Northern Campania Research Articles

The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff record in the Gaeta Gulf (Eastern Tyrrhenian margin, Southern Italy)

Abstract. The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff caldera-forming eruption (ca. 15 kyr) is a large event that occurred at Phlegrean Fields during the Late Glacial–Holocene time span. The eruptive products represent a widespread isochronous marker that links the marine and terrestrial stratigraphic record of the central Mediterranean and Northern Europe sequences. In this research, we describe the stratigraphic signature of the NYT deposits in the Late Glacial–Holocene shelf sequence of the Gulf of Gaeta (northern Campania region, southern Tyrrhenian Sea) throughout the seismo-stratigraphic interpretation of a grid of high and very high-resolution Chirp seismic profiles. The seismo-stratigraphic data allowed to individuate in the Upper Pleistocene–Holocene stratigraphic architecture a continental shelf characterized by an offlap prograding succession followed by a very thick transgressive onlapping unit, and by an upper highstand unit mainly characterized by undulations probably linked to gas-prone sediment. The NYT reflector observed was parallel and with a high amplitude. It was continuously detected from the shelf to the slope within transgressive deposits. On the inner shelf, its continuity was interrupted by shallow gas pockets. The NYT depths ranges from 2 m b.s.f. on the slope to 38 m b.s.f. on the continental shelf. The NYT event appeared to have played a key role in controlling the stratigraphic architecture of the studied area during the last transgression, acting as a trigger for the formation of the aggradational sedimentary successions fed by pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits.

A Multidisciplinary Approach for the Characterization of Artificial Cavities of Historical and Cultural Interest: The Case Study of the Cloister of Sant’Agostino—Caserta, Italy

In northern Campania (Southern Italy), the historic center of many towns is characterized by the widespread presence of cavities in the subsoil, excavated over the centuries for quarrying tuff blocks for buildings, along with cathedrals, churches and chapels. A singular feature of these places of worship is, in fact, the presence of a wide and frequently connected network of underground cavities and tunnels, which were used for hydraulic, religious or connecting purposes. The cavity network is often unknown, abandoned or even buried, thus representing a risk for their susceptibility to sinkholes. Such elements are important as cultural heritage of inestimable value and as attractors for tourism; for this reason, the multidisciplinary study conducted on a place of worship in the Caserta area is illustrated herein: the Cloister of Sant’Agostino, in Caserta (XVI century CE). A geological and geotechnical characterization of the subsoil was performed at first. A laser scanner survey of the accessible cavities and the external churchyard was carried out. The resulting 3D model of the underground sector allowed for a clear understanding of the room size, their location, the levels and the path of the corridors. To understand the extension and layout of the crypts, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) surveys were undertaken in the surrounding areas. The analysis of the ERT measurements revealed some anomalies that could be ascribed to unknown structures (crypts). Finally, numerical methods were applied to estimate the stress state of the soft rocks and the potential areas of crisis, with preliminary assessments of the influence of the presence of cavities on the stability of the subsoil. The results allowed us to improve the knowledge of the study site and provide useful data for the planning of future targeted investigations, underlining how integrated research between applied disciplines can provide indispensable support both in the management and mitigation of geological risks in urban areas and in the sustainable reuse of hypogea.

Perception of climate change impacts, urbanization, and coastal planning in the Gaeta Gulf (central Tyrrhenian Sea): A multidimensional approach

<abstract> <p>The coasts, with their intricate combination of natural and anthropogenic fragilities, can always be considered a crucial component in the geography of risk and territorial governance. Furthermore, coastal areas worldwide are currently facing profound and immediate impacts of climate change, presenting unparalleled challenges for both ecosystems and coastal communities. In these contexts, high socio-environmental vulnerability has often been linked to planning and management practices that, at times, have exacerbated coastal exposure, making it more prone to extreme natural phenomena, such as coastal floods and storm surges, as well as degradation. The case of the Gaeta Gulf, a largely urbanized part of the central Tyrrhenian coast in Italy that encompasses two administrative areas between the northern Campania and the southern Lazio Regions, provides an opportunity to investigate these criticalities both along the coastline and within the interconnected inland areas. This research aims to understand how administrations and communities perceive, experience, and understand the coastal risks and challenges posed by climate change, as well as their level of information and preparedness to address such risks. These aspects will be analyzed through a multidisciplinary approach, shedding light on the political, social, environmental, and economic practices in these areas, and the potential implications for coastal planning policies. In addition, this contribution presents the results of a qualitative survey involving the administration of questionnaires related to the perception of climate change impacts on the coasts and the level of information on the mitigation and adaptation practices within the communities living in these areas.</p> </abstract>

