An urban flood inundation model based on cellular automata

Abstract

This study develops a modified cellular automata (CA) model to simulate the flash flood inundation extent on a case study of an urban sub-catchment, in New York City. Based on the soil composition, the Horton equation is modified with threshold infiltration rates and applied to different land cover types. Further, the orifice equation is updated with a time variant parameter to account for partial/full blockage in the inlets. We propose a slope weighted flow transfer function to adjust the CA model and address the problem of depth positivity and flow regime changes, occurring due to the partial submergence. Seven ponding points with different levels of inundation are detected in the survey of the area and accordingly compared with the output of the simulation. The results prove the applicability of the developed CA model to reproduce the evolution of water depth.