RIGED-RA project - Restoration and management of Coastal Dunes in the Northern Adriatic Coast, Ravenna Area - Italy

Coastal dunes play an important role in protecting the coastline. Unfortunately, in the last decades dunes have been removed or damaged by human activities. In the Emilia- Romagna region significant residual dune systems are found only along Ravenna and Ferrara coasts. In this context, the RIGED-RA project "Restoration and management of coastal dunes along the Ravenna coast" (2013-2016) has been launched with the aims to identify dynamics, erosion and vulnerability of Northern Adriatic coast and associated residual dunes, and to define intervention strategies for dune protection and restoration. The methodology is based on a multidisciplinary approach that integrates the expertise of several researchers and investigates all aspects (biotic and abiotic), which drive the dune-beach system. All datasets were integrated to identify test sites for applying dune restoration. The intervention finished in April 2016; evolution and restoration efficiency will be assessed

Maintaining over time Clinical Performance targets on Anaemia correction in unselected population on chronic dialysis at 20 Italian Centres. Data from a retrospective study for a Clinical Audit

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Italian and European Best Practice Guidelines (EBPG) recommend a target haemoglobin value greater than 11 g/dl in most patients with Chronic Kidney Diseases. However, it is still difficult to maintain these values at a steady rate. Thus, the main aim of the study was to evaluate, throughout 2005, how many patients steadily maintained the performance targets related to anaemia treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The survey was conducted on 3283 patients on haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) at 20 Italian dialysis centres. 540 patients were randomly selected; each centre provided a statistically significant sample proportional to its total number of patients. Maintenance of the following target levels was assessed over time: Haemoglobin (HB) 11-12 gr/dl; Iron: 60-160 mcg/dl; Ferritin: 30-400 mcg/l; Transferrin: 200-360 mg/dl; Transferrin saturation percentage (TSAT %):> 25 <50; Dialysis doses (KT/V): >1.2 <2.0 for non-diabetic HD patients; >1.5 <2.2 for diabetic HD patients; DP: >1.8 <2.5.</p> <p>Outcome included:</p> <p indent="1">1- Percentage of target maintenance for each parameter.</p> <p indent="1">2- Erythropoietin dose in relation to dialysis techniques, presence of cancer or myeloma, diabetic status, Vitamin B therapy.</p> <p indent="1">3- Erythropoietin dose (International Units/kg/week) (IU/kg/wk) depending on: haemoglobin values, hospitalization of more than 3 days.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean age was 65.1; mean haemoglobin concentration over the whole population was 11.3 gr/dl (Standard Deviation (SD): 0.91). The clinical performance targets were maintained over time as follows: HB: 4.3% (Mean 11.43 gr/dl) (SD: 0.42); Ferritin: 71.1% (Mean: 250.23 mcg/L (SD:104.07); Iron: 95.0% (Mean 59.79 mcg/dl)(SD:16.76); Transferrin: 44.8% (Mean 216.83 mg/dl) (SD: 19,50); TSAT %: in 8.4% (Mean: 34.33% (SD: 6.56); HD KT/V: 61.0% (Mean:1.46) (SD: 0.7); PD KT/V:31.4% (Mean: 2.10) (SD: 0.02). The average weekly dose of Erythropoietin (IU/Kg/Wk) was significantly lower for the peritoneal dialysis technique; the higher haemoglobin values, the lower the Erythropoietin dose (IU/Kg/Wk).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A very low percentage of patients maintained haemoglobin target values over time. We need to identify precise criteria to evaluate the stability over time of clinical performance targets proposed by the guidelines.</p

Evidence of iguanodontian dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous of Tunisia

