Hydrologic-hydraulic modelling in the Vezza catchment (Alpi Apuane, Italy): An area prone to flash floods and debris flows

Abstract

The Alpi Apuane (Italy) are located a few kilometres from the coast of the Ligurian Sea, and they are characterized by peak elevations up to two thousand meters above sea level, as well as narrow, deeply incised valleys and steep slopes. Due to these morphoclimatic conditions, heavy rains are frequent, causing floods, landslides, and debris flows, particularly within the Vezza catchment. In this work we applied two different hydrological-hydraulic models to this catchment, focusing on the catastrophic debris flow event of June 19, 1996. Firstly, recent, well-documented rainfall events were used to validate the engineering geological model of the study area, then we began to analyse the rainfall-runoff and debris flow event of 1996 in the Cardoso sub-catchment. As models, we used the FLO-2D and a novel experimental model, developed by some of the authors and based on TRENT2D, in which the dynamic of a debris flow is fully coupled with the rainfall-runoff response of a basin. Preliminary results show how the used approach allowed us to gain some insight into the hydrological behaviour and debris flows formation, erosion, transport, and deposition in the Cardoso sub-catchment.