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INSTRUCTORS:
Clément Dif
Arash Rafiee
Jenero S. Knowles, E.I.
Rob Nairn, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Course Length: 1 hour
Purpose and Background
These presentations were recorded at the International Conference on Coastal Engineering 2026.
Modeling Long-Term Morphological Changes to Estimate Future Coastal Flooding Along the Northern Coast of France (14 minutes)
This presentation investigates how long-term coastal morphology changes influence future flood risk along the northern coast of France. Participants will learn why beach and dune evolution should be considered when conducting coastal flood assessments. The speaker presents a methodology that combines sea-level rise, tides, waves, storms, sediment transport, and dune dynamics into a single modeling framework. Attendees will explore how longshore sediment fluxes and morphological evolution can be incorporated into future flood scenarios. The presentation demonstrates the use of numerical tools to simulate both long-term coastal change and storm-induced erosion. Results are compared with observed profile evolution to validate modeling performance. Participants will gain insight into the importance of morphology-aware flood forecasting and coastal adaptation planning.
Seamless Coastal and Inland Flood Risk Assessment in Changing Climate; A Case Study in Rhode Island, USA (14 minutes)
This presentation focuses on integrating coastal and inland flooding into a unified flood-risk assessment framework. Participants will learn how storm surge, sea-level rise, precipitation, and river flooding interact to create compound flooding hazards. The speaker demonstrates the development of hydrologic and hydraulic models that incorporate future climate scenarios and projected precipitation changes. Attendees will explore methods for updating traditional flood maps to better reflect future conditions. The presentation highlights the challenges of combining coastal and fluvial flood processes into a single risk assessment approach. Results from Rhode Island illustrate how climate change may alter flood extents and impact vulnerable infrastructure. Participants will gain practical knowledge of modern flood-risk assessment techniques for coastal communities.
Bracing for Future Impacts: The Possible Extreme Scenario of Tropical Cyclones (14 minutes)
This presentation explores methods for identifying the most severe tropical cyclone scenarios capable of producing extreme storm tides at specific locations. Participants will learn how synthetic storm generation techniques can be used to extend beyond the historical record and investigate plausible worst-case events. The speaker discusses the role of storm intensity, track, size, and other meteorological parameters in driving coastal flooding. Attendees will examine a framework that iteratively refines storm characteristics to identify extreme flood-producing scenarios. The presentation highlights the value of combining statistical methods and numerical modeling while reducing computational demands. Results demonstrate how storms more severe than historical events may be physically plausible under certain conditions. Participants will gain insight into planning and designing critical infrastructure for extreme future hazards.
Lessons from Recent Compund Flood Applications to Coastal Engineering Projects in the USA (15 minutes)
This presentation examines recent applications of compound flood analysis in U.S. coastal engineering projects. Participants will learn how rainfall, storm surge, and other flood drivers interact to produce complex flood hazards. The speaker explores the concept of flood dependency and demonstrates how compound flooding can significantly alter design conditions. Attendees will be introduced to statistical tools such as copula-based analysis for evaluating the relationship between rainfall and storm surge. Multiple case studies illustrate how compound flood risk varies among different coastal regions. The presentation emphasizes the implications of compound flooding for infrastructure design, pump station sizing, and flood protection planning. Participants will gain a better understanding of how compound flood analysis can support more resilient engineering decisions.
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain how long-term morphological changes can influence coastal flood risk assessments.
- Describe how coastal and inland flood processes can be combined within a comprehensive flood-risk assessment framework.
- Discuss how synthetic storm modeling can be used to identify extreme tropical cyclone scenarios for coastal risk assessments.
- Identify how compound flooding influences coastal engineering design and flood-risk management decisions.
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-test assessment (true-false, multiple choice, and/or fill in the blank questions).
Who Should Attend?
- Coastal Engineer
- Civil Engineer
- Coastal Scientist
- Coastal Resilience Program Manager
- Government Coastal Zone Manager
- University Student or Researcher
How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion
To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 365 days of the course purchase.
How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?
1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]