During the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods, the Italian coasts have undergone a very articu... more During the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods, the Italian coasts have undergone a very articulated geological and geomorphological evolution, due to the complex and differentiated interaction of endogenous and exogenous dynamics. Aim of this study is to implement a geodatabase concerning the geomorphological, stratigraphic, biological and archaeological palaeo sea-level proxies located in the Gulf of Naples, in order to provide a catalogue of the most representative markers and an overall picture of ancient shorelines positions since the Late Pleistocene.
Puteoli coastal sector is located in the Campi Flegrei volcanic area, along the Mediterranean coa... more Puteoli coastal sector is located in the Campi Flegrei volcanic area, along the Mediterranean coasts. This sector is rich in archaeological remains here used as sea-level markers useful to reconstruct the vertical ground movements affecting the CF area. Marine surveys by means of an Unmanned Surface Vessel equipped with geophysical instruments were carried out along the coastal sector to reconstruct the seabed morphology and to detect the submerged remains. By analysing geomorphological stratigraphic and archaeological data, the natural and anthropogenic landscape evolution of Puteoli since the Greek-Roman period was evaluated.
Relative sea level change Roman period Campi Flegrei (southern Italy) volcanic area a b s t r a c... more Relative sea level change Roman period Campi Flegrei (southern Italy) volcanic area a b s t r a c t The southwestern periphery of Naples is dominated by the Posillipo promontory, an elongated tuffaceous ridge belonging to Campi Flegrei active volcanic complex (CF). The central caldera of CF is well-known for offering a rich geoarchaeological record of the vertical ground movements occurred since Roman times, as the case of the Portus Julius ruins (37 BC) presently found between 10 and 5 m bsl and the Middle Ages Lithophaga perforations at about 7 m asl on the marble columns of the mecellum previously interpreted as Serapaeum (Morhange et al., 2006). In the last one hundred years, several unrest episodes have been precisely reconstructed in the same area (Del Gaudio et al., 2010; De Martino et al., 2014), but never before, vertical ground movements have been presumed along the Posillipo hill, positioned over the caldera rim. This paper deals with a research aimed to evaluate the vertical movements at Posillipo area during the last two millennia, by means of geomorphological and geophysical surveys in three submerged archaeological sites: Nisida Roman port, Marechiaro Roman port and ruins offshore Villa Rosebery. By precisely measuring the present submersion of all remains found in those sites, two relative paleo-sea levels have been detected: one for the 1st century BC at À4.4/-5 ±0.5 m and another for the 1st century AD at À3 ±0.5 m. Only seventeen centimetres of the difference between the two paleo-sea levels is attributable to eustasy (Lambeck et al., 2011), while the rest (2 ± 0.5 m) has to be ascribed to a phase of accelerated subsidence which has still to be precisely dated and whose duration could have been as short as few years or decades. The additional subsidence suffered by the area after the 1st century AD was calculated to be 2.0 ± 0.5 m. Even though the ground deformations reconstructed in the Posillipo area appear less strong than those recognized inside the CF caldera, they prove that vertical movements of volcanic origin were not always confined inside the caldera rim. In terms of human adaptation, the observed archaeological evidence narrates that Palazzo degli Spiriti was restored closing the rooms submerged by sea, the breakwater of Marechiaro and the villa foundations at Rosebery were probably raised, in response to the relative sea level rise.
ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences
Bathymetric data are fundamental to produce navigational chart and sea-floor 3D models. They can ... more Bathymetric data are fundamental to produce navigational chart and sea-floor 3D models. They can be collected using different techniques and sensors on board of a variety of platforms, such as satellite, aircraft, ship and drone. The MicroVEGA drone is an Open Prototype of Autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (AUSV) conceived, designed and built to operate in the coastal areas (0-20 meters of depth), where a traditional boat is poorly manoeuvrable. It is equipped with a series of sensors to acquire the morpho-bathymetric high precision data. In this paper we presents the result of the first case study, a bathymetric survey carried out at Sorrento Marina Grande. This survey is a typical application case of this technology; the Open Prototype MicroVega has an interdisciplinary breath and it is going to be applied to various research fields. In future, it will expect to do new knowledge, new survey strategies and an industrial prototype in fiberglass.
