Development and calibration of a hydrological model for flood prediction in the Cordevole stream

This thesis aims to develop and calibrate a hydrological model for flood prediction in the Cordevole stream, a tributary of the Piave river. The study is based on the coupling of two distinct numerical models. Initially, the rainfall-runoff modeling was developed in the MATLAB environment using the semi-distributed hydrological model RHYME. A key aspect of this phase involved characterizing the hydrological balance through the accurate estimation of the crop coefficient (Kc), which was calculated based on the specific land use classes of the basin to evaluate evapotranspiration and net rainfall. The hydrographs generated by RHYME were then used as upstream boundary conditions for the one-dimensional (1D) hydraulic modeling of the river channel, performed using the HEC-RAS software. The simulations, conducted under unsteady flow conditions, required precise geometric extraction of cross-sections from DTMs and careful management of numerical instabilities related to the steep mountain slopes. In conclusion, integrating the hydrological model with the hydraulic routing model allowed for an accurate reconstruction of water depths and wave propagation dynamics, providing a solid methodological approach for the integrated modeling of complex basins.