Document Type

Thesis - University Access Only

Award Date

2000

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Geography

Abstract

Spring flooding is a recurring problem in eastern South Dakota. Minnehaha County, SD experiences spring flooding from snowmelt flowing from the north. This study provides a methodology for developing a flood inundation model for the main channel of the Big Sioux River. The objectives were to build two Digital Elevation Models of the floodplain and adjacent areas of the Big Sioux River; to simulate extent of flooding based on two flood events; and to evaluate the accuracy of the model by comparing aerial photography taken within hours or days of the two events. The quality of the model's estimate is limited by the quality of the data sources. This method should aid in further and more advanced model development in the future. It is hoped that this research will contribute toward better decision making for flood analysis in Minnehaha County, SD.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Floods -- Big Sioux River (S.D. and Iowa) -- Mathematical models
Flood forecasting -- South Dakota -- Minnehaha County

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

82

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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