bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evolution of fluvial environments and history of human settlements on the Ticino river alluvial plain (Southern Switzerland)
Authors: Czerski Dorota , Giacomazzi Daphné , Scapozza Cristian
Published: June 2022

Understanding the past river dynamics, their relationship with the climate oscillations, and their impact on humans as a resource and/or natural risk, is very crucial. In recent times many studies were carried out to determine the evolution of the hydro-sedimentary dynamics of Alpine rivers in the past, trying to predict the future effect of the increased fluvial activity leading to repeated floods, especially in the current context of climate change.

The present contribution is the object of a recent publication (Czerski et al. 2022, Geogr. Helv. 77) on the evolution of the fluvial environments of the Ticino river alluvial plain (Southern Switzerland). The research is based on historical sources, previous investigations on three sites based in the Ticino river floodplain, and data collected on six archaeological sites located on four alluvial fans. The results revealed a complex interaction of the Ticino river and its lateral tributaries with the human communities since the Neolithic (5400–2200 BCE). The lithostratigraphy and the archaeological evidence described on the field were constrained by radiocarbon dating, providing the interpretation of the depositional context of the studied sequences and their correlation with the geological epochs and the cultural periods defined for the Southern Swiss Alps. The combined approach allowed for the definition of 13 phases of enhanced hydro-sedimentary activity covering a period between the Neolithic and the contemporary period. The palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic causes of these phases and their impacts on the human settlements are evaluated.

Most of the enhanced hydro-sedimentary phases could be linked to the regional or continental palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic context, recorded in correspondence with periods of climate degradation with the establishment of cold and humid conditions, evidence of glacier advances in the Swiss Alps, and/or by an increase in the flood activity on the southern side of the Alps. The more recent phases, in particular, are attributed to the coldest and moistest phases of the Little Ice Age (LIA) climate oscillation. The collected data allowed us also to assess the impacts of these enhanced alluvial phases on the human communities and to explain many of the sedimentological and archaeological observations on the field. For example, the torrential events attributed to the LIA had a strong impact on the construction and destruction phases observed for the archaeological site of Giubiasco Palasio.

The study is still ongoing; the summary on the evolution of the hydro-sedimentary dynamics of the Ticino river and its tributaries presented herein will be continuously refined and updated with further sedimentological and archaeological observations.
Landscape and Society: new proposals towards a shared knowledge 
Authors: Lugeri Francesca , Bendia Fabrizio , Farabollini Piero
Published: June 2022

The communicative potential of the geological Landscape is an excellent tool for environmental enhancement through sustainable tourism.

Following a holistic approach, it is appropriate to define Landscape as the result of the endogenous and exogenous activities that form Earth's surface. In other terms, it can be defined as the result of the interaction of many natural and cultural components.

So, it is logical to define Landscape as an informative vector in communicating Geological-Environment Sciences to the widest audience.

Contemporary technology offers us new tools to organize and share territorial  knowledge (intended as the integration between natural and cultural components); thanks to GIS, it is possible to represent a large amount of data by the graphical output that synthesizes the data collection and management, as organized by the geographical information system to highlight the topics under study; thanks to GIS, it's also possible to set up procedures to assess the state of the studied landscapes, referring to the dual risk/resource which characterizes our country.

Furthermore, it is easy to identify the areas of more excellent natural and cultural value by integrating the resulting thematic maps. That is particularly useful in identifying and managing those areas of the Italian territory, where the distinctive Landscape's features add an element of cultural diversity. All of these tools are essential for Geoparks' strategic policies.

A strategic integration between the Landscape's characteristics and the social-cultural development of some regions of particular interest, realized to create more vital public participation, can be achieved by using new topics such as nature, culture, and sport. A prototypical App is proposed, showing the most famous outdoor sports location from a scientific point of view. By displaying thematic maps  (3D modeling, animation), it is possible to integrate local environment and culture information. GIS and 3D modeling are flexible and friendly tools in educational plans and territorial promotion, as confirmed by the GeoloGiro experience (Geology at the Giro d'Italia 2012-2020).

Keywords: Landscape, Geoparks, Heritage, Divulgation, Sport, SmartApp
Risk Assessments of Hydro-Power Projects along the Nagavali River, Odisha-Andhra Pradesh, India 
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Shreya , De Sunil Kumar
Published: June 2022

Nagavali river has come into the limelight since 2005 because the Govt of India had announced for constructing ten hydro-powers projects in the river basin. Nagavali river is flood-prone. The river flows through a complex structural longitudinal valley between eastern and western ridges in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh before meeting with the Bay of Bengal. Out of those ten project sites, two sites, i.e., at Hathipahar region in Rayagada, Orissa and the Thotapalli village in Vizianagaram District, Andhra Pradesh, have been selected for the risk assessment.  The Hathipahar region is situated over a piedmont slope of the eastern ridge (formed of Khandelite-granite), and the Thotapalli site is located over a rolling plain. In July 2006, due to torrential rainfall and flash flood, the under constructed dam at Hathipahar collapsed. The valley experienced vast changes in channel shifting (about 550 meters), headword erosion, valley incision and soil loss. The Thotapalli site was not affected, and thus, the construction was completed in 2010. Consequent flood events of   2011 and 2015 caused massive erosion and enlargement of the reservoir from 2.1 sq. km. to 9.16 sq. km, and the upstream course of the river merged with the reservoir.

