About the project
Floods have been identified as one of the most dangerous hazards in the UK causing potentially billions of pounds of economic and social damage per year. Flood risk is becoming an increasing concern as studies suggest that flood frequency and magnitude are changing over time in the UK, with events that would have been rare in the recent past seeming to become less rare now.
While the most recent major UK flood episode in late 2023/early 2024 saw some extreme peak flows, it was also remarkable for its repeated nature (with a relentless series of extreme storms, including ‘Ciaran’ and ‘Henk’), spatial extent, and duration. Other recent episodes (e.g. 2019/2020) have also seen repeated flooding and wide spatial footprints. Traditional assessments of flood severity, and of long-term trends in floods, are based on peak flow magnitude, but there is a pressing need to better understand other flood signatures like duration, total volume and spatial extent, how they are changing, and for what reasons. Capturing the likelihood of simultaneous flooding events is also crucial for developing tools for resource allocation in emergency response to flooding.
As well as Professor Justin Sheffield, you will also receive supervision from Dr Gianni Vesuviano from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).
Please contact the lead supervisor if you require further information about the project.
