Three-dimensional lithospheric-scale thermal model as supporting tool for new exploration campaigns for geothermal resources: Insights from the Calabria region (Southern Italy)

The small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida was first detected in the Calabria and Sicily region (Southern Italy) in 2014. In this regard, a more effective and faster inspection method than the Official one (Ministry of Health) was tested to detect the beetle in the hive. In collaboration with Calabria beekeepers’ association, a “mobile divider”-based method was tested, in order to facilitate the detection of A. tumida and save time during hive inspection. In this short communication, we provide an update on the mobile divider technique and its related inspection procedure, which was first proposed and used in Calabria (Southern Italy) from 2014 to 2016. We report preliminary data concerning the number of detected SHBs and the time spent for their detection, based on the inspection of two apiaries in Calabria region, using both methods (official method and mobile divider method). The preliminary data presented here show that, on average, the mobile divider method seems to be able to recover a slightly higher number of beetles (0.9 adults) per inspected hive, in a shorter time (25 s).

Among the 15 virus species detected in olive trees, Olive leaf yellowing associated virus (OLYaV) is found with high incidence and frequency in Southern Italy in particular. Effects of OLYaV on virgin olive oil yield and quality of Leccino and Ottobratica cultivars in the Calabria region (Southern Italy) are analyzed. Oil yield, free acidity, number of peroxides, spectrophotometric indices, total content of chlorophylls and carotenoids, total phenol content, composition of the fatty acids, total tocopherols, and total sterols content are determined on oil obtained from olive fruits collected in healthy/virus‐free and OYLaV‐infected trees. Almost all analyzed oil parameters are not statistically different with some exceptions. Oils derived from ‘Ottobratica’ OLYaV‐infected plants have free acidity significantly lower than oil from healthy plants. K232 of oil from virus‐free ‘Leccino’ trees is significantly lower than oil from infected trees. Even though some quality parameter differences between healthy and OLYaV‐infected oils are found, it is important to highlight that all oils can be considered in extra virgin olive oil category, within the UE maximum limit acceptance range. Results suggest a no negative interference by OYLaV in oil yield and quality, except for K232 values, whereas surprisingly suggest a positive effect of virus infection on free acidity parameter.Practical Applications: Based on the evidence that OYLaV does not interfere negatively in oil yield and quality parameters, it seems appropriate that the European Union Council Directives (2014/96/EU, 2014/97/EU, 2014/98/EU) introduced in the last olive certification scheme only ArMV, CLRV, and SLRSV. The application of compulsory EU directive, in Italy as in other countries, will improve the facilities of olive plants commercialization, guaranteeing enough their sanitary status. The findings here reported support the suggestion that the Italian Ministry of Agriculture could be less restrictive in voluntary Italian regulation (D.M. 20/11/2006).Olive leaf yellowing associated virus (OLYaV) is found with high incidence and frequency especially in Southern Italy. Effects of OLYaV on virgin olive oil yield and quality of Leccino and Ottobratica cultivars in the Calabria region (Southern Italy) are analyzed, including free acidity, number of peroxides, spectrophotometric indexes, total content of chlorophylls, carotenoids and phenol, composition of the fatty acids, total tocopherols and total sterols.

Abstract. Recent explosive volcanic eruptions recorded worldwide (e.g. Hekla in 2000, Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, Cordón-Caulle in 2011) demonstrated the necessity for a better assessment of the eruption source parameters (ESPs; e.g. column height, mass eruption rate, eruption duration, and total grain-size distribution – TGSD) to reduce the uncertainties associated with the far-travelling airborne ash mass. Volcanological studies started to integrate observations to use more realistic numerical inputs, crucial for taking robust volcanic risk mitigation actions. On 23 November 2013, Etna (Italy) erupted, producing a 10 km height plume, from which two volcanic clouds were observed at different altitudes from satellites (SEVIRI, MODIS). One was retrieved as mainly composed of very fine ash (i.e. PM20), and the second one as made of ice/SO2 droplets (i.e. not measurable in terms of ash mass). An atypical north-easterly wind direction transported the tephra from Etna towards the Calabria and Apulia regions (southern Italy), permitting tephra sampling in proximal (i.e. ∼ 5–25 km from the source) and medial areas (i.e. the Calabria region, ∼ 160 km). A primary TGSD was derived from the field measurement analysis, but the paucity of data (especially related to the fine ash fraction) prevented it from being entirely representative of the initial magma fragmentation. To better constrain the TGSD assessment, we also estimated the distribution from the X-band weather radar data. We integrated the field and radar-derived TGSDs by inverting the relative weighting averages to best fit the tephra loading measurements. The resulting TGSD is used as input for the FALL3D tephra dispersal model to reconstruct the whole tephra loading. Furthermore, we empirically modified the integrated TGSD by enriching the PM20 classes until the numerical results were able to reproduce the airborne ash mass retrieved from satellite data. The resulting TGSD is inverted by best-fitting the field, ground-based, and satellite-based measurements. The results indicate a total erupted mass of 1.2 × 109 kg, being similar to the field-derived value of 1.3 × 109 kg, and an initial PM20 fraction between 3.6 and 9.0 wt %, constituting the tail of the TGSD.