The present research aims at estimating damage and assessing socio-environmental risk along with these two sites. For assessing flood risk, the SCS-CN model has been used and validated with real-time discharge data, land use-land cover change, spatio-temporal variations in channel width-depth, and sedimentology. Google Earth and SRTM DEM have been used for detecting such changes. Field surveys have been carried out to prepare a micro-level elevation model, damage estimation and lithological formation of the area. The research also focuses on assessing the possibility of continuing the proposed hydro-power sites since the existing sample sites are already experiencing massive erosions and destructions.

Keywords: piedmont slope, flash flood; hydro-power project; SCS-CN model; risk assessment
Origin and evolution of poljes in the Sivas gypsum karst, Turkey
Authors: Gökkaya Ergin , Gutiérrez Francisco
Published: June 2022

Poljes, characterized by extremely flat floors, are the largest depressions that develop in karst terrains. Although there has been much research about poljes in carbonate karst settings, references to these landforms in evaporite areas are anecdotic. This work documents poljes developed in the Sivas gypsum karst of Turkey, describing their neotectonic context and characteristics, and inferring their variable origins and evolutionary paths. Two different morphostructural zones can be distinguished in the area related to differential uplift associated with the active Sivas Thrust: (1) a more rapidly rising ridge associated with the thrust front, corresponding to a hanging-wall antiform controlled by an inferred footwall ramp; and (2) a low-lying area in the trailing zone of the antiformal ridge that controls the path of the Kızılırmak River, and where the poljes are located. Detailed geomorphological mapping revealed 13 flat-floored poljes with areas ranging from 1 to 8 km2 and variable geometries in plan (i.e. elongated, subcircular, irregular). The bottom of the depressions is situated within the water-table oscillation zone (epiphreatic zone), locally lying below the floodplain of the Kızılırmak River, and typically host permanent or ephemeral lakes. Therefore, these basins can be considered as active base-level poljes. The poljes are mostly drained by ponors or swallow holes that commonly correspond to flood-water caves, generally with entrances at the foot of retreating gypsum scarps. Cartographic relationships indicated that poljes in the region can be initiated from: (1) flat-bottom and low-gradient relict valleys; (2) abandoned valley sections; and (3) coalescing bedrock collapse sinkholes. The evolution and enlargement of the poljes is mainly related to solutional undercutting and slope retreat, notably at lake margins, together with corrosional lowering controlled by the regional base level. In contrast with most of the poljes described in carbonate karst regions, the gypsum poljes of Sivas do not show any control by tectonic structures.
Application and analysis of two methodologies for spatialization of geodiversity indices in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Silva Juliana , Silva Julio , Teobaldo Neto João , Manosso Fernando
Published: June 2022

Considering geodiversity as a complex of different abiotic elements in different taxonomic orders and geographic scales, it is important that studies look for a better scientific understanding of its quantitative distribution in space and how it can contribute or relate to other elements of nature, such as biodiversity or even the forms of appropriation by society. Taking into account the different ways in which current methodologies seek to calculate geodiversity and its distribution in each territorial portion, perhaps the greatest challenge is the standardization of scale and types of elements to be considered for infinite geographic realities. Based on these assumptions, this research aims to compare the spatial distribution of geodiversity indices using two methodologies already applied in other areas: the centroid and the one based on regular hexagonal sampling grids, applying the Shannon and Simpson diversity indices to the latter. Tests were also carried out considering different dimensions of regular hexagonal grid (10, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 km in the sum of the six equilateral triangles of each hexagon), being selected the one with 100 km, for presenting greater correlation with the map based on interpolation of polygon centroids. We justify the importance of this comparison because, despite having a more complex processing in relation to the centroid methodology (used as a reference), regular cells allow future correlations with point and linear bases, allowing elements of biodiversity and land use to be considered, regardless of the available spatial representation. The application in the Amazon territory was proposed aiming at the referred correlations in this area, which is one of the largest natural reserves on the planet. In a broader context, the approach adopted is justified, therefore, by the undeniable importance of this biome for humanity, which despite international recognition is intensely threatened, especially by the Brazilian environmental policy practiced in recent years. We selected as a reference map for the comparative analysis the one obtained through the interpolation of centroids with intervals established by the quartile technique, which was the one that presented the best distribution of the indexes, based on the proposed objectives. Preliminary results showed the 100km hexagonal grid as the one with the highest correlation with the subindices (lithology, soils and relief) and final maps of geodiversity indices based on centroids. Regarding the Shannon and Simpson indices, it was found that the first one presented more evident spatial correlations with the reference maps.
Modern landscape change in High Mountain Asia (1950-present)
Authors: Li Dongfeng , Lu Xixi , Zhang Ting , Walling Desmond , Harrison Stephan , Shugar Dan , Koppes Michele , Lane Stuart , Bolch Tobias
Published: June 2022

