Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4875
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4875
10 Nov 2025
 | 10 Nov 2025
Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS).

A Fluvial Flood Risk Model for Quantifying the Benefit of Mitigation Measures under Uncertainty

Mara Ruf, Amelie Hoffmann, and Daniel Straub

Abstract. We present a dynamic probabilistic flood risk model that addresses key challenges in the implementation of integrated flood risk management. These include the need for holistic, large-scale risk assessments that adopt a system-based perspective, and a decision-making framework based on benefit-cost analysis. The proposed model allows for the explicit simulation and dynamic coupling of the flood process components, including downstream flood wave propagation and possible dike failures, in a computationally efficient and data-sparse manner. It enables the consideration of aleatory and epistemic uncertainties in a 2-level Monte Carlo framework. By separating these uncertainties, the model supports robust risk assessments and facilitates the uncertainty-aware evaluation of the benefit of mitigation measures. The model is applied to the Bavarian Danube, demonstrating its ability to estimate the flood risk reduction potential from mitigation measures.

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Mara Ruf, Amelie Hoffmann, and Daniel Straub

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Mara Ruf, Amelie Hoffmann, and Daniel Straub
Mara Ruf, Amelie Hoffmann, and Daniel Straub
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Short summary
We developed a flood risk model that estimates the benefit of mitigation measures under uncertainty. The model is computationally efficient and is embedded in a framework that separates the influence of natural from model-related uncertainties. It allows the comparison of (combined) measures and thus provides a robust basis for decision-making. We applied the flood risk model to the Bavarian Danube, Germany, to assess the effectiveness of a flood detention basin.
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