Modelling Erosion and Floods in Volcanic Environment: The Case Study of the Island of Vulcano (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy)

Rosanna Bonasia, Agnese Turchi, Paolo Madonia, Alessandro Fornaciai, Massimiliano Favalli, Andrea Gioia and Federico Di Traglia ()
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Rosanna Bonasia: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT)-Instituto Politécnico Nacional, ESIA, UZ, Miguel Bernard, S/N, Edificio de Posgrado, Mexico City 07738, Mexico
Agnese Turchi: PLINIVS-LUPT Study Centre, University of Naples Federico II, Via Toledo 402, 80134 Napoli, Italy
Paolo Madonia: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo—Sezione di Catania, Piazza Roma 2, 95125 Catania, Italy
Alessandro Fornaciai: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, Via Cesare Battisti 53, 56125 Pisa, Italy
Massimiliano Favalli: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, Via Cesare Battisti 53, 56125 Pisa, Italy
Andrea Gioia: Politecnico di Bari, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, del Territorio, Edile e di Chimica, Via Edoardo Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Federico Di Traglia: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Vesuviano—Sezione di Napoli, Via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Napoli, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-22

Abstract: The re-mobilization of volcaniclastic material poses a hazard factor which, although it decreases with time since the last eruption, remains present in the hydrographic basins of volcanic areas. Herein, we present the results of the numerical modelling of erosive phenomena of volcanic deposits, as well as of flooding in the volcanic area. The proposed approach includes runoff estimation, land use analysis, and the application of hydraulic and erosion modelling. It exploits the Iber software, a widely used and validated model for rainfall-runoff, river flooding, and erosion and sediment transport modelling. The methodology was applied to the Island of Vulcano (Italy), known for the erosion phenomena that affect the slopes of one of its volcanic cones (La Fossa cone). The rainfall excess was calculated using a 19-year dataset of hourly precipitations, and the curve number expressed by the information on soil cover in the area, derived from the land cover and land use analysis. The erosion and flow models were performed considering different rainfall scenarios. Results show a particularly strong erosion, with thicknesses greater than 0.4 m. This is consistent with field observations, in particular with some detailed data collected both after intense events and by long-term observation. Results of the hydraulic simulations show that moderate and torrential rainfall scenarios can lead to flood levels between 0.2 and 0.6 m, which mostly affect the harbours located in the island’s inhabited area.

Keywords: erosion modelling; floods modelling; numerical models; Iber software; volcaniclastic deposits; floods hazard; Island of Vulcano; Aeolian Archipelago; geomorphological hazards (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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