High Mountain Asia (HMA) – the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding high Asian mountains – is now experiencing amplified climate change, glacier melt, and permafrost thaw. The rapid climate change and melting and thawing of the cryosphere are not only affecting the water cycle but also causing landscape instability and mountain hazards, potentially threatening over 2 billion people in the downstream river basins. Glacier retreat and permafrost thaw are accelerating associated with frequent rockfalls, landslides, and debris flows. Lake outburst floods from (pro)glacial- and landslide-dammed lakes have potential runout distances of hundreds of kilometers. Moreover, greater amounts of sediment are mobilized, and fluvial sediment fluxes are increasing. Such mountain landscape instability can be largely attributed to climate change and is threatening infrastructure and livelihoods. We suggest that policymakers and stakeholders in the Himalaya countries must be urgently and fundamentally aware of these increasing threats in a changing climate. Adaptation measures should be based on extensive and continual monitoring of the glaciers, permafrost, unstable paraglacial landscapes, and sediment transport, to better understand compound and cascading hazards.
Geomorphology and geochronology of the coseismic? Emad Deh rock avalanche of the Zagros MountainsGeomorphology and geochronology of the coseismic? Emad Deh rock avalanche of the Zagros Mountains
Authors: Gutiérrez Francisco , Zarei Mehdi , Deirnik Hosein , Rahimi Maedeh , Medialdea Alicia
Published: June 2022

This work documents for the first time the prehistoric, but morphologically pristine, Emad Deh rock avalanche, located in the Fars Arc of the Zagros Mountains. The Zagros orogen is one of the most seismically active regions in the world. However, large earthquakes are very rarely accompanied by surface ruptures, restricting the possibility of integrating paleoseismic data in seismic hazard analyses. This limitation could be partially overcome by identifying and dating secondary paleoseismic evidence such as coseismic landslides. The source of the Emad Deh rock avalanche is located on a dip slope at the northern limb of the Gavbast anticlinal ridge. The slope, with a local relief of around 800 m, is essentially a hogback with a thick caprock of the competent Asmari Limestone, dipping around 35 degrees and underlain by marls with interbedded limestones of the Pabdeh Formation. The collapse of a bedrock slab around 2x2 km and its disintegration, resulted in the highly mobile Emad Deh rock avalanche, which accumulated on the unconfined piedmont an unstratified, unsorted and highly angular bouldery gravel deposit with an estimated minimum volume of around 220 million m3. The rock avalanche has a maximal height drop (H) of 914 m, a runout measured from the headscarp crown of 9280 m, and a H/L mobility index of 0.09. The cohesionless flow of fragmented rock formed a spatulate-shaped lobe around 32 km2 in area with well-defined lateral ridges in the proximal sector, expanding over an arc of 40 degrees and reaching a width of 6.1 km. The distal sector of the lobe displays polygonal hummocks that grade into progressively smaller, and locally radially aligned, conical hummocks. In the terminal sector, the rock avalanche was emplaced on soft floodplain alluvium, which displays folding with vergence consistent with the impacting flow direction. Two OSL ages in correct stratigraphic order obtained from the deformed alluvium indicate an age of ca. 5.5 ka for the Emad Deh rock avalanche, attributable to a major paleoearthquake. Subsequently, four additional planar failures occurred in the rock avalanche scar, mainly affecting marls and limestones of the Paddeh Fmormation, and resulting in more cohesive flows. The deposits of these later landslides, with volumes ranging between 10 and 45 million m3, are confined by the lateral ridges of the rock avalanche and its scar. Cartographic relationships allow inferring their relative chronology.
Monitoring morphological changes in Himalayan proglacial rivers though a semi-automated classification approach
Authors: Mukhtar Zarka , Comiti Francesco , Bizzi Simone
Published: June 2022