Artificial Cavities in the Northern Campania Plain: Architectural Variability and Cataloging Challenge

In Campania (southern Italy), the widespread presence of anthropogenic cavities in the subsoil of the Neapolitan and Caserta provinces is well known. In these towns, the underground quarrying activities were performed for centuries to extract volcanic tuffs for buildings. The urban developments have sealed many signals of the presence of cavities and their real extent is almost unknown, thus representing a geological hazard and contributing to the subsoil instability of many places. This contribution will show the main cavity typologies recognized across an area north of Naples according to the geological characteristics of the subsoil. The main aim of the study is the cataloging of the cavities and the analysis of the city subsoil as their presence may easily trigger the collapse of the shallow or deeper soils. Moreover, the recognition and sustainable reuse of cavities contributes to enhancing the cultural and touristic promotion of a territory. In this study, a database framework was elaborated that includes all the possible architectural, geological and geotechnical elements of the cavities. Data were managed in a GIS environment in order to provide a useful tool for monitoring and managing the cavities for risk mitigation and tourism enhancement.

The late Pleistocene-Holocene changing morphology of the Volturno delta and coast (northern Campania, Italy): Geological architecture and human influence

The present geomorphology of the Volturno River delta system and related strandplain is largely a product of complex, long-lived relationships between geological evolution and human impacts.In order to assess the main drivers of the changed landscape in the last centuries, a multidisciplinary study was carried out by combining geological and historical data. The study was based on geological and geophysical data, including about 1800 stratigraphic well logs to reconstruct the stratigraphic architecture of the delta plain and ca. 180 km of very high resolution single channel reflection profiles to image the stratigraphic pattern of the continental shelf and the offshore delta. Cartographic sources from the last 150 years were acquired, georeferenced and managed into a GIS environment, to support geomorphological interpretation. Land use maps were reconstructed for the 1957, 1990 and 2012. The Late Pleistocene and Holocene reconstruction of the Volturno coastal plain evolution evidenced the control of climatic changes (and consequently sediment supply and global eustatic variations) on the depositional history. The present landscape appears largely inherited by the past MIS5 and LGM landscapes.A progressive increment of anthropic forcing took place in the last 2000 years but the strongest modifications of the landscape occurred since the end of the XVII century, when, during the Spanish vice-kingdom, it was subjected to major land reclamation. More than 500 km of canals were built in the coastal area and resulted in the development of agriculture and farming on reclaimed land, promoting urbanization and increasing landscape fragmentation. A peak of major alterations of the deltaic environment, and retreat of the coastline was attained between the 1960s and the 1990s. Severe urbanization along the coastline, coupled with intensification of agricultural and tourism activities, resulted in a significant loss of natural ecosystems including humid coastal areas, lacustrine/marshy back-dune areas and mostly the beach-dune system. The negative sedimentary balance resulting from the reclamation works on the river courses, along with the interventions along the Volturno river basin, resulted in an accelerated and severe coastal erosion. The latter, coupled with subsidence rates and sea level rise, increase the vulnerability of the coast to flooding and storm surge and aquifer salinization.

The Holocene Evolution of the Volturno Coastal Plain (Northern Campania, Southern Italy): Implications for the Understanding of Subsidence Patterns

In the Mediterranean area, several alluvial coastal plains, developed after the Holocene transgression, are affected by subsidence. The Volturno alluvial-coastal plain, along the eastern Tyrrhenian Sea (southern Italy) is characterized by subsidence rates determined through InSAR data analysis and ranging between 0 and <−20 mm/year in an area of about 750 kmq across the Volturno River. Inside this area, the pattern of subsidence shows sites with apparently anomalous localized subsidence. To understand the driving mechanisms of this process, a lithostratigraphic reconstruction was provided focusing on the spatial distribution of the horizons considered weak by a geotechnical point of view; then, the subsidence map was overlain spatially with geological data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The spatial analysis highlighted the major ground deformation occurring within the outer boundary of the incised paleo-valley, corresponding to the Holocene alluvial/transitional filling that overlies a compaction-free Pleistocene basement. Inside this general trend, differential compaction was detected corresponding to the thick occurrence of clay and peat deposits, suggesting that the subsidence rate registered in the plain are due in part to the consolidation of primary settlements of soft and compressible soils that characterize the subsoil of these areas, and in large part to the secondary consolidation settlements.

