NUMERICALLY MODELING FLOODING SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY

Urban flooding affects many of the world’s low-lying, coastal cities today. Whether induced by prolonged periods of rainfall, storm surge, or river overtopping, these issues pose as a hazard to human life as well as a source of damage to urban infrastructure. The United States Naval Academy is one location that is especially impacted by urban flooding. Due to glacial isostatic adjustment and reclaimed soil consolidation, this area experiences subsidence as well as the effects of sea level rise, which make it susceptible to urban flooding. As the frequency of these flooding events increases, there is an increasing need for an accurate forecasting model of urban flooding on and around the Naval Academy. This study aimed to examine the potential effects that future sea level rise will have on the Naval Academy. Delft3D FM was used to create a numerical model of the Severn River, which was then used to simulate environmental conditions during an October 2021 flooding event. Various parameters were altered to test model sensitivities and calibration was conducted with the use of qualitative and quantitative data from the event. These conditions were defined as a baseline extreme flooding event and were used to gauge the increase in inundation under three different sea level rise scenarios. In each scenario, the model showed significant increases in total inundated area by the year 2100 when subjected to conditions similar to the October 2021 flooding event.

Department dc:contributor.department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE)

Grantor dc:publisher

Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Brennan, Colin

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Hobson, Garth V.
• Velasquez Montoya, Liliana, United States Naval Academy

Statement dc:rights

• This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10945/72119

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:calhoun.nps.edu:10945/72119