Channel conveyance and flood risk: Are current models missing the mark?

River floods are environmental hazards that can have devastating effects on human life, agriculture, and infrastructure. Hydrologic models are used to map flood hazards to better understand risk, dictate insurance costs, and inform land-use planning. However, new research being presented Wednesday at the Geological Society of America's GSA Connects 2024 meeting suggests that these models may be missing a key variable that could underestimate risk.