Crustal structure in the Campanian region (Southern Apennines, Italy) from potential field modelling

We present a 3D model of the main crustal boundaries beneath the Campanian region and the onshore and offshore surrounding areas, based on high-resolution potential field data. Our main objective is the definition of the main structural interfaces in the whole Campanian region from gravity and magnetic data, thanks to their ability to define them on a regional and continuous way. The complex morphology of the Mesozoic carbonate platform, which is fundamental to constrain the top of geothermal reservoir, was reconstructed by inverting the vertical gradient of gravity. We assumed local information from seismic models and boreholes to improve the model. We modeled the deep crustal structures by spectral analysis of Bouguer gravity and magnetic data. The inferred depth estimates indicate a shallow crystalline basement below the Tyrrhenian crust and the Apulian foreland and a significant depression beneath the Bradanic foredeep. The map of the Moho boundary shows a NE-SE verging trough below the Southern Apennine chain and two pronounced uplifts beneath the foreland and the Tyrrhenian crust. We also estimated the depth to the magnetic bottom, showing a thick magnetic crust below the mountain chain and shallow depths where the crustal heat flow is high. The models were compared with seismic sections along selected profiles; a good agreement was observed, despite of some inherent lower resolution for the gravity modelling from spectral methods. The regional covering and the continuity of our estimated crustal interfaces make it a new and valid reference for further geological, geophysical and geothermal studies, especially in areas such as northern and eastern Campania, where there is an incomplete geophysical and geological information.

Geophysical prospecting for the pre- and early-historical reconstruction of the subsurface underneath the Paleochristian Basilica of Santa Maria di Compulteria (northern Campania, Italy)

The medieval Basilica of Santa Maria in Compulteria was built at an important road junction in the Alife Plain (Campania region), a wide basin within the Apennine mountains of southern Italy. Archaeological excavations carried out during the 1990s at shallow depths under the floor of the Basilica discovered the remains of Roman Age buildings, but little is known about their extent and the older phases of occupation of this key site. We present here the results of two high-resolution 3D geophysical surveys – ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography – carried out to understand the nature and the extent of the structures buried down to about 10 m depth under the modern floor of the Basilica. The geophysical investigations allowed us to find evidence for older anthropogenic traces at a greater depth, which have never been hypothesized. An integrated interpretation of the geophysical measurements with previous archaeological data for the shallow part, and with admissible human traces at depth, has provided an exhaustive reconstruction of the subsurface remains from the upper to the deeper portion of the investigated volume. In particular, our findings highlight anomalous features of likely anthropogenic origin, which are ascribed to historical and pre-historical phases preceding the construction of the middle age Basilica.

Le littoral du Latium méridional et de la Campanie septentrionale entre le ixe et le iiie s. av. J.‑C.

Nous traitons ici des contacts et des réseaux d’échanges dans le Latium méridional et la Campanie septentrionale entre le ixe et le iiie s. av. J.‑C. Depuis le dernier quart du xxe s., plusieurs études menées dans ces espaces littoraux ont permis de mettre en lumière le dynamisme des échanges culturels et commerciaux dans cette région de rencontre de divers peuples méditerranéens. Ainsi l’association du régime des courants et des vents de la mer tyrrhénienne avec les particularités d’un littoral marécageux permet l’installation de nombreux mouillages et abris nécessaires pour le cabotage le long de la côte. Les navires qui s’y arrêtent peuvent alors profiter de produits locaux tels que le sel ou le vin. Un réseau dense de communication mariant voies fluviales, routes et chemins terrestres permet également d’intégrer dans cette économie les ressources de l’arrière-pays, comme le bois et la poix. Les sanctuaires semblent jouer un rôle particulier dans ce système complexe d’échanges : tout d’abord en tant que marqueurs du territoire mais aussi comme lieux de rencontre et d’asile où les commerçants peuvent profiter d’une protection divine pour leurs activités et leur voyage.

Assessment of Climate Change in Italy by Variants of Ordered Correspondence Analysis

This paper explores climate changes in Italy over the last 30 years. The data come from the European observation gridded dataset and are concerned with the temperature throughout the country. We focus our attention on two Italian regions (Lombardy in northern Italy and Campania in southern Italy) and on two particular years roughly thirty years apart (1986 and 2015). Our primary aim is to assess the most important changes in temperature in Italy using some variants of correspondence analysis for ordered categorical variables. Such variants are based on a decomposition method using orthogonal polynomials instead of singular vectors and allow one to easily classify the meteorological station observations. A simulation study, based on bootstrap sampling, is undertaken to demonstrate the reliability of the results.

