Morpho-sedimentary features and sediment transport model of the submerged beach of the ‘Pineta della foce del Garigliano’ SCI Site (Caserta, southern Italy)

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results of a detailed geomorphological and sedimentological study of a coastal sector of southern Italy, the Pineta della foce del Garigliano SCI (i.e. Site of Community Importance), which is largely affected by shoreline retreat and the degradation of dune habitat. The analysis of shoreline evolution demonstrates that severe erosion processes have occurred over the last 50 years. They caused the complete dismantling of the foredune, whereas the anomalous and advanced position of the secondary dune promoted a progressive loss of vegetation habitat of high environmental value such as juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus ssp. macrocarpa). Morpho-sedimentary data and hydrodynamic models suggest that the main climate events promoted a net longshore transport toward the South. Our analyses confirm that erosion processes are linked to natural factors but several negative human practices have contributed to the acceleration of shoreline retreat and degradation of the dune habitat. In addition to its scientific value, the map and data here presented represent an important tool for beach management purposes. ARTICLE HISTORY

Circulation during Storms and Dynamics of Suspended Matter in a Sheltered Coastal Area

“…The Garigliano River drains the territories between the Aurunci mountains and Mt. Massico, and its coastal plain is delimited northeast by the Roccamonfina volcano [43,44]. Among the southern Italian rivers, the Volturno River has the highest mean flow (approximately 102 m 3 s −1 ), and the mean flows of this river were higher than those of the Garigliano [45].…”

An integrated sea-land approach for mapping geomorphological and sedimentological features in an urban microtidal wave-dominated beach: a case study from S Sardinia, western Mediterranean

“…Morpho-sedimentological data were used to create the map of Poetto beach (referred to as Main Map). These data were acquired following the Coastal and Marine Geomorphology Group methodological protocols (CMGG, University of Cagliari; Batzella et al, 2011;De Muro, Kalb, Ibba, Ferraro, & Ferrara, 2010;Pennetta et al, 2016;Pusceddu et al, 2011).…”

Rip current evidence by hydrodynamic simulations, bathymetric surveys and UAV observation

“…In order to determine the sediment mean size, during the first survey 280 sediment samples were collected, 120 of them in the submerged beach using a Van Veen grab sampler. The analysis of grain size distribution with the graphic method (Folk and Ward, 1957) was applied in order to relate the sediment data to morphological ones obtained in other coastal areas (De Pippo et al, 2003;Pennetta et al, 2016;Mangoni et al, 2016).…”