Effects of global warming on Mediterranean coral forests.

The effects of global warming have been addressed on coral reefs in tropical areas, while it is still unclear how coral forests are reacting, particularly at temperate latitudes. Here we show how mesophotic coral forests are affected by global warming in the Mediterranean Sea. We highlight how the current warming trend is causing the lowering of the thermocline and it is enhancing mucilaginous blooms.

Coastal vulnerability analysis to support strategies for tackling COVID-19 infection.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has constrained world governments to impose measures of restraint and social distancing which also involves coastal areas. One of the most affected activities is tourism due to travel restrictions imposed by precautionary measures. This is also reflected in the recreative use of the coastal strip.

A mesophotic black coral forest in the Adriatic Sea.

A forest of the black coral Antipathella subpinnata was found from 52 to 80 m depth in three different sites at Tremiti Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA; Mediterranean Sea), with two of them hosting a monospecific forest on horizontal and vertical substrates. Colonies of A. subpinnata showed a mean density between 0.

Experimental Setup and Measuring System to Study Solitary Wave Interaction with Rigid Emergent Vegetation.

The aim of this study is to present a peculiar experimental setup, designed to investigate the interaction between solitary waves and rigid emergent vegetation. Flow rate changes due to the opening and closing of a software-controlled electro-valve generate a solitary wave. The complexity of the problem required the combined use of different measurement systems of water level and velocity.

Monitoring Systems and Numerical Models to Study Coastal Sites.

The present work aims at illustrating how the joint use of monitoring data and numerical models can be beneficial in understanding coastal processes. In the first part, we show and discuss an annual dataset provided by a monitoring system installed in a vulnerable coastal basin located in Southern Italy, subjected to human and industrial pressures. The collected data have been processed and analysed to detect the temporal evolution of the most representative parameters of the inspected site and have been compared with recordings from previous years to investigate recursive trends.

A Combined Approach of Field Data and Earth Observation for Coastal Risk Assessment.

The traditional approach for coastal monitoring consists in ground investigations that are burdensome both in terms of logistics and costs, on a national or even regional scale. Earth Observation (EO) techniques can represent a cost-effective alternative for a wide scale coastal monitoring. Thanks to the all-weather day/night radar imaging capability and to the nationwide acquisition plan named MapItaly, devised by the Italian Space Agency and active since 2010, COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) constellation is able to provide X-band images covering the Italian territory.

Meteo and Hydrodynamic Measurements to Detect Physical Processes in Confined Shallow Seas.

Coastal sites with typical lagoon features are extremely vulnerable, often suffering from scarce circulation. Especially in the case of shallow basins subjected to strong anthropization and urban discharges, it is fundamental to monitor their hydrodynamics and water quality. The proper detection of events by high performance sensors and appropriate analysis of sensor signals has proved to be a necessary tool for local authorities and stakeholders, leading to early warning and preventive measures against environmental degradation and related hazards.

How vegetation in flows modifies the turbulent mixing and spreading of jets.

While studies on vegetated channel flows have been developed in many research centers, studies on jets interacting with vegetation are still rare. This study presents and analyzes turbulent jets issued into an obstructed cross-flow, with emergent vegetation simulated with a regular array of cylinders. The paper presents estimates of the turbulence diffusion coefficients and the main turbulence variables of jets issued into a vegetated channel flow.

Synergistic use of an oil drift model and remote sensing observations for oil spill monitoring.

In case of oil spills due to disasters, one of the environmental concerns is the oil trajectories and spatial distribution. To meet these new challenges, spill response plans need to be upgraded. An important component of such a plan would be models able to simulate the behaviour of oil in terms of trajectories and spatial distribution, if accidentally released, in deep water.

Rethinking the process of detrainment: jets in obstructed natural flows.

A thorough understanding of the mixing and diffusion of turbulent jets released in porous obstructions is still lacking in literature. This issue is undoubtedly of interest because it is not strictly limited to vegetated flows, but also includes outflows which come from different sources and which spread among oyster or wind farms, as well as aerial pesticide treatments sprayed onto orchards. The aim of the present research is to analyze this process from a theoretical point of view.

A laboratory investigation into the influence of a rigid vegetation on the evolution of a round turbulent jet discharged within a cross flow.

The study of buoyant jets, those between pure jets and plumes, has been carried out with ever greater frequency over recent years due to its application in different practical engineering fields, i.e. appropriate design of outfalls for the disposal of municipal and industrial waste waters.

Experimental study of a vertical jet in a vegetated crossflow.

Aquatic ecosystems have long been used as receiving environments of wastewater discharges. Effluent discharge in a receiving water body via single jet or multiport diffuser, reflects a number of complex phenomena, affecting the ecosystem services. Discharge systems need to be designed to minimize environmental impacts.

Environmental monitoring in the Mar Grande basin (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy).

Hydrodynamic and water quality data has been recorded since February 2014 by a meteo-oceanographic station installed in the inner part of the Gulf of Taranto, in the northeastern part of the Ionian Sea (Southern Italy). This monitoring action, managed by the research unit of the Technical University of Bari, DICATECh Department, could play a pivotal role in a vulnerable and sensitive area, affected by massive chemical and biological pollutant discharges due to the presence of heavy industry and intense maritime traffic. Monthly trends of winds, waves, currents, and biochemical parameters, such as dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, and turbidity, are analyzed and discussed.