Multiproxy study of cores from the Garigliano Plain: An insight into the Late Quaternary coastal evolution of Central-Southern Italy

Two boreholes, both about 16 m-deep, have been drilled in the Garigliano Plain, a coastal-alluvial plain located at the boundary between southern Latium and northern Campania, Italy. The drill holes have been planned and carried out in the southern part of the plain, near to the bordering ridge of Mount Massico. The multidisciplinary analyses performed on sediment samples from both cores revealed the presence of several marine and continental sedimentation environments, transitional facies and volcanic rocks. All these data, together with the stratigraphic correlation between the two logs, allowed the reconstruction of the sedimentary and morphological evolution of the plain during the Late Quaternary. Further, such an evolutionary sequence has been used as a comparison scheme with regard to other coastal plains of the Tyrrhenian side of central and southern Italy to stress similar or different behaviours among them on a distance of about 400 km of coastal belt. Some remarkable differences have been actually enlighten, with particular reference to the MIS 5.5 and the Holocene.The occurrence in both cores of products of the Campanian Ignimbrite – a ~ 40 ka pyroclastic unit – and associated reworked deposits (about five metres-thick in both cases), has been here reported for the first time in the subsurface of the southern part of the Garigliano Plain. In addition, a tephra layer has been detected at −14.50 m of depth (i.e. 13.50 m a.s.l.) in the northernmost core. This layer has been 40Ar/39Ar dated at 124.5 ± 0.5 ka. In the upper part of the same drill core, deposits interpreted as lagoonal-swamp facies have been recognized. On the basis of 14C dating, we can attribute the starting stage of such a sedimentation to the effects induced by the Post-glacial sea-level rise at about 8000 yr BP. These chronological constraints permitted us to obtain from the paleoecological, palynological, and granulometric analyses of the sampled successions helpful and precise information about sea-level changes along that coastal belt.

The 847 CE earthquake in central-southern Italy: New hints from archaeosismological and geophysical investigations in the Volturno River Valley area

Integration of archaeoseismic observations, geological and geophysical surveys and a critical review of historical written sources contributed to shed light on the effects of the 847 CE earthquake that struck a large area of southern-central Italy. New archaeoseismic evidence of a strong earthquake which occurred around the middle of the ninth century CE comes from two Medieval archaeological sites along the Volturno Valley, between Campania and Molise regions. Historical documentation and its evidence include the tilting of pillars in the Basilica of Santa Maria near Alvignano (northern Campania region) and a collapsed masonry wall in the Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno near Isernia (northern Molise region). At Alvignano, a site so far unrecorded in seismic catalogues for the 847 earthquake, geoelectrical and georadar investigations were used to explore the subsoil and study local site conditions, which could have influenced co-seismic ground motion. Interpretation of geophysical surveys calibrated by stratigraphy of available boreholes document the presence of altered pyroclastic deposits, which likely enhanced site effects at Alvignano. Analysis of damage historical descriptions and of archaeological reports indicates that the 847 seismic event damaged a wide area between Latium, Campania and Molise, with destruction of the town of Isernia and damages in Rome. Because the damaged area for this medieval earthquake is loosely defined in literature, the present study represents a contribution to better define the shaking area and provide new hints on the extent and location of the possible seismogenic source.

Local production and imitations of Late Roman pottery from a well in the Roman necropolis of Cuma in Naples, Italy

AbstractArchaeological excavations performed in a funerary complex in Cuma (Campania region, Italy) unearthed excellently preserved common wares dated to the third century A.D. Archaeometric analyses were focused on Campanian pitchers, Aegean‐like cooking pots, and pyriform pitchers, the latter recorded for the first time in an Italian context. The local pitchers were manufactured with a high‐CaO clay (CaO = ca. 12 wt.%) and local volcanic temper, fired at ca. 800–850°C, as suggested by the presence of calcite. The Aegean‐like pots and the pyriform pitchers were made with low‐CaO clay (CaO ≤ 4.0 wt.%) mixed with a calcite‐bearing temper, along with volcanic and siliciclastic grains, and fired at 800–950°C. The comparison with raw materials inferred that local vessels were made with low‐CaO basinal clays which outcrop in the northern Campania region, and sands from the shoreline north of Cuma where carbonate, siliciclastic and volcanic phases mix together. Our results suggest that the Phlegraean Late Roman workshops produced their traditional vases along with imitations of Aegean‐like pottery. Thus, microregional production responded to a market demand requiring shapes and styles similar to imports from the eastern Mediterranean, with which commercial trade was still quite active.

