Fabio Trincardi

• Managing Director at Italian National Research Council

Depositional processes recorded by shelf deposits may vary widely along‐strike, depending largely on the mode of delivery and deposition of sediments to the basin. In fine‐grained systems in particular, depositional processes are difficult to reconstruct with standard facies analysis of sediment cores due to the ostensibly featureless and homogenou...

During the Quaternary, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) experienced cyclical events of stagnation driven by natural climate variability. The resulting deoxygenation left well-preserved evidence in the sedimentary record as organic carbon-rich deposits referred to as sapropels. Although drastic modifications in the degree of densewater formation...

Deltas are the locus of river-borne sediment accumulation, however, their role in sequestering plastic pollutants is still overlooked. By combining geomorphological, sedimentological, and geochemical analyses, which include time-lapse multibeam bathymetry, sediment provenance, and μFT-IR analyses, we investigate the fate of plastic particles after...

The Po-Adriatic region offers an excellent case for reconstructing sediment provenance and transport pathways of a multi-sourced sediment-routing system. Through a comprehensive set of ∼1400 geochemical data, a model for provenance and sediment flux was built based on distinct compositional fingerprints of 53 fluvial systems and their comparison to...

While Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles are commonly associated with strong waxing and waning of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, the response of the Antarctic ice sheet and regional changes in oceanographic and environmental conditions to Pleistocene climate dynamics remain poorly constrained. We present a reconstruction of sea-ice cover, sea...

Continental shelves host 90% of modern Organic Carbon (OC) burial and play a key role in the sequestration of terrigenous OC over geological timescales. The efficiency of OC burial in these systems, however, varies greatly depending on the duration of exposure to oxic-suboxic conditions during sediment transport. In this study, we use observatio...

This study presents novel findings on the Pliocene and Quaternary evolution of the Gela Basin (Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea), an area recording the interaction between tectonics, climate change at Milankovitch and sub-Milankovitch timescales, and dynamic water masses exchange between the eastern and western Mediterranean Sea. The calibration...

This article proposes a bioeconomy approach to the management of contaminated sites with the aim to identify actions for the development of a common policy framework for environmental protection and sustainable development. Among the policies addressing pollution on land and at sea, we identify four main gaps that hamper the implementation of measu...

Quantification of the interaction between river discharge and tides is vital to characterize fluvio-deltaic systems, to identify diagnostic elements of tidal signatures in the rock record, and to reconstruct paleogeographies. In modern systems, even microtides can significantly influence delta morphodynamics; yet, many fundamental processes, partic...

This special issue dealing with the recent advances on modern and ancient clinoform‐stratified sedimentary successions arises from a European Geoscience Union (EGU) session “Clinoform drivers and stratigraphic products in siliciclastic and carbonate successions”, Vienna, April 2018. Clinoforms and clinothems represent a dominant architectural style...

The Bagnoli’s brownfield site (southern Italy) is an environmental priority for the Italian Government and is currently considered as a case study for the definition and application of innovative approaches to ecosystem recovery after a prolonged pollution history and eventual steel plant decommissioning. Here, we analyse high-quality datasets that...

Reconstructions of ancient delta systems rely typically on a two‐dimensional (2D) view of prograding clinothems but may miss their three‐dimensional (3D) stratigraphic complexity which can, instead, be best documented on modern delta systems by integrating high‐resolution geophysical data, historical cartography, core data and geomorphological reco...

In the recent years, a large amount of marine geophysical data has been acquired along the Italian continental margins. Geophysics techniques such as multibeam and high‐resolution sub‐bottom profiles have been particularly useful in the reconstruction of the recent and active processes whose traces are found both at the seafloor and in the upper st...

Tidal inlets are extremely dynamic environments that are often strongly modified by anthropogenic intervention. In this study, we describe the rapid evolution of a highly human-impacted tidal inlet, studied through repeated high-resolution multibeam surveys and geomorphometric analysis. We document the rapid change induced by new hard coastal struc...

Clinoforms with a range of scales are essential elements of prograding continental margins. Different types of clinoforms develop during margin growth, depending on combined changes of relative sealevel, sediment supply and oceanographic processes. In studies of continental margin stratigraphy, trajectories of clinoform “rollover” pointsare often u...

