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Historical geomorphological research of a Ligurian coastal floodplain (Italy) and its value for management of flood risk and environmental sustainability

Roccati, Anna; Luino, Fabio; Turconi, Laura; Piana, Pietro; Watkins, Charles; Faccini, Francesco

Historical geomorphological research of a Ligurian coastal floodplain (Italy) and its value for management of flood risk and environmental sustainability Thumbnail


Authors

Anna Roccati

Fabio Luino

Laura Turconi

Pietro Piana

Francesco Faccini



Abstract

© 2018 by the authors. The alluvial plain of the Entella River (Eastern Liguria), historically affected by damaging flood events, has been heavily modified over the past 250 years by human activity and natural processes. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the morphological and land use evolution of the Entella floodplain since the 18th century was carried out using base maps and aerial photos ranging from 1758 to 2016. These diverse sources were Geographical Information System (GIS) georeferenced. Additional information on land-use change was gathered from historical documents and recent research reports. The main transformations to the floodplain include morphological changes, e.g., narrowing, channelization, displacement of the river channel and the advance of the coastal line due to fills and embankments. In addition, there has been very significant urbanization with loss of vegetated and agricultural areas. Our results indicate the primary role of human disturbance on morphological changes and landscape modifications of the coastal floodplain, particularly over the last 200 years. Furthermore, the historical geomorphological and cartographical analysis we adopted to reconstruct the floodplain transformation represents an essential tool in flood risk mitigation and environmental sustainability management, particularly in an urbanized coastal plain historically affected by floods.

Citation

Roccati, A., Luino, F., Turconi, L., Piana, P., Watkins, C., & Faccini, F. (2018). Historical geomorphological research of a Ligurian coastal floodplain (Italy) and its value for management of flood risk and environmental sustainability. Sustainability, 10(10), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103727

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 9, 2018
Online Publication Date Oct 16, 2018
Publication Date Oct 16, 2018
Deposit Date Dec 3, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Sustainability
Electronic ISSN 2071-1050
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 10
Issue 10
Article Number 3727
Pages 1-24
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103727
Keywords Urban sprawl; Land-use change; Floods; Coastal floodplain; Liguria; Mediterranean sea; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Geography, Planning and Development; Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1356258
Publisher URL https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/10/3727

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