Alessandra Crosato

Dr. Crosato graduated in Hydraulic Engineering from the University of Padua in 1986. Since then she gained a wide experience from projects dealing with the morphological changes of alluvial systems. Her expertise covers the entire river system, from the source to the sea, including the coast adjacent to the river mouth and the submarine canyon. In the Netherlands, Dr. Crosato worked in projects regarding the Dutch tidal basins, the Nieuwe Waterweg, the Rhine and Meuse Rivers. In Italy, she dealt with the optimization of reservoir operations and flood hazards. Dr. Crosato was project leader for the morphological modelling of the Venice Lagoon and contributed to several studies related to the works in defense of the city of Venice. She also participated in executive engineering projects regarding bridge design, pipeline crossing, and tailings disposal after oil extraction from tar sands.

As a researcher, Dr. Crosato developed numerical models simulating the river morphological evolution and aquatic habitats. Her research experience includes laboratory experiments on sediment transport and morphology of alluvial systems under current and waves. River meander migration research has led to the development of a state-of-the art computer model for the prediction of river planimetric changes, which can be used in the design of floodplain structures such as bridges and intakes. Dr. Crosato obtained the doctoral degree from the Delft University of Technology in 2008. At UNESCO-IHE, she teaches graduate courses in river morpho-dynamics, river engineering and sediment transport; she contributes to the course "Biogeomorphology" at Delft University of Technology and supervises MSc and PhD students. She is a scientific advisor for the Nile Basin Capacity Building Network project and a member of the editorial board of the Modern Applied Science Journal.

Key Publications:

CROSATO A., 2007. Effects of smoothing and regridding in numerical meander migration models. Water Resources Research, AGU, Vol. 43, No. 1, W01401, doi: 10.1029/2006WR005087.

TOFFOLON M. & CROSATO A., 2007. Developing macroscale indicators for estuarine morphology: the case of the Scheldt Estuary. Journal of Coastal Research, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 195-212.

CROSATO A., & E. MOSSELMAN 2009. Simple physics-based predictor for the number of river bars and the transition between meandering and braiding, Water Resour. Res., 45, W03424, doi:10.1029/2008WR007242.