Abstract
Abstract. The operating conditions of urban drainage networks during storm events depend on the hydraulic conveying capacity of conduits and also on downstream boundary conditions. This is particularly true in coastal areas where the level of the receiving water body is directly or indirectly affected by tidal or wave effects. In such cases, not just different rainfall conditions (varying intensity and duration), but also different sea-levels and their effects on the network operation should be considered. This paper aims to study the behaviour of a seaside town storm sewer network, estimating the threshold condition for flooding and proposing a simplified method to assess the urban flooding severity as a function of climate variables. The case study is a portion of the drainage system of Rimini (Italy), implemented and numerically modelled by means of InfoWorks CS code. The hydraulic simulation of the sewerage system identified the percentage of nodes of the drainage system where flooding is expected to occur. Combining these percentages with both climate variables' values has lead to the definition of charts representing the combined degree of risk "rainfall-sea level" for the drainage system under investigation. A final comparison between such charts and the results obtained from a one-year rainfall-sea level time series has demonstrated the reliability of the analysis.
Highlights
Urban sites in coastal areas are vulnerable to flooding both as a result of storm surge and as a result of heavy rainfalls on the inland tributary catchment
This paper aims to study the behaviour of a seaside town storm sewer network, estimating the threshold condition for flooding and proposing a simplified method to assess the urban flooding severity as a function of climate variables
It is well known that the coastal areas and urban areas located along the coastline, especially in the case of low lying areas, are subjected to episodes which originate both from rainfall and from the sea
Summary
Urban sites in coastal areas are vulnerable to flooding both as a result of storm surge (and wave run-up and overtopping effects) and as a result of heavy rainfalls on the inland tributary catchment. The episodes of flooding from the sea are mainly due to storm surge (sea rise due to waves and wind). These flooding scenarios together with the high human pressure through uses of the coastal areas, lead to coastal hazards in coastal areas. Levels reached by the sea on the shoreline during a storm are the sum of different contributions, basically summarized in: astronomical tide, storm surge, wave set-up. Various empirical and numerical formulations are available in the scientific literature for the wave set-up, which often rely on simplified assumptions regarding the shape and type of seabed
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