ABSTRACT:

This module focuses on teaching the knowledge and technical skills related to flood inundation mapping and its impact on designing resilient and sustainable hydraulic infrastructure. It consists of the following sections:

Section 1: Introduction
Section 2: Machine Learning for Flood Inundation Mapping
Section 3: Evaluation of Flood Inundation Mapping
Section 4: Decision Making for Hydraulic Design

ABSTRACT:

This module provides an introduction to climate change indices and key processes for water balance modeling used for watershed runoff modeling. Learning objectives are centered around an authentic task based on calibrating and simulating the watershed model to evaluate changes in flood frequency.

Topics Covered:
Climate Change Indices
Assessing Trends in Data
Water Balance Modeling
Components of the Water Balance
Running a Water Balance Model and Comparing to Observations

ABSTRACT:

This module will provide the learner with learning activities and tools needed to use and design Serious Games for specific geographic settings and hydrologic scenarios that integrates the nexus between formal science, popular science, and political science that water professionals may encounter in their day-to-day business through simulations, board games, and to have fun with family and friends.

ABSTRACT:

For over a decade, Georgica Pond (Figure 1.1) has suffered from toxic cyanobacteria blooms, or blue-green algae, during the summer months. In 2012, a dog died after exposure to the pond water. A necropsy revealed high levels of cyanotoxins in the dog's stomach that led to neurotoxic shock and eventual death. Testing in the summers thereafter revealed high levels toxic algae leading local government officials to close the pond to shell fishing and recreation. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) such as cyanobacteria can thrive in warm, nutrient rich waters. These closures have had negative impacts on many including summer visitors and local residents, who consider the pond an integral feature of their community. This module covers the fundamentals of remote sensing for water quality monitoring, in addition to high frequency buoy data for assessing chlorophyll a levels. Students will learn key concepts, data analysis techniques, and practical applications to assess water quality of a coastal lake in East Hampton, NY.

ABSTRACT:

This module will provide the student with learning activities and tools needed to develop a basic knowledge of climate models, rainfall analysis,estimate runoff and culvert analysis. This knowledge is developed by completing the four module sections that build off each other and start with the basics of climate change and end with analyzing how culvert performance is impacted by changing rainfall for 2024 and 2033.

ABSTRACT:

The Provo city council is working on their next master plan. You are a civil engineer at a consulting firm hired to analyze the resiliency of their water supply in the face of future changes. You will perform analysis to determine the current state of their infrastructure and if they need to invest capital to be prepared for the future. You will analyze current and future water supply and prepare a report synthesizing your analysis of the system’s resilience and recommendations for the city council.

ABSTRACT:

In this module, the learner will learn how to generate the flood risk map through the case study of the 2024 Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. The step-by-step workflow to create impact-based flood forecasting will be provided, in which we will use the National Water Model (NWM) forecasted streamflow input for Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC)-8 level. You will learn to implement the HAND method for FIM along with SVI and OWP-NWM streamflow input to generate flood risk map for quick evacuation planning with low computational demands.

ABSTRACT:

This module uses a combination of open-source data and model code to show why model choice matters. Students take on the role of a new hire in an engineering consultancy firm. The student will first go through some on-the-job training to get familiar with commonly used data sources and tools. The student is then tasked to generate hydrologic model simulates for a basin in western Washington State. Finally, the consultant is asked to apply their models to a different basin, located near Houston in Texas. Students will contrast the performance of both models in both regions, and provide a summary of the usefulness and appropriateness of using either model in either scenario.

ABSTRACT:

This module will introduce learners to flood inundation mapping tools and the social, ethical considerations involved in flood-based mitigation and protection decision-making. Learners will complete modules and activities that challange them to develop skills in analyzing flood maps, engaging communities, and evaluating vulnerabilities. The goal of this module is to develop skills in social science as they relate to flood-related civil engineering.

ABSTRACT:

This module will provide the learner with fundamental snow-hydrology terminalogy and the technical skills needed to conduct a seasonal snow analysis pursuant to water supply forecasting, covering snow terminology, snow observation systems, and snow modeling basics. Section 1 is an introduction to key snow terminology relevant to water supply forecasting. This section provides the foundation to work through the following sections and to successfully complete the module. Sections 2 focuses on snow observation systems from the USDA National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) SNOTEL network and spatial data products from the NASA Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) mission. Learners will undergo technical training on data retrieval, data processing, visualization, and analysis. Section 3 introduces the concept of a physically-based snow model, using NOAA's NWM NOAH-OWP-Modular as an example. The section will describe the fundamentals of the model including parameterizations, forcings, and outputs. The modeling section will conclude with technical training on data retrieval, data processing, visualization, and analysis. Section 4 is a comprehensive learning activity where the learner will apply the technical skills and knowledge gained throughout the module to evaluate the state-of-the-snowpack for the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir on the Tuolumne river in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a key water supply watershed for the greater San Franscico area.

ABSTRACT:

Hurricane Helene, an event that exceeded all expectations, caused extensive flooding in Asheville and its surrounding areas. The unprecedented nature of this event highlighted the critical need for effective tools to assess flood risks and identify high-risk areas. This module focuses on flood inundation mapping and its application in vulnerability assessment. Learners will explore different flood mapping approaches using FEMA flood products and the National Water Model(NWM) to assess flood exposure and high risk facilities.