Coasts are highly dynamic and geo-morphologically complex systems that are exposed to several factors such as waves, extreme meteorological events and climate change. It is also well-recognized that coastal zones, characterized by an increasing population growth, are vulnerable to climate change. In addition, coastal erosion, resulting from natural environment changes and human activities, acts worldwide. Consequently, it is necessary to quantify coastal hazards vulnerability and develop tools to monitor coastal risks and support making targeted climate adaptation policies. In this paper, a framework to estimate coastal vulnerability to flooding and erosion has been developed for the Ionian Basilicata coast. It is based on two methods: the integrated vulnerability index (flooding and erosion) and the CeD physical vulnerability index (multi-risk assessment). Our results are in agreement with the recent shoreline evolution: the integrated coastal risk of the Ionian Basilicata coast is generally medium to high, while the “physical erosion vulnerability” is generally high to very high. In addition, the results highlight a spatial variability of the vulnerability, probably due to the morphology of the beach, which requires developing a strategic approach to coastal management and defining mitigation measures, considering relevant risk aspects as the vulnerability and exposure degree.

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This study aims to evaluate the presence of marine litter in relation to the main human activities and during some different meteorological conditions. Five surveys were performed along Boccasette spit to collect the stranded items, in order to assess the density of debris and the beach cleanliness. The main litter macro-category is represented by artificial polymer materials (96%), while the others macro-categories represent the 4% of collected items. The main sources of the marine litter have been attributed to improper waste disposal and fishing/aquaculture activities.

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Deciphering how the Antarctic Ice Sheet has responded to past climate warming is critical to understanding its sensitivity and role in current and future climate change. In this context, knowledge of the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in catchments with large potential sea-level contributions plays a key role. The Sabrina Coast of East Antarctica lies seaward of the second largest, but least known, subglacial basin on Earth, the Aurora Subglacial Basin. It is part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and drains to the Sabrina Coast via the Totten Glacier, the third largest drainage system in East Antarctica. Our refined, comprehensive seismic stratigraphic analysis of a large multichannel seismic data set collected in this sector of the Antarctic margin shows that sediments deposited on the continental slope and rise of the Sabrina Coast retain a well-preserved record of variations in glacial and oceanographic dynamics. Isobath and isopach maps evidence a complex, asymmetric evolution of the Sabrina slope and rise, with the western sector being the main sediment depocenter since the emplacement of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, as indicated by the up to 4-km-thick glacial-related sequences and inferred sedimentation rates of up to 300 m/m.y. However, significant sediment accumulation also occurs in the eastern area, particularly in the western levees of the canyons. Our findings highlight the potential of this region for deep ocean drilling that will provide an unprecedented history of the dynamics of the marine-based ice sheet in the Aurora Subglacial Basin and its sensitivity to climate change under different background climate conditions.