Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
4.2. Study area
Tavira (12,000 inhabitants) is one of the southernmost towns of mainland Portugal. The
town origins come back since about 2,000 BC and from these years until the half of the last
century Tavira has had in agriculture and fishing its major economical activities. Like
many areas in the Algarve region, in these last decades, tourism has gained a sound
importance in the local economy and lifestyle. The Séqua/Gilão River, which crosses the
entire town, is crossed by 6 bridges.
This study characterizes the whole river basin of the Rio Séqua/Gilão with length of the river
valley of 9.5 km from the outlet. The drainage basin of the Séqua/Gilão River considered for
this study is located immediately upstream of the northern limit of Tavira's urban area (top
left of Figure 5).
4.3. Materials and methods
This section presents the hydrologic and hydrodynamic models used to determine the peak
flows and the delimitation of the flooded areas. Particular attention was given to obtaining
the hydrologic parameters related to soil use and type (CN values; Brunner, 2006). The flood
delimitation methodology and the verification of the modelled flood - by comparison with
observed data - are also presented.
Figure 5.
Urban area of Tavira and the Séqua Gilão River, flowing from left to right.
