Flash-Flood Potential Assessment by Integrating the Remote Sensing Data and GIS with Reference to Adam Area, Western Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Heavy rainstorms are common occurrences in the Western mountainous region of Saudi Arabia that results in hazardous floods damaging the infrastructure and development plans. Severe rainstorms and heavy showers cause instant flash floods that result in major damage of properties and loss of human lives. Therefore, it becomes crucial during the development planning that floods are accurately analyzed. For the calculation and spatial mapping of flood features, an integrated remote sensing and GIS methodology has been formed. This new methodology makes use of various landscape, metrological, geological, and land use datasets in a GIS environment by employing the technique of Curve Number (CN) of flood modeling for unrestricted dry catchments. The prediction of rainfall depths for 50 and 100-years are 73.6 and 82.3 mm respectively. 4.3679 and 8.0605 million cubic meters are the flood volumes for 50- and 100-year return periods. Moreover, the flood’s statistical data like the depth and volume of runoff is added in GIS layers’ attribute tables so that all results are collected in the same environment. The application of advanced methodology aids in providing exact estimations and digital results. Moreover, it is economical and can be re-operated in different circumstances as well.