Flash Flood Hazard Mapping Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques in Southwestern Saudi Arabia

Saad S. Alarifi (), Mohamed Abdelkareem, Fathy Abdalla and Mislat Alotaibi
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Saad S. Alarifi: Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Abdelkareem: Geology Department, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
Fathy Abdalla: Geology Department, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
Mislat Alotaibi: Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72704, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Flash flooding is one of the most significant natural disasters in arid/hyperarid regions and causes vast property damage and a large number of deaths. For mitigating and reducing flood risks, data from several remote sensing satellite images—Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)—were prepared and combined through a GIS-based multicriteria decision-making technique to test and delineate the flash flood vulnerable areas of Wadi Hali in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Several flash flood thematic layers representing topographic, geomorphic, climatic, and hydrological conditions were prepared, normalized, and combined through a GIS- based analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique to obtain flash flood hazard zones (FFHs). This method successfully presented a satisfactory output map that revealed six zones of flood risk, and areas of extreme hazard covered about 13% of the entire basin. Landsat 8 band composite 7, 5, and 3 and field data validated the FFHs. This map considered a key requirement for sustaining safe settlements downstream of Wadi Hali. Overall, the integration of remote sensing and GIS techniques revealed significant areas of flash flood zones in an arid region.

Keywords: modeling; SRTM; Wadi Hali; runoff; satellite data; risk assessment; flood hazards (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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