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The purpose of this work is to introduce the ISPRA project aiming to realize a permanent GNSS coastal network collocated with the tide gauges of the ISPRA national network. The objective of integrating the two networks is to link the reference points of the tide gauge to an absolute ITRS reference system (International Terrestrial Reference System). In particular, the GNSS network allows the continuous monitoring of vertical movements; the medium-long term series analysis will allow to discriminate between the effect of vertical movements possibly present in the areas where the tide gauges are installed from the sea level variation due as an effect of the climate change. At the same time this network can contribute to the study of: the Italian geodynamic evolution, the subsidence phenomena, the evolution of the Italian coasts and the risk scenarios preparation especially in densely populated coastal areas.

Numerical simulations of a range of wave climates and tide conditions made with the model XBeach are exploited to study propagation, evolution, dissipation, and reflection patterns of infragravity ...

On the basis of observations and modelling of the plume generated by the Misa River (AN, Italy), we performed a comprehensive study, which integrated different sources of information (field data, numerical simulations, etc.), of the generation and transport mechanisms of river plumes flowing into microtidal environments. First, we analysed images simultaneously acquired by both two shore-based stations and satellite to determine plume fronts and extensions. Then, we correlated such information with the estuarine forcing to recognize the plume generation and transport mechanisms. Being real-life events influenced by a combination of factors, we run numerical simulations to separately study each force and its influence on the plume evolution. We also performed simulations of two real-life cases, to compare the modelled and observed results. We identified the river discharge and the wind as the main generation and transport mechanisms, respectively. Moreover, waves could stir, suspend, and drag plume sediments, even if results showed that a river discharge associated with a return period smaller than 1 year produced a plume denser than 5-year return period waves. The transport mechanisms were responsible for the alongshore extension of the plume. The tide, even if secondarily, affected the plume evolution, depending on its phase shift to the river discharge peak. Particle Tracking Velocimetry from videos acquired by a shore-based station provided the surface velocity field in the final river stretch. This and the contributions by wind and waves were correlated with the plume extension through a power law.

Video-monitoring can be exploited as a valuable tool to acquire continuous, high-quality information on the evolution of beach morphology at a low cost and, on such basis, perform beach resilience analyses. This manuscript presents preliminary results of an ongoing, long-term monitoring programme of five sandy Italian beaches along the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian sea. The project aims at analyzing nearshore morphologic variabilities on a time period of several years, to link them to resilience indicators. The observations indicate that most of the beach width variations can be linked to discrete variations of sandbar systems, and most of all to an offshore migration and decay of the outermost bars. Further, the largest net shoreline displacements across the observation period are experienced by beaches with a clear NOM (Net Offshore Migration)-type evolution of the seabed.

This paper presents the COPEMAP project, fruit of a research collaboration between the Universita Politecnica delle Marche and the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale. The project focuses on developing a methodology for the assessment of beach resilience as a function of both natural forcing (e.g. incoming wave fields) and natural protection (e.g. underwater sand bars). This is accomplished through simplified analyses of available video-monitoring data.

The accumulation of Posidonia oceanica dead leaves on the beaches of the Mediterranean shores is a natural phenomenon. They are either temporary or permanent structures (banquettes) and represent a valuable resource, with important ecosystem functions including coastal protection against erosion. Nevertheless, the perception of these plant accumulations by the different stakeholders (beach managers, local administrations and tourists) is often negative, they consider these deposits a malevolent waste to be removed, rather than a natural and valuable component of the coastline. We propose an integrated/beneficial management model for posidonia deposits, called ECOLOGICAL BEACH, firstly proposed in France, and recently implemented and applied in Italy. The model promotes the preservation of posidonia beach casts on site, with a balanced coexistence of natural and anthropic elements. The model fosters the several important ecosystem services of the beach casts and contributes to coastal preservation. To successfully spread the model, several activities must be implemented: a regulatory framework, the collection of data about the occurrence of beach casts, management protocols and educational programs. The most important activity is the educational one, based on the dissemination of the ecological and economic value of the beach casts, aimed at switching the perception of this phenomenon towards positive appraisal.

Novel observations of bar features and migration patterns at three Italian sandy beaches in Senigallia (central Adriatic Sea) and Terracina (central Tyrrhenian Sea) are presented. While two of these beaches are unprotected, one is artificially embayed through the presence of a concrete jetty. Bar locations and motions are analysed with video imagery data sets from coastal monitoring stations. Wave climate from the Copernicus oceanographic model is used to correlate hydrodynamics and beach morphology. Clear net offshore migration (NOM) patterns are identified at all beaches, although exhibiting different response scales. At the low-slope beach of Senigallia (mean surf zone slope of 0.009) bars are more sensitive to seasonal changes in wave climate, with offshore shifts in winter and inactivity in summer. Mean annual migration rates of up to 0.26 m/day and 0.09 m/day are observed for outer and inner bars, respectively. No significant response to single storms is observed, except during a single NNE storm. No distinct erosive or accretive trend for the shoreline is evidenced. At the steep beach of Terracina (mean surf zone slope of 0.018), conversely, bars are strongly responsive to single storm events, with displacements of up to 25–50 m across a single storm. The mean inter-annual migration rate is 0.08 m/day for the single/outer bar, whereas a slight onshore trend (-0.02 m/day) for the newborn inner bar is established. The presence of an artificial jetty at the Misa river mouth in Senigallia, finally, leaves the bar system, typically oscillating around an equilibrium position, susceptible to larger seasonal oscillations and strong offshore migration due to two ESE storm events. Numerical simulations of nearshore circulation for two storms from different directions predict the birth of longshore currents, higher ratios of significant wave height to water depth, and stronger bottom orbital velocities over bars in case of the ESE storm, suggesting a greater tendency for offshore-directed sediment transport.

