Abstract
The article presents new information on the spatial distribution of intense rainfall and a new map of susceptibility to the formation of mass movements in the mountainous streams of the municipality of Funchal, the capital of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, an archipelago of Portugal. The methodology that was adopted is based on the spatial analysis of weighted overlap of variables, with influence in the occurrence of hydro-geomorphological processes that are at the origin of catastrophic events, marked by the mobilization of solid material towards and along the fluvial channels. Intense precipitations are effectively the main triggering factor of mass movements, which is why their statistical characteristics and local contrasts are analyzed, to integrate this layer of information into the new susceptibility assessment model of mass movements produced in this article. This type of spatialized information is of strategic importance to support the planning of urban expansion, which requires a land use management practice in accordance with the existing risk in the Madeira Island.
Highlights
Most scientific studies of natural risks analysis have focused on hazard analysis, namely, the study of the characteristics of the phenomena [1,2], which is a fundamental diagnostic phase to the subsequent risk management process
This paper focuses on the analysis of the susceptibility only in a part of the territory, but this methodological proposal can be applied to the whole other part of the island, given the common biophysical characteristics of the hydrographic basins
The results were divided into two main parts, the first one focuses on the analysis of the spatial incidence and statistical characterization of the intense precipitation events, and the second presents the model of susceptibility to mass movements and the results of its application to the municipality of Funchal
Summary
Most scientific studies of natural risks analysis have focused on hazard analysis, namely, the study of the characteristics of the phenomena [1,2], which is a fundamental diagnostic phase to the subsequent risk management process. The most studied natural hazard in mountain places are snow avalanches, slope movements, and floods in alluvial plain environments. Several phenomena like debris flows, mudflows, or woody debris are synergistically controlled by conditioning factors (e.g., availability of sediments in the upper sectors of the basins, steepness of the slopes, the longitudinal profile of the streamlines) and triggering factors, generally, the occurrence of intense precipitation. A streamflow which gains intensity following a heavy rainfall event can be classified according to the solid flood discharge present at any given time on a given stream reach. In nature, the conditions of flow and of solid concentration may occur on a continuous basis, evolving at different phases and in different sectors of the basins
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