The monitoring of hydro-morphological changes in proglacial rivers is crucial to expand the knowledge of unified river management. Himalayan region in South Asia is one of the extremely glaciated, vulnerable mountainous areas on globe and a source of plenty of rivers. The remoteness of proglacial zones and complexity to have access to the majority of sites for field investigation, highlights the viability of remote sensing data. The main aim of the research is to analyze the recent morphological dynamics in Himalayan proglacial river channels by means of remote sensing techniques. This              investigation is carried out on a number of different multispectral satellite imageries for the duration of 2000 to 2020. For the classification of river channel delineation and monitoring a semi-automated approach is used, based on geographic object based image analysis (GEOBIA). Multispectral satellite data acquired by high resolution Sentinel-2 images is processed to extract the channels and variations over time. Very high resolution (VHR) satellite image WorldView-2 is acquired for the validation of classification method, of overall accuracy obtained by high resolution images. The study is based on remote sensing analysis coupled to river evolutionary trajectories, and to the validation of reliability to free accessible high resolution satellite data for similar results to  VHR images.
First relative sea-level index points obtained from phreatic overgrowths on speleothems (POS) in the Kvarner area, Croatia
Authors: Lončar Nna , Miklavič Blaž , Faivre Sanja , Onac Bogdan , Kovač Konrad Petra , Polyak Victor
Published: June 2022

Presently, 272 partly or completely submerged caves and pits have been recorded along the Croatian’s eastern Adriatic Sea coast. Marine conditions are found in 153 caves, anchialine in 84, whereas the others, related to submarine springs are still unclassified caves. Speleothems are found in more than 140 caves, providing potential records for reconstructing the Quaternary relative sea-level changes. Recently, phreatic overgrowths on speleothems (POS) have been discovered in the Kvarner region (eastern coast of Lošinj island). POS are carbonate incrustations that deposit around submerged speleothems and cave walls in coastal caves, where groundwater level is controlled by sea level. Since the POS precipitate at the very top of the water column, i.e. at the water-air interface, their occurrence is limited to a very narrow band of the tide-induced groundwater level fluctuation. POS can be precisely dated with U-Th as well as with radiocarbon method, and their occurrence in caves guarantees protection from weathering. The combination of their narrow occurrence, datability, and preservation makes POS excellent sea-level indicators, which have been so far reported only from five locations across the globe (Onac et al., 2012).

A POS recovered from ~1 m below the surface in Medvjeđa špilja Cave was dated by U-Th method to ~3000 years, indicating a relative sea-level stability for a few hundred years ~1 m below modern sea level. The obtained results were compared with available GIA models and other studied RSL indicators in the broader surrounding area. We expect that the collected POS data along with the information obtained from algal rims will allow a precise reconstruction of the relative sea-level changes over longer periods of time. Increasing the number of sea-level index points obtained from different markers can further contribute to our understanding on the mechanisms driving sea-level changes (climate change, hydro- and glacio-isostatic adjustment, and tectonics) along the Croatian coast.

The research of POS along the eastern Adriatic is conducted within the SEALeveL project (HRZZ-IP-2019-04-9445) funded by Croatian Science Foundation.
Snow avalanches as the main geomorphic active process on hillslopes in Nunavik, Canada
Authors: Decaulne Armelle , Bhiry Najat , Jérémy Grenier , Beatriz Funatsu
Published: June 2022

In Nunavik, northern Quebec, Canada, ongoing climate change disturbs the nival regime. The study of deposits on talus underlines the predominance of snow avalanches as the main contributor to present-day slope development. In Tasiapik valley, close to the village of Umiujaq (56°32'35"N, 76°27'43"W), several automatic time-lapse cameras are operating year-round since 2017 along with VDTSILA weather station since 2012. The set of cameras enables monitoring target sections of the slope. The recorded snow avalanches correspond to slab and loose snow avalanches; many are triggered by the collapse of the ridgeline snow-cornices. The most active snow-avalanche season corresponds to late spring (June), when wet snow avalanches occurred after rain-on-snow events and rapid temperature rise, being then in contact with the regolith, therefore responsible of debris transfer downslope. However, the longest runout distance snow avalanches occur during the winter time, in April, after sudden temperatures changes or heavy snowfall. However, by comparing the snow-avalanche activity from other slopes (lake Wiyâshâkimî, 56°16'43"N, 74°27'48"O and Kangiqsualujjuaq, 58°41'33"N, 65°57'32"O) equipped with the same monitoring system, great variations appear in snowfall amount, snowdrift accumulation and triggering factors, sketching the role of continentality and latitude. In addition, in the vicinity of newly established villages due to the forced settlement of indigenous populations, snow avalanches represent a worrying hazard.
Landslide susceptibility assessment at a local scale: logistic regression analysis for upper Tanaro catchments
Authors: Buleo Tebar Victor , Lucà Federica , Bonasera Mauro , Licata Michele , Fubelli Giandomenico , Robustelli Gaetano
Published: June 2022

Landslide susceptibility is generally defined as the likelihood of a landslide occurring in a certain area on the basis of local terrain conditions. The aim of susceptibility assessment is to estimate the areas where landslides are likely to occur, based on the assumption that landslides will likely occur under the same conditions under which they occurred in the past.

