Author(s): Michael Nones; Davide Bonaldo; Giampaolo Di Silvio
Linked Author(s): Michael Nones, Giampaolo Di Silvio
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The analysis of the long term, generally slow morphological evolution of a river can be well described through the application of appropriate mathematical models at watershed scale, with simulations carried on over hundreds kilometers and over a number of decades or centuries. The paper describes a 1-D model, which simulates the interaction of all the relevant mechanism: hydrology, morphology and riparian vegetation growth. This numerical bio-hydro-morphological model is relatively simple as for the description of the water flow, but it takes into account the non-uniform size of the sediments of rivers, which is crucial at watershed scale. In the model is also introduced a biological component, which represents the response of different populations of trees (poplars and willows) to the hydrological disturbances, in order to provide the distribution of riparian vegetation in each cross section and calculate the effect of vegetation on hydraulics and sediment transport. The model has been applied to the Adige River, a relatively large watercourse flowing from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea, in the North-East of Italy, with a drainage area of about 12. 000 km2.
Year: 2010