Coastal systems are among the most studied, most vulnerable, and economically most important ecosystems on Earth; nevertheless, little attention has been paid, so far, to the consequences of human activities on the shallow sea-floor of these environments. Here, we present a quantitative assessment of the effects of human actions on the floor of the...

Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, we mapped with unprecedented detail the seafloor morphology, sediment distribution and benthic habitats of a tidal inlet in the Venice Lagoon, Italy, which has been greatly impacted by human activity. Thanks to very high resolution multibeam data, we identified ebb and flood‐tidal deltas, a tidal point bar, ac...

Even in a system whose stratal record is well expressed, it can be challenging to confidently differentiate sequence boundaries from other erosional surfaces because of lateral changes in stratal patterns due to variations in accommodation and sediment-supply rates and routes. Identifying a sequence boundary, as originally defined by Mitchum et al....

Dense shelf waters have been recognised as a key factor in transporting sediment and organic matter across continental slopes; however, the effect of their circulation on continental shelves is still overlooked. The Adriatic Sea is one of the areas in the Mediterranean where dense shelf water forms and flows as a bottom-hugging gravity current alon...

In the framework of the European Commission Blue Growth Strategy, a joint process among European countries has been put in place since 2014 to promote and implement research and innovation actions to increase the number of jobs in the marine and maritime sectors, commonly named ‘blue’, and pursue a sustainable growth in the Mediterranean area. The...

The morphology of scour holes at tidal channel confluences was investigated through high-resolution acoustic mapping of the channel network in the Venice Lagoon (Italy). Our investigation identified 29 confluence scours ranging in depth from 7 to 26 m and characterized by different confluence geometry and scour properties. Scours were found at the...

Al­though fa­cies and stratal geome­tries of con­ti­nen­tal mar­gin suc­ces­sions can be de­fined in de­tail based on sub­sur­face and out­crop stud­ies, most stud­ies lack the high-res­o­lu­tion age con­trol needed to con­strain the time scale of for­ma­tion of such suc­ces­sions and in­fer their ex­ter­nal forc­ing mech­a­nisms. Our work on the P...

Even in a system whose stratal record is well expressed, it can be challenging to confidently differentiate sequence boundaries from other erosional surfaces because of lateral changes in stratal patterns due to variations in accommodation and sediment-supply rates and routes. Identifying a sequence boundary, as originally defined by Mitchum et al....

Despite intense research by both academia and industry, the parameters controlling slope stability at continental margins are often speculated upon. Lack of core recovery and age control on failed sediments prevent the assessment of failure timing/frequency and the role of prefailure architecture as shaped by paleoenvironmental changes. This study...

Tidal channels are crucial for the functioning of wetlands, though their morphological properties, which are relevant for seafloor habitats and flow, have been understudied so far. Here, we release a dataset composed of Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) extracted from a total of 2, 500 linear kilometers of high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) d...

This volume contains the main results of the EC FP7 “The Ocean of Tomorrow” Project CoCoNet, divided in two sections: 1) a set of guidelines to design networks of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas; 2) a smart wind chart that will allow evaluating the possibility of installing Offshore Wind Farms in both seas. The concep...

One of the biggest challenges of the direct observation of the ocean is to achieve a high resolution mapping of its seafloor morphology and benthic habitats. So far, sonars have mapped just 0.05% of the ocean floor with less than ten-meter resolution. The recent efforts of the scientific community have been devoted towards the mapping of both Deep...

The 350-m-thick succession of the Po River lowstand wedge (Italy) associated with the Last Glacial Maximum (deposited over ∼17 k.y) contains stratal architecture at a physical scale commonly attributed to much longer time scales, with complex, systematically varying internal clinothem characteristics. This study investigated clinothem stacking patt...

At this fiftieth anniversary of the storm that flooded the historical Italian centers of Venice and Florence, we review the event from the perspective of the modern scientific knowledge. In particular, we discuss the components of relative sea level rise in Venice that are contributing to the flooding, the monitoring networks and forecast capabilit...

The Pianosa Contourite Depositional System (CDS) is located in the Corsica Trough (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea), a confined basin dominated by mass transport and contour currents in the eastern flank and by turbidity currents in the western flank. The morphologic and stratigraphic characterisation of the Pianosa CDS is based on multibeam bathymetry, se...

