Search

This study focuses on analyzing and monitoring urban subsidence, particularly in the city of Palermo, Italy. Land subsidence, induced by natural and human factors, poses threats to infrastructure and urban safety. Remote sensing (RS), specifically synthetic-aperture radar interferometry (In-SAR), is employed due to its ability to detect ground displacements over large areas with great precision. The persistent scatterer InSAR (PS-InSAR) technique is utilized to identify stable targets and track millimeter-level surface deformations. This research spans from October 2014 to October 2021, using Sentinel-1 satellite data to capture ground deformation from various angles. The findings are integrated into an accessible web app (ArcGIS) for local authorities that could be used aiding in urban planning and enhancing safety measures. This study's results offer updated deformation maps, serving as an operational tool to support decision-making and community resilience, emphasizing risk awareness and responsible practices. This study highlights that the exponential expansion of urban areas, which does not take into account historical information, can gravely jeopardize both the integrity of urban infrastructure and the well-being of its inhabitants. In this context, remote sensing technologies emerge as an invaluable ally, used in monitoring and safeguarding the urban landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of a geomorphological study carried out in the urban area of Palermo are summarized in a thematic map. Field survey, analysis of aerial photographs and topographic maps, consultation of historical documents and maps, stratigraphic and topographic reconstruction from numerous wells and subsoil data, and bibliographic search were performed, in order to display the geomorphological changes produced by man over time in a densely populated area and to define the Anthropocene of the study area. Palermo town rises along large marine terrace surfaces cut by small river valleys and bordered by wide degraded and abandoned coastal cliffs. Over the last 2700 years, this area was affected by remarkable man-made changes to topographic surface and underground, exposing large areas of the city to hydraulic, sinkhole, and landslide risks, and increasing the levels of seismic susceptibility. In light of these results, the produced map is useful for urban planning studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Effects of atmospheric pollution and seasonal variation on Al, Ba, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, V and Zn concentration in Indian laurel (Ficus microcarpa L. f.) leaves were studied in the city of Palermo (Sicily, Italy). Samples were collected from six sampling sites representing either (a) areas of high traffic density or (b) areas further away from traffic (e.g. gardens). Samples were collected every two months during 1998 and 2000. Apart from Ba, Cr and Mn, the elements showed a significant temporal variation but no consistent trends in this were present; the highest (or lowest) values were not detected at some particular time of the year. Results show that the progressive phasing-out of leaded petrol in Italy has resulted in a decrease of Pb, whereas we detected some indications to increased foliar V in the course of time. Even though some spatial patterns were seen in some of the elements, concentrations were not significantly higher in areas representing high traffic density than in samples collected from gardens. Hence, our results do not give unreserved support to use F. microcarpa as a biomonitor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]