Project Description
Over the past 50 years, the urban area in SE Wisconsin has doubled. Climate models predict that there will be significant change in Wisconsin's climate for the next 50-100 years. Particularly, the annual precipitation will increase. The combined effect is that stream flow and thus flooding risks will increase. The main goal of this research is to simulate the stream flow in Root River for the year of 2040-2100. Specifically, we will use future land use prepared by Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Committee and future climate data prepared by UW-Madison to drive USGS GSFLOW model to simulate Root River stream flow under future land use and climate scenarios. The stream flow will then be used to prepare flood risk maps.
Tasks and Responsibilites
The student will prepare the needed input file through processing figure climate data and land use data (mainly using ArcGIS and Matlab), then run the hydrological simulation models using software published by USGS. They will analyze simulation results, prepare new maps and compare new maps to existing FEMA flood risk maps. Then the student will identify areas that are susceptible increased flooding risks due to land use change and future climate change.
Desired Qualifications
None Listed.