Tiber Research Articles

Geoarchaeological evidence of Ostia\u2019s river harbour operating until the fourth century AD

Ancient Ostia at the mouth of the River Tiber into the Tyrrhenian Sea was largely significant for the economic supply of Rome. Ostia itself experienced an extraordinary period of prosperity in the second century AD. Starting in AD 42, a first new harbour at Portus was built by Emperor Claudius close to Ostia. It reached its full functionality under Emperor Trajan in the early second century AD, only. At Ostia itself, previous archaeological and geoarchaeological studies have brought to light a lagoon-type harbour at the western fringe of the city operating between the fourth and the second century BC in an artificially excavated harbour basin. From the second century BC onwards, a considerably smaller and shallower part of this western harbour basin was still in function as a fluvial harbour. So far, it was unclear whether Ostia’s western harbour was still in use when the harbour at Portus was set into function in the first to second century AD, or if the latter partially replaced Ostia’s harbour infrastructure. According to archaeological evidence, Ostia’s navalia-temple-complex, the main building at the eastern fringe of the western river harbour basin, was built in the second quarter of the first century AD. Was this prestigious harbour building erected although the associated harbour seemed to have been already given up before? We conducted detailed geoarchaeological investigations at the immediate western front of the navalia-temple complex. Results were compared with archaeological data obtained from excavations carried out in 2000/2001. A multi-proxy approach was used to reconstruct the history and evolution of the harbour. It was possible to identify subsurface structures and evaluate the local stratigraphy. Vibracoring brought to light a more than 1 m thick section of an opus reticulatum wall with parts of the original opus latericium on top. Such walls originally separated vaulted shipshed chambers of the navalia-temple complex at Ostia, which in turn formed the substructure of a temple complex located above it. Another core revealed the sedimentary infill of a former chamber of the building. Based on radiocarbon dating, the navalia was in use between the first and the fourth centuries AD with a water depth of maximum ca. 1.2 m at the immediate western front. This is in agreement with the date of construction of the navalia-temple complex in the second quarter of the first century AD. The relative sea level at that time was around 0.64 m below the present sea level. The harbour and the navalia were obviously accessible only for flat-keeled lighters and cargo boats. Larger cargo ships were either unloaded along the riverbank to the north of ancient Ostia (Hadler et al. 2019) or moored offshore, their freight being reloaded to smaller lighters. Chronostratigraphic data further show that the navalia-temple complex was in use until the second half of the fourth century AD. It was not before AD 355–363 or shortly afterwards, that the harbour site was abandoned. Ostia’s western river harbour was neither abandoned nor completely silted up before the harbour at Portus was established as previously assumed by other authors. Actually, the western front of the navalia-temple complex was hit by an extreme wave event, leaving a sand layer approx. 0.5 m thick, at or shortly after AD 355–363 which led to the final abandonment of Ostia’s western river harbour. This event is interpreted as a tsunami that may have hit the wider coastal region.

Potential advantages of flow-area rating curves compared to classic stage-discharge-relations

River monitoring is a critical issue for hydrological modelling that strongly relies on the use of Flow Rating Curves (FRCs). In most of the cases, FRCs are approximated by least-squares fitting, whose performance may be influenced by measurements variability, which is often limited in high values. In this context, a new formulation has been recently introduced to exploit available knowledge on cross-sectional geometry for a more robust derivation of FRCs. This method combines the wetted-area/stage and the cross-sectionally averaged velocity/stage functions in the FRCs derivation limiting, at least partially, the uncertainty in the extrapolation of higher discharge values. The methodology is tested on four gauged cross-sections of the Tiber River basin, where a relatively high number of measurements are available. This dataset is used to test the reliability of the new approach with respect to the classic method in relatively stable river cross-sections. A jackknifing approach is used to understand the role played by the number of gaugings and range of observations on the applicability of the new formulation highlighting its advantages in data-scarce environments. In particular, we observed that the new approach becomes advantageous when the observations are limited both in terms of the range of observations or in terms of sample size (i.e., ≤10 samples).

Fenton-Like Oxidation of Antibiotic Ornidazole Using Biochar-Supported Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron as Heterogeneous Hydrogen Peroxide Activator.