Wetland selection, niche breadth and overlap in 10 duck species wintering in northern Campania (Italy)

Analysis of the selection index, the niche breadth and the niche overlap of 10 species of wintering ducks in 11 wetland areas of the Campania region between January 2003 and 2015 revealed that the distribution of the species in the examined sites was not casual. In fact, each species actively chose their wintering area. Using selection index, we were able to measure the species’ preferences and non-preferences for the 11 examined sites. By calculating Shannon-Wiener entropy and its normalized value (Evenness), we determined niche breadth; the Morisita index allowed us to check niche overlap.

Subsidence Trends of Volturno River Coastal Plain (Northern Campania, Southern Italy) Inferred by SAR Interferometry Data

The Volturno Plain is one of the largest alluvial plains of peninsular Italy, which is one of the most susceptible plains to coastal hazards. This area is characterized by both natural and human-induced subsidence. This present study is based on the post-processing, analysis and mapping of the available Persistent Scatterer interferometry datasets. The latter were derived from the combination of both ascending and descending orbits of three different radar satellite systems during an observation period of almost two decades (June 1992–September 2010). The main output of this study is a map of vertical deformation, which provides new insights into the areal variability of the ground deformation processes (subsidence/uplift) of Volturno plain over the last few decades. The vertical displacement values obtained by the post-processing of the interferometric data show that the Volturno river plain is characterized by significant subsidence in the central axial sectors and in the river mouth area. Moderate uplift is detected in the eastern part of the plain, whereas other sectors of the study area are characterized by moderate subsidence and/or stability. On the basis of the analyzed subsoil stratigraphy, we inferred that the subsidence recorded in the Volturno plain is mainly a consequence of a natural process related to the compaction of the fluvial and palustrine deposits that form the alluvial plain. The anthropic influences (e.g., water exploitation, urbanization) are substantially considered to be an additional factor that may enhance subsidence only locally. The uplift mapped in the eastern sector of the plain is related to the tectonic activity. The study of the subsidence in the Volturno plain is a valuable tool for river flood analyses and the assessment of the coastal inundation hazards and related risk mitigation.

Il rapporto uomo acqua nelle scelte insediative e nell’organizzazione antropica del territorio: il contributo della Carta Archeologica della Campania

The following work analyze several aspects concerning the relationship between man and water in the inner landscapes of Northern Campania, in particular in the Upper and Middle Volturno Valley and in the Capua Plain. This analisys is inspired by the results of the topographical surveys made in these territories in the last years (Archaeological Map of Campania). It aims to illustrate the development of the settlement in relation to the waterside zones, in a period between the Prehistory to the Roman Age. According to the available evidences about it, we can highlight some representative cases of forms of land use connected or conditioned by water recources. We can also focus the attention on the cultural and economic dynamics developed in relation to the main rivers and river valleys.Key words: Campania settentrionale; river valleys; water resources; settlement; land use.

Assessment of the amphora spectrum in a rural Late La Tène settlement at Reinach-Nord, Basel region, Switzerland

The relatively high quantity of amphorae among the ceramic material discovered in Late La Tène structures at Reinach-Nord appears quite unusual at a rural settlement of this period in NE Switzerland and warranted further investigation. How does the amphora spectrum compare to the one of earlier or later sites in the region? On earlier settlements in the area between Lyon, the Upper Rhine Valley and NE Switzerland, we find Italic wine amphorae from mainly the same few provenances in Etruria (Albinia, Cosa), Northern Campania (Falerne/Mondragone) and Pompeii. On later sites in the same region (especially the Roman colonial towns of Lyon, Augst and Avenches), wine is only one of many commodities imported in amphorae and those of Italic provenance become rare. Macroscopic classification of the amphora fabrics, petrographic and chemical analyses by XRF-WDS of 35 samples representative of fabric groups and the comparison with a large database (>500 analyses from kiln sites, >500 analyses from consumer sites) reveal basically the typical spectrum known for the region with slight differences to earlier as well as to later sites. These are, in comparison to earlier sites: - a smaller proportion originating from important production sites in Etruria and Northern Campania, no representation of the Pompeii region; - some ascertained imports from Southern Latium; - presence of a non-Italic fabric indicative of Spanish origin (Tarraconnensis). In contrast to later sites, Reinach still shows almost exclusively wine amphorae mainly of Italic origin and a smaller number of different provenances, comparable to the diversity met on the earlier sites (10–15 groups).

