Variazioni della larghezza d’alveo dei principali fiumi della Regione Campania (Italia meridionale) negli ultimi 150 anni.

Variations in the channel width of the main rivers of the Campania region (southern Italy) over the last 150 years. The preliminary results of a geomorphological analysis in a GIS environment are presented, aimed at recognizing and quantifying the variations in the channel width of the main rivers of the Campania Region (southern Italy) over the last 150 years or so. In particular, the rivers analyzed were Sele, Calore, Sabato and Tammaro. The variations experienced took place in the context of three main and distinct morpho-evolutionary phases. In the first phase (from the end of the 19th century to the end of the 1930s), slight widening of the channel was ob- served, with the exception of the Sele River, which was narrowing. In the second phase (late 1930s-late 1990s), all rivers experienced narrowing at high or very high rates. Finally, the third phase (from the end of the 1990s onwards) was characterized by the absence of dominant trends and, in any case, by overall negligible changes in the width of the channel. Among the possible causes of these variations, recent studies have highlighted variations in the forest cov- er in the basins considered in good agreement with what has been observed. Therefore, alt- hough more detailed analyzes are necessary, the variations in land use, together with those in the rainfall regime, exceptional floods and human disturbances, would seem to be the envi- ronmental factors mainly responsible for the modifications of the channel width observed.