Theoretical ecology predicts that heterogeneous habitats allow more species to co-exist in a given area. In the deep sea, biodiversity is positively linked with ecosystem functioning, suggesting that deep-seabed heterogeneity could influence ecosystem functions and the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF). To shed ligh...

ERVO 2016 Italian Update

The Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary succession of the western continental margin that surround the Southern Adriatic basin mainly consists of contourite depositional systems. The architectural stacking pattern of the contourites-linked bodies is sometimes interrupted by the presence of large-scale mass-transport complexes (MTCs). MTCs are spatially di...

The Pliocene–Quaternary history of the south-western Adriatic margin, represented by a complex contourite depositional system, records the palaeoceanography of the basin and the interactions between oceanographic processes and the uneven slope morphology that resulted from tectonic deformation. Three main stages can be recognized: (1) during the Pl...

Climate-driven changes in marine biodiversity during the latest Quaternary ice ages are poorly understood. This is largely because lowstand (glacial) records of marine communities are difficult to study due to their offshore location. Thanks to extensive sampling efforts in both proximal and distal parts of the Adriatic Sea, we now have an opportun...

In understanding the evolution of siliciclastic systems, Late Quaternary analogs may enable reliable predictive models of facies-tract architecture. The Po Plain-Adriatic Sea system, where a wealth of research has been conducted during the last 20. years, represents one of the most intensively investigated late Quaternary successions. With the aid...

Valuable megafaunal sessile assemblages in the southern Adriatic basin present a western–eastern asymmetric distribution. This is particularly evident when considering cold-water coral (CWC) communities, with most diverse and abundant live corals to be found along the western side. On the contrary, only spotty occurrences are documented in the east...

Within the Mediterranean region, the Adriatic basin is one of the key sites for the formation and spreading of dense shelf water. Once formed in the northern shallow region as a response to strong, wintry cold air outbreaks, dense water masses move southeastwards as bottom-hugging gravity currents, eventually reaching the south Adriatic continental...

Valuable megafaunal sessile assemblages in the southern Adriatic basin present a western–eastern asymmetric distribution. This is particularly evident when considering cold-water coral (CWC) communities, with most diverse and abundant live corals to be found along the western side. On the contrary, only spotty occurrences are documented in the east...

The South West Adriatic Margin (SAM) includes a steep and morphologically complex continental slope stretching about 600 km from the Pelagosa sill to the Otranto strait. The margin is clearly dissected by submarine slides, active fault systems (e.g.: the Gondola deformation belt), numerous shallowly incised and relatively straight canyons located s...

Core PRAD 1-2, located on the western flank of the Mid-Adriatic Deep, was investigated for tephra content within the part of the sequence assigned on biostratigraphic and sapropel-layer stratigraphy to MIS 5 and 6 (ca. 80–200 ka BP). A total of 11 discrete tephra layers are identified, 8 visible and 3 cryptotephra layers. 235 geochemical measuremen...

A multi-proxy chronological framework along with sequence-stratigraphic interpretations unveils composite Milankovitch cyclicity in the sedimentary records of the Last Glacial-Interglacial cycle at NE Gela Basin on the Sicilian continental margin. Chronostratigraphic data (including foraminifera-based eco-biostratigraphy and δ18O records, tephrochr...

A multi-proxy chronological framework along with sequence-stratigraphic interpretations unveils composite Milankovitch cyclicity in the sedimentary records of the Last GlacialeInterglacial cycle at NE Gela Basin on the Sicilian continental margin. Chronostratigraphic data (including foraminifera-based eco-biostratigraphy and d18O records, tephrochr...

Erosional sequence boundaries and incised valleys buried in modern continental shelves represent the response of alluvial and coastal systems to Quaternary sea level oscillations. The study of the processes leading to valley incision reveals, at both regional and global scales, the influence of tectonics and eustatism on the evolution of fluvial la...

Tephra layers are assuming an increasingly important role in the dating and correlation of Late Quaternary marine sequences. Here we demonstrate their potential by reporting a new study of the sediment sequence of marine core SA03-11, recovered from the Southern Adriatic Sea, which spans the last c. 39 ka. A total of 28 discrete tephra layers are r...

L'articolo presenta i risultati delle ricerche marine svolte da ISMAR-CNR legate ai temi dei cambiamenti climatici. The article presents the results of researches done by ISMAR-CNR related to climate change.

