Date of Award

Spring 2026

Abstract

This dissertation examines the integration of observational and modeled data for characterizing the causes of cold-region fluvial floods across spatial scales. Event-based flood-generating mechanisms (e.g., precipitation, snowmelt, soil freeze/thaw) provide insights into the timing, magnitude, and frequency of historical cold-region flood hazards and how they have changed over time. Studies which classify these flood-generating mechanisms and their interactions are important for developing a holistic understanding of flood generation, ensuring homogenous samples for flood statistics and change detection, and revealing conditions which contribute to the variability in flood behavior across spatial scales. Using modeled data, causative classification of cold-region flood-generating mechanisms was performed to explore broad-scale patterns in flood generation over a 30-year period in the Contiguous United States (CONUS). Then, to reveal regional-scale patterns, event-based mechanisms associated with two major historical flood events were analyzed. We found that flood-generating mechanisms were associated with distinct flood magnitudes, seasonal timing, and regional patterns that were well-described by elevation and snow seasonality and persistence. Some catchments, especially in the northeast CONUS, were associated with a high variability in flood-generating mechanisms and the largest flood events were often caused by conditions that were comparatively less common. Lastly, this work evaluated the utility and limitations of unoccupied aerial system-based remote sensing for monitoring cold region hazards and concluded by exploring avenues for improved cold-region hazard monitoring and prediction across spatial scales. We found that unoccupied aerial systems provide a viable option for collecting high resolution data on cold region processes at the sub-catchment scale to validate models, downscale coarse resolution data, and fill temporal data gaps between satellite overpasses.

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Jennifer M Jacobs

Second Advisor

Elizabeth Burakowski

Third Advisor

Anne Lightbody

Department or Program

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

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