Beach vulnerability assessment of a protected area of the Northern Campania coast (Southern Italy)

A detailed and multidisciplinary study of physical and biotic factors of a coastal sector of southern Italy, the Pineta della foce del Garigliano SCI (Site of Community Importance) area, has been carried out in the frame of the European research project LIFE + Nature & Biodiversity PROVIDUNE. We evaluated the degree of dunes vulnerability (Dune Vulnerability Index, DVI) and sustainable anthropogenic load (carrying capacity) of the emerged beach of the study area, which is largely affected by shoreline retreat and degradation of dune habitat. The values of about 0.6 of the DVI in the two key sectors of the study area suggest a high level of vulnerability of beach/dune system due to both natural and human factors. The partial vulnerability index related to the geomorphological condition exhibits the highest values, as a consequence of a coastal system largely affected by recent and present-day beach erosion and severe hydrodynamics processes. Several inadequate human practises have been recognized in the study area whose impact appears to be an important factor in controlling the reduction of the beach-dune system resilience. Integrated analysis of DVI and carrying capacity suggests that the northern and central sectors of the study area have a high level of dune vulnerability due to hydrodynamic and geomorphological factors whereas the human impact can be considered relatively less important. The southern sector of the study area is featured by a well-developed infrastructure system, which is able to assure a sustainable beach occupation. Nevertheless, significant interventions such as dune replacement by permanent or ephemeral infrastructures, uncontrolled pedestrian or vehicular access and inappropriate use of mechanical beach cleaning have been recognized in this sector of the beach. These long-lasting impacts have promoted the dismantling of large sector of the dune habitats. Obtained results allowed identifying the critical area where appropriate actions can be performed for the mitigation of impacts, the conservation of dune habitats and their sustainable use.

Land use and landscape pattern changes driven by land reclamation in a coastal area: the case of Volturno delta plain, Campania Region, southern Italy

The paper provides documentary evidence of the direct impacts on the coastal setting in the northern Campania (southern Italy) region, crossed by the Volturno River, that have led to dramatic alterations of alluvial channels, floodplain and the deltaic environment, aside from the coastline retreat following four centuries of land reclamation. The Volturno delta plain is characterized by an outer delta formed mainly by beach ridges, and an inner plain containing several depressions of drained marsh regions. Until the beginning of the last century, this area was the site of swamps and ponds bearing a high incidence of malaria. Historical analysis coupled with a cartographic restitution in a geographic information system environment has produced documentary evidence of the geomorphological evolution of the coastal sector and has allowed the reconstruction of relevant landscape and hydrographic changes since the end of the seventeenth century, when—during the Spanish vice-kingdom—it was subjected to major land reclamation. The availability of reclaimed lands along the coastal alluvial plain promoted the development of agriculture and farming, as well as a strong coastal urbanization. As a consequence, a landscape fragmentation increased significantly between the 1960s and the 1990s; built-up land area increased as well, overgrowing to the sea. An overall reduction in high-quality ecosystems (humid coastal setting, lacustrine/marshy back-dune area and beach-dune system) is recorded, resulting in biodiversity loss and a dramatic reduction in environmental quality. The outcomes of this research will be beneficial to society for better decision-making over these coastal area applications, in a sustainable manner, especially in these countries that are still experiencing land reclamation.

Anthropic vs. natural shoreline changes along the northern Campania coast, Italy

Analysis of historical cartography, wind direction data, orientation of Volturno River mouth and shoreline changes through time point out a series of morphological changes due both to natural and man-induced processes, which occurred along the Domitia coast (Litorale Domitio) since the second half of the 50s. Meteorological time series analysis showed evidence of a change in wind frequency and direction before and after the second half of the 70s, with almost complete disappearance of wind calm periods. Particularly, after 1975, the angle of wave attack had changed and intensity and frequency increased, thus accelerating coastal erosion in some areas. The morphological response to these environmental changes, likely due to global warming and short climatic crises interacting with anthropic modifications of landscape, resulted in different orientation of the Volturno River mouth which rotated from NW (between the 50s and 70s) to SW (from the mid-70s until the present). Moreover, the NW-SE littoral drift caused a clockwise rotation of the entire coastal segment with fulcrum pole close to the river mouth, since the 50s. These findings may allow the assessment of land-use scenarios tuned with evolution trends in order to properly address planning of these reactive and dynamic landscapes.