Assessment of Flood Forecast Products for a Coupled Tributary-Coastal Model

Compound flooding, resulting from a combination of riverine and coastal processes, is complex but important hazard to resolve along urbanized shorelines in the vicinity river mouths. However, inland flooding models rarely consider oceanographic conditions, vice versa for flood models. Here, we describe development an operational, integrated coastal-watershed model address this issue compound highly estuarine environment, San Francisco Bay (CA, USA), where surrounding communities are susceptible bay shoreline rivers creeks that drain bay. The tributary-coastal forecast (Hydro-Coastal Storm Modeling System, or Hydro-CoSMoS) was developed provide water managers other users with information beyond what currently available. Results presented here focused on interaction Napa River watershed Pablo at northern end Bay. This paper describes modeling setup, scenario used tabletop exercise (TTE), assessment various products. Hydro-CoSMoS successfully demonstrated capability scales locations no such available also successful showing how tributary flows could be inform storm during scenario. TTE provided valuable feedback guide continued outputs formats most useful end-users.