28007 - Hydrology and Hydraulic Risk

Learning outcomes

After completing this course, students have the basic knowledge of hydrology, its applications for predicting hydraulic risk and its link to applied geology. Furthermore, students will know the most important measures to protect the territory from hydrological risk and the fundamental components of the hydraulic systems for flood forecasting. In particular, the student is able to: use measurement techniques best suited for the main hydrological variables; compute the main terms of water balance at basin scale;  use the most common hydrological models for the transformation of the inflows in outflows in relation to theoretical assumptions and limitations of application of the different approaches of hydrological modeling;  evaluate the importance and necessity of hydrological models in the problems of slope stability and landslide susceptibility estimate; estimate the hydraulic hazard, vulnerability and exposure to flood risk.

Course contents

Hydrological processes: description, measurement and estimation.

Introduction hydrology. Hydrological cycle. Description of hydrological processes at different spatial and temporal scales.

Techniques and tools for measuring the magnitude Hydrology: rainfall, hydrometer, limnimetria, piezometers.

Precipitation: phenomenology of liquid and solid precipitation, methods of assessment of quantities ranges from individual measures.

The evapotranspiration: processes of evaporation and evapotranspiration, control factors, methods for estimating evaporation from open surfaces, methods for estimating evapotranspiration.

Runoff from unsaturated soil: movement of water through the unsaturated soil, the factors that influence the infiltration, the equations of Richards, the simplified models.

Surface runoff: mechanisms of formation of surface runoff, the mechanism for saturation from the top (Horton), the mechanism of saturation from the bottom (Dunne).

The runoff in open channels: methods and models for the propagation of the flow.

River flood

The formation of the floods. Work on an estimate of floods: direct methods, empirical and rational formula. Work on hydrological models at the basin scale: the unit hydrograph, linear models, conceptual models, the distributed differential models, the variable contributing area models.

Elements of statistical hydrology.

Interpretation of hydrological variables as random variables, deterministic and random variables. Series representation of empirical measures of central tendency and dispersion of samples of random variables. Definitions and fundamental theorems of probability: total probability, conditioning and Bayes theorem. Cumulative probability functions and probability density. Representation of samples of experimental observations on probabilistic maps. Curve length of course, lines noted the rains.

The hydrological risk

The concepts of hazard (Hazard) And Risk (Risk). Analysis of intrinsic hazard and vulnerability analysis. Determining the level of risk. Hydraulic protection of territory and civil protection. Structural and non structural interventions for mitigation of flood damage. Hydrometeorological warning systems and heralding the full. The instruments of planning.

Top

Readings/Bibliography

Foundamental texts

Moisello Ugo, Idrologia Tecnica, La Goliardica Pavese, 1999.

Maione Ugo e Moisello Ugo, Elementi di statistica per l'idrologia, La Goliardica Pavese, 1985.

Di Rosa G. (2000) “Rischio Idrogeologico e Difesa del Territorio”. Dario Flaccovio Editore.

Ciabatti M. “Elementi di Idrologia Superficiale”. Coop. Libraria Univ. Ed. Bologna.

Complementary texts

Chow V.T., D.R. Maidment, L.W. Mays, Applied Hydrology, Mc Graw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1988.

Bras Rafael: Hydrology, An introduction to hydrologic science, Wesley Pub., 1990.

Dingman S. Lawrence, Physical hydrology, Prentice Hall 1999.

Kottegoda N.T., R. Rosso, Statistics, probability and reliability for civil and environmental engineers, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1997.

Leopold L.B., L'acqua, Zanichelli, Bologna, 1978.

Maione Ugo, Le piene fluviali, La Goliardica Pavese, 1977.

Moisello Ugo, Grandezze e fenomeni idrologici, La Goliardica Pavese, 1985.

Strahler A., Physical geography, J. Wiley, New York, 1969.

Strahler, A. N., Geografia Fisica, Piccin editore, Padova, 1984

Supino G., Le reti idrauliche, Patron, Bologna, 1965.

Da Deppo L., C. Datei e P. Salandin, Sistemazione dei corsi d'acqua. Libreria Internazionale Cortina, Padova, 2002.

J. R. Benjiamin, C. A.Cornell - Probability, Statistics and Decision for Civil Engineers - MacGraw Hill

T. Haan - Statistical Methods in Hydrology - IOWA State University Press

R.K.Linsley, M.Kohler, J.Paulhus - Hydrology for Engineers - MacGraw Hill

Dingman, S. L., Physical Hydrology, Cambridge University Press, 1997

Kitanidis,  P. K. , Introduction to geostatistics, Prentice Hall, 1992

Vallario A. (1994) - Frane e Territorio. Liguori Editrice, Napoli.

Teaching methods

The course includes lectures and computer based exercises.

Assessment methods

Learning assessment is based on written and oral exams

Teaching tools

Slide and Powerpoint projector

Office hours

See the website of Ezio Todini

See the website of Mario Lloyd Virgilio Martina