The use of a newly developed earthquake simulator has allowed the production of catalogs lasting 100 kyr and containing more than 100,000 events of magnitudes ≥4.5. The model of the fault system upon which we applied the simulator code was obtained from the DISS 3.2.0 database, selecting all the faults that are recognized on the Calabria region, for a total of 22 fault segments. The application of our simulation algorithm provides typical features in time, space and magnitude behavior of the seismicity, which can be compared with those of the real observations. The results of the physics-based simulator algorithm were compared with those obtained by an alternative method using a slip-rate balanced technique. Finally, as an example of a possible use of synthetic catalogs, an attenuation law has been applied to all the events reported in the synthetic catalog for the production of maps showing the exceedance probability of given values of PGA on the territory under investigation.

Due to the important role of water resources in the growth of the world’s economy, drought causes global concern for its severe worldwide implications on different sectors, such as biodiversity, farming, public water supply, energy, tourism, human health, and ecosystem services. In particular, drought events can have strong environmental and socioeconomic impacts in countries depending on rain-fed agriculture such as the ones in the Mediterranean region, which, due to a detected increase in warming and precipitation decrease, is considered a climate change hotspot. In this context, in this paper, meteorological drought in the Calabria region (southern Italy) has been characterized considering the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) evaluated at different timescales. First, the temporal distribution of the most severe dry episodes has been evaluated. Then, a trend analysis has been conducted considering the different seasons, the wet (autumn and winter) and dry (spring and summer) periods, and the annual scale. Finally, the relationship between drought and some teleconnection patterns (the North Atlantic Oscillation—NAO, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation—ENSO, and the Mediterranean Oscillation—MO) has been investigated. Results show that the majority of the severe/extreme drought events have been observed between 1985 and 2008. Moreover, a decrease in SPI values has been observed in winter and spring, in both the wet and dry periods, and upon the annual scale considering the 12-month SPI and the 24-month SPI. Finally, a link between the drought episodes in the Calabria region and the NAO phases and the MO has been identified. Since drought episodes can severely impact water resources and their uses, the findings presented in this work can be useful to plan and manage the water supply for household, farming, and industrial uses.

This study undertook the mineralogical and chemical analysis of anglesite (PbSO4), cerussite (PbCO3), gypsum (CaSO4∙2H2O), langite (Cu4(SO4)(OH)6∙2H2O), malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2), and posnjakite (Cu4(SO4)(OH)6·H2O) detected for the first time in the abandoned Mastricarro Barite Mine (Catanzaro, Calabria, southern Italy). Geological conditions make this one of the few well-preserved, partly accessible mines in the Calabria region. Numerous mineralogical species, some beautifully crystallized, have been discovered among the alteration products of the sulfides present within the barite veins. The newly identified crystals occur as secondary minerals in the oxidized portions of deposits originally containing lead and copper sulfides; they are widely distributed and are almost always detected as microcrystals. The anglesite, cerussite, gypsum, langite, malachite, and posnjakite crystals were identified and characterized using optical microscopy (OM), micro-Raman spectroscopy (µR), and scanning electron microscopy, combined with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS). The new mineral occurrences can be useful for scientific and didactic purposes; further, for langite, malachite, and posnjakite crystals, new Raman bands, which have not been mentioned before in the literature, were identified.