The fossil record of ornithischian dinosaurs from Africa is particularly scarce and limited to a few historic localities. In this study we describe new ornithischian remains from the Albian deposits of southern Tunisia (Tataouine Governorate), represented by isolated teeth of large-bodied iguanodontians. Teeth display a wide, diamond-shaped crown with a primary ridge dividing the occlusal surface in two unequal parts and two or more secondary ridges. Hook-like denticles are present on both mesial and distal crown margins and do not display mammillae. In overall morphology, specimens are comparable to those of many Early Cretaceous basal hadrosauriforms, including isolated ornithopodan teeth from comparably-aged levels of Niger. Transversal sections of the crowns permitted identification of dental tissues, which include a thick enamel, and well developed longitudinal and transverse giant tubules. Their relative extents appear to be related to the size, thus developmental age, of the tooth. Teeth are representative of the Oum ed Diab Member, a unit characterized by coastal deposits accumulated under arid to xeric climatic conditions and dominated by fish, crocodilians, and hydraulically transported rebbachisaurid and spinosaurid remains. Sedimentological data and preservation bias strongly support selective taphonomic causes for the fossil distribution of ornithischians in southern Tunisia questioning the purported geographic and paleoecologic distribution of isolated Saharan dinosaurs

Surface and subsurface data integration and geological modelling from the Little Ice Age to the present, in the Ravenna coastal plain, northwest Adriatic Sea (Emilia-Romagna, Italy)

New geological analysis of the Ravenna coastal plain has allowed a major update of the geological coastal model, with anthropogenic overprints removed from an area heavily affected by human actions in the last four centuries, a period in which the Little Ice Age (LIA) has had a large influence on the coastal dynamics. The geological build-up of the coastal plain is a natural occurrence that is important for understanding the present-day coastal buildup. However, coastal zone anthropization has defined the actual coastal morphology, canceling out most of surface expression needed to create an accurate coastal evolution model, as the beach ridges morphology in the study area. As the lack of surface expression due to the anthropogenic actions has changed the coastal zone under study, it is not possible to only use geomorphological analysis to construct a local coastal evolution model. Because of this, building a new model and understanding how coastal evolution would proceed without human influence would allow us to understand the interaction between natural forces and anthropogenic influence, which has acted to shape the actual morphology of the study area from the LIA period to the present days. We therefore propose an integration of data using the following: actual data from the surface, such as the high-resolution digital surface model (DSM) and the digital terrain model (DTM); the actual database from the Emilia-Romagna Region Geological Survey, including the shapefile with the regional soil chart and the geological elements present in the study area; knowledge from previous work carried out in the area; and the subsurface data from Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), which would make the study the first to use a GPR survey of the coastal plain of the northwest Adriatic. In addition, the work will follows a successful case study done in the southern Brazilian coastal plain that integrated previous works done in the coastal plain with new methods such as GPR data acquisition. The GPR data allows for corroboration of the interpretation of the coastal model constructed using the surface data. Finally, the surface geological model proposed in this work may aid by providing the following: i) a new means for local coastal geology research; ii) a methodology to apply to other barrier-lagoon systems around the world in order to update our knowledge about these systems; and iii) powerful information to support coastal managers and decision makers in constructing a long-term master plan for effective Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Natural and anthropogenic influences on depositional architecture of the Ural Delta, Kazakhstan, northern Caspian Sea, during the past 70 years

This paper focuses on the Ural Delta in the northern zone of the Caspian Sea, an area with particular characteristics, where intense influence from anthropogenic and natural factors exists, which acts on the fragile delta system. We built a database to integrate the data from the published sources, bathymetric survey, and recent images in the geographical information system (GIS) environment. The results were linked to the Caspian Sea level (CSL) curve, which had many variations, changing the Ural Delta system's dynamics and in its architecture. In addition, the anthropogenic changes contribute to shaping the actual Ural Delta architecture. Through the link between the results and CSL, we reconstructed an evolution model for the Ural Delta system for the last century and identified three different architectures for the Ural Delta, determined by the energy that acted on the system in the last century and by the anthropogenic changes. This work identifies six different delta phases, which are shaped by CSL changes during the last 70 years and by anthropogenic changes. The delta phases recognized are: i) a Lobate Delta phase, shaped during high CSL before 1935; ii) Natural Elongate Delta 1935\u20131950 formed during rapid CSL fall; iii) Anthropogenic Elongate Delta 1950\u20131966, formed during rapid CSL fall and after the Ural-Caspian Sea canal construction, which modified the sedimentary deposition on the delta; iv) Anthropogenic Elongate Delta 1966\u20131982 shaped during low CSL phase; v) Anthropogenic Elongate Delta 1982\u20131996 formed during a rapid CSL rise phase; and vi) Anthropogenic Elongate Delta 1996\u20132009 shaped during high CSL that represent the last phase and actual Ural Delta architecture