This paper demonstrates that accurate data concerning bathymetry as well as environmental conditi... more This paper demonstrates that accurate data concerning bathymetry as well as environmental conditions in shallow waters can be acquired using sensors that are integrated into the same marine vehicle. An open prototype of an unmanned surface vessel (USV) named MicroVeGA is described. The focus is on the main instruments installed on-board: a differential Global Position System (GPS) system and single beam echo sounder; inertial platform for attitude control; ultrasound obstacle-detection system with temperature control system; emerged and submerged video acquisition system. The results of two cases study are presented, both concerning areas (Sorrento Marina Grande and Marechiaro Harbour, both in the Gulf of Naples) characterized by a coastal physiography that impedes the execution of a bathymetric survey with traditional boats. In addition, those areas are critical because of the presence of submerged archaeological remains that produce rapid changes in depth values. The experiments confirm that the integration of the sensors improves the instruments' performance and survey accuracy.
The Posillipo promontory is an elongated tufaceous ridge located on the southern periphery of the... more The Posillipo promontory is an elongated tufaceous ridge located on the southern periphery of the Campi Flegrei active volcanic complex that hosts several underwater archaeological structures dated mostly in the 1st century BC and the Imperial age. The so-called Palazzo degli Spiriti, built in the 1st century BC along the coast of the Posillipo hill (Naples, Italy), is one of the most preserved Roman maritime villas on the Gulf of Naples, with clear evidence of the interaction of both human and natural events. At this site, a relative sea level rise due to a sudden subsidence occurred between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, probably of volcano-tectonic origin, produced a significant amount of adaptation, as the partial closure of the ground floor windows of the villa still visible. Integrated surveys by means of a marine drone and several direct archaeological measurements were carried out both on the coastline and in the underwater portion of this site. A GIS analysis of geophysical, LIDAR, multibeam and archaeological data has returned a 3D reconstruction of the Roman landscape, useful to understand both the natural events occurred in the area since the Roman Period (vertical ground movements, wave erosion, etc.) and the correlative steps of human occupation and adaptation.
During the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods, the Italian coasts have undergone a very articu... more During the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods, the Italian coasts have undergone a very articulated geological and geomorphological evolution, due to the complex and differentiated interaction of endogenous and exogenous dynamics. Aim of this study is to implement a geodatabase concerning the geomorphological, stratigraphic, biological and archaeological palaeo sea-level proxies located in the Gulf of Naples, in order to provide a catalogue of the most representative markers and an overall picture of ancient shorelines positions since the Late Pleistocene.
Puteoli coastal sector is located in the Campi Flegrei volcanic area, along the Mediterranean coa... more Puteoli coastal sector is located in the Campi Flegrei volcanic area, along the Mediterranean coasts. This sector is rich in archaeological remains here used as sea-level markers useful to reconstruct the vertical ground movements affecting the CF area. Marine surveys by means of an Unmanned Surface Vessel equipped with geophysical instruments were carried out along the coastal sector to reconstruct the seabed morphology and to detect the submerged remains. By analysing geomorphological stratigraphic and archaeological data, the natural and anthropogenic landscape evolution of Puteoli since the Greek-Roman period was evaluated.
