Thermo-Hydraulic Monitoring and Modelling of the Grizzaga River Levee

This study presents field monitoring data of soil temperature, humidity, and piezometric levels collected at the levee of Grizzaga stream in Modena, Italy, over the period from March 2022 to February 2025. The field data reveals how the transient thermo-hydraulic processes occurring within the embankment during the flooding are affected by the initial humidity conditions presenting seasonal variations and affecting the levee behaviour during the successive flood waves. The monitoring data is used to calibrate a coupled thermo-hydraulic numerical model to analyse the levee behaviour in transient saturation conditions, developed with the commercial software FEFLOW. The validated model provides a predictive tool for analyzing the performance of levees during periods of intense rainfall and flooding. It can support risk assessment and decision-making for similar embankment structures subjected to climate change impacts.