Natural and Cultural Lost Landscape during the Holocene along the Central Tyrrhenian Coast (Italy)

Landscape evolution over the last 8000 years in three areas located along Tuscany, Latium, and Campania coasts (central Tyrrhenian) has been deduced through a morphological, stratigraphical, and historical approach considering the physical evolution and human activity. Between 8000 and 6000 yr BP, the Sea Level Rise (SLR) dominated and, near the river mouths, inlets occurred. In the Tuscany area, Mt. Argentario was an island and to SE of the Ansedonia promontory a lagoon occurred. The areas were covered by a dense forest and the human influence was negligible. Between 6000 and 4000 yr BP, humans organized settlements and activities, and a general coastline progradation occurred. A tombolo linked Mt. Argentario to the mainland. In the Tiber and Campania areas, coastal lakes and a strand plain developed. Between 4000 and 3000 yr BP, near Mt. Argentario, two tombolos enclosed a wide lagoon. At the SE of the Ansedonia promontory, the lagoon split into smaller water bodies. In the Tiber and Campania areas, delta cusps developed. The anthropogenic presence was widespread and forests decreased. During the last 3000 years, anthropic forcing increased when the Etruscans and Romans changed the territory through towns, salt pans, and ports. After the Roman period, natural forcing returned to dominate until the birth of the Italian State and technological evolution

Morphodynamics of the Coastal Landscape and Environmental Aspects of Palude of Torre Flavia (Northern Latium- Italy)

The “Palude di Torre Flavia” (40 ha) is a marsh situated along the Tyrrhenian coastline, 40 km north of Rome. This biotope is the remnant of a larger heterogeneous littoral wetland area, extended until 1960-1970 for about 100 ha. The coastal evolution has been investigated by means of DEM based on airborne high resolution LiDAR data, several aerial photographs, topographic maps, bathymetric profiles and wind climate. Nowadays, this area is undergoing a very severe coastal erosion of the beach and coastal dune which protect the marsh. The coastal erosion is in a very advanced stage so that the bottom of the marsh, usually overburden by sand dune, is outcropping at the ground surface. Since the mid-1950’s the shoreline dynamics showed an erosive process. Starting from the 1970’s the beach erosion became more intense and widespread. Over the last twenty years coastal dynamics has also changed due to the construction of sea defences nearby Torre Flavia. From 2011 to 2017 the shoreline shows a tendency to stability. The first results identify the most vulnerable beach in the northern part and at risk of flooding of the wetland behind. The morphodynamics of the shore, characterized by microtidal range, is mainly driven by dominant winds and waves approaching from W and SW, which produce a longshore current flowing to North. This study is also focused on the paleo-environmental evolution of this coastal belt during the late Holocene. Two 5 meters-deep cores, actually in progress, will provide data for the evolutionary reconstruction of the wetland, while chemical, physical and microfaunal analyses will be used for the environmental characterization of both beach and wetland. For this purpose two surveys, in March 2017 and September 2017, were carried out, collecting water and sediment samples. In this preliminary phase, grainsize and microfaunal data resulting from the first expedition will be presented. The sediment is almost exclusively sandy (maily medium and fine sand) and well-sorted. Between the shoreline and -2.5 m there is a limited increase in Mz northward. The sediment at -5 and -7.5 m is commonly richer in silt but with significant local exceptions. Total (dead and living specimens) microfaunal data regarding the beach area show a typical infralittoral foraminiferal assemblage dominated by Ammonia spp. and miliolids. Some differences, linked to a different substrate, consist of an increasing of ephiphitic taxa like Elphidium spp., Planorbulina mediterranensis, Miniacina miniacaea and Lobatula lobatula. Finer grainsizes are characterized by the smallest amount of foraminifera while the coarser sediment sizes contain a more abundant living assemblage and broken tests. The wetland is characterized by the almost complete absence of foraminifera probably due to the lower salinity. Emphasis must be placed on the presence of few rare specimens of Lagenammina cf. fusiformis, Crobrostomoides jeffreysi and diatoms in the samples closer to the beach. All of the samples are characterized by ostracods (mainly Candona spp.) and rare fragments of gasteropods. This work has been carried out in the framework of the Working Group “Coastal Morphodynamics” of AIGE

Plio-Pleistocene Landscape Evolution of the Turano River Basin (Central Apennines, Italy): Insights from Continental Deposits’ Analysis and Drainage Network Development

Quaternary continental deposits record spatio-temporal changes of the landscape and offer insights for drainage network analysis and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. This paper focuses on the Turano River, a left tributary of the Velino River, which flows in the southwestern Abruzzo area at the boundary with Lazio Region. Its basin preserves lithological and morphological field evidence particularly suitable for reconstructing the long-term geomorphological evolution of the Central Apennines and the drainage network development. In detail, the Turano River was investigated through a drainage basin-scale analysis incorporating morphometric analysis, field mapping, continental deposits analysis, and integrated drainage network analysis. This approach allowed us to define a drainage network reversal process, clearly highlighted by the spatial arrangement of continental deposits, spanning from Upper Pliocene to Holocene. The results also indicated tectonic activity as the main factor driving incision and river inversion processes. The work contributes to identifying and describing the main steps of the Quaternary landscape evolution of this mountainous catchment and its morphoneotectonic framework. Therefore, it could represent a methodological tool for multidisciplinary studies in similar mountainous catchments to support any territorial planning activity, from large infrastructure localization (i.e., artificial dams) to sustainable land management

Middle-to late-Holocene environmental changes in the Garigliano delta plain (Central Italy). Which landscape witnessed the development of the Minturnae Roman colony?

