Flood pRediction In Small ungauged Basins of Italy through Enhanced runoff coefficient assEssment (FRISBEE)

The main objective of FRISBEE is to develop a reliable procedure for assessing the hydrological response of small basins throughout Italy to extreme rainfall events through the analysis and mapping of runoff coefficients, with a very high spatial resolution (1 km). To this end, we will integrate long-term in situ data records with spatially distributed remote sensing observations. The combined use of these datasets, developed by the project partners, will constitute the first attempt to assess flood risk in small basins in Italy. A comprehensive toolbox of in situ data will integrate (1) a new Atlas of precipitation in Italy, based on a dataset of 100 years of extreme sub-daily precipitation collected from over 5200 rain gauges, (2) a recently published flood catalogue that collects peak flow data for approximately 630 basins throughout Italy, and (3) a new Atlas of Italian Basin Attributes, which includes various geomorphoclimatic characteristics
related to the same set of basins. Daily remote sensing observations of soil moisture with a spatial resolution of 1 km, obtained from the recent Sentinel constellation, constitute an unique dataset used in this project that allows us for the first time to analyze the combined effect of precipitation and soil moisture in characterizing the behavior of small basins.
In addition to soil moisture, satellite precipitation data and the combined rainfall-radar dataset available in Italy for the last 8 years will be taken into account, both with a resolution of 1 km/1 hour. This is of fundamental importance, as classic rain gauge networks may fail to capture the detailed spatial distribution of extreme rainfall events, mainly in small areas. FRISBEE will develop a series of techniques that will integrate these new datasets to produce maps of runoff coefficients with unprecedented spatial resolution in Italy, an indispensable dataset for engineering design. In addition, the project will contribute to a better understanding of the soil dynamics of the basin that govern runoff generation processes.