Duccio Bertoni

On the displacement of marked pebbles on two coarse-clastic beaches during short fair-weather periods (Marina di Pisa and Portonovo, Italy)

The aim of the investigation was to define the mechanisms of sediment transport in the swash zone of microtidal coarse-clastic beaches in the very short term by evaluating the displacement rates of marked pebbles under low-energy wave conditions. Tests were performed at two sites (Marina di Pisa, Ligurian Sea, and Portonovo, central Adriatic Sea) to check the consistency of the data over a range of different grain sizes. Two recovery campaigns were carried out at both sites, one 6 h and the other 24 h after the injection. During the experiments wave action was at a minimum (wave heights never exceeded 0.3 m). The results show that 20% of pebbles ranging in diameter from 30–90 mm moved significantly (more than 0.5 m) already 6 h after the injection, with some tracers being lost (3%). After 24 h, 40% of the pebbles were significantly displaced and 10% were lost. The preferential downslope movement of tracers, which suggests that coarse sediment movement under low-energy conditions is mainly controlled by gravity processes enhanced by steep beachface slopes, represents the novelty of the results reported here. It would appear that swash processes on low-energy beaches cause a significant rate of pebble displacement through the destabilization induced by wave uprush and backwash. Despite the microtidal range, the position of the mean water level plays a major role in changing the beach level at which swash processes can actually trigger pebble movement. The results of this study show that considerable, and mostly seaward-directed, coarse sediment transport takes place even during short fair-weather periods.

An RFID Based System for the Underwater Tracking of Pebbles on Artificial Coarse Beaches

Coastal erosion represents one of the most significant environmental emergencies, due to the fact that it affects locations distributed all over the world, including tourist sites and urban centers. Several solutions have been studied during the last years, including the use of gravel beaches as shore protections against the effects of waves. These solutions seem to provide a good protection, but efficient studies on the movement of sediments are very difficult to be performed due to the absence of effective technical solutions. In this article we propose the use of RFID automatic identification technology to keep trace of single pebbles shifting on a gravel beach. The tracking operations are made possible in the sea as well as on the beach providing a tool to perform accurate and global studies on the dynamics of artificial coarse beaches for what concerns both its under and outside water sectors.

In situ abrasion of marked pebbles on two coarse-clastic beaches (Marina di Pisa, Italy)

In this paper pebbles marked by passive integrated transpon ders from two artificial coarse-grained beaches at Marina di Pisa (Tuscany, Italy) were analyzed in order to measure the in situ abra sion rate. The beaches (Cella 7 and Barbarossa) were set up in 2006 as a form of coastal protection. They are both composed of pebbles (30-to-90 mm diameter) and bounded longshore by huge groynes. They differ in length (250 m and 110 m respectively) and in the prese nce of an additional defense structure, a submerged breakwater 50 m off the coastline, at Cella 7. The aim of the study is to reckon the abrasion rate of individual pebbles and evaluate abrasion differen ces of pebbles released on Cella 7 and on Barbarossa. The RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification) was used to track the pebbles due to its reliability and limited costs. The tracers were released on the beaches in March 2009 along closely-spaced crossshore transects. The recovery campaign was carried out in May 2009. A total of 127 pebbles was detected, 83 of which were recov ered. Huge beach reworking during the storms determined high burial rates and consequently the loss of a definite amount of tracers. The pebbles that were recovered showed a significant increase in roundness, in particular the tracers that were released on Bar barossa. The average pebble weight loss measured at Cella 7 was slightly lower, which means lower mobilization rate at this site rather than at Barbarossa. The resulting values are significant considering the short time frame of the research (two months) and the limited energy of the storms occurred during the experiment.

