Assessing the Morphological Quality of the Calore River (Southern Italy)

Paolo Magliulo, Sofia Sessa, Angelo Cusano, Marika Beatrice, Alberto Giannini and Filippo Russo
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Paolo Magliulo: Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Sofia Sessa: Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Angelo Cusano: Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Marika Beatrice: Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Alberto Giannini: Inter University Centre for the Prediction and Prevention of Major Hazards (C.U.G.RI.), 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Filippo Russo: Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy

Geographies, 2022, vol. 2, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: As highlighted by the EU Water Framework Directive from 2000, the hydromorphology of a stream, besides water quality and biological aspects, is one of the main elements to be evaluated to correctly assess its ecological state. Notwithstanding this, there are no such studies in peninsular Southern Italy. This study provides a contribution to filling this gap by assessing the morphological quality of one of the major rivers of this area, i.e., the Calore River, by using the IDRAIM method. The latter presents the advantage of taking into account the specific Italian context in terms of channel adjustments and human pressures, together with pre-existing geomorphological approaches developed in other countries. The method is based on data obtained by means of GIS analysis, remote sensing, and field survey. The analysis provided encouraging results, highlighting the good morphological quality of the Calore River. To maintain such quality, accurate monitoring of the human activities and/or careful planning of structures that could negatively affect the river’s morphological quality is unquestionably needed. The Calore River morphological quality seems to be controlled by artificiality rather than by the channel changes experienced since the 1950s. The results will be fundamental for already planned studies dealing with flood hazard and risk assessment.

Keywords: hydromorphology; IDRAIM; fluvial geomorphology; channel adjustments; river artificiality; river functionality; river ecology; GIS-analysis; Campania region; Mediterranean area (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q15 Q5 Q53 Q54 Q56 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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