The effects of in-stream gravel mining on river incision: an example from Central Adriatic Italy

This study shows the consequences of intense human activities carried out along river beds in Central Adriatic Italy during the twentieth century. There have been many attempts to quantitatively correlate river incision with sediment reduction following the construction of dams, but few approaches have taken into account the effects of gravel quarrying or river bed adjustement. Using topographic, hydraulic and sedimentary data from several rivers of central and northern Italy an empirical relation was formulated to establish a relationship between fluvial erosion capacity consequent to quarrying and the amount of fluvial incision. The results are promising, highlighting the need for further research