All the authors work at or in conjunction with the Flood Hazard Research Centre (FHRC) at Middlesex University, London, UK. The FHRC has a distinguished 40-year history of interdisciplinary research in this field. It has been commended for this by two Chief UK Government Scientific Advisors, Sir David King and Sir John Beddington, and by the award of a prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize. This book is an output of new research projects and activities carried out under the joint sponsorship of the UK's Environment Agency and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs following the severe flooding in the UK in 2007.