Biochar (BC)-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI-BC) was investigated as a heterogeneous Fenton-like activator to degrade the antibiotic ornidazole (ONZ). The characterization of nZVI-BC indicated that BC could enhance the adsorption of ONZ and reduce the aggregation of nZVI. Thus, nZVI-BC had a higher removal efficiency (80.1%) than nZVI and BC. The effects of parameters such as the nZVI/BC mass ratio, pH, H2O2 concentration, nZVI-BC dose, and temperature were systematically investigated, and the removal of ONZ followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Finally, possible pathways of ONZ in the oxidation process were proposed. The removal mechanism included the adsorption of ONZ onto the surface of nZVI-BC, the generation of •OH by the reaction of nZVI with H2O2, and the oxidation of ONZ. Recycling experiments indicated that the nZVI-BC/H2O2 system is a promising alternative for the treatment of wastewater containing ONZ.

Application of effect-based methods (EBMs) in a river basin: a preliminary study in Central Italy.

Effect-based methods (EBMs), i.e. in vitro and in vivo bioassays, represent innovative tools for the effect detection of environmental chemical pollutants on living organisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the water quality of a river ecosystem implementing two in vivo bioassays on target freshwater animal species: the crustacean Daphnia magna and the small fish Danio rerio, also known as zebrafish. The methods applied in this study, i.e. the Daphnia sp. Acute Immobilisation assay and the Fish Embryo Acute Toxicity (FET) test, are commonly used in water quality research and their application in short-term ecotoxicity detection is suggested by recent European projects. Two sampling sites were chosen in the urban part of the Tiber River in Rome, while a third one was chosen as a reference site in the Farfa River, a tributary upstream of the city. The sites in the Tiber River are potentially affected by different pollution sources, including urban and industrial wastewater discharges, the pesticide release, livestock waste products, and waste dumps. The results of the study showed wide differences between the two applied bioassays. The FET test was generally more sensitive in detecting even low effects in all the water samples, but the strongest statistically results were observed with the D. magna Acute Immobilisation test. The results of this research confirm the effectiveness of EBMs in investigating and monitoring water chemical pollution, and stress the need for performing further studies, e.g. chemical analyses and other bioassays, to improve the knowledge of the health status of the Tiber River basin. Further results will aim to support the local authorities in adopting measures to reduce and to eliminate the sources of chemical pollution in the study area.

Characterization of black patina from the Tiber River embankments using Next-Generation Sequencing.

Black patinas are very common biological deterioration phenomena on lapideous artworks in outdoor environments. These substrates, exposed to sunlight, and atmospheric and environmental agents (i.e. wind and temperature changes), represent extreme environments that can only be colonized by highly versatile and adaptable microorganisms. Black patinas comprise a wide variety of microorganisms, but the morphological plasticity of most of these microorganisms hinders their identification by optical microscopy. This study used Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) (including shotgun and amplicon sequencing) to characterize the black patina of the travertine embankments (muraglioni) of the Tiber River in Rome (Italy). Overall, the sequencing highlighted the rich diversity of bacterial and fungal communities and allowed the identification of more than one hundred taxa. NGS confirmed the relevance of coccoid and filamentous cyanobacteria observed by optical microscopy and revealed an informative landscape of the fungal community underlining the presence of microcolonial fungi and phylloplane yeasts. For the first time high-throughput sequencing allowed the exploration of the expansive diversity of bacteria in black patina, which has so far been overlooked in routine analyses. Furthermore, the identification of euendolithic microorganisms and weathering agents underlines the biodegradative role of black patina, which has often been underestimated. Therefore, the use of NGS to characterize black patinas could be useful in choosing appropriate conservation treatments and in the monitoring of stone colonization after the restoration interventions.

Theoretical study on degradation mechanism of ornidazole on anatase TiO2(101) and (001) surfaces

The degradation mechanism of one new emerging pollutant ornidazole (ONZ) on TiO2surface is explored using DFT calculations.

The highly selective detecting of antibiotics and support of noble metal catalysts by a multifunctional Eu-MOF.

