The potential application of finite element modelling of flood plain inundation to predict patterns of overbank deposition

Mathematical modelling of overbank inundation and flows faces many problems and is still in its infancy. Work to date has generally been restricted to small reaches. Large-scale models based on longer reaches of river channel are likely to be of greater value for engineering and flood plain management purposes, but the problems associated with the transition from small to large scales need to be assessed. A large-scale finite element model, RMA-2, has been applied to the flood plain of the lower reaches of the River Culm in southeast Devon, UK. Patterns of radiocaesium accumulation by overbank accretion during flood water inundation were used to assess the potential of using such models for explaining sedimentation rates and patterns. A strong correlation was found between values of the 137 Cs inventory and surface concentration and the predicted flood water patterns derived using the RMA-2 model. Except where recession pondage occurs, an inverse relationship existed between 137 Cs deposition and water depth. However, the discretization model developed cannot presently cope with large-scale compartmentalization of flows by barriers to flow and small-scale local features, such as ditches crossing the flood plain and the microtopography of the flood plain. This study appraises the potential for using the RMA-2 model to predict patterns of overbank deposition and represents an initial stage in the development of an integrated model of hydraulic and sediment dynamics.