A composite index framework for compound flood risk assessment

Abstract Compound flooding, which is driven by both inland and coastal forcing, poses an increasing threat to coastal regions. However, the current preliminary flood risk assessments under the EU Floods Directive (FD) focus primarily on single-driver events, often overlooking compound flooding risks...

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Main Authors: Juan Del-Rosal-Salido, María Bermúdez, Miguel Ortega-Sánchez, Marc Sanuy, Marcus Silva-Santana, José A. Jiménez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Communications Earth & Environment
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02331-z
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author Juan Del-Rosal-Salido
María Bermúdez
Miguel Ortega-Sánchez
Marc Sanuy
Marcus Silva-Santana
José A. Jiménez
author_facet Juan Del-Rosal-Salido
María Bermúdez
Miguel Ortega-Sánchez
Marc Sanuy
Marcus Silva-Santana
José A. Jiménez
author_sort Juan Del-Rosal-Salido
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Compound flooding, which is driven by both inland and coastal forcing, poses an increasing threat to coastal regions. However, the current preliminary flood risk assessments under the EU Floods Directive (FD) focus primarily on single-driver events, often overlooking compound flooding risks. Here we introduce a cost-effective framework to identify and rank areas of potential significant flood risk (APSFRs) on the basis of their compound flooding potential. The framework uses a composite index that considers intensity, correlation and probability, along with a cluster analysis, to categorize the APSFRs by dominant flood mechanisms. Using the 1,600 km Spanish Western Mediterranean coastline as a case study, the framework is used herein to identify three key regions with high compound flood potential, with 11% of the 214 analyzed APSFRs falling into the most severe category. The results demonstrate the ability of the proposed methodology to pinpoint areas where high-resolution flood risk assessments are needed and support the efficient integration of compound flooding analysis into the third implementation cycle of the FD.
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spelling doaj-art-c742a4cdfb53463f9fa5e9e7ef8607962025-08-20T02:55:39ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-05-016111110.1038/s43247-025-02331-zA composite index framework for compound flood risk assessmentJuan Del-Rosal-Salido0María Bermúdez1Miguel Ortega-Sánchez2Marc Sanuy3Marcus Silva-Santana4José A. Jiménez5Andalusian Institute for Earth System Research, University of Granada, Avda del Mediterráneo s/nAndalusian Institute for Earth System Research, University of Granada, Avda del Mediterráneo s/nAndalusian Institute for Earth System Research, University of Granada, Avda del Mediterráneo s/nLaboratori d’Enginyeria Marítima, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya·Barcelona Tech, c/ Jordi Girona 1-3, Campus Nord ed D1Andalusian Institute for Earth System Research, University of Granada, Avda del Mediterráneo s/nLaboratori d’Enginyeria Marítima, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya·Barcelona Tech, c/ Jordi Girona 1-3, Campus Nord ed D1Abstract Compound flooding, which is driven by both inland and coastal forcing, poses an increasing threat to coastal regions. However, the current preliminary flood risk assessments under the EU Floods Directive (FD) focus primarily on single-driver events, often overlooking compound flooding risks. Here we introduce a cost-effective framework to identify and rank areas of potential significant flood risk (APSFRs) on the basis of their compound flooding potential. The framework uses a composite index that considers intensity, correlation and probability, along with a cluster analysis, to categorize the APSFRs by dominant flood mechanisms. Using the 1,600 km Spanish Western Mediterranean coastline as a case study, the framework is used herein to identify three key regions with high compound flood potential, with 11% of the 214 analyzed APSFRs falling into the most severe category. The results demonstrate the ability of the proposed methodology to pinpoint areas where high-resolution flood risk assessments are needed and support the efficient integration of compound flooding analysis into the third implementation cycle of the FD.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02331-z
spellingShingle Juan Del-Rosal-Salido
María Bermúdez
Miguel Ortega-Sánchez
Marc Sanuy
Marcus Silva-Santana
José A. Jiménez
A composite index framework for compound flood risk assessment
Communications Earth & Environment
title A composite index framework for compound flood risk assessment
title_full A composite index framework for compound flood risk assessment
title_fullStr A composite index framework for compound flood risk assessment
title_full_unstemmed A composite index framework for compound flood risk assessment
title_short A composite index framework for compound flood risk assessment
title_sort composite index framework for compound flood risk assessment
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02331-z
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