Designing novel multifunctional rare-earth metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has attracted intensive attention. In particular, employing such materials for sensing or catalytic reactions is still very challenging. Here, a new 3D porous Eu(iii)-MOF, [Eu(cppa)(OH)]·xS (denoted as CTGU-19, S = solvent molecule, CTGU = China Three Gorges University), was synthesized by using 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)picolinic acid (H2cppa) as an organic ligand, and it shows a 3D (3,12)-connected topological net with the point symbol (420·628·818)(43)4, constructed from cubane-shaped tetranuclear europium building units. Interestingly, CTGU-19 can be used as a highly sensitive luminescent sensor to identify ornidazole (ODZ) and nitrofurantoin (NFT) at different excitation wavelengths. This result represents the first example of a lanthanide-metal-organic-framework (Eu-MOF) that can be employed as a discriminating fluorescent probe to recognize ODZ and NFT at different excitation wavelengths. Furthermore, after loading CTGU-19 with Ag and/or Au nanoparticles, the composites exhibit efficient catalytic performance for reducing 2-/3-/4-nitrophenols (2-/3-/4-NP), in which the unit mass reduction rate constants of Ag0.8Au0.2@CTGU-19 for 2-NP, 3-NP, and 4-NP reach 68.8, 53.80, and 52.34 s-1 g-1, respectively.

Phenotypic plasticity of Platanus acerifolia (Platanaceae): morphological and anatomical trait variations in response to different pollution levels in Rome

Platanus acerifolia (Aiton) Willd was generated spontaneously around the beginning of the 1600s in Spain between Platanus orientalis L. and Platanus occidentalis L. The study was carried out on P. acerifolia trees in different sites in Rome in the period April-July 2019. Trees comparable for size were selected in A sites (historical parks), B sites (high traffic density streets) and in C sites (high traffic density avenues along the Tevere River characterized by a large water availability). At the morphological level, leaf area (LA) was significantly higher in A and C sites and leaf tissue density (LTD) in C sites. At anatomical level, the total leaf thickness (LT), the palisade parenchyma thickness (Pt), the spongy parenchyma thickness (St) and the abaxial epidermis thickness (Abet) were significantly higher in A sites, while the adaxial cuticle thickness (Adct) and the adaxial epidermis thickness (Adet) in B sites. The ratio between palisade and spongy parenchyma thickness (P/S) was significantly higher in C sites. The plasticity index (PI, 0.42) was calculated on all the considered leaf traits. Among the morphological traits, LTD had the highest plasticity (0.49) and among the anatomical traits, trichomes density (TD) and Adet (0.74 and 0.54, respectively). Overall, the results highlight the large adaptability of P. acerifolia to grow in different sites in Rome through several changes in leaf morphological and anatomical traits.

Il primo re

The film Il primo re focuses on the relationship of the twin brothers Romulus and Remus who are overwhelmed when the river Tiber floods. In addition to the film’s set design, with a remarkable attempt at historical reconstruction based on valid historical and archaeological sources, the director and production team have attempted to engage in a philological operation very similar to Mel Gibson’s successful attempt in Passion of Christ – which is in Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin. In fact, the cast of Il primo re speaks a proto-Italic language, reconstructed by a group of linguists thanks to inscriptions, tombs and objects that were contemporary to the time period in which Romulus and Remus were imagined to have lived.

Hydrogeological setting of a Rome city sector: shallow groundwater in the right side of Tiber River inside the G.R.A highway

This paper presents a detailed hydrogeological study of a Rome city sector, in the right side of Tiber River, inside the G.R.A. highway. A hydrogeological model of this city sector has been developed through geologic-stratigraphical analysis also of data provided by the Environmental Protection Department of Roma Capitale (Municipality of Rome) and the observation of historical topographic and thematic maps. This model is more detailed than the most recent Hydrogeological Map of Rome (1:50.000 scale), published in 2015, and allowed identifying the shallowest groundwater flow systems for the first time. This detailed model can be a very useful tool for agencies and administrations managing the protection of groundwater resources.

