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A census of about 76 near-shore Submarine Depositional Terraces (n-SDT) has been realized along the Campania offshore, in order to verify the correlation of their edge depths versus their fetch - used as a proxy of the wave forcing- at a regional scale. The main morphometric parameters of each terrace were derived from high resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), by means of a GIS-based software. A moderate correlation occurs between the edge depth and the geographical exposure of all the n-SDTs and it improves if the NW-oriented terraces only are considered; the best correlation is observed with the edge depth of the n-SDT developed around the rocky cliffs and promontories. A complementary analysis of the extreme wave climate in the area, in relation with the edge depth of n-SDTs, was also carried out. The aims of this study are to learn more on the morpho-bathymetric variability of these coastal bodies and to provide clues on the use of their past counterparts as morphological proxies of past sea level stands.

Five cores from the southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas were studied for their tephra and cryptotephra content in the 4.4–2.0 ka time interval. The chronological framework for each core was obtained by accelerator mass spectrometry14C dating, the occurrence of distinct marker tephra and stratigraphic correlation with adjacent records. Tephrochronology allowed us to correlate the analyzed deposits with tephra markers associated with Somma‐Vesuvius (79ad), Ischia Island (Cretaio), Mt Etna (FG, FL and FS) and Campi Flegrei (Astroni‐Agnano Monte Spina) events. For the first time in the marine setting, a large single glass data set is provided for the Late Holocene Etnean marker beds including the FS tephra (ca. 4.3 ka). Moreover, unknown deposits from Lipari (ca. 2.2–2.0 ka) and Vulcano (3.6–3.3 ka) are also recognized at more distal sites than previously reported. These results contribute to improve the high‐resolution tephrostratigraphic framework of the central Mediterranean Sea. They also provide new insights into the chemical composition and dispersal pattern of tephras that can be used as inter‐archive tools for regional and ‘local’ stratigraphic correlations and for addressing paleoclimate research.

Coastal areas are more and more exposed to the effects of climatic change. Intenselocal rainfalls increases the frequency of flash floods and/or flow-like subaerial and af-terwards submarine landslides. The overall phenomenon of flash flood is complex andinvolves different phases strongly connected: heavy precipitations in a short period oftime, soil erosion, fan deltas forming at mouth and hyperpycnal flows and/or landslidesoccurrence. Such interrelated phases were separately modelled for simulation purposesby different computational models: PDE methods for weather forecasts and sedimentproduction estimation , Cellular Automata (CA) for soil erosion by rainfall and"subaerial" sediment transport and deposit, the behavior in the earth/sea interfaceand subsequent submarine flow may be modelled by the CA model SCIDDICA. Thisresearch studies the coupling of these models and introduces in SCIDDICA the processconcerning the interaction currents/subaqueous sediments. A first validation of SCID-DICA in simple cases of submarine current/sediment interaction looks satisfying. Ouraim is to complete the model and validate it on the 2016 Bagnara case, whosedata are sufficient for a complete simulation.

In cities grown without a rational planning, anthropogenic (war, terrorism, arson, civil disorder) and natural hazards (hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, flood, fire) pose a major threat to cultural heritage, sometimes causing irreversible damages or the complete destruction of large areas. The Strategy for Risk Reduction at World Heritage Properties poposed by UNESCO [1] highlights the importance of several issues: the heritage protection and preservation, integration of cultural heritage into disaster reduction policies and definition of a procedure to comprehend the risk concept into world heritage strategic action plans. This document also includes the recomandations of Hyogo Framework International Action Plans [2] pointing out the need of systematic actions to address disaster risks and build resilience of nations and communities. Resilience is a key concept for the risk reduction; technical interventions, regulations and consciousness of inhabitants can widley improve the ability of cultural heritage to withstand and cope with natural hazards. In this framework, a comprehensive excursus on scientific literature, best practises and assessment frameworks made possible to identificy the status of knowledge, the open research question and the key challenges to improve the resilience of public spaces.