The purpose of this study is assessing shallow landslide for Negrone and Tanarello catchments which are the upper basins of Tanaro river, a mountainous area within the Palaeo-European Continental Margin of the Alpine External Belt (External Briançonnais sucessions) and the Ligurian units of Maritime Alps of the Alpine Axial Belt (Pennidic Domain). The lithology is composed of silicate and to a minor extent carbonate rocks.

In the last decades, the study area has repeatedly been affected by slope instability events, mainly related to debris flows, characterized by extremely rapid movements. By integrating a detailed (1:5.000) geological and geomorphological field survey with ortophoto interpretation and existing information provided by Arpa Piemonte, landslide inventories have been produced. Only focusing on source areas, susceptibility assessment to debris flow have been performed by using a logistic regression approach, considering as covariates lithology, land use and morphometric factors derived from a digital elevation model (DEM) with a 5 m resolution. Source area pixel have been split into training and validation subsets by adopting a random partition. A certain number of pixels equal to the training set has been randomly extracted among stable cells, to prepare the dataset for logistic regression. The best set of covariates in controlling the spatial distribution of debris flows have been identified by iteratively adding one variable at a time and comparing the results. Susceptibility model fitting and prediction skill have been assessed based on validation subsets. The role of the considered factors in predisposing debris flow failures has been evaluated, discussing differences in the outcomes.
Mapping the anthropogenic impact in the Taranto coastal area (southern Italy) through a multidisciplinary methodological approach 
Authors: Rizzo Angela , Francesco De Giosa Francesco , Di Leo Antonella , Donadio Carlo , Lisco Stefania , Mastronuzzi Giuseppe , Moretti Massimo , Scardino Giovanni , Scicchitano Giovanni , Terracciano Sabrina
Published: June 2022

This study is aimed at defining the environmental status of the Mar Piccolo and Mar Grande basins, in the Taranto coastal area (Ionian Sea, Taranto Gulf, southern Italy), through the application of a multidisciplinary approach. The investigated coastal system was affected by intensive environmental changes due to the strong industrialization that has taken place since the second half of the XIX century. In addition, the area is characterized by intense human pressure (in terms of high-density urbanization and the presence of military harbor activities, industries, and aquaculture plants), which contributes to its environmental degradation. The area of Taranto is nowadays one of the most polluted sites in Italy and for this reason, it is included in the perimeter of the Site of National Interest “Taranto” (established by the National Law 426/1998 and delimited by the Ministerial Decree of 10/01/2000) for which urgent environmental remediation is required.

The study is based on the integration of geophysical and chemical data acquired in the framework of the interdisciplinary activities funded by the “Special Commissioner for urgent measures of reclamation, environmental improvements, and redevelopment of Taranto” in 2015 and 2017.

In this research, we proposed a methodological approach for the assessment of the spatial distribution of direct and indirect anthropogenic impact on the sea-floor, in terms of both presence of macro-litter (elements and/or traces) and chemical pollutants. Specifically, the results derived from the interpretation of the acoustic data (multibeam echosounder - MBES and Side Scan Sonar - SSS) acquired in both basins and chemical analysis, with particular reference to inorganic compounds, performed on the sediment samples of 19 continuous cores collected in the Mar Piccolo, were combined. Following the analytical procedure proposed in previous studies, seafloor morphologies were detected by interpreting the digital elevation model obtained by MBES and integrated by the interpretations of the SSS backscatter mosaic data while the distribution of toxic heavy metals in marine sediments has been explored by using different pollution indicators, generally considered as a useful tool for evaluating the degree of anthropogenic contamination.

The integrated results obtained by the multiproxy analysis have allowed us to define the overall distribution of the anthropogenic impact along the Mar Piccolo and Mar Grande basins and to identify hotspot areas for which urgent remediation and management actions should be implemented.
Age and source of coastal loess in the Shandong Peninsula, Bohai Sea, China
Authors: Miao Xiaodong , Ee Chongyi , Xu Shujian , Wang Qiansuo , Hanson Paul , Chen Haitao , Shi Yunkun
Published: June 2022

