Learning objectives
At the end of the course the student is expected to be able to:
- handle the knowledge of the processes and risks associated to mountain, hilly and plain environments;
- handle the knowledge of the processes and risks generated by climate change;
- recognize, analyze and critically evaluate the effects of extreme climatic events in mountain, hilly and plain environments;
- analyze multidisciplinary data to recognize the effects of the climate on the territory;
- communicate the results of a qualitative analysis of extreme events in a given environment.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge in the following disciplines: stratigraphy, geomorphology, hydrogeology and geochemistry.
Course unit content
The course aims to analyze natural hazards through the analysis of geological, sedimentological and geomorphological processes, risks and effects generated by climate change and intense precipitation events in mountain, foothill and plain environments. The course deals with multidisciplinary issues through lectures, examples of different study areas and field excursions.
Full programme
PART 1 – ALLUVIAL PLAINS ARCHITECTURE AND SEDIMENTOLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL PROCESSES
In the first part proff. Manzi, Persico, Chelli, Artoni will cover the following topics:
- Sedimentological processes and facies distribution in alluvial environments;
- Stacking pattern, stratigraphic trends and climate cyclicity: auto- vs. allo-cycles;
- Sequence stratigraphy in alluvial environments and examples from Po plain;
- Alluvial fossil records in Po plain as proxy of paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic evolution;
- Geomorphological processes and correlated landforms in correspondence of slopes and in the fluvial environment;
- Alluvial fans as hazards but also recourses in syn-tectonic piedmont area;
PART 2 – LANDSLIDES, LAND USE AND SOIL PROTECTION UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE AND METEOROLOGICAL EXTREMES.
In the second part, proff. Valentino, Chelli, Leonelli, Petrella, Iacumin will cover the following:
- time-varying susceptibility maps for rainfall-induced landslide;
- geomorphological effects linked to the slope dynamics and to the fluvial environment of intense meteorological events;
- slope instability process at multidecadal scale by means of proxy data;
- slope stability analysis: different approaches for different landslides towards early warning systems;
- site-specific and large-scale evaluation of triggering factors of rainfall-induced shallow landslides;
- effect of climate variability on groundwater;
- isotope hydrology and aquifers vulnerability;
Part 3 - FIELD ACTIVITY
In the third part, field activities will be conducted by proff. Artoni, Chelli, Leonelli and Petrella, in different study areas in order to observe directly in the field the evidence of the processes and risks induced by climate change and extreme events.
Bibliography
Teaching and learning materials such as PPT slides, scientific papers, etc., uploaded onto the ELLY portal.
Teaching methods
Teaching activities include:
- frontal lectures designed to acquire knowledge on the main topics of the course;
- presentation and discussion of various case studies in which the basic concepts are well represented;
- seminars on specific topics, some of them are also carried out in the laboratory;
- experiential learning through field activities during which students will directly observe and analyze processes and phenomena described during the frontal lectures.
The slides used to support the lectures will be uploaded onto the ELLY portal. To download the slides, the student needs to register for the online course. The slides are considered an integral part of the teaching material.
Assessment methods and criteria
The student will choose a topic from those presented during the teaching program, make in-depth research and discuss it through an oral presentation in front of the examining board.
The evaluation will be carried out according to the following criteria:
- knowledge of processes and risks associated to mountain, hilly and plain environments as well as processes and risks triggered by climate change (8 points max);
- capacity to develop the chosen topic (8 points max);
- displaying capacity of exposure (8 points max);
- capacity to show multidisciplinary connections with the chosen topic (8 points max).
The obtained mark in the exam will be the sum of the points acquired for each criterion indicated above. The exam will be considered passed for a score equal to or greater than 18. With a mark greater than 30, the ’30 cum laude’ will be awarded. For each criterion indicated it is necessary to get at least a mark of 2.
Other information
The academic staff establishes that course attendance must be equal or higher than 70% for frontal lectures and laboratories. Whereas it must be equal or higher than 75% for the field activities.
It is also strongly suggested to take the exam immediately after the course end.
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
This teaching contributes to the realization of the UN objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
