In the heart of Italy, researchers are revolutionizing how we understand and mitigate flood risks, with implications that could significantly impact the energy sector. Pasquale Perrini, a scientist from the Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, has developed a groundbreaking approach to distinguish between different types of flooding at a catchment scale. This innovation, published in the Journal of Flood Risk Management, could reshape how industries, particularly energy, prepare for and respond to flood hazards.
Flooding is a complex and dynamic phenomenon, often categorized based on its origin—whether it’s from rainfall (pluvial) or rivers (fluvial). Traditionally, these types of flooding have been modeled separately, focusing on urban areas for pluvial floods and riverine floodplains for fluvial floods. However, this separation can lead to gaps in flood risk management, especially in regions where both types of flooding occur.
Perrini’s research introduces a tracer-aided criterion that uses the advection process of a conservative tracer to discern between pluvial and fluvial flooding. This method, applied to a small urban catchment under multiple probabilistic rainfall scenarios, integrates a transport equation within a shallow water model. The result is a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of inundation sources.
“The incorporation of a transport equation within a shallow water model allows us to define the sources of inundation more precisely,” Perrini explains. “This approach not only improves our ability to map fluvial inundations but also underscores the importance of regulating pluvial hazards in urban areas.”
For the energy sector, the implications are profound. Energy infrastructure, from power plants to transmission lines, is often located in areas prone to flooding. Accurate flood hazard mapping can help energy companies better plan and protect their assets, reducing the risk of outages and damage. “By identifying the hazard sources more accurately, we can help energy companies make more informed decisions about where to build and how to protect their infrastructure,” Perrini adds.
The study also highlights the potential role of tracer transport in identifying hazard sources within a catchment-scale 2D numerical framework. This could lead to more effective flood risk management strategies, benefiting not just the energy sector but also urban planning and infrastructure development.
As the energy sector continues to evolve, with a growing focus on renewable energy sources and smart grids, the need for robust flood risk management becomes even more critical. Perrini’s research, published in the Journal of Flood Risk Management, or as it is known in English, the Journal of Flood Risk Management, offers a promising path forward. By providing a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of flood hazards, this approach could help shape the future of flood risk management, making our cities and infrastructure more resilient in the face of changing climate patterns.
