-1106', Anonymous Referee #1, 29 Jul 2023

The paper presents an interesting approach of coupling hydrologic and hydrodynamic models to improve computational efficiency while maintaining numerical accuracy. However, to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach, it is essential to conduct a thorough comparison with state-of-the-art individual hydrology and hydrodynamic models. This will help highlight the advantages and necessity of the coupled modelling approach. It's crucial to show how the proposed method outperforms existing models in terms of both efficiency and accuracy.
1, In the introduction, the authors should focus more on recent progress in coupled hydrology-hydrodynamic models, especially with respect to their proposed coupling method, which seems different from the common coupling methods. Additionally, a detailed explanation of the non-uniform grid generation should be provided to give readers a better understanding of its significance in the proposed approach.
2, The modelling performance is highly influenced by the underlying mesh generation. Even with advanced adaptive methods using meter-scale data, there can be uncertainties impacting the modelling performance. It is recommended that the authors perform an uncertainty analysis on the mesh generation process to understand its potential effects on the model results.
3, The paper mentions the use of a coarse grid. What is the resolution of a coarse grid? What is the ratio between find grid resolution and coarse grid resolution? Will the coarse grid resolution/ratio have a large impact on modelling performance? Understanding the impact of this coarse grid resolution/ratio on the modelling performance is crucial.
4, Providing a detailed description of the hydrology and hydrodynamic components, especially on their treatment of flow variables (e.g., discharge, depth), would greatly enhance readers' understanding of the coupling process at the interface. This information is vital to evaluate the robustness of the proposed coupling approach.
5, The paper uses small test cases to evaluate the modelling efficiency. However, it is important to validate the model's performance on larger scales, to ensure its practical applicability. Even the hydrodynamic models working on ~10m-30m can be configured for model run covering an area of several hundred kilometres and quite efficiently.
6, The choice of using Fortran for coupling the two modelling components, while the SWMM model is written in C++, raises questions about the rationale behind this decision. The authors should provide a clear explanation for this choice, considering factors like compatibility, performance, and ease of implementation.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-RC1
- AC4: 'Reply on RC1', Yanxia Shen, 28 Oct 2023
  
  We have read all comments from the reviewer very carefully. Those comments are very valuable and helpful for revising and improving our paper. We believe we have addressed the comments thoroughly (please see detailed responses to each comment in the supplement). Hope these will make it more acceptable for publication.
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-AC4
AC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1106', Yanxia Shen, 02 Aug 2023

We have read all comments from the reviewer very carefully. Those comments are very valuable and helpful for revising and improving our paper. We believe we have addressed the comments thoroughly (please see detailed responses to each comment in the supplement). Hope these will make it more acceptable for publication.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-AC1
AC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1106', Yanxia Shen, 02 Aug 2023

The corresponding author, Chunbo Jiang, has additional viewpoints, which were listed in the supplement.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-AC2
RC2:
'Comment on egusphere-2023-1106', Anonymous Referee #2, 29 Sep 2023

The authors present an improvement to the multi-grid hydrological/hydrodynamic SWMM/IM-DBCM model which partitions the model domain into a coarse resolution part (away from rivers) and a fine resolution part (areas susceptible to inundation). The authors present the mesh-generation approach and test the model in 4 configurations with a variable number of grid cells (ranging between 59k-207k cells). Results of discharge are compared to observed values, inundation depth is presented without comparison to observations. Advances are said to stem from improved computational efficiency, the main reason for the multi-grid approach of the model, while retaining an acceptable model performance. I provide two
1) The state-of-the-art approach to the problem of variable resolution grids is a coarse-resolution hydrological model coupled with a 1D river routing model that activates a 2D model when channel capacity is exceeded. While the authors acknowledge this in the manuscript, they fail to compare their approach to results of such a model chain to demonstrate their advance. Admittedly, producing the same results with such a model chain to use as a baseline is a non-trivial task, but some comparison if not in the same catchment, should be considered mandatory.
2) The authors present model runtimes of the four grid configurations in Fig 13. It is apparent that runtimes scale linearly when comparing the uniform grid case to the variable-grid case (cf case00 to case12). This relationship does not hold, however, in coarser configurations of the multi-grid models (cases 15/10), i.e. the runtime/grid is significantly higher. E.g. going from 105k cells to 59k cells only brings moderate efficiency savings of 10-15%. This shows the limits of the approach, presumably because more time is spent on coupling the coarse and fine grids.
-l.74 -85 unclear, needs proofreading
- l.117 Ghost cells need to be defined before
- l.498 and l.501 "last moment" > in the last time step?
In conclusion, I feel the merit of this paper is confined to the user group of the presented model chain. In its current form, the improvements present limited advantages to other models. I thus leave it up to the editor to recommend major revisions or reject the manuscript in light of these shortcomings.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-RC2
- AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Yanxia Shen, 28 Oct 2023
  
  Dear reviewer，
  Sincerely thank you very much for your valuable comments. All your suggestions are very important and have important guiding significance for our writing and research. When revising the article, we considered thoughtfully what you have advised. We also responded point by point to reviewer’s comments as listed below, along with a clear indication of the revision. You can review it in the attached file. Hope these will make it more acceptable for publication.
  Best regards.
  