Relative sea level change Roman period Campi Flegrei (southern Italy) volcanic area a b s t r a c... more Relative sea level change Roman period Campi Flegrei (southern Italy) volcanic area a b s t r a c t The southwestern periphery of Naples is dominated by the Posillipo promontory, an elongated tuffaceous ridge belonging to Campi Flegrei active volcanic complex (CF). The central caldera of CF is well-known for offering a rich geoarchaeological record of the vertical ground movements occurred since Roman times, as the case of the Portus Julius ruins (37 BC) presently found between 10 and 5 m bsl and the Middle Ages Lithophaga perforations at about 7 m asl on the marble columns of the mecellum previously interpreted as Serapaeum (Morhange et al., 2006). In the last one hundred years, several unrest episodes have been precisely reconstructed in the same area (Del Gaudio et al., 2010; De Martino et al., 2014), but never before, vertical ground movements have been presumed along the Posillipo hill, positioned over the caldera rim. This paper deals with a research aimed to evaluate the vertical movements at Posillipo area during the last two millennia, by means of geomorphological and geophysical surveys in three submerged archaeological sites: Nisida Roman port, Marechiaro Roman port and ruins offshore Villa Rosebery. By precisely measuring the present submersion of all remains found in those sites, two relative paleo-sea levels have been detected: one for the 1st century BC at À4.4/-5 ±0.5 m and another for the 1st century AD at À3 ±0.5 m. Only seventeen centimetres of the difference between the two paleo-sea levels is attributable to eustasy (Lambeck et al., 2011), while the rest (2 ± 0.5 m) has to be ascribed to a phase of accelerated subsidence which has still to be precisely dated and whose duration could have been as short as few years or decades. The additional subsidence suffered by the area after the 1st century AD was calculated to be 2.0 ± 0.5 m. Even though the ground deformations reconstructed in the Posillipo area appear less strong than those recognized inside the CF caldera, they prove that vertical movements of volcanic origin were not always confined inside the caldera rim. In terms of human adaptation, the observed archaeological evidence narrates that Palazzo degli Spiriti was restored closing the rooms submerged by sea, the breakwater of Marechiaro and the villa foundations at Rosebery were probably raised, in response to the relative sea level rise.
ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences
Bathymetric data are fundamental to produce navigational chart and sea-floor 3D models. They can ... more Bathymetric data are fundamental to produce navigational chart and sea-floor 3D models. They can be collected using different techniques and sensors on board of a variety of platforms, such as satellite, aircraft, ship and drone. The MicroVEGA drone is an Open Prototype of Autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (AUSV) conceived, designed and built to operate in the coastal areas (0-20 meters of depth), where a traditional boat is poorly manoeuvrable. It is equipped with a series of sensors to acquire the morpho-bathymetric high precision data. In this paper we presents the result of the first case study, a bathymetric survey carried out at Sorrento Marina Grande. This survey is a typical application case of this technology; the Open Prototype MicroVega has an interdisciplinary breath and it is going to be applied to various research fields. In future, it will expect to do new knowledge, new survey strategies and an industrial prototype in fiberglass.
This paper demonstrates that accurate data concerning bathymetry as well as environmental conditi... more This paper demonstrates that accurate data concerning bathymetry as well as environmental conditions in shallow waters can be acquired using sensors that are integrated into the same marine vehicle. An open prototype of an unmanned surface vessel (USV) named MicroVeGA is described. The focus is on the main instruments installed on-board: a differential Global Position System (GPS) system and single beam echo sounder; inertial platform for attitude control; ultrasound obstacle-detection system with temperature control system; emerged and submerged video acquisition system. The results of two cases study are presented, both concerning areas (Sorrento Marina Grande and Marechiaro Harbour, both in the Gulf of Naples) characterized by a coastal physiography that impedes the execution of a bathymetric survey with traditional boats. In addition, those areas are critical because of the presence of submerged archaeological remains that produce rapid changes in depth values. The experiments confirm that the integration of the sensors improves the instruments' performance and survey accuracy.
The Posillipo promontory is an elongated tufaceous ridge located on the southern periphery of the... more The Posillipo promontory is an elongated tufaceous ridge located on the southern periphery of the Campi Flegrei active volcanic complex that hosts several underwater archaeological structures dated mostly in the 1st century BC and the Imperial age. The so-called Palazzo degli Spiriti, built in the 1st century BC along the coast of the Posillipo hill (Naples, Italy), is one of the most preserved Roman maritime villas on the Gulf of Naples, with clear evidence of the interaction of both human and natural events. At this site, a relative sea level rise due to a sudden subsidence occurred between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, probably of volcano-tectonic origin, produced a significant amount of adaptation, as the partial closure of the ground floor windows of the villa still visible. Integrated surveys by means of a marine drone and several direct archaeological measurements were carried out both on the coastline and in the underwater portion of this site. A GIS analysis of geophysical, LIDAR, multibeam and archaeological data has returned a 3D reconstruction of the Roman landscape, useful to understand both the natural events occurred in the area since the Roman Period (vertical ground movements, wave erosion, etc.) and the correlative steps of human occupation and adaptation.
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