Research progress in volcanology in the Neapolitan area, southern Italy: a review and some alternative views

Comprehensive reviews are given for the major volcanic systems that occur in the greater metropolitan area of Naples, southern Italy; Mt. Somma-Vesuvius to the east and the Campi Flegrei volcanic system to the west. Also included in the review is a detailed discussion of the large, highly explosive Campania Volcanic Zone (CVZ) ignimbrite events. These volcanic areas have been studied for more than 100 years, yet significant differences of opinion exist related to fundamental issues of origin and distribution. We present some alternative views related to petrogenesis on some issues based on more than 25 years of research. The relationship between risk assessment and management that impacts the threatened society or culture and the past and ongoing fundamental volcanological research is an essential part of the science. Countries with limited resources may be forced to accept an increased risk but even highly industrialized societies may not be able to completely eliminate deaths from volcanic eruptions. Scientific studies of the hazardous regions should be comprehensive and include reasonable alternative interpretations as this information reveals the level of confidence that must be conveyed to the public officials. The authors review the state of the art of risk assessment and management of the volcanic hazards in the Neapolitan region in light of the review of research.     

Influence of lunar phases,winds and seasonality on the stranding of mesopelagic fish in the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea)

The shore stranding of mesopelagic fauna is a recurrent phenomenon in the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea). The aim of this paper is to test the influence of lunar phases, winds and seasons upon the frequency of occurrence of strandings of mesopelagic fish. Species abundance in relation to these factors was quantified for the first time. Specimens were collected stranded on the shore along the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina between 2008 and 2016. Overall 32 species belonging to seven families (Gonostomatidae, Microstomatidae, Myctophidae, Paralepididae, Phosichthyidae, Sternoptychidae, Stomiidae) were found stranded. Myctophidae was the family including the highest number of species (16), whereas Gonostomatidae was the most abundant in terms of total number of individuals (47.2%), mainly thanks to the species Cyclothone braueri. The moon, which influences the strength of currents (highest during full and new moon phases) and irradiance (higher in some lunar phases, such as the full moon), affected the abundance of stranded mesopelagic fish in the study area. The highest number of stranding events was recorded during the new moon: 34.6% of the total relative abundance of stranded mesopelagic fish. Wind blowing from the sea towards the coastline (southeasterly and easterly winds) created the best conditions for strandings. The highest abundance of stranded specimens was recorded during the winter season.     

Petrographic and geochemical characterization of Archaic‐Hellenistic tableware production at Solunto,Sicily

A selected assortment of Archaic‐Hellenistic tableware samples from Solunto, a Phoenician‐Punic site located 20 km east of Palermo (Sicily), has been subjected to thin‐section petrography and chemical analysis (XRF). In this settlement several ceramic kilns remained operative over a long time period (7th to 3rd century B.C.). The main goal of this analytical study is to distinguish the ceramics manufactured locally from regional and off‐island imports. Analytical results were matched to similar data concerning local natural clay sources and to coeval tableware productions from other sites in the same area. The ceramic pastes used by the ancient craftsmen of Solunto in the case of this class of pottery could be differentiated clearly by their petrochemical characteristics. We conclude that ceramics were locally produced far beyond satisfying just internal consumption needs, indicating interaction of Solunto with neighboring Greek colonies, indigenous people, and Phoenician‐Punic colonies of Sicily. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sexual reproduction in Sarcotragus spinosulus from two different shallow environments

The reproductive cycle of the demosponge Sarcotragus spinosulus from two different shallow environments (La Pierta and La Strea) of the Ionian coasts of Apulia (SE Italy) was studied from February 2006 to February 2007 in 20 tagged specimens. The sponge is viviparous. All the monitored specimens showed sexual reproduction, even if the process usually involved small portions of the sponge tissue. Most of the specimens showed hermaphroditism, with contemporaneous production of oocytes and spermatic cysts in the same reproductive season. Young oocytes occurred from June to September in specimens from La Pierta and from June to October in those from La Strea. Large mature eggs, measuring up to 200 μm, showed a peak in August to September, concomitant with the appearance of spermatic cysts, whose density values were about 100 times higher than those estimated for female elements. At La Pierta, embryos were present for 11 months, whereas at La Strea they were very scarce during the first 4 months of observation, with the results that there was a significant difference in the production of embryos between the two groups of sponges. Embryo development occurred in patches inside the choanosomal region. Cleavage started in September and led in June to a solid stereoblastula, which, only at La Pierta, produced parenchymella larva (371.3 + 31.3 μm on average) from June to July. In the specimens from La Strea, larvae were never observed. The slight differences in the reproductive cycle between the two groups of sponges may be explained in the light of the major variability of the environmental parameters which could have affected the specimens from La Strea negatively.     

