RESPONSABILE SCIENTIFICO: Francesca VERGARI (PI), Sapienza Università di Roma
Acronimo: BAD2BED
TITOLO: BADland morphodynamics assessment and hillslope-channel BED coupling in the context of global change
ENTE FINANZIATORE: Ministero dell'Università e della ricerca (MUR) Investimento 1.1 - Progetti di Ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN)
Codice Progetto: 022C7K7RR
Settore ERC: PE10_13
CUP: B53D23007030006
PARTNERS: Università di Bari “Aldo Moro” (Responsabile: Antonella Marsico), Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Responsabile Vittoria Scorpio)
INIZIO PROGETTO: 29 settembre 2023
DATA FINE PROGETTO: 28 febbraio 2026
Contributo MUR: 232.203 €
FINALITÀ:
The BAD2BED project is aimed at monitoring and understanding the coupling of hillslope and channel morphoevolution in Italian badland landscapes, with a focus on the impact of human activities and climatic fluctuations at hillslope and catchment scales in modifying the natural fluvial system sediment dynamics.
RISULTATI ATTESI:
An integrated approach is planned, in order to achieve the following goals (G), in the context of the decade-scale morphodynamics (intended as the last seventy years):
G1. To assess the geomorphological evolution of badlands and connected channels over the last seventy years and to disentangle the relative importance of climate vs human controlling factors in driving the observed historical changes of denudation rates.
G2. To delineate the present hillslope and channel morphodynamics in representative Italian subhumid and semi-arid catchments with badlands, and how they have been affected by human impact.
G3. To assess the efficiency in sediment transfer from the hillslopes to the main streams in catchments hosting badlands.
G4. To define a morphoevolution model in coupled badlands-channels, valid in subhumid and semi-arid environments, that takes into account the role of the human impact in triggering or mitigating water erosion processes.
RIASSUNTO:
In the Mediterranean region, soil erosion susceptibility is often amplified by long-lasting human pressure, which has significantly influenced sediment dynamics during the Anthropocene. Badland landscapes in non-arid environments represent ideal natural laboratories to investigate the interaction between human activities, climatic variability, and geomorphological processes. However, the coupling between hillslope processes and channel morphodynamics in these environments has received limited attention so far.
The BAD2BED project aimed to investigate the morphoevolution of hillslopes and channels in Italian badland landscapes, focusing on the combined effects of human activities and climatic fluctuations on sediment dynamics at hillslope and catchment scales. Three study areas located in northern, central, and southern Italy were selected in order to capture the variability of climatic conditions along the Italian peninsula and to analyse their influence on badland morphodynamics.
The research adopted a multi-scale approach integrating geomorphological field surveys, remote sensing analyses, geomorphometric investigations, high-resolution topographic monitoring using UAV photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning, and rainfall–runoff and suspended sediment yield monitoring. Long-term analyses highlighted that Italian badlands, although showing signs of morphodynamic decline, remain highly sensitive to external forcing, with land-use changes playing a major role in landscape evolution while climatic variability produces different responses along the north–south climatic gradient.
Short-term monitoring carried out in the study areas provided new insights into present-day hillslope–channel coupling. Results indicate that badland hillslopes respond mainly to high-magnitude events and that sediment export occurs through highly discontinuous pulses due to temporary sediment storage within the drainage network.
Overall, the project improves the understanding of sediment connectivity and morphodynamic processes in Mediterranean badland systems, providing scientific support for land degradation assessment and environmental management strategies.