Seagrass meadows are complex ecosystems representing an important source of biodiversity for coastal marine systems, but are subjected to numerous threats from natural and human-based influences. Due to their susceptibility to changing environmental conditions, seagrasses are habitually used in monitoring programmes as biological indicators to assess the ecological status of coastal environments. In this paper we used a non-destructive photo mosaicing technology to quantify seagrass distribution and abundance, and explore benefits of micro-cartographic analysis. Furthermore, the use of photogrammetric tools enhanced the method, which proved to be efficient due to its use of low-cost instruments and its simplicity of implementation. This paper describes the steps required to use this method in meadows of Posidonia oceanica, including: i) camera calibration procedures, ii) programming of video survey, iii) criteria to perform sampling activities, iv) data processing and micro-georeferenced maps restitution, and v) possible study applications.

This work carries out a landscape analysis for the last 60 years to compare the degree of preservation of two areas on the same Italian coastline characterized by different environmental protection levels: a National designated protected areas and a highly tourist coastal destination. The conversion of natural land-covers into human land uses were detected for protected and unprotected coastal stretches highlighting that the only establishment of a protected area is not enough to stem undesirable land-use outcomes. A survey analysis was also conducted to assess attitudes of beach users and to evaluate their perception of natural habitats, beach and coastal water quality, and coastal dynamic over time. The results of 2071 questionnaires showed that there is similarity between subjective and objective data. However, several beach users perceived a bad quality of coastal water in the legally unprotected coastal area. The implications from a planning and management perspective are discussed.

A continuously cored borehole was used to analyse Holocene relative sea-level changes in the Pescara coastal plain, located along the central Adriatic coast (Abruzzo, central Italy). The core was retrieved from the uppermost 19 m deposits, 600 m from the present-day shoreline. Sedimentological and palaeontological analyses identified a transition from fluvial strata to brackish-water, lagoon and foreshore deposits. Five biological sea-level markers were sampled and their ages, constrained by AMS 14 C dating, span between 2.39 and 7.68 ka cal BP. Heights (m above mean sea level) of the collected samples have been corrected, taking into consideration uncertainties of the vertical positioning with respect to palaeo-sea level. Vertical tectonic displacements have been evaluated through the comparison of relative sea-level data with the site-specific predicted Holocene sea-level curve. Correlations with available morphotectonic and stratigraphic data also were used. The results suggest negligible rates of vertical tectonic displacement during the Holocene, at least along a coastal strip of 40 km located between Pescara and Sangro river mouths (Abruzzo).

L’evoluzione morfologica di una porzione (1 km) del litorale di Terracina (Lazio centro meridionale) è stata analizzata tramite dati di video-monitoraggio e topo-batimetrici. Dati di previsione ondosa a cadenza oraria, basata sul modello SWAN, sono stati utilizzati per confrontare la variabilità morfologica all’energia ondosa incidente. Il tratto analizzato rappresenta una porzione di un settore ripasciuto nel 2006 dove, su 1.6 km di litorale, sono stati sversati 345800 mc di inerti. Le attività di video-monitoraggio sono iniziate circa un anno e mezzo dopo l’intervento di ripascimento, omettendo quindi l’analisi dell’evoluzione morfologica del periodo immediatamente dopo il rinascimento. Complessivamente, i dati di monitoraggio hanno coperto un periodo di osservazione di 34 mesi, da Gennaio 2008 a Ottobre 2010. Indicatori per il posizionamento della linea di riva e delle barre sommerse sono stati estratti dalle immagini video acquisite dalla centralina di monitoraggio e comparati con rilievi topo-batimetrici eseguiti lungo la stessa porzione di spiaggia. A circa un anno e mezzo dal ripascimento, non si registrano forti arretramenti del cuneo di ripascimento e i fondali sono caratterizzati da una barra sommersa lineare e disposta parallelamente a riva. Tale assetto morfologico rimane pressoché inalterato durante i primi 17 mesi di video-monitoraggio finche una serie di violente mareggiate dai quadranti meridionali, con massime altezze d’onda di 4 m, rimodellano profondamente i fondali a fine Novembre 2008. La linea di riva arretra di circa 20 m, si origina una nuova barra sottoriva e quella pre-esistente migra verso mare. Sebbene la linea di riva sia arretrata notevolmente, a tre anni dal ripascimento il tratto analizzato presenta un bilancio netto nullo, compensato da una forte crescita dei fondali antistanti. Negli ultimi 5 mesi di osservazioni la cresta di barra esterna perde la sua evidenza morfologica e induce la migrazione verso mare della barra interna, che essendo più esposta all’energia del moto ondoso incidente, sviluppa una morfologia lineare e uniforme lungo costa.