An in-depth analysis of historical heavy rainfall fields clearly constitutes an important aspect in many related topics: as examples, mesoscale models for early warning systems and the definition of design event scenarios can be improved, with the consequent upgrading in the prediction of induced phenomena (mainly floods and landslides) into specific areas of interest. With this goal, in this work the authors focused on Calabria region (southern Italy) and classified the main precipitation systems through the analysis of selected heavy rainfall events from high resolution rain gauge network time series. Moreover, the authors investigated the relationships among the selected events and the main synoptic atmospheric patterns derived by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA5 Reanalysis dataset, in order to assess the possible large-scale scenarios which can induce heavy rainfall events in the study area. The obtained results highlighted: (i) the importance of areal reduction factors, rainfall intensities and amounts in order to discriminate the investigated precipitations systems for the study area; (ii) the crucial role played by the position of the averaged low-pressure areas over the Mediterranean for the synoptic systems, and by low-level temperature for the convective systems.

Regional studies are crucial for monitoring and managing the impacts of extreme climatic events. This phenomenon is particularly important in some areas, such as the Mediterranean region, which has been identified as one of the most responsive regions to climate change. In this regard, the analysis of large space-time sets of climatic data can provide potentially valuable information, although the datasets are commonly affected by the issue of missing data. This approach can significantly reduce the reliability of inferences derived from space-time data analysis. Consequently, the selection of an effective missing data recovery method is crucial since a poor dataset reconstruction could lead to misleading the decision makers’ judgments. In the present paper, a methodology that can enhance the confidence of the statistical analysis performed on the reconstructed data is presented. The basic assumption of the proposed methodology is that missing data within certain percentages cannot significantly change the shape or parameters of the complete data distribution. Therefore, by applying several missing data recovery methods whose reconstructed dataset better overlaps the original dataset, larger confidence is needed. After the gap filling procedure, the temporal tendencies of the annual daily minimum temperature (T < 0 °C) were analysed in the Calabria region (southern Italy) by applying a test for trend detection to 8 temperature series over a 30-year period (1990–2019). The results showed that there was a constant reduction in the duration of frosty days, indicating the reliability of the effect of climate change.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;School education constitutes one of the strategic functions to be recovered after an earthquake. The structural improvement of school buildings together with the strengthening of the administrators&amp;amp;#8217; capacity to react positively following an earthquake are key factors that contribute to social vulnerability&amp;amp;#8217;s reduction. Nevertheless, in Italy, the issue of risk reduction policies related to school sector is not yet consolidated in the institutional agendas. Observing the last major Italian earthquakes what remains predominant is school buildings&amp;amp;#8217; damage degree with consequent interruption of the system functionality. Among the causes: the building heritage vulnerability and the lack of risk mitigation policies, capable of building a resilient community for future earthquakes. That of resilience is considered a relevant paradigm to address the issue of how to strengthen the school sector&amp;amp;#8217;s capacity to ensure the buildings physical safety and to guarantee the maintenance of the school function, looking at pre and post-event phases.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The paper proposes a set of indicators and a methodology for a preliminary assessment of the educational sector&amp;amp;#8217;s seismic resilience, in terms of initial conditions. The method has been tested on a first case study: Calabria Region, Southern Italy. The results show that spatial differences in the educational sector&amp;amp;#8217;s seismic resilience are evident. Except for some large urban areas, the less resilient areas are grouped mainly in the southern part of the Region, while the most resilient ones are located mostly in the central-northern sector. The ambition is to identify a repeatable approach, useful as guidelines for school seismic prevention policies.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

ABSTRACTIt is essential estimating the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) stocks and their spatial-temporal variations to understand the role of soil in ecosystem services and in the global cycles of carbon and nitrogen. This work was aimed to quantify and map the stocks of SOC and STN in topsoils in an area of the Biogenetic Natural Reserve ‘Marchesale’ (Calabria region, southern Italy). Forest soil samples (0–20 cm depth) were collected at 231 locations and analysed in laboratory for SOC and STN. Moreover, in all samples, bulk density (BD) and soil coarse fragments (SCFs) were determined. Geostatistics was used to map all soil properties (SOC, STN, BD and SCFs) and the stocks of SOC and STN. The mean stock values were 86.3 Mg ha−1 for SOC and 5.1 Mg ha−1 for STN. The total amounts stored in the study area (33.2 ha) were 2865.2 Mg for SOC and 170.1 Mg for STN. Although only the topsoil was considered, the accompanying maps (1:4000 scale) will be useful for the sustainable management of the Biogenetic Natural Reserve ‘Marchesale’ and for undertaking appropriate conservation plans to mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases.