The Volturno coastal Plain (VP), laying from Mondragone town and Lago Patria (Southern Italy), was intensely modified by antrophic activities mainly in the last centuries; crops and urban zones took the place of natural lands. The urban sprawl as the events associated to the global warming and local climate deteriorations (relative sea level rise, storm surges, river flood) are the main causes of coastal erosion. During the last 3-4 ka, VP has experienced an increase in sedimentary input, a substantial slowdown of sea level rise rhythms and a progressive seaward shift of coastline and barrier-dunes-lagoon systems. In particular, the delta system development and the strongest coastal progradation phase (about 2 km) started from Roman period (ca. 2.5 ka B.P.) and reached the apex between c.a.1500-1800 A.D. coinciding with the period called Little Ice Age. From historical maps, aerial photographs, topographic maps and satellite images covering the 1817-2012 time span, 10 shorelines were delineated. Along 165 transects spaced 200 m apart, the shoreline variations and the trends were assessed; the first was calculated for each pair of two consecutive shorelines, while the latter by using all the shorelines available for the 1957-1997 and 1997-2012 time windows. In the first time window, both sides of Volturno river mouth and the Ischitella locality were in erosion. At the beginning '60s, the Volturno coastal zone was deeply modified by the antrophic pressure, 4 rivers cross-sections and 10 dams were built in the Volturno basin. Moreover, since the '70s, the urban environment expanded rapidly and the construction of seaside tourist center Pinetamare took place. In order to preserve the beaches and the houses very close to the shoreline, several coastal defences were also built from 1978 to 1979 nevertheless they stabilized the Pinetamare zone but increased the erosion in Ischitella locality. In the 1997-2012 period, moving from Lago Patria toward Mondragone city, a first coastal sector was in erosion (-1.4 m/year), the area of Pineta Mare was characterized by stability (0.6 m/y), northward an accretion rate of 2m/year was recorded. At Volturno river, the left side was in erosion (mean value = -2 m/y) while the right side in accretion (mean value = 1.4 m/y). Still moving northward, there are other two sectors, the first was characterized by a rate of -2m/year and the last by a rate of 1m/year. At present, the coastal defences do not work well, they are for the greatest part under seawater; this condition favor the establishment of sectors in erosion alternate with those in accretion. The knowledge of both historical evolution and of present day shoreline trend at VP can be considered a vital tool to support the development of a coastal system able to adapt and cope with natural hazard and to improve its naturalness.

A modified version of the GEOWAVE (Watts, 2009) model is used, taking properly into account the decreasing nearshore tsunami wavelength through a system of nested grids. GEOWAVE simulates tsunami waves generation, propagation, and inundation using a fourth order fully nonlinear equations, fully dispersive Boussinesq wave model with multiple wave dissipation mechanisms, wave breaking, and dry land overflow. In the numerical simulation, the Tsunami Open and Progressive Initial Conditions System (TOPICS) is adopted to produce 3D tsunami source for tsunamis generated by submarine slides and slumps, while a 25 m uniform spacing grid is derived from the bathymetric dataset of the Naples Bay. Interesting results of tsunami simulation, in the above-mentioned areas, show that the amplitude of wave run-up ranges from 0.90 m near to Procida Island and up to 1.90m nearness of Naples Port. This difference in run-up is ascribed to a different coastal morphology. In fact, the port of Naples offshore has a slope of 3-4 degrees while the Procida Island offshore of 25-30 degrees.

The retrieval of series of proxy data on the past climate will serve to acquire a deeper understanding of the climate system and a more accurate prediction of its future development, as a priority task for the scientific community. In particular, the analysis of climate data of the past is an essential tool for studying the dynamics of the earth's climatic system in conditions different from present ones, and irreplaceable for testing the validity of medium- and long-term forecasting models. The determination of the influence of anthropogenic impacts on the planet’s environment is predicated on a clear understanding of the natural ways in which the earth's climate responds to the complex set of external forcings. Therefore, in recent decades, many national and international research groups have focused attention on the study of the climate evolution in late-Quaternary sediments from the Mediterranean area. By virtue of its close relationship with continental masses subject to different climatic processes, the Mediterranean basin permits the documentation of climate evolution both globally and in the Northern Hemisphere. Finally, it is worth noting that shallow sea (continental shelf) areas are natural repositories for the monitoring of short-term climate change and anthropogenic impacts on the marine system. To make available information on climate history and environment yielded by marine sediments, this WP will be dedicated to analyzing and, where possible, collecting cores of marine sediments, especially those drilled in shallow sea environments, and focusing on climate dynamics in the Mediterranean over past centuries. During its course, the project will analyse and, where possible, sample marine sediment cores in continental shelf environments and in different sectors of the Mediterranean basin. Previous studies have indicated them as key sites for the identification of major short-term climate fluctuations, due to global and local forces active during the Quaternary and particularly in the past thousand years. In fact, the possibility of enriching the databases referring to this time interval (to date, still limited to the Mediterranean) will provide new working hypotheses for the implementation of numerical models that attempt simulate how the Mediterranean, in particular the marine-coastal sector, has responded to past climate dynamics (Medieval Warm Period / Little Ice Age transition, Little Ice Age, the Industrial Age, and Modern Warming). The cores obtained will be the focus of multidisciplinary studies involving national and international research groups.

Per ridurre al minimo le perdite sia di vite umane che di beni connesse all'occorrenza di un probabile tsunami futuro, è necessario individuare una molteplicità di interventi da applicare al sistema edilizio esistente e di progetto. A tal fine gli strumenti urbanistici, consistenti in compendi di norme volte alla pianificazione ed alla gestione del territorio e dei suoi usi, assumono un ruolo fondamentale. L'attenzione è stata focalizzare sugli interventi volti alla mitigazione del rischio nelle aree urbanizzate, approfondendo le problematiche che caratterizzano l'area est del Comune di Napoli. Allo scopo di avere una visione ampia del fenomeno e dei suoi effetti, sono stati considerati tre scenari con diverso livello di pericolosità .Partendo dall'individuazione degli interventi di trasformazione del territorio previsti in attuazione alla Variante al PRG del 2004, è stato descritto il livello di pericolosità a cui questi possono essere soggetti al variare dello scenario di inondazione; per poi sviluppare delle proposte di interventi volte alla mitigazione del rischio.