Dune belt restoration effectiveness assessed by UAV topographic surveys (northern Adriatic coast, Italy)

&lt;jats:p&gt;Abstract. Unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) monitoring surveys are used to assess a dune restoration project in the protected natural area of the Bevano River mouth on the northern Adriatic coast (Ravenna, Italy). The impacts of the installed fences to aid dune development are quantified in terms of sand volume and vegetation cover changes over 5 years using a systematic data processing workflow based on structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry and the Geomorphic Change Detection (GCD) toolset applied to two drone surveys in 2016 and 2021. Accuracy assessment is performed using statistical analysis between ground-truth and model elevation data. Results show that the fence proves to be effective in promoting recovery and growth since significant sand deposition was observed along the dune foot and front – a total area of 3799 m2, volume of 1109 m3, and average depositional depth of 0.29 m. Progradation of around 3–5 m of the foredune and embryo development were also evident. There was a decrease in blowout features of about 155 m2 due to increased deposition and vegetation colonization. There was also an average percent increase of 160 % on wave-induced driftwood and/or debris along the beach and of 9.6 % vegetation within the fence based on the cover analysis on selected transects. Erosion of around 1439 m2 is apparent mostly at the northern portion of the structure, which could be accounted for by the aerodynamic and morphodynamic conditions around the fence and its configuration to trap sediments and efficiency in doing so. Overall, dune fencing coupled with limiting debris cleaning along the protected coast was effective. The proposed workflow can aid in creating transferable guidelines to stakeholders in integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) implementation on Mediterranean low-lying sandy coasts. &lt;/jats:p&gt

Use of a Raspberry-Pi Video Camera for Coastal Flooding Vulnerability Assessment: The Case of Riccione (Italy)

Coastal monitoring is strategic for the correct assessment of nearshore morphodynamics, to verify the effects of anthropogenic interventions for the purpose of coastal protection and for the rapid assessment of flooding vulnerability due to severe events. Remote sensing and field surveys are among the main approaches that have been developed to meet these necessities. Key parameters in the assessment and prevision of coastal flooding extensions, beside meteomarine characteristics, are the topography and slope of beaches, which can be extremely dynamic. The use of continuous monitoring through orthorectified video images allows for the rapid detection of the intertidal bathymetry and flooding threshold during severe events. The aim of this work was to present a comparison of different monitoring strategies and methodologies that have been integrated into repeated surveys in order to evaluate the performance of a new camera system. We used a low-cost camera based on Raspberry Pi called VISTAE (Video monitoring Intelligent STAtion for Environmental applications) for long-term remote observations and GNSS-laser tools for field measurements. The case study was a coastal tract in Riccione, Italy (Northern Adriatic Sea), which is the seat of nourishment interventions and of different types of underwater protection structures to combat coastal erosion. We performed data acquisition and analysis of the emerged beach and of the swash zone in terms of the intertidal bathymetry and shoreline. The results show a generally good agreement between the field and remote measurements through image processing, with a small discrepancy of the order of &asymp;0.05 m in the vertical and &asymp;1.5 m in the horizontal in terms of the root mean square error (RMSE). These values are comparable with that of current video monitoring instruments, but the VISTAE has the advantages of its low-cost, programmability and automatized analyses. This result, together with the possibility of continuous monitoring during daylight hours, supports the advantages of a combined approach in coastal flooding vulnerability assessment through integrated and complementary techniques