In this article, the authors report experimental results obtained for the assessment of the 226Ra content in 80 drinking water samples from the Calabria region, Southern Italy. The activity concentration, measured with the Perkin Elmer Tricarb 4910 TR Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC) setup, was compared with the reference values reported in the Italian Legislative Decree 28/2016 in order to evaluate any possible radiological health hazards for the population in terms of 226Ra content due to the ingestion of the investigated drinking water. The obtained results put in evidence that the average 226Ra specific activity is lower than the LSC minimum detectable activity (MDA) in all cases, thus, excluding any radiological risk. They also represent the main reference for the investigated area and can be used as a baseline to extend this investigation to the whole region.

Assessing seismic resilience of school educational sector. An attempt to establish the initial conditions in Calabria Region, southern Italy

The study analyses spatial and temporal patterns of drought in an area with a wide range of precipitation characteristics (the Calabria region in southern Italy) during the period 1921–2007. The short-time (2, 3 and 6 months) Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) was estimated to analyse drought especially from the agricultural point of view. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the SPI to assess the spatial variability of drought. During the period of observation, moderate to severe drought occurred at a frequency of almost 13 % in wet seasons (autumn and winter). Almost half of the region was affected by drought in the years 1981–1990 when the area experienced its most severe drought. Although the spatial patterns of drought estimated by PCA were logical and consistent with precipitation distribution, very complex patterns were observed for all the time scales looked at. The high fragmentation of the maps obtained makes them of limited value, and caution is recommended in classifying the region into homogeneous areas.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The studies on the climate changes effects aim at prevent their often-harmful consequences for people and ecosystems. Therefore for this important impact, the quantity and the structure of data involved in those studies have to follow precise and well defined standards. Since long time, many countries are endowed with networks of climatic gauges to track the dynamics of climatic variables in space and time. Unfortunately, the efficiency maintenance of those networks requires a constant control of the tools that collect data to avoid measuring errors and missing data which negatively impacts on studies based on robust statistical methodologies. In order to overcome the problem of missing data, in recent times powerful statistical procedures were born. These approaches contain novel and effective methodologies that, under suitable boundary conditions, are capable to reconstruct with good reliability the set of missing data. Within this context, the aim of this study is to perform a reliable trend analysis of the minimum temperature by means of a gap-filled database of 8 temperature series collected in the Calabria region, in Southern Italy. Specifically, considering the past studies, which evidenced that winter conditions are changing more rapidly than any other season, in this study particular attention has been paid to the temporal changes of the frost days, i.e. the annual count of daily minimum temperature &amp;lt; 0 &amp;amp;#176;C. In fact, decline in frost days could have lasting impacts on ecosystems, especially in mountainous and forested area such as the Calabria region, in which about 42% of the regional area is located over 500 m a.s.l.. Indeed, the number of frost days recorded during the winter is particularly important for the health of mountain forests (for example by killing parasites and harmful insects, or mitigating summer water stress) and for the conservation of the snowpack, which insulates the soil, providing subnivean shelter to animals and prevents freezing of roots and microorganisms. With this aim, in the present work, a statistic-probabilistic methodology has been presented and applied to select the most effective data reconstruction method among those known from current literature. After the missing data reconstruction, the Mann-Kendall non-parametric test has been applied evidencing a declining trend of frost day&amp;amp;#8217;s number for six out of eight series, thus confirming an overall rise of the minimum temperature in the study area&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

This data article contains mineralogical and chemical data of the wulfenite (PbMoO4) sampled from mine of Fiumarella in Calabria region (Southern Italy). Wulfenite is a rare mineral belonging to the class of minerals called molybdates and if found in large amounts it can be used for the extraction of molybdenum. In the mine of Fiumarella, in addition to primary minerals such as barite, galena, cerussite, anglesite, fluorite and chalcopyrite, wulfenite was also detected. Wulfenite crystals are bipyramidal, few microns in size and grow as single crystals that can reach 1 mm. Methods for obtaining the data sets include optical microscopy, micro X-Ray Fluorescence and micro-Raman spectroscopy.