EAGER: INVESTIGATING DRIVERS OF STORMWATER FLOODING IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES: A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

East Carolina University, Greenville NC

Investigators

Abstract

CBET 1644650 (Etheridge) This award is under NSF's topic of Public Participation in Scientific Research. The investigators will assess the reliability, validity and trustworthiness of data collected by citizen scientists by investigating the drivers of flooding following storm events on Bogue Banks, a barrier island in North Carolina. Forty citizen scientists will be recruited for the the project to (a) document areas prone to storm water flooding, and (b) measure and record groundwater and surface water levels in coastal communities over a three month period. The citizen science team will deploy 20 automated water loggers in wells to collect independent groundwater data with which to compare data collected by citizen scientists. The citizen scientists will also be asked to identify areas prone to stormwater flooding where staff gages will be installed by the investigators to measure surface water ponding during storm events. The citizen scientists will be tasked with recording the water level and taking photos of the staff gages in flooded areas using smart phones or other devices. The investigators will then use image processing/machine vision software to extract quantitative data from the photos for comparison with the data recorded by the citizen scientists. A groundwater model will be used to simulate the impact of water table fluctuations on stormwater flooding events. One of the major outcomes of this project will be a determination of the reliability and validity of the groundwater and surface water level measurements made by citizen scientists along with the identification of other issues associated with their measurements in this context. The data collected by the citizen scientists will be used by the researchers to develop and evaluate models that relate groundwater level and precipitation data to stormwater flooding. Such models would be useful to water professionals/engineers in sustaining environmental systems impacted by stormwater flooding through the provision of information on anticipated flooding that is based on precipitation and depth to the water table.