Geomorphology of the floodplain at the confluence of the Aventino and Sangro rivers (Abruzzo, Central Italy)

Abstract

This paper presents a geomorphological map of the floodplain at the confluence of the Aventino and Sangro rivers (scale 1:10,000), located across the Adriatic piedmont of the Maiella Massif (Abruzzo Region, Central Italy). This area is in the lower reach of the Sangro–Aventino drainage basin, which in the mid-1900s was affected by the creation of four main artificial water reservoirs by damming of the basin's major rivers and the related network of spillway pipes for hydropower purposes. This, combined with climatic factors, induced a strong rearrangement of river channels and floodplains. The fluvial geomorphological features have been analyzed through a detailed-scale multi-temporal analysis based on geomorphological field mapping, topographic analysis, and a remote sensing analysis carried out on aerial photos, orthophotos and Lidar images. The map includes three sections: physiographic and geological setting; main geomorphological map; multi-temporal (1954–2009) and morphometric analysis of the floodplain. The mapping is focused on landforms and continental deposits, mainly linked to fluvial, slope and anthropogenic processes, and to 1954 and 2009 river channels planform analyses and the related morphometric parameters, in order to outline the changes in the river dynamics, strongly influenced by anthropogenic intervention. At a local scale, this type of map can contribute to the understanding of the causes, mechanisms and consequences of the changes in fluvial form and support river management. Finally, it may represent a tool for the assessment of natural hazards in landscapes characterized by intense and rapid geomorphological (fluvial) processes, as well as a tool for correct land management.