Recent ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) exploration and bottom sampling in the southern Adriatic Sea (Apulian and Montenegrin margins) resulted in the discovery of cnidarian-rich deep-sea habitats in the depth range of ca. 400-700 m. In particular, ROV inspection of Montenegrin canyons reveals the existence of megabenthic communities dominated by a...

POSTER Conservation and management of coralligenous experience from The BIOMAP Project GEOHAB Habitat mapping for conservation and management purposes 5th - 9th May, 2014 LORNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

The Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR-CNR) has conducted several research projects on the Italian side of the Adriatic Sea over more than 15 years, collecting bathymetric, geophysical and sediment core data to perform multidisciplinary studies of modern sediment dynamics and of past environmental changes during the last eustatic cycle. A crucial st...

The Holocene Twin Slides form the most recent of recurrent mass wasting events along the NE portion of Gela Basin within the Sicily Channel, central Mediterranean Sea. Here, we present new evidence on the morphological evolution and stratigraphic context of this coeval slide complex based on deep-drilled sediment sequences providing a >100 ka paleo...

Seismic data and multi-beam bathymetry reveal the occurrence of several exposed or shallowly buried Mass Transport Complexes (MTCs) in the South-Western Adriatic margin (SWAM), which represents the outer sector of the Albanides-Dinarides foreland basin. MTCs are spatially diffused along the SWAM and characterized by high variability in size, morpho...

Una collezione di carte antiche è stata ritrovata presso la sede ora in ristrutturazione dell'Istituto di Scienze Marine del CNR. Questo fondo cartografico, raccolto tra il 1933 e il 1945 dall'ex-Istituto di Studi Adriatici, comprende carte, vedute prospettiche, portolani e preziosi manoscritti ed inediti. Su questo materiale è stato concordato un...

Linear sand bodies with pronounced mounded topography are known from modern continental margins. These deposits are commonly referred to as sand-ridges, although they may include sedimentary bodies formed in markedly different environments and shaped by distinct depositional and post-depositional processes. The most typical sand ridges on modern sh...

The geo-biological exploration of a pockmark field located at ca. −800m in the Gela basin (Strait of Sicily, Central Mediterranean) provided a relatively diverse chemosymbiotic community and methane-imprinted carbonates. To date, this is the first occurrence of such type of specialized deep-water cold-seep communities recorded from this key region,...

The geo-biological exploration of a pockmark field located at ca. 800 m below sea level in the Gela basin (Strait of Sicily, Central Mediterranean) provided a relatively diverse chemosymbiotic community and methane-imprinted carbonates. To date, this is the first occurrence of such a type of specialised deep-water cold-seep communities recorded fro...

The review of geochronological and historical data documents that the largest southern European deltas formed almost synchronously during two short intervals of enhanced anthropic pressure on landscapes, respectively during the Roman Empire and the Little Ice Age. These growth phases, that occurred under contrasting climatic regimes, were both foll...

The Manfredonia Incised Valley (MIV) is a huge erosional feature buried below the Apulian shelf, on the western side of the Adriatic margin. The incision extends more than 60 km eastward, from the Tavoliere Plain to the outer shelf, not reaching the shelf edge. High-resolution chirp sonar profiles allow reconstruction of the morphology of the incis...

After the end of the last glacial sea level low stand the North Adriatic shallow shelf became progressively drowned as a consequence of the eustatic rise. Through its progressive drowning, this region became a shallow shelf and one of the Mediterranean key sites for the formation of dense shelf waters through wind-forced winter cooling. The dense w...

Most Mediterranean prodeltas show undulated sediments on the foresets of their Holocene wedges. These features have been described all along the Mediterranean and interpreted as either soft sediment deformation or, more recently, as sediment bedforms. We present a detailed analysis of these features using ultrahigh-resolution seismic and bathymetri...

The south Adriatic shelf offshore of the predominently carbonate Apulian coast is characterized by a peculiar rough topography interpreted as relic karst formed at a time of lower sea level. The study area covers a surface of about 220 km 2 , with depths ranging from 50 to 105 m. The most relevant and diagnostic features are circular depressions a...

Defining the activity and seismogenic potential of offshore faults has ever since proved demanding, unveiling how both the nature of a fault and the offshore setting may challenge marine investigation techniques, posing serious limitation to our capability of constraining the timing of deformation and the slip rates along definite fault planes. Typ...