About this Research Topic

Background

Floods are one of the most impactful disasters in terms of human and economic losses across the world. Furthermore, when different climatic extremes occur simultaneously or in close succession, the impacts to the environment, built infrastructure, and society at large are often significantly escalated. These events are collectively referred to as "compound" events. Although they are typically regarded as highly "surprising" when they occur, the dependencies and multi-scale nature of many climate phenomena mean that such events occur much more likely than might be expected by random chance alone. Much progress has been made to protect people and properties with effective structural measures; however, the interplay between the physical and the social process have significantly promoted flood risk because of its dynamics.

To reduce flood losses, we need to understand how floods have changed, and anticipate future changes considering engineering cost-effective interventions and human behaviours to increase the resilience of the overall natural-human apparatus. This requires multisectoral inclusive approaches, advanced computer models, and remote-sensing techniques to revealing flood risks and redefining development.

This Research Topic will provide a platform for researchers and engineers to share and discuss state-of-the-art scientific knowledge and best practices in flood management in a changing world. As such, it welcomes in-depth research work carried out through flood modelling including flood observations, hydrological and hydrodynamic modelling, flood inundation and flood hazard mapping, risk assessment, and citizen-science based research. It also welcomes studies that promote understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between natural, technical, and social processes, which can improve flood management practices.

Scientific efforts are providing a new understanding of the interdependence of water management systems, so for that reason, we also strongly encourage interdisciplinary research. These scientific advances, in turn, provide critical information for coordinated management to improve the affordability, reliability, and environmental sustainability of the newly proposed solutions.

We welcome submissions related to flood and compound-flood risk assessment and management, that demonstrate the convergence of methods or theory across fields addressing:

● Inter-correlations of climate change, compound events, and/or flood-landscape-human dynamics
● Understanding interactions and feedbacks between natural, technical, and social processes, which can improve flood management practices whilst maintaining the ecological benefits of flooding, and the environmental sustainability of novel proposed solutions
● The role of citizen-science and remote sensing in observing, modelling, and managing flood risk in a changing environment
● Citizen-science and flood risk management: lessons learned and flood policy recommendations (from a local to a global political agenda)

Keywords: Flood, Remote Sensing, Modeling, Climate, Society

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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