Numerical modeling of Samsun Mert River floods

Abstract

Floods are considered one of the most important natural disasters after earthquakes in Turkey. As a result, there is currently great public interest in this issue and it is necessary to intensify research activities in order to understand natural disasters better and to reinforce risk management. The effect of climate change on meteorological events causes an increase in extreme events such as excessive precipitation in some regions. An extreme natural event becomes a disaster when it has a large impact on human settlements and activities. Study area Samsun city is placed in the north of Turkey in the middle of Blacksea region where Kizilirmak and Yesilirmak rivers poured deltas. Samsun with a height of 735 mm mean annual precipitation is above the national average. Samsun is exposed to flooding every two to three years. In this study, flood risks of Samsun Mert river downstream area determinate with numerical modeling method. Numerical analysis has become the most basic tool recently used in modeling floods. Numerical model selection for studies provides advantages in developing and changing the solutions with time. Hydrological models were also created corresponding to 100 and 500 year return period floods. 1D and 2D hydrodynamic modeling was created with MIKE powered by DHI software; MIKE 11 and MIKE 21.