Insights from a topo-bathymetric and oceanographic dataset for coastal flooding studies: the French Flooding Prevention Action Program of Saint-Malo

Abstract

The French Flooding Prevention Action Program of Saint-Malo, France, requires the assessment of coastal flooding risks and the development of a local flood warning system. The first prerequisite is knowledge of the topography and bathymetry of the bay of Saint-Malo; the acquisition of new multibeam bathymetric data was performed in 2018 and 2019 to increase the resolution of the existing topo-bathymetric datasets and to produce two high-resolution (20 and 5 m) topo-bathymetric digital terrain models. Second, the hydrodynamics associated with coastal flooding were investigated through a dense and extensive oceanographic field experiment conducted during winter 2018–2019 using a network of 22 moorings with 37 sensors: the network included 2 directional buoys, 2 pressure tide gauges, 18 wave pressure gauges, 4 single-point current meters, 7 current profilers, and 4 acoustic wave current profilers from mid-depth (25 m) up to the upper beach and the dike system. The oceanographic dataset thus provides an extended overview of the hydrodynamics and wave processes in the bay of Saint-Malo from the coast up to over-flooding and over-topping areas. This dataset helps to identify the physical drivers of the coastal flooding and provides a quantification of their respective contributions. In particular, the wave processes at the foot of the protection structures can be observed: in this macro-tidal environment, during high spring tides, short and infragravity waves propagate up to the protection structures, while the wave set-up remains negligible, and over-topping by sea packs can occur. The combination of high-resolution topo-bathymetric and oceanographic datasets allows the construction, calibration and validation of a wave and hydrodynamic coupled model that is used to investigate flooding processes more deeply and might be integrated into a future local warning system by means of Saint-Malo inter-communality. The topo-bathymetric and oceanographic datasets are available freely at https://doi.org/10.17183/MNT_COTIER_GNB_PAPI_SM_20m_WGS84, https://doi.org/10.17183/MNT_COTIER_PORT_SM_PAPI_SM_5m_WGS84 and https://doi.org/10.17183/CAMPAGNE_OCEANO_STMALO (Shom, 2020a, b, 2021).