High-resolution morpho-bathymetry of Pozzuoli Bay, southern Italy

Abstract

We present the results of a detailed bathymetric survey of Pozzuoli Bay (Gulf of Naples, Italy). This shallow marine area, along with the Campi Flegrei inland, is a highly active volcanic district in the coastal zone of SW Italy. The area has been active since at least 78 ka B.P., and is structurally dominated by a caldera collapse ( 8 km in diameter) associated with the eruption of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT), a 30 -50 km 3 dense rock equivalent (DRE) ignimbrite dated 15 ka B.P. The main cartographic product consists of a 1:10,000 scale morpho-bathymetric map of Pozzuoli Bay, derived from 1 m cell-size, colour hill-shaded, digital terrain model of the seafloor. Multibeam bathymetry data reveal the precise extent of Roman underwater archaeological remains located in the N -NW infralittoral zone of the Bay. Morphometric analysis allowed for the development of thematic representations, including slope and aspect maps. A complete data set of active fluid vents seafloor locations were also recorded during the survey and reported in the final map. The multibeam bathymetric survey illustrated in this study provides an unprecedentedly detailed image of the seafloor morphology of Pozzuoli Bay and represents a contribution to the understanding of the dynamic evolution of the Campi Flegrei caldera, a high-risk volcanic area densely populated by almost one million people.

Distributed-Temperature-Sensing Using Optical Methods: A First Application in the Offshore Area of Campi Flegrei Caldera (Southern Italy) for Volcano Monitoring

“…Previous data acquired from geophysical and geochemical marine surveys show the presence of active fluid vents, for which there are no temperature measurements, mainly aligned along the coastline [37] (Figure 3). Our data highlight that the geothermal system extends into the off-shore section of the caldera (Figure 10a-d) in accordance with the possible location of the magmatic source, as inferred from inversion geodetic and fluid-dynamic modeling related to recent unrests (1970-1972, 1982-1984, 2005 to present time) [14,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

“…Before the excavation and installation of the cable, a detailed geophysical survey of the sea bottom had been performed. This consisted of a high-resolution morpho-bathymetry of the Bay of Pozzuoli (see [37] for details) ( Figure 3) and a sub bottom profiler along a strip 2.6 km long and 200 m wide, which provided information about the possible presence of buried bodies. The maximum depth of the optical cable is 85 m at the distance of ~2.4 km from the harbor, while the average depth of the monitored profile is about 50 m. At these depths the sea temperature is fairly constant during the different seasons [38] and considering the depth of buried cable, the environment steady-temperature does not affect the measurement on a short timescale ( Figure 4).…”

Fluid Vents, Flank Instability, and Seafloor Processes along the Submarine Slopes of the Somma-Vesuvius Volcano, Eastern Tyrrhenian Margin

“…To date, about 76 active fluid vents from the seafloor have been surveyed in Naples Bay [26], while 31 have been surveyed in Pozzuoli Bay [35] (Figures 1 and 6). As a consequence, a large number of seafloor morphologies produced by gas vents can be found, including pockmarks, cones, and elongated features.…”

3d Documentation of Archeological Remains in the Underwater Park of Baiae

“…This equipment is particularly reliable for data acquisition in areas of archaeological interest (Passaro et al, 2013: Somma et al, 2015. The bathymetric acquisition system was properly interfaced with a differential global positioning system, which ensured a sub-meter accuracy, and with inertial motion sensors for pitch, roll, yaw and heading corrections.…”