Coastal loess is a unique and intriguing eolian sediment on Earth, but understanding its formation time, provenance, composition and the geomorphic processes that resulted in its accumulation is very limited compared to its inland counterpart. In this paper, we focused on a loess section at Xiazhupan (XZP) Village, Penglai City in the Shandong Peninsula, the only known coastal loess bluffs preserved in China. The coastal loess here not only has characteristics that are common to loess terrains such as being composed of predominantly silt-sized particles and the tendency to stand in vertical exposures, but it also reportedly preserves planktonic foraminifera, sizable pebbles, and volcanic glass. In addition to its peculiar near-shore locality, these features make it more unusual compared to other loess deposits. Systematic optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL and pIRIR) and radiocarbon dating reveal it was deposited mostly during 60-20 ka, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4-2, which correlates to the deposition of the Malan loess (L1) in the Chinese Loess Plateau. High-resolution grain size data indicate that the coastal loess is relatively coarse-grained, suggesting a source terrain that is at least partially proximal. We argue that, given its proximal source and the geochronological evidence, this coastal loess was sourced from the exposed continental shelf during the sea-level lowstand of the last glacial period, and this hypothesis is further supported by a core collected from the Bohai Sea in which silt was present and would have been subaerially exposed during MIS 4-2. In addition, this source area of the exposed continental shelf is comparable to coastal loess in Europe. The coastal loess in Shandong can be regarded as a special type of desert or dryland loess, rather than glacial loess. Finally, future sea-level rise will likely increase the erosion potential of these vulnerable coastal loess bluffs, making it urgent to study this special landform.
Why is managing sediment (dis)connectivity in fluvial systems so important?
Authors: Poeppl Ronald , Fryirs Kirstie , Tunnicliffe Jon , Brierley Gary
Published: June 2022

Globally, fluvial systems are under considerable and increasing threat from a plethora of anthropogenic stresses. These include different types of indirect (e.g. land cover/use or climate change) and direct human impacts (e.g. river engineering) that alter water and sediment dynamics. It is widely known that (dis)connectivity relationships in river and catchment systems determine the source, timing and rates of water and sediment flux and thus their geomorphic sensitivity and response to disturbance. However, most river and catchment management plans overlook the role of sediment (dis)connectivity. Here we use examples from different environmental settings with different sediment-related problems to show how understandings of sediment (dis)connectivity can inform catchment-based management. Specifically, we focus on concerns for river conservation and recovery, using examples from Austria, New Zealand and Australia. Moreover, we present questions for practitioners to appropriately contextualise (dis)connectivity concepts in system-specific place-based management applications. 
Multitemporal analyses of anthropogenic changes to the drainage network in urban areas: a case study in Rome (Italy)
Authors: Vergari Francesca , Pica Alessia , Schiavella Simone , Luberti Gian Marco , Del Monte Maurizio
Published: June 2022

The geomorphological map of Rome city centre, first published in 2016, is one of the most representative case studies for urban geomorphology, due to the widespread anthropogenic changes to landscape caused by human activities over the city’s millenarian history.

The today topographical and hydrographic setting is therefore the result of both natural and anthropogenic processes, which have occurred and intertwined over time. In particular, the most relevant human interventions affect the hydrographic network in the eastern area of the city, where it firstly arose and developed and where resource abundance and at the same time water management and supply needs were more relevant.

Before significant land-use changes had started since the roman time, this area was drained by the most important left tributaries of the Tiber River, such as the Aniene River, the main watercourses of the city, the Nodicus-Aqua Mariana stream, the Almone River, the Grotta Perfetta and the Vallerano streams. Their courses became culverted or were diverted. Emblematic is the example of the Nodicus valley, standing between Aventino and Palatino historical hills, and the Rivo Aqua Mariana artificially streaming into the Nodicus drainage basin since the 1122 a.D. diversion, which probably restored the original Nodicus hydrographic system.

This work aims at presenting the first relevant results towards the reconstruction of the main topographic transformations on the Tevere River hydrographic left area by analysing the current drainage network and its anthropogenic modifications. The methodological approach consists of multidisciplinary bibliographic research supported by multitemporal geomorphological and topographical analyses. The results of this work are summarized in the map of the changes to the hydrographic network.
The enigmatic 1693 AD tsunami in the eastern Mediterranean Sea: new insights on the triggering mechanisms and propagation dynamics 
Authors: Scicchitano Giovanni , Gambino Salvatore , Scardino Giovanni , Barreca Giovanni , Gross Felix , Mastronuzzi Giuseppe , Monaco Carmelo
Published: June 2022

The disastrous earthquake that affected south-eastern Sicily in 1693 caused over 60,000 causalities and the total destruction of several villages and towns along the coastline between Siracusa, Ragusa, and Catania. During the aftermath of the earthquake, a tsunami struck the Ionian coasts of Sicily and the Messina Strait and was probably recorded even in the Aeolian Islands and Malta. Over the course of the past decades, the event has been highly debated regarding the location of the seismogenic source and the possible cause of the associated tsunami. The marine event has been correlated to both, a submarine landslide and a coseismic displacement at the seafloor. To better defining the most reliable sources and dynamics of the tsunami, we couple high-resolution marine seismic survey data with hydrodynamic modelling to simulate various scenarios of tsunami generation and propagation. Results from the simulations have been compared with geomorphological evidences of past tsunami impacts, described in previous work along the coast of south-eastern Sicily, and within historical chronicles and reports. The most reliable scenario considers the 1693 event composed by two different tsunami waves: a first wave generated by the coseismic fault displacement at the seafloor and a second wave generated by a submarine landslide, triggered by the earthquake shaking. Distinct tsunami modelling runs showed that a simultaneous movement between fault displacement and submarine mass movement could determine a destructive interference on the tsunami waves, with a reduction of wave height. For this reason, the second tsunami wave was probably generated with a maximum delay of few minutes after the one generated by the earthquake and induced a higher flooding. The double-source model could explain the observation why in the course of other destructive earthquakes which occurred in south-eastern Sicily, like that of 1169 AD, the associated tsunami caused less damages. This implies the need to better map, define and evaluate the coastal hazards offshore eastern Sicily accounting to this kind of tsunami events.
Variability of the thermal regime of the frozen islands in the Lena floodplain, Yakutia
Authors: Costard Francois , Gautier Emmanuèle , Konstantinov Pacha , Bouchard Frederic , Séjourné Antoine , Dupeyrat Laure , Fedorov Alex
Published: June 2022