Ecosystem service provision: an operational way for marine biodiversity conservation and management

Since no extensive conceptual framework has been developed on the issues of ecosystem service (ES) and service provider (SP) in the marine environment, we have made an attempt to apply these to the conservation and management of marine biodiversity. Within this context, an accurate individuation of SPs, namely the biological component of a given ecosystem that supports human activities is fundamental. SPs are the agents responsible for making the ES-based approach operational. The application of these concepts to the marine environment should be based on an model different to the terrestrial one. In the latter, the basic model envisages a matrix of a human-altered landscape with fragments of original biodiversity; conversely, in the marine environment the model provides fragments where human activities are carried out and the matrix is represented by the original biodiversity. We have identified three main classes of ES provision: in natural, disturbed and human-controlled environments. Economic valuation of marine ESs is an essential condition for making conservation strategies financially sustainable, as it may stimulate the perceived need for investing in protection and exploitation of marine resources.     

Statistic inversion of multi-zone transition probability models for aquifer characterization in alluvial fans

Understanding the heterogeneity arising from the complex architecture of sedimentary sequences in alluvial fans is challenging. This paper develops a statistical inverse framework in a multi-zone transition probability approach for characterizing the heterogeneity in alluvial fans. An analytical solution of the transition probability matrix is used to define the statistical relationships among different hydrofacies and their mean lengths, integral scales, and volumetric proportions. A statistical inversion is conducted to identify the multi-zone transition probability models and estimate the optimal statistical parameters using the modified Gauss–Newton–Levenberg–Marquardt method. The Jacobian matrix is computed by the sensitivity equation method, which results in an accurate inverse solution with quantification of parameter uncertainty. We use the Chaobai River alluvial fan in the Beijing Plain, China, as an example for elucidating the methodology of alluvial fan characterization. The alluvial fan is divided into three sediment zones. In each zone, the explicit mathematical formulations of the transition probability models are constructed with optimized different integral scales and volumetric proportions. The hydrofacies distributions in the three zones are simulated sequentially by the multi-zone transition probability-based indicator simulations. The result of this study provides the heterogeneous structure of the alluvial fan for further study of flow and transport simulations.     

Two-dimensional dam break flooding simulation: a GIS-embedded approach

In the twenty-first century, around 200 notable dam and reservoir failures happened worldwide causing massive fatalities and economic costs. In order to reduce the losses, managers usually define mitigation strategies identifying flooding area due to dam break by using standalone hydrodynamic models and then importing the results within a GIS to perform risk analysis. This two-step procedure is time expensive, error prone due to export/import requirements and not user friendly. For this reason with this work, a new numerical model for the solution of the two-dimensional dam break problem has been implemented in the GRASS GIS with a GIS-embedded approach. The model solves the conservative form of the 2D shallow water equations using a finite volume method; the intercell flux is computed by one-side upwind conservative scheme extended to a two-dimensional problem. The newly developed GIS module, among others outputs, allows to derive maximum intensity maps that can be directly used for risk assessment. Finally, the model has been (1) tested against two standard synthetic problems referenced in literature showing differences in estimated water depth of 2, 3 and 15% and (2) verified against official flooding map of an existing dam (Verzasca) detecting 75% of similarity. The problem formulation, the new GRASS module and its validation is presented.     

Macroseismic effects highlight site response in Rome and its geological signature

A detailed analysis of the earthquake effects on the urban area of Rome has been conducted for the L??Aquila sequence, which occurred in April 2009, by using an online macroseismic questionnaire. Intensity residuals calculated using the mainshock and four aftershocks are analyzed in light of a very accurate and original geological reconstruction of the subsoil of Rome based on a large amount of wells. The aim of this work is to highlight ground motion amplification areas and to find a correlation with the geological settings at a subregional scale, putting in evidence the extreme complexity of the phenomenon and the difficulty of making a simplified model. Correlations between amplification areas and both near-surface and deep geology were found. Moreover, the detailed scale of investigation has permitted us to find a correlation between seismic amplification in recent alluvial settings and subsiding zones, and between heard seismic sound and Tiber alluvial sediments.     

IFKIS-Hydro: an early warning and information system for floods and debris flows

IFKIS-Hydro is an information and warning system for hydrological hazards in small- and medium-scale catchments. The system collects data such as weather forecasts, precipitation measurements, water level gauges, discharge simulations and local observations of event-specific phenomena. In addition, IFKIS-Hydro incorporates a web-based information platform, which serves as a central hub for the submission and overview of data. Special emphasis is given to local information. This is accomplished particularly by human observers. In medium-scale catchments, discharge forecast models have an increasing importance in providing valuable information. IFKIS-Hydro was developed in several test regions in Switzerland and the first results of its application are available now. The system is constantly extended to additional regions and may become the standard for warning systems in smaller catchments in Switzerland.