Applying Hydrogeomorphic Floodplain Mapping Models: Limitations and Recommendations Varying Basin Morphology, Climate and Anthropic Impacts

DEM-based hydrogeomorphic approaches are parsimonious, fast and effective tools for large scale floodplain extent mapping. These approaches apply well-known geomorphological scaling laws relating upstream contributing areas with flow depths correspondent to flooding events.

In this contribution we illustrate how parameterization of the scaling laws can be customized depending on the research purposes and the input DTMs, basins morphology, climate diversity and presence of anthropogenic features, thus showing potential limitations and also recommendations for the model applications in different environmental contexts.

Specifically, both standard hazard flood maps and extreme water levels from stage gauges in different climatic areas have been adopted as references for obtaining consistent results from the floodplain model, showing the impacts of DTM resolution and stream orders hierarchy, basin slope, climate and presence of levees and dams.