Hydro-geotechnical modelling of subsidence in the Como urban area

Bajni, Greta; Apuani, Tiziana; Beretta, Giovanni Pietro

doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2019.105144

Cited by 29 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Since the city of Como is affected by the coupling of natural and anthropogenic subsidence that also exposes the historical city center to an increasing risk of lake inundation [3,23,37,38], future improvements may also concern the modelling of the anthropic influence on the local groundwater regime due to the construction of the movable bulkheads on the lakefront. This investigation, although being spatially localized and temporally constrained, might be useful for decoupling natural subsidence causes from anthropic subsidence causes in the Como basin.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where σ v is the overburden stress (N/m 2 ) at depth z (m); γ is the soil unit weight (N/m 3 ); and T n is the thickness (m) of the n-th stratigraphic unit. As in [37,38,44], the isopiezometric curves representing the mean level of the surficial aquifer in the absence of anthropogenic perturbations were reconstructed from the active piezometers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the ceasing of the aquifer exploitation, the unconsolidated silty sediments experienced a slight recovery between 1980 and 1997, as highlighted by the uplift of several benchmarks located in the downtown area [3]. In 1996, the Como Municipality commissioned the construction of fixed and movable bulkheads, detention tanks, and jet grouting barriers along the lakefront [38], aiming to mitigate the occasional flooding that the city still experiences. This project was approved in 2004 and the construction began shortly after; nevertheless, in 2011 the subsiding rate of the lakefront suddenly increased due to the perturbation of the ground water regime, determining the suspension of construction of the anti-flooding facilities.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The city of Como is naturally prone to subside because of a thick sequence (more than 180 m) of unconsolidated silty clay sediments with poor mechanical properties [37], which cause a long-term Late Pleistocene to Holocene subsidence rate of 1-2.5 mm/year [3]. Several previous studies have investigated the subsidence in the Como basin and contributed to the current good knowledge of the hydrogeological, geotechnical, and geomorphological properties of the basin [3,37,38]. This knowledge provides the basis for interpreting the recently available historical InSAR measurements, thus exploring the subsidence in the Como basin from a new perspective.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regression Analysis of Subsidence in the Como Basin (Northern Italy): New Insights on Natural and Anthropic Drivers from InSAR Data

et al. 2020

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Natural and anthropogenic subsidence such as that in the Como urban area (northern Italy) can cause significant damage to structures and infrastructure, and expose the city’s lakefront to an increasing risk of inundation from Lake Como. This phenomenon affecting the Como basin has been studied by several researchers, and the major drivers of subsidence are known. However, the availability of historical InSAR data allowed us to reconsider the relationship between subsidence predisposing factors (i.e., the thicknesses of reworked and compressible layers, overburden stress, and the piezometric level) and ground surface displacements with higher precision over the entire basin. Benefiting from the deep knowledge of the hydromechanical setting of the Como basin and the availability of InSAR measurements from 1992 to 2010, in this paper we model subsidence-related movements using linear and nonlinear regression methods in order to determine the combination of natural and anthropic factors that have caused subsidence in the Como basin over the past decades. The results of this study highlight peculiar patterns of subsidence that suggest the influence of two further causes, namely tectonic control of the sedimentary architecture and diversion of local streams, which have never been considered before. This analysis aims to assess the spatial distribution of subsidence through InSAR analysis in order to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon in the Como urban area. The interferometric data could be used to better plan urban risk management strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regression Analysis of Subsidence in the Como Basin (Northern Italy): New Insights on Natural and Anthropic Drivers from InSAR Data

et al. 2020

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“…198 m a.s.l.). The physical hydrogeological characteristics (e.g., groundwater level and its seasonal variations, hydraulic connection between the aquifers and Lake Como) have been analyzed in previous studies in order to characterize subsidence phenomena affecting the town of Como and for designing engineering facilities to protect the lakeshore from flooding [14][15][16][17]. In contrast, the geochemical features of the aquifer have been largely overlooked and there are some tectonic features which can possibly affect the water flow and chemical composition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical Markers as a Tool for the Characterization of a Multi-Layer Urban Aquifer: The Case Study of Como (Northern Italy)

Binda

Frascoli

Spanu

et al. 2022

Water

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The analysis of geochemical markers is a known valid tool to explore the water sources and understand the main factors affecting natural water quality, which are known issues of interest in environmental science. This study reports the application of geochemical markers to characterize and understand the recharge areas of the multi-layer urban aquifer of Como city (northern Italy). This area presents a perfect case study to test geochemical markers: The hydrogeological setting is affected by a layered karst and fractured aquifer in bedrock, a phreatic aquifer hosted in Holocene sediments and connected with a large freshwater body (Lake Como); the aquifers recharge areas and the water geochemistry are unknown; the possible effect of the tectonic setting on water flow was overlooked. In total, 37 water samples were collected including water from two stacked aquifers and surface water to characterize hydrochemical features. Moreover, six sediment samples in the recent palustrine deposits of the Como subsurface were collected from cores and analyzed to understand the main geochemistry and mineralogy of the hosting material. The chemical analyses of water allow to observe a remarkable difference between the shallow and deep aquifers of the study area, highlighting different recharge areas, as well as a different permanence time in the aquifers. The sediment geochemistry, moreover, confirms the differences in trace elements derived from sediment-water interaction in the aquifers. Finally, an anomalous concentration of As in the Como deep aquifer was observed, suggesting the need of more detailed analyses to understand the origin of this element in water. This study confirms the potentials of geochemical markers to characterize main factors affecting natural water quality, as well as a tool for the reconstruction of recharge areas.

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Influence of Water on the Mechanical Properties and Failure Behaviors of Sandstone Under Triaxial Compression

Liang

Tang²,

Tang³

et al. 2022

Rock Mech Rock Eng

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Hydro-geotechnical modelling of subsidence in the Como urban area

Cited by 29 publications

References 25 publications

Regression Analysis of Subsidence in the Como Basin (Northern Italy): New Insights on Natural and Anthropic Drivers from InSAR Data

Regression Analysis of Subsidence in the Como Basin (Northern Italy): New Insights on Natural and Anthropic Drivers from InSAR Data

Geochemical Markers as a Tool for the Characterization of a Multi-Layer Urban Aquifer: The Case Study of Como (Northern Italy)

Influence of Water on the Mechanical Properties and Failure Behaviors of Sandstone Under Triaxial Compression

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