In this study, we present a comprehensive map of a microtidal wave-dominated beach system based on an interdisciplinary sea-land approach and with the purpose of supporting a sustainable and successful beach management. The study area is located in a highly urbanized/industrialized coastal sector of the W side of Cagliari Gulf (S Sardinia, W Mediterranean). In the Main Map (1:15,000 scale), static and dynamic features of the beach system and adjacent inner shelf are divided into thematic sections, including geomorphological elements, bathymetry, sedimentological distribution, benthic habitat (mainly Posidonia oceanica meadow), hydrodynamics and anthropogenic features. The map constitutes an example of multidisciplinary benchmark to allow for long-term planning and management of this highly urbanized beach system. It is able to provide a substantial scientific support to policy-makers towards environmental restoration and sustainable development.
This paper presents a detailed (1:4000) geomorphological, sedimentological and ecological map of a Mediterranean microtidal wave-dominated beach system and adjacent inner shelf. This map is an innovative cartographic product that integrates a range of processes of present and past timeframes. It is part of a larger cartography on the coastal geomorphology of Sardinia (Italy) aiming to facilitate coastal management practices and future scientific research. The study area is located in SW Sardinia (Italy), and focuses on Porto Pino beach, an important tourist destination of semi-pristine nature, facing environmental pressures common to many coastal Mediterranean settings. In this context, the main human impact on coastal dune habitats is described and a full environmental characterization of the beach system is presented.
ARTICLE HISTORY
The stability of embankment dams without an impermeable core depends on the characteristics of the face slab that prevents internal erosion, piping and eventual collapse of the structure. Under a Mediterranean climate, the impermeable asphaltic face slab is subjected to high solar radiation and consequent temperature changes, which can generate the creation of cracks and joints. The Medau Zirimilis dam, located in the Casteddu River (Sardinia), is an embankment dam that has undergone seepage and continuous repairs in its asphalt face slab. These reparations have been conducted because of the occurrence of cracks and relative movement of different segments of the slab. To evaluate if seepage endangers the integrity of the dam, GPR was used, with different antennas (100, 250 and 500 MHz), along its crest and upstream and downstream faces, and the data were integrated with infrared thermographic images. Although geophysical data do not show structural changes affecting the main dam structure, deformation structures at shallow levels and in particular in the upstream face and along the crest of the dam have been identified. Such deformation affect s the road atop the crest, the face slab and underlying levels, resulting in landslides that include material from several meters below the surface. The analysis permitted the identification of the origin of surficial cracks and their effects on the face slab. These sectors, independent of current
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.