A seguito degli effetti devastanti dovuti agli tsunami che si sono verificati di recente, sono state sviluppate diverse metodologie di lavoro capaci di definire il livello di hazard atteso in funzione della fonte generatrice dell'evento e della relativa magnitudo. Allo scopo di individuare un metodo utile per identificare le aree potenzialmente allagabili si propone un metodo di tipo deterministico che sfrutta le potenzialità di analisi matriciale disponibili in ambiente GIS (Geographic Information System). La metodologia è stata applicata all'area studio del Golfo del Comune di Napoli e sono stati considerati due possibili tsunami di diversa magnitudo connessi alla possibile occorrenza di a) una frana di 0,0002 Km3 di materiale, che potrebbe avere origine in prossimità della testa del Canyon Dohrn (Di Fiore et al., 2011); b) un evento simile al Debris Avalanche che ha interessato l'isola d'Ischia caratterizzato da una massa compresa tra 1,5 - 3 Km3 (De Alteriis et al., 2010; Tinti et al., 2011). Per entrambi gli scenari è stato possibile rilevare l'effetto di barriera operato dagli alti morfologici nei confronti della propagazione dello tsunami. Inoltre si è anche evinto quanto la morfologia, caratterizzata da notevoli variazioni di pendenze, possa influenzare la propagazione delle acque, determinando una rapida diminuzione di velocità.

The analysis of tsunami catalogues and of data published on NOAA web site pointed out that in the Mediterranean basin from 2000 years B.C. to present about 480 tsunamis occurred of which at least a third involved the Italian peninsula. Within this framework we present a GIS-aided procedure that takes advantage of spatial analysis to apply the Papathoma Tsunami Vulnerability Assessment model at urban scale, aiming at assessing the vulnerability of wide areas at spatial resolution of the census district. The method was applied to the sector of Napoli city enclosed between the Posillipo hill and the Somma-Vesuvio volcano because of the high population rates (apex value of 5000 inh/km2) and potential occurrence of hazardous events as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mass failures that can trigger tsunamis. The vulnerability status of the urban environment was depicted into a map. About the 21% of the study area, corresponding with the lowlands along the shoreline, shows a very high tsunami vulnerability high vulnerability characterizes the 26% of territory while medium-low vulnerability typifies a wide area of the Sebeto-Volla plain, ca 800 m far from the shoreline. This map results a good tool to plan the actions aimed at reducing risk and promote resilience of the territory.

Il gruppo di geofisica dell'Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero del CNR, coordinato dal dott. Vincenzo Di Fiore, ha eseguito nello specchio d'acqua del "Porticciolo della Tonnara" antistante alla sede CNR-IAMC di Capo Granitola (TP) un test di sismica marina multicanale. Il team ha eseguito nei giorni 10 e 11 ottobre 2012 le operazioni di acquisizione di 4 profili sismici, di cui tre seriati, al fine di ottenere dati di tomografie sismiche a rifrazione elaborati mediante tecniche 2D e 3D. L'indagine geofisica, che ha interessato la fascia batimetrica compresa tra -2m e -5m, ha previsto il posizionamento del cavo geofonico d'acquisizione (bay-cable) direttamente sul fondale del porticciolo allo scopo di valutare sia i limiti che le potenzialità del metodo, ma anche per definire i parametri di comportamento e i caratteri strutturali dei depositi marini recenti e di età quaternaria presenti nell'area. La sperimentazione di tale tecnica, oltre a consentire l'acquisizione dei dati anche in termini di primi arrivi e di onde superficiali, ha permesso di elaborare modelli di velocità bidimensionale delle onde P ed S. Attraverso l' analisi del campo di variabilità , sono state dedotte utili informazioni sulla struttura del fondo mare sia in termini di geometrie che di caratteristiche elastiche del mezzo indagato.

Il gruppo di geofisica dell'Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IAMC) di Napoli, coordinato dal dott. Vincenzo Di Fiore, ha condotto nelle aree di piana costiera di Sibari (Cs) un'indagine di tipo geoelettrico, per la ricostruzione tri-dimensionale dei corpi idrici presenti e finalizzata all'identificazione di possibili fenomeni di ingressione marina. Tale acquisizione si inserisce come indagine preliminare alla definizione di un sistema di monitoraggio per la valutazione dell'intrusione nelle falde acquifere di componenti idrosaline provenienti dalle vicine aree costiere. Il team ha eseguito le operazioni di acquisizione di 8 profili in un'area in sinistra idrografica della confluenza tra i fiumi Coscile e Crati, tra le località "Lattughelle" e il sito "Casabianca" compreso nel Parco archeologico del Cavallo, per un totale di 5440 m. Le elaborazioni dei risultati delle tomografie di Resistività Elettrica (ERT) ad alta risoluzione consentiranno di riconoscere le caratteristiche elettriche e le geometrie dei corpi presenti nel sottosuolo di questo tratto della piana costiera di Sibari.