Geomorphologic, stratigraphic, faunistic, palynological and 14C analyses were carried out in the area of the mouth of the Garigliano River characterized by two strand plains that are referred to the Eutyrrhenian and the Holocene, rimming two depressed zones separated by the Garigliano River channel. This study depicts the palaeoenvironmental evolution over the last 8200 years and the landscape context at the time of Minturnae Roman colony. Between 8200 and 7500 yr BP, a wet zone occurred in the northern zone, whereas in the southern part, a lagoon developed. During the final transgression stage and the beginning of the sea level still stand (7500–5500 yr BP), a freshwater marsh formed in the northern zone, and the width of the southern lagoon decreased. Between 5500 and 3000 yr BP, the coastal barrier changed into a delta cusp, a freshwater marsh also appeared in the southern part and the river wandered between the twin marshes. Because of local uplift, previously unknown in this area, part of the floor of the southern marsh emerged, and after 4000 yr BP, both marshes became coastal ponds with prevailing clastic sedimentation. A progressive increment in anthropic forcing on the land took place after 3000 yr BP. The Marica sanctuary was built (7th century BC), and the Roman colony of Minturnae was developed beginning the 3rd century BC. The shallow depth of the ponds prevented their use as harbours, and saltwork plants can be ruled out based on the faunal and palynological data. The ongoing infilling of both ponds was never completed, and their reclamation is still in progress

Middle-to-late-Holocene environmental changes in the Garigliano delta plain (Central Italy): which landscape witnessed the development of the Minturnae Roman colony?

ricostruzionedell'evoluzione della piana di foce del garigliano in rapporto alla popolamento antic

Middle-to late-Holocene environmental changes in the Garigliano delta plain (Central Italy): which landscape witnessed the development of the Minturnae Roman colony?

Geomorphologic, stratigraphic, faunistic, palynological and 14C analyses were carried out in the area of the mouth of the Garigliano River characterized by two strand plains that are referred to the Eutyrrhenian and the Holocene, rimming two depressed zones separated by the Garigliano River channel. This study depicts the palaeoenvironmental evolution over the last 8200 years and the landscape context at the time of Minturnae Roman colony. Between 8200 and 7500 yr BP, a wet zone occurred in the northern zone, whereas in the southern part, a lagoon developed. During the final transgression stage and the beginning of the sea level still stand (7500–5500 yr BP), a freshwater marsh formed in the northern zone, and the width of the southern lagoon decreased. Between 5500 and 3000 yr BP, the coastal barrier changed into a delta cusp, a freshwater marsh also appeared in the southern part and the river wandered between the twin marshes. Because of local uplift, previously unknown in this area, part of the floor of the southern marsh emerged, and after 4000 yr BP, both marshes became coastal ponds with prevailing clastic sedimentation. A progressive increment in anthropic forcing on the land took place after 3000 yr BP. The Marica sanctuary was built (7th century BC), and the Roman colony of Minturnae was developed beginning the 3rd century BC. The shallow depth of the ponds prevented their use as harbours, and saltwork plants can be ruled out based on the faunal and palynological data. The ongoing infilling of both ponds was never completed, and their reclamation is still in progress

Eldres muligheter til å bruke iPad som styringsverktøy for smarthusteknologi- betydningen av kognisjon, mestringstro og teknologierfaring

Master's thesis in Health and social sciencesInnovative løsninger som smarthusteknologi er foreslått for å kunne imøtekomme den ventede ”eldrebølgen”. Smarthusteknologi, som bruk av iPad for styring av husfunksjoner, kan hjelpe eldre til å mestre aktiviteter i dagliglivet på en enklere og bedre måte. Denne studien undersøkte betydningen av kognisjon, mestringstro og teknologierfaring for eldres muligheter til å bruke iPad som styringsverktøy for smarthusteknologi. Screeningtesten MMSE ble brukt for å vurdere kognisjon hos de 28 deltakerne i studien. Videre ble teknologimestringstro og teknologierfaring målt. Studien avdekket en stor effekt av kognisjon for evnen til å bruke smarthusteknologi og på evnen til å persipere teknologitjenestene som ble levert. Videre var mestringstro sterkt relatert til evnen eldre hadde til å bruke selve teknologien. Alder hadde ingen betydning for bruk eller persepsjon. Til slutt viste studien at teknologierfaring hadde effekt på teknologipersepsjon, men ikke på evnen til å bruke smarthusteknologien. Ved å bruke ROC-kurve analyse, identifiserte vi en grenseverdi på 25 poeng som optimalt for å skille mellom dem som var i stand til å oppfatte og bruke iPad som styringsverktøy for smarthusteknologi som styring av lys og dem som ikke var i stand til dette. Konklusjonen er at det ikke er hensiktsmessig å introdusere radikal, ny teknologi som krever ny læring i interaksjon mellom bruker og teknologi til eldre med kognitive svekkelser, og at mestringstro kan være et strategisk viktig element i opplæring relatert til teknologi. Funnene i studien gir klare implikasjoner for politikere, hjemmetjenestene og kommersielle aktører og burde gi føringer for videre implementering av smarthusteknologi til eldre