River Murray Floodplain Inundation Models (Rim-Fim) For The Lower-Darling River System, Australia

The Murray Darling Basin Authority needs information about the distribution of inundation at certain flow levels to efficiently plan the delivery of environmental water. One of the models the MDBA have used to assist their planning is the River Murray Floodplain Inundation Model, or RiM-FIM, which uses satellite image observations and digital elevation data to predict the distribution of inundation through a local area at a given stage height of water at a nearby flow gauge. These models are relatively cheap and fast to create compared to more complex models, but they have some characteristics that limit the range of conditions in which they can be best applied. This paper will describe the RiM-FIM method and some of the challenges in developing a model for the Lower Darling River System in inland Australia.