PhD project: Flood risk management on small catchments

Flooding is a widely occurring natural hazard that noticeably damages property, people and the environment. A sudden local flood occurs frequently in recent years due to heavy rainfall in a short period of time over a small watershed area. Climate model projections indicate that the frequency and magnitude of hydrological extremes will increase in a future climate due to increasing concentration of greenhouse gases.

Flood risk is the combination of the probability of a flood event and of the potential adverse consequences for human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity associated with a flood event. Key components of flood risk assessments are the accurate estimation of the flood hazard (i.e. magnitude and frequency of floods) and the potential impact on human activities. The PhD research work will help in assessing risks and proposing mitigation measures on small catchments through detail hydrological modelling under land use and climate changes.

The specific objectives of Aynalem Tsegaw Tasachew's PhD project are:

• To analyze, understand, and draw conclusions on how small catchments have responded to extreme storm events.
• To clarify ideas and concepts about flood generating processes in small catchments due to extreme events.
• To analyze, understand and quantify how extreme storm events will respond to climate changes in the future.
• To analyze, understand, and draw conclusions on how small catchments respond to future extreme storm events under land use and climate change scenarios.
• To produce flood risk assessment methods and evaluate the method under future land use and climate changes on small catchments.
• To identify, analyze, select and propose effective approaches in reducing flood risks to infrastructures on small catchments under future climate and land use change scenarios.
• To contribute to a local guideline for flood risk management strategy on small catchments under future climate and land use changes.

The supervisor team is Professor Knut Alfredsen (NTNU) and Associate Professor Tone Merete Muthanna (NTNU).