  Yours sincerely,
  Yanxia Shen
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-AC3

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload

ED: Reconsider after major revisions (further review by editor and referees) (30 Oct 2023) by Kai Schröter

AR by Yanxia Shen on behalf of the Authors (14 Nov 2023) Author's response Author's tracked changes Manuscript

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (20 Nov 2023) by Kai Schröter

RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (06 Dec 2023)

Suggestions for revision or reasons for rejection

I acknowledge the author's dedication to improving the manuscript; however, there are notable issues that need addressing before the paper can be deemed suitable for acceptance. I recommend a focused and thorough revision to address these concerns and enhance the overall quality of the submission.

1, While the DBCM is currently not available as an open-source model package, a comparative analysis with widely used software is essential in the presentation of the model results. This will elucidate the advantages of the proposed coupling mechanism, which claims to align more consistently with natural flood disasters. Additionally, it is crucial to demonstrate the computational efficiency and accuracy gains compared with state-of-the-art models.

2, Section 2.3.1: In the context of the hydrological model, a comprehensive consideration of the water balance is paramount. It is imperative to elucidate the methodology employed for estimating evaporation, infiltration, and ground water dynamics. Also, how land cover and soil moisture texture impact the hydrological processes.

3, Evaluation of discharge exchange at the coarse-fine resolution interface is crucial. Specifically, when surface runoff transitions from a coarse grid to a fine grid, potential instability issues should be thoroughly examined. Though interpolation method is applied, will the possible sharp increase in discharge at the coarse-fine grid interface cause instability?

4, Concerning the mesh generation controlled by the D∞ algorithm, there is a suspicion that the mesh might be limited to a static structured nonuniform format, controlled by only the DEM features without consideration of the flow characteristics. It would be beneficial to clarify whether an adaptive mesh generation approach is employed, allowing the mesh to dynamically adjust over time in response to changing flow conditions. Such clarification would contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the model's spatial discretization strategy.

5, Given that the model is currently confined to your research group, it is advisable to articulate a broader research purpose, both in the introduction and the method section. This will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the main contributions that the DBCM brings to the field of flood modelling.

Hide

ED: Reconsider after major revisions (further review by editor and referees) (01 Mar 2024) by Kai Schröter

AR by Yanxia Shen on behalf of the Authors (18 Mar 2024) Author's response Author's tracked changes Manuscript

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (23 Mar 2024) by Kai Schröter

RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (30 Mar 2024)

ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (02 Apr 2024) by Kai Schröter

AR by Yanxia Shen on behalf of the Authors (13 Apr 2024) Author's response Author's tracked changes Manuscript

ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (02 May 2024) by Kai Schröter

AR by Yanxia Shen on behalf of the Authors (07 May 2024) Author's response Author's tracked changes Manuscript

ED: Publish as is (10 May 2024) by Kai Schröter

AR by Yanxia Shen on behalf of the Authors (11 May 2024) Manuscript

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

09 Jul 2024

An improved dynamic bidirectional coupled hydrologic–hydrodynamic model for efficient flood inundation prediction

Yanxia Shen, Zhenduo Zhu, Qi Zhou, and Chunbo Jiang

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2315–2330, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2315-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2315-2024, 2024

Short summary

Yanxia Shen, Zhenduo Zhu, Qi Zhou, and Chunbo Jiang

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1106-supplement

Yanxia Shen, Zhenduo Zhu, Qi Zhou, and Chunbo Jiang

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Short summary

We present an improved Multigrid Dynamical Bidirectional Coupled hydrologic-hydrodynamic Model (M-DBCM) with two major improvements: 1) automated non-uniform mesh generation based on the D∞ algorithm was implemented to identify the flood-prone areas where high-resolution inundation conditions are needed; 2) ghost cells and bilinear interpolation were implemented to improve numerical accuracy in interpolating variables between the coarse and fine grids. The improved model was reliable.


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