A multilinear discrete Nash-cascade model for stage-hydrograph routing in compound river channels

ABSTRACTStream gauge-based information is the foundation for many hydrological applications in a river basin including the aquatic-habitat conservation. A simple two-parameter model for routing streamflow depth (alternatively, stream–stage) hydrographs and estimating corresponding discharge hydrographs in river channels is proposed using the multilinear approach, based on Nash-type discrete-cascade model. The applicability of this model is investigated by extending its framework to the realm of compound cross-section trapezoidal channels for both in-bank and overbank flows by using 20 flood events of the Tiber River in the Umbria region of Central Italy, and subsequently comparing the simulated results with the corresponding simulations of the HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center – River Analysis System) hydrodynamic model and observed flow depth hydrographs. The field application, comparative study, and uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the results demonstrate that the proposed multilinear discrete Nash-cascade stage-hydrograph (MDNS) routing model has the potential for routing floods in real-world rivers and canal irrigation systems, especially in operational mode.

Silvia’s Stag on the Tiber

Abstract Much has been written on the various aspects of casus belli in Aeneid 7, but the setting of the episode (in which Ascanius shoots a stag with great horns) remains unclear. This paper proposes a new reading of this crucial juncture by situating it on the river Tiber and contextualizing the fluvial setting within the wider structure of books 7-9. The role of the Tiber is significant because the Italian landscape is a major theme in the second half of the epic and the Tiber features in several key episodes, e.g. Tiberinus appears to Aeneas and directs him to the site of Rome. The history of the river is tied up with the larger history of early Latium. The river shares many affinities with the stag in terms of legal status, visual representation, and mythic significance.

Linking flow-stream variability to grain size distribution of suspended sediment from a satellite-based analysis of the Tiber River plume (Tyrrhenian Sea)

Several coastal regions on Earth have been increasingly affected by intense, often catastrophic, flash floods that deliver significant amounts of sediment along shorelines. One of the critical questions related to the impact of these impulsive runoffs is “are flash floods more efficient in delivering non-cohesive sandy sediment along the coasts?” Here we relate flow stages (i.e., from erratic to persistent) to the grain size distribution of the suspended load, by performing a synergic analysis of in-situ river discharge and satellite-retrieved grain size distribution, from 2002 to 2014, covering the 2012 Tiber River (Italy) exceptional flood event. Our analysis shows novel and promising results regarding the capability of remote sensing in characterizing suspended sediment in terms of grain size distribution and reveals that erratic stages favour delivering of non-cohesive sandy sediment more than the persistent stages. This conclusion is supported by numerical simulations and is consistent with previous studies on suspended sediment rating curves.

Endemic Freshwater Fish Range Shifts Related to Global Climate Changes: A Long-Term Study Provides Some Observational Evidence for the Mediterranean Area

Climate changes will lead to a worsening of the ecological conditions, in terms of hydrological instability and rising water temperatures, of the Mediterranean rivers. Freshwater fishes inhabiting this area can be threatened in the near future by accelerating drought and decreased ecological connectivity. The main aim of the research was to analyze changes in the distribution of the endemic freshwater fishes Padogobius nigricans, Squalius lucumonis and Telestes muticellus in the Tiber River basin (Italy), within a proven period of climate warming, in terms of increasing water temperature and droughts. A multivariate analysis was conducted using fish and environmental data collected in 117 sites over the years 1990–2017. For the three species, population abundance, age structure and body condition were analyzed. Detectability, occupancy, local extinction and colonization processes were also examined. We showed that S. lucumonis and T. muticellus have shifted their distributions upstream, likely in order to reach their thermal optimum. Padogobius nigricans did not move upstream significantly, since the species is characterized by limited vagility and thus a low dispersal capability in a context of high river fragmentation. In the study area, elevation and river barriers seem to play a key role in extirpation and colonization processes; for S. lucumonis and T. muticellus the extinction probability decreased with increasing altitude, while for P. nigricans the colonization probability decreased with an increasing degree of river fragmentation. These results highlight how species-specific dispersal ability can lead to varying adaptability to climate change.

