Author(s)

L. Mao, M. Cavalli, F. Comiti, L. Marchi & M. Arattano

Abstract

In this paper, results from experimental stations located in two streams of the Eastern Italian Alps are presented: the Rio Cordon (5.0 km 2 ) and the Moscardo Torrent (4.1 km 2 ). The former hosts a measuring station for water and sediment (both suspended and bedload) transport rates operating since 1986, whereas the latter was set up in 1989 to monitor debris-flow events. Differences in sediment dynamics between the two basins are quantitatively investigated by using a magnitude-frequency analysis that highlights the relatively low sediment supply of the Rio Cordon and the unlimited sediment availability in the Moscardo Torrent. Keywords: debris flow, bedload transport, long-term monitoring, magnitude-frequency analysis. 1 Introduction Sediment transport in steep, small (<10 km 2 ) catchments of the Alps is often represented by both Newtonian (floods with suspended and bedload transport) and non-Newtonian (debris and mud flows) behaviour, passing through hyper-concentrated flood events, characterized by intermediate characteristics. Despite a significant diversity as to their transport mechanics, the monitoring activity of

Keywords

debris flow, bedload transport, long-term monitoring, magnitude-frequency analysis.