Simulating Nature-Based Flood Mitigation Interventions Using Flood Models
- oliverashton3
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Qiuyu Zhu, Research Fellow at the University of Leeds
Introduction
Over the past few years, investment in natural flood management (NFM) and nature-based solutions (NBS) has surged across academia, industry, charities, and the public sector. Understanding how effective these interventions are at reducing flood risk is essential for informed planning and decision-making.
While practitioners may be tempted to implement NFM and land-use interventions based on anticipated “typical” flood outcomes, flood responses are highly catchment-specific. Without robust modelling, there is a risk that well-intentioned measures could lead to unintended or sub-optimal outcomes. My PhD research at the University of Leeds focuses on addressing key gaps in how NFM and NBS interventions are represented in modelling frameworks.
Advancing Modelling Approaches for NFM and NBS
In a previous quantitative review of NFM and NBS studies, I found that increasing the scale of implementation does not reduce the effectiveness of combined interventions. This insight motivated the next step: simulating the combined impacts of multiple NFM and NBS interventions at a larger catchment scale.
However, this introduces a familiar challenge. High-resolution models are needed to accurately represent individual NFM features, while larger catchments demand computational efficiency and scalability. To address this, I developed a coupled modelling approach that integrates the rainfall–runoff model SD-TOPMODEL with the hydrodynamic model Flood Modeller 2D.
This coupled approach allows upstream land and soil management interventions to be modelled alongside midstream and downstream interventions such as leaky dams, temporary flood storage, and riparian buffer features, all within a single catchment. Crucially, it enables flexible testing of different combinations of NFM and NBS interventions, while maintaining physical realism across scales.
The results highlight the importance of coordinated NFM planning. Without careful design, interventions can unintentionally synchronise flood peaks or reduce overall effectiveness. Modelling provides a powerful way to identify and avoid these risks before interventions are implemented on the ground.
Prospects for Future Modelling Approaches
While the coupled modelling approach addresses key limitations in scale and resolution, a clear next step is the development of automated, code-based workflows for model coupling and parameterisation, enabling more efficient simulations and improved reproducibility.
Looking ahead, there is also significant potential to model systematic NFM and NBS implementation across entire catchments, enabling simulations at larger scales of 100–1,000 km² and across catchments with contrasting hydrological and geomorphological characteristics. These advances would provide robust, numerical evidence to support NFM and NBS design, guide investment decisions and inform future flood risk policy.
As nature-based solutions continue to gain traction, scalable and reliable modelling tools will be essential to ensure that interventions deliver maximum benefit, both for flood resilience and for wider environmental outcomes.
Qiuyu Zhu
Qiuyu Zhu is a Research Fellow in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds. She holds a PhD in Physical Geography and has over five years of research experience in hydrological and hydrodynamic modelling, with a primary focus on nature-based flood risk management.
Qiuyu is passionate about advancing flood modelling frameworks and their real-world application. Her work focuses on developing efficient, scalable and standardised modelling approaches to represent land use change, soil management and other resilient flood mitigation strategies that work with natural processes.
