U.S.- Italy Research Workshop on the
Hydrometeorology,
Impacts, and Management of Extreme Floods
Perugia (Italy), November 1995
HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL AND HYDRAULIC FACTORS
AND PROBLEMS RELATED TO
FLOODS IN ARID REGIONS OF SPAIN
Juan B. Marco
Universidad Politecnica de Valencia
Departamento de Ingenieria Hidraulica y Medio Ambiente
46071 Valencia
SPAIN
Meteorological and
hydrological aspects and hydraulic problems related to extreme floods, which
occur in arid regions of Spain, are reviewed.
Small coastal basins with steep slopes and little vegetation cover are
characteristics of these regions in which "flash floods"
develop. They are produced by large
convective rainfall, resulting in very intense soil erosion and
deposition. The flow in alluvial cones
is basically two-dimensional, unsteady, and often supercritical. Using mathematical models that incorporate
these features are typically prohibited because of the cost associated with
topographical precision requirements.
Since a large number of dams has been constructed and are operational in
Spain, management of reservoirs considering the potential of flood events has
become an important problem.