Pixel Tracking to Estimate Rivers Water Flow Elevation Using Cosmo-SkyMed Synthetic Aperture Radar Data

The lack of availability of historical and reliable river water level information is an issue that can be overcome through the exploitation of modern satellite remote sensing systems. This research has the objective of contributing in solving the information-gap problem of river flow monitoring through a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signal processing technique that has the capability to perform water flow elevation estimation. This paper proposes the application of a new method for the design of a robust procedure to track over the time double-bounce reflections from bridges crossing rivers to measure the gap space existing between the river surface and bridges. Specifically, the difference in position between the single and double bounce is suitably measured over the time. Simulated and satellite temporal series of SAR data from COSMO-SkyMed data are compared to the ground measurements recorded for three gauges sites over the Po and Tiber Rivers, Italy. The obtained performance indices confirm the effectiveness of the method in the estimation of water level also in narrow or ungauged rivers.

Small reservoirs for a sustainable water resources management

Abstract. Small reservoirs are widely used for storing water, especially for irrigation purposes. During the last decades, in Italy many of these reservoirs have been dismissed, becoming an untapped resource. As a matter of fact, maintenance problems connected to these structures together with their natural tendency to silt have favored the use of other water supply resources such as withdrawal from wells. The increase of drought periods and the high water volume demand for agricultural purposes suggest to evaluate a full and rational use of all water resources, leading to a rediscovery and enhancement of untapped resources. Specifically, this research focuses on small reservoirs and on their potential contribution to a sustainable water management in agriculture. Unfortunately, there are no reliable data on their number, spatial distribution and potential storage volume. The aim of this work is to define reservoir spatial distribution and evaluate potential available water volumes. The upper Tiber river basin has been selected as a case study for the methodology proposed. The work starts from the acquisition and re-elaboration of the old census of small reservoirs, evaluating, through GIS and regression techniques, the distribution over the territory and the available volumes. Then the reservoir census and the derived database were updated for the period from 2015 up to 2019 introducing combined computational procedures of remote sensing techniques and GIS, based on satellite images and water index calculation. The results of the semi automatic procedure used show good performance in lake identification, making it a promising tool for a fast and reliable water body identification and evaluation in wide areas.

A 200 km-long mercury contamination of the Paglia and Tiber floodplain: Monitoring results and implications for environmental management

This paper reports the results of a joint project carried out by three regional environmental agencies of Italy to evaluate long-range mercury (Hg) transport from the abandoned Mt. Amiata Hg district in southern Tuscany (the third largest worldwide site for Hg production) to the fluvial ecosystems of the Paglia and Tiber rivers. Most of the work focused on stream sediments, surface waters and soils. A preliminary survey of Hg0 content in air was also conducted. Data obtained by public health authorities on Hg in vegetables and fish were also included.The highest Hg concentrations (up to thousands of μg/g Hg) were observed in stream sediments and soils directly impacted by Hg mine runoff. Although progressive Hg dilution was observed from north to south along the river, sediments and soils show anomalous Hg levels for over 200 km downstream of Mt. Amiata, testifying to an extreme case of long-range Hg contamination. A pervasive redistribution of Hg is observed in all sediment compartments. Presumably, the width of the impacted fluvial corridor corresponds to the entire alluvial plains of the rivers. The floodplains can be considered new sources for downstream Hg redistribution, especially during large flood events. On the other hand, results from water, air, and vegetable sampling indicate low potential for human exposure to Hg.The extent and distribution of the contamination make remediation not viable. Therefore, people and human activities must coexist with such an anomaly. On the technical side, the most urgent action to be taken is a better definition of the exact extent of the contaminated area. On the management side, it is necessary to identify which public institution(s) can best deal with such a widespread phenomenon. According to the precautionary principle, the impact of the contamination on human activities in the affected areas should be considered.

