Ricerc@Sapienza

The estimation of the design peak discharge is crucial for the hydrological design of
hydraulic structures. A commonly used approach is to estimate the design storm through the
intensity–duration–area–frequency (IDAF) curves and then use it to generate the design discharge
through a hydrological model. In ungauged areas, IDAF curves and design discharges are derived
throughout regionalization studies, if any exist for the area of interest, or from using the hydrological
information of the closest and most similar gauged place. However, many regions around the globe
remain ungauged or are very poorly gauged. In this regard, a unique opportunity is provided by
satellite precipitation products developed and improved in the last decades. In this paper, we show
weaknesses and potentials of satellite data and, for the first time, we evaluate their applicability for
design purposes. We employ CMORPH—Climate Prediction Center MORPHing technique satellite
precipitation estimates to build IDAF curves and derive the design peak discharges for the Pietrarossa
dam catchment in southern Italy. Results are compared with the corresponding one provided by a
regionalization study, i.e., VAPI—VAlutazione delle Piene in Italia project, usually used in Italy in
ungauged areas. Results show that CMORPH performed well for the estimation of low duration and
small return periods storm events, while for high return period storms, further research is still needed.