Articles | Volume 26, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-571-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-571-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
27 Jan 2026
Research article |
| 27 Jan 2026
| 27 Jan 2026
Large discrepancies between event- and response-based compound flood hazard estimates
Sara Santamaria-Aguilar
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Pravin Maduwantha
Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Alejandra R. Enriquez
School of Geosciences, College of Arts & Sciences, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL 33701, USA
Thomas Wahl
Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
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Short summary
Traditional flood assessments use an event-based approach, assuming flood risk matches the chance of flood drivers. However, flooding also depends on topography and the spatio-temporal features of events. The response-based approach uses many events to estimate flood hazard directly. In Gloucester City (NJ, U.S.), we find that frequent events can cause rare (1 %) flood levels due to their spatio-temporal characteristics. Including these factors is key for accurate flood hazard estimates.
Traditional flood assessments use an event-based approach, assuming flood risk matches the...
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