Diploma Thesis Defense by Mrs Eleni Kouroupaki
Thesis Title: «THE AFFECT OF URBANIZATION IN THE HYDROLOGICAL BASIN OF STALOS USING THE HYDROLOGICAL MODEL HEC-HMS. »
Tuesday 6 July 2021, at: 12pm, Venue: Αίθουσα https://tuc-gr.zoom.us/j/2890432191?pwd=dDFCRUV5d2RyNjh5dVFXUlBSb2RHZz09
Meeting ID: 289 043 2191
Password: 090768
Examination Committee
- George Karatzas (advisor)
- Nikolaos Nikolaidis
- Vozinaki Anthi-Irene
Abstract
The present thesis studies the role of land use change and more specifically the effect of urbanization in the hydrological catchment area of the Stalos stream over the decades (1990-2020). The increasing urbanization as well as the increase in the frequency of extreme weather events in recent years in the study area, with more frequent heavy rains causing dangerous flood events, led to the need to assess flood risk in the study area through this study.
For this purpose, the hydrological model HEC-HMS was used, the hydrological simulation software developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In this model, the study area was set up and the necessary input data were entered, such as rainfall and water level, which were obtained from rainfall and water level measuring stations, respectively, in the area of Stalos. In addition, data from land use maps of the European Copernicus program were used to examine the effect of land use change on the hydrology of the study area over the years using the hydrological model. Finally, a future scenario of intensification of urbanization and parallel increase of rainfall for the year 2048 was created and examined, which is expected to lead to a further increase of the risk of flooding in the study area. This scenario makes use of the computer model of population growth as well as specific scenarios of land use change and rainfall. According to the results conducted through the model, there is a significant increase in urbanization but is not the main cause of flood risk in the area. The main reason for the concentration of a large volume of surface water is the absence of a proper rainwater collecting system. Therefore, as a proposal to address the problem, it is proposed to study and create a better rainwater network as well as the implementation of flood protection projects in the area.
