Integration of Landsat imagery and an inundation model in flood assessment and predictions: A case study in Cook Inlet, Alaska

High-temporal and spatial resolution coastal topography data is important in assessing and predicting floods. This study demonstrates the capability of remote sensing technology in deriving topographic information of flood areas. Cook Inlet, Alaska, with its large (8-10m) tidal range and extensive mudflat regions is selected as a study area. The shorelines at different tidal stages are detected from analysis of water coverage in Landsat satellite images. All the shoreline data from different times are next integrated with water level data from observations and the inundation model to produce a new topography maps. The method indicates a new way to evaluate the flood prediction of the existing Cook Inlet inundation model, and the potential of using remote sensing data to improve the accuracy of flood perditions by obtaining a high-resolution topography data in shallow regions and flood zones where land-base data are not available.