In Yakutia, the Lena River is one of the largest fluvial hydrosystems within the periglacial zone with thick and continuous permafrost. The Lena River and its tributaries are characterized by a large inter-annual variability with a thawing of the ice cover, inducing huge ice-jams and a fast rising of the water level, together with an active process of thermal and mechanical erosion. During spring floods, the islands along the Lena River channel are submerged and this induces an additional thermal imprint. Ten islands upstream of the city of Yakutsk have been monitored during two consecutive years (July 2009 to July 2011). We measured the frozen soil thermal regime and water temperatures of these islands on a daily basis using automated waterproof data loggers. Other sensors are used to estimate the height and duration of flooding. We examine the effect of repeated inundations and warm stream water on the thermal regime of frozen islands as well as the effect of the duration of the flood season. Our measurement campaigns revealed that the effect of island submersion at the time of break-up appears to have a relatively moderated impact on the frozen soil thermal profile at depth. The results also show that the Lena floodplain is thermally heterogeneous with islands composed of permafrost and others with only seasonally frozen ground. Our study shows that relatively young (less than 30 years old) islands, composed of fine sand material appear less prone to permafrost formation compared to older islands with ice-rich silty material.
Do short-term cliff-erosion measurements reliably represent long-term erosion rates?
Authors: Acharya-Chowdhury Lovleen , Dickson Mark , Norton Kevin , Rowland Julie , Stephenson Wayne
Published: June 2022

Oblique terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) enables topographic change detection at scales (10−1 –100 cm) that are appropriate for coastal cliff erosion monitoring. Despite this, its application has been limited to a select few regions around the world. Here we report new TLS point cloud datasets from 13 years of monitoring (2009-2022) at Rothesay Bay, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, which has a relatively low wave energy setting with a meso tidal range. The 120 m-long scan area includes cliffs of 10-30 m in height, formed of horizontally bedded soft sedimentary flysch rock. The cliffs are fronted by an ~140m wide near-horizontal shore platform that terminates in an abrupt seaward edge. Formation of such platform morphology is based on the assumption that: a) the platform has developed during several millennia of stable Holocene Sea level (around 6,000 years); b) the seaward edge of the shore platform does not erode; c) and the rate of cliff retreat reduces over time due to increased dissipation of wave energy across a widening shore platform. On this basis it has been previously assumed that the long-term cliff retreat rate at this field site is between 1.4±0.1 to 14.3±0.1 mm/year. In contrast, volumetric cliff-face erosion detected with intensive monthly TLS scanning (July 2021- April 2022) at this site indicates a cliff recession rate of 140-660 mm/year (during dry and wet seasons), and three scans over a 12-year window (2009, 2014, 2021) indicate an average erosion rate of 47 mm/year. If erosion had been constant at this rate over approximately 6,000 years, a total cliff retreat of 282 m would be expected, which presents a striking contrast to the width of the contemporary shore platform. The anomaly is even more pronounced given: a) the widely held assumption that cliff erosion rates should decline as platform width increases or that the long-term cliff retreat rates are constant, an assumption made previously for this site; and b) that Holocene Sea level appears to have been higher than present during the past 6,000 years. This presentation evaluates two possible hypotheses for the confounding width of the modern shore platform in comparison to current cliff erosion rates: 1) that current rates of cliff retreat are faster than past erosion rates (perhaps the TLS captured an unusually fast period of erosion, or perhaps there has been some modern acceleration in cliff erosion rates); 2) that the seaward edge has not remained in its original position or does not reliably indicate the original location of the cliff. These possibilities will be assessed through offshore bathymetric mapping and numerical model experiments.  
Contrasting soil dynamics in the Serra da Estrela mountain plateau –  Portugal
Authors: Raab Gerald , Dollenmeier Wasja , Tikhomirov Dmitry , Vieira Gonçalo , Migoń Piotr , Ketterer Michael E. , Christl Marcus , Stutz Jamey , Egli Markus
Published: June 2022

Limited data are available on how soil erosion rates compare between surfaces of different ages because short-term processes often overprint the longer-term erosion signal. This study investigated the soil dynamics among a formerly glaciated ('young', maximum glacial extent at 22–30 ka BP) and a non-glaciated ('old') area in the Serra da Estrela (Portugal). To disentangle soil distribution rates over different timeframes, isotopes for long-term (10Be), mid-term (δ13C) and short-term (239+240Pu) periods were applied together with principles of the percolation theory.

