Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
NHESS
Articles | Volume 26, issue 1
Articles | Volume 26, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-85-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-85-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 26, issue 1
Research article
 | 
13 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 13 Jan 2026

Enabling real-time high-resolution flood forecasting for the entire state of Berlin through multi-GPU accelerated physics-based modeling

Shahin Khosh Bin Ghomash, Siqi Deng, and Heiko Apel

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Apel, H., Vorogushyn, S., and Merz, B.: Brief communication: Impact forecasting could substantially improve the emergency management of deadly floods: case study July 2021 floods in Germany, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 22, 3005–3014, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3005-2022, 2022. a, b
Apel, H., Benisch, J., Helm, B., Vorogushyn, S., and Merz, B.: Fast urban inundation simulation with RIM2D for flood risk assessment and forecasting, Frontiers in Water, 6, 1310182, https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2024.1310182, 2024. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
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Urban pluvial flooding is worsening due to climate change and urbanization, requiring faster forecasts. This study presents RIM2D, a multi-graphics processing unit (GPU) 2D flood model, simulating high-resolution events (2–10 m) across Berlin (891.8 km²) with up to 8 GPUs. Simulations of real and synthetic floods show multi-GPU use is vital for fine-scale, timely forecasts. RIM2D proves operationally viable for urban-scale early warning using modern GPU hardware.

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