River-related flooding in the Bad River (Mashkiiziibii) Estuary, Lake Superior, 2016-22

The Bad River (Mashkiiziibii) Estuary experiences flooding driven by both the elevation of Lake Superior and high-flow events in the rivers that feed the estuary. Inundation dynamics in the estuary depend on the interaction of lake levels and river flow. To capture those dynamics, we compiled water surface elevation (WSE) data from five gages bracketing the boundaries of the estuary. These included stream gages on the Bad River and Beartrap Creek at the upstream end of the estuary and on the Bad River and Kakagon Rivers near their mouths. The gage at Ashland Lighthouse in Chequamegon Bay was used to represent lake levels on the western edge of the estuary. We interpolated water elevation surfaces between the gages to cover the extent of the estuary, generating one surface per day between October, 2020 and September, 2022, using daily mean gage data. Additionally, we generated water elevation surfaces using 15-minute resolution gage data for a month-long high-flow period during spring of 2023, as well as for the 2016 and 2018 floods from observed high water marks associated with the floods. The water surfaces were overlaid on a digital elevation model (DEM) representing the 2019 topography and bathymetry of the Bad River Estuary to estimate inundation depths across the estuary. Provided in this data release are daily inundation depth rasters for 2020-2022 and the 2016 and 2018 floods, 15-minute inundation depth rasters for April 8th to May 8th, 2023, and a time-lapse video of the compiled 2020-2022 daily inundation maps.

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  "010:12"
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  "geospatial"
]