Soils at the formerly glaciated area have a lower degree of weathering and lower carbon content compared to soils of the ‘older’, non-glaciated area.  The distribution of selected isotopes along the soil profiles revealed temporal differences in soil mixing process. The formerly glaciated surface resulted in higher long-term average erosion rates compared to the non-glaciated area. Yet, soil redistribution rates over the last few decades are up to one order of magnitude higher than the millennia rates. Human impact (bush fires, grazing) is considered the probable cause for the currently strong soil degradation.
Changes in the relief and land use of landslide slopes during the 20-year period after an extreme hydrometeorological event (case study from the Polish Flysch Carpathians)
Authors: Gorczyca Elżbieta , Caputa Joanna , Babicka Zuzanna
Published: June 2022

The research is focused on the development of landslide slopes in areas with mixed agricultural and built-up land use in the middle mountain region. The multi-stage studies of the development of landslide slopes were carried out in the 20-year period after na extreme 1997 hydrometeorological event in Beskid Wyspowy Mountains, Polish Flysch Carpathians.

Landslides occupy 30-70% of slopes in the Flysch Carpathians. Meanwhile, this region has high population density (approx. 130 people per km2), which combined with medium inclination of slopes encourages people for settlement and agricultural land-use on landslide slopes. Development of slopes in the Flysch Carpathians occurs most often during extreme hydrometeorological events. One of the most significant events took place in 1997 and it was unique one in terms of both the rainfall total and its intensity. After this event approximately 20,000 landslides were created or reactivated in the Polish Carpathians.

Six areas in the immediate vicinity of the Łososina River and its tributaries were selected for the study. All areas were transformed by landslides during the 1997 event. The degree of activation of landslides was determined on the basis of field studies carried out after the extreme event in 1997 and the analysis of DTM and orthophotos (1997-2019). A number of relief parameters of activated landslides were analyzed in detail, including: slope, density of drainage network, shape (W/D), type of landslide.

In five studied areas older landslides were present, covering up to 65% of the area. In one of the studied slope no landslides older than 1997 were detected. Most of landslides that occurred in 1997 occurred within the older landslide forms. As a result, the total area of the slopes affected by "new" landslides increased by only 1.0-1.7% of the studied slopes’ area. The rejuvenated landslides covered 8 to 26% of the area of landslides existing before 1997. Principal landslide activity was the formation of numerous secondary scarps, fissures and a fresh accumulation zones of colluvia. Subsequent development of the landslide slopes during the 1997-2017 period was investigated. Extreme precipitation events occurring during that period, especially in 1998, 2001, 2010, 2014, were analyzed in terms of their efficiency in transformation of the studied landslides.

The changes in land use in activated parts of landslides were also analyzed. It was found that there was a significant increase in forest area of 13-52% in activated parts of the landslides in 2017 compared to 1997. As a result a complex land use mosaic developed in the study area with forest patches and different agricultural areas (pastures, orchards, arable lands and abandoned fields).
Stochastic assessment of landslide susceptibility by using five different instability datasets: a case study from the southern sector of the “Via al Llano” highway (Colombia)
Authors: Calderon-Cucunuba Laura Paola , Vargas-Cuervo German , Conoscenti Christian
Published: June 2022

In this study, the ability of stochastic models to predict landslide susceptibility in the southern sector of the “Via al Llano” highway (Colombia) was assessed. To this aim, an inventory of landslides occurred in the area was prepared by analyzing images available in Google Earth. Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) was employed to model the spatial distribution of the following five data sets of unstable cells selected within each landslide: i) the highest cell (data set MAX), ii) the highest 10% of cells (data set SUP), iii) the lowest cell (data set MIN), iv) the lowest 10% of cells (data set INF), and v) the entire landslide area (data set BODY). The goal of our experiment was to identify which of the calibration data set produces the best prediction of the landslide areas (BODY data set). The data sets were divided into calibration and validation groups of cells by randomly selecting 75% and 25% of the mapped landslides, respectively. In order to evaluate the robustness of the results, ten calibration and validation samples were extracted for each instability data set. The analysis revealed that the most important predictors were Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), slope steepness, vertical distance to channel network, elevation and aspect. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the ROC curve (AUC), calculated for each of the five instability data sets, indicated that calibrating the models with the lowest landslide pixels (MIN or INF data sets) allows to obtain the most accurate prediction of the validation landslide bodies (BODY data set), achieving AUC values ranging between 0.80 and 0.85.