Dual State-Parameter Assimilation of SAR-derived Wet Surface Ratio for
Improving Fluvial Flood Reanalysis
Abstract
Flooding is one of the most devastating natural hazards to which our
society worldwide must adapt, especially as its severity and occurrence
tend to increase with climate changes. This research work focuses on the
assimilation of 2D flood observations derived from remote-sensing images
acquired during overflowing events. To do so, the resulting binary
wet/dry maps are expressed in terms of wet surface ratios (WSR) over a
number of floodplain subdomains. This ratio is assimilated jointly with
in-situ water-level gauge observations to improve the flow dynamics
within the floodplain. An Ensemble Kalman Filter with a dual
state-parameter analysis approach is implemented on top of a TELEMAC-2D
hydrodynamic model. The EnKF control vector is composed of
spatially-distributed friction coefficients and a corrective parameter
of the inflow discharge. It is extended with the hydraulic states within
the floodplain subdomains. This data assimilation strategy was validated
and evaluated over a reach of the Garonne river. The observation
operator associated with the WSR observations, as well as the dual
state-parameter sequential correction, was first validated in the
context of Observing System Simulation Experiments. It was then applied
to two real flood events that occurred in 2019 and 2021. The merits of
assimilating SAR-derived WSR observations, in complement to the in-situ
water-level observations, are shown in the parameter and observation
spaces with assessment metrics computed over the entire flood events. It
is also shown that the hydraulic state correction within the dual
state-parameter analysis approach significantly improves the flood
dynamics, especially during the flood recession.