RIVER LAB UNIPD

Our research group at the Department of Geosciences - University of Padova is focused on monitoring, understanding and modelling contemporary river processes. We employ a multidisciplinary approach, combining field surveys and monitoring, remote sensing, and numerical modeling. Key topics and tools of our research are: - Sediment dynamics and fluxes: estimate of sediment transport using the virtual velocity approach (tracers) and the morphological method (DEMs of Difference) - Remote Sensing and Machine Learning: leveraging Sentinel and Landsat imagery to monitor river channel evolution and morphological and vegetational interactions over time; exploiting deep neural network to use smart camera to monitor wood and plastic fluxes in river systems. - Modelling sediment transport: developing and applying network scale river transport models to investigate sediment connectivity at the basin scale. - River management and restoration: assessing the morphological status of rivers (e.g., IDRAIM approach) and monitoring post-project conditions. - Flood Hazard: Assessment of geomorphic hazard (e.g., channel widening, debris floods), specifically in mountain rivers. Our research spans from local to global scales, contributing to sustainable and integrated river management.