Combined glacio-eustatic forcing and volcano-tectonic uplift: Geomorphological and geochronological constraints on the Tiber River terraces in the eastern Vulsini Volcanic District (central Italy)

Abstract In the present paper, we analyze the regional interplay between glacio-eustasy and volcano-tectonic uplift on the Tyrrhenian Sea margin of central Italy. We reconstruct a succession of fluvial terraces in the Tiber River Valley east of the Vulsini Volcanic District and we provide geochronologic constraints allowing for correlation with the sea-level highstands of the Marine Isotope Stage timescale. Results of this study show that glacio-eustatic forcing affected the hydrographic network of the Tiber River, as far as 70 km inland with respect to the present Tyrrhenian coast, consistent with a regional uplift on the order of several tens of meters that affected this region over the last 250 ky. Using six new 40Ar/39Ar dates, we demonstrate the synchronicity between sea-level rise during glacial termination IV and the deposition of a fining-upward sedimentary succession of the Paleo-Tiber River in this area. A detailed reconstruction of the chronostratigraphic setting enabled us to assess local uplift and fault displacement due to volcano-tectonic processes associated with the activities of Bolsena-Orvieto and Latera volcanoes since 350 ka, and develop an uplift curve for the different sectors of the investigated area. Moreover, we estimate sedimentation rate during post-glacial sea-level rise. Strong differential uplift, with rates on the order of 0.6–1.2 mm/yr corresponded with the onset of major eruptive phases, whereas a homogeneous regional uplift of 0.24 mm/yr during the last 125 ky followed this climactic phase. These uplift rates are significantly smaller than sedimentation rate during the glacial termination, consistent with the observed independence of the glacio-eustatic signal.

Volcano-tectonic deformation in the Monti Sabatini Volcanic District at the gates of Rome (central Italy): evidence from new geochronologic constraints on the Tiber River MIS 5 terraces

The accumulation of magma within the Monti Sabatini Volcanic District (MSVD), Italy, coupled with the extensional tectonics of the region, pose both volcanic and tectonic hazards to the city of Rome, located 20 km to the southeast. We combine 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of volcanic deposits and a geomorphologic/stratigraphic/paleomagnetic study of fluvial terraces to determine the recurrence interval and the time elapsed since the last eruption of the MSVD. Moreover, we provide a date for the youngest known eruption of the MSVD and assess the timing of the most recent volcanic phase. Results of this study show: (i) The most recent eruptive phase occurred between 100 ka and 70 ka; (ii) the anomalously high elevation of the MIS 5 terrace indicates that it was concurrent with 50 m of uplift in the volcanic area; (iii) the time since the last eruption (70 ka) exceeds the average recurrence interval (39 ky) in the last 300 ky, as well as the longest previous dormancy (50 ky) in that time span. (iv) the current duration of dormancy is similar to the timespan separating the major explosive phase that occurred 590–450 ka.

Lanthanide-Organic Frameworks Constructed from 2,7-Naphthalenedisulfonate and 1H-Imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthroline: Synthesis, Structure, and Luminescence with Near-Visible Light Excitation and Magnetic Properties.

New Ln-metal-organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs), {[Ln(2,7-NDS)(IP)(OH)(H2O)2]·mH2O}n [Ln = Sm 1, Eu 2, Gd 3, Tb 4, Dy 5, m = 0.5-0; 2,7-NDS = 2,7-naphthalenedisulfonate, and IP = 1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthroline) were obtained by the hydrothermal method. The Ln-MOFs feature one-dimensional double chain structures. The photoluminescent properties of these complexes were investigated. Notably, the Eu-MOF exhibits a broad excitation band from 250 to 400 nm in the UV-vis region, and it presents red emission from the 5D0 → 7FJ transitions (where J = 0-4) of the Eu3+ ion. It is noteworthy that it still shows intense emission under near-visible irradiation at 350 nm < λex < 385 nm. Using the Eu-MOF as a luminescent sensor, the detection of Fe3+/Ag+ and ornidazole (ODZ)/ronidazole (RDZ) in aqueous medium was realized with long excitation wavelengths of 368 nm or even 385 nm in the near-visible region. This work provides a new approach to designing an efficient red emission with broad-band and near-visible light excitation and with luminescent chemosensor capability for biological applications. In addition, the Eu-MOF red light incorporated Gd-MOF blue-green light, and a white-light emission is realized based on a two-component Gd0.99803Eu0.00197 doped complex. Magnetic studies of the Dy-MOF reveal that it has a single-molecule magnet and slow magnetic relaxation behavior with an energy barrier Ueff of 82.39 K.