The role of sediment grain size, mineralogy, and beach morphology on plant communities of two Mediterranean coastal dune systems

Coastal dune ecosystems are characterized by a strong relationship between abiotic and biotic factors. The aim of the study is to identify the abiotic factors that mostly affect distribution and composition of plant dune communities along the coast-to-inland gradient, focusing the attention on sediment grain-size parameters, mineralogy, and dune morphology. The research was carried out on two coastal dune systems belonging to protected areas in the Mediterranean Basin, specifically in Northern and Southern Tuscany (Italy). Grain-size analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, topographic surveys, and floristic data recording were carried out along 11 transects perpendicular to the shoreline; the portion of the beach investigated is comprised within the foreshore and the backdune area. The analyses revealed some differences between the two coastal dune systems in terms of sediment parameters, mineralogy, and dune topography. The differences are mainly ascribed to the physical characteristics of the sites where the surveys were carried out. These data were matched with those provided by the vegetation sampling and then statistically processed by means of methods such as the Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA), which showed that the mean grain-size is the most important abiotic factor that influences the composition of these coastal plant communities. These results might be considered to improve and optimize management and conservation programs for these ecosystems, since nowadays artificial dune reconstruction is a practice frequently used as a form of coastal protection.

An Analysis of the Performances of Low Frequency Cylinder Glass Tags for the Underwater Tracking of Pebbles on a Natural Beach

In this paper we provide the results of a two months experimentation of Low Frequency RFID technology for the sediments tracking on a beach close to Ancona, Italy. For this experimentation, cylinder glass tags were used, modifying a previous solution based on the use of plastic disc tags. While the use of Low Frequency RFID as a technology to monitor the movements of sediments under and outside water on beaches subject to high coastal erosion phenomenons was already been tested before and described in previous papers, the use of glass tags was not introduced until this last experimentation due to the fragile nature of these devices that discouraged from their use. Anyway, their use was finally encouraged from the goods results obtained from laboratory test concerning their reading range and their ease of use. The results provided in this paper show that cylinder glass tags are probably the best solution for the tracking of pebbles movements.

GRAIN SIzE CHARACTERIzATION OF MODERN AND ANCIENT DUNES WITHIN A DUNE FIELD ALONG THE PISAN COAST (TUSCANy, ITALy)

In this paper, grain size analysis on a large number of samples from a dune field within the Migliarino - San Rossore - Massaciuccoli Regional Park has been carried out in order to define the textural characterization of modern and ancient dune ridges. More than 200 samples along five transects have been collected from the backshore, the active dunes and the steady dunes up to the last recognizable dune ridge. The samples have been dry-sieved and the obtained data have been processed electronically to achieve textural param - eters such as mean diameter and sorting. The results showed similar trends of the transects throughout the entire dune field. In particular, the grain size tends to decrease towards the most ancient dune ridges, showing a significant drop at the transi - tion between active and inactive areas. The drastic decrease might be related to a possible variation of River Arno sediment discharge occurred after the XVIII century.

Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Network for Real Time Remote Monitoring of Sand Dynamics on Coastal Dunes

In this paper, the architecture of a heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) to be deployed on coastal sand dunes is described, the aim of which is to provide real time measurements of physical parameters to better define the sediment transport in connection with Aeolian processes. The WSN integrates different typologies of sensors and is provided with both local and remote connection. In particular, three different typologies of sensors are integrated in the network: a multilayer anemometric station, a sensor developed ad-hoc to measure the sand dune level and a sand collector capable of measuring the weight of trapped sand and its quantity. Each sensor node is made up at least of a ZigBee radio module that is able to transmit the data collected by the sensor at a distance of about 100 meters. While the sand level sensor and the sand collector are provided only with this transmission module, the anemometric station also integrates a microprocessor board in charge of data processing. A Gateway node provided with a GSM connection for remote data transmission and a Zigbee radio module for Local Area communication has also been developed. This node is in charge of collecting all the data packets sent by the Sensor Nodes and transmit them to a remote server through GPRS connection. A Web server has been set up to collect these packets and store them in a database. The proposed WSN can provide both a static and a dynamic framework of sand transport processes acting on coastal dunes.

A Wireless Sensor Network for the Real-Time Remote Measurement of Aeolian Sand Transport on Sandy Beaches and Dunes

Direct measurements of aeolian sand transport on coastal dunes and beaches is of paramount importance to make correct decisions about coast management. As most of the existing studies are mainly based on a statistical approach, the solution presented in this paper proposes a sensing structure able to orient itself according to wind direction and directly calculate the amount of wind-transported sand by collecting it and by measuring its weight. Measurements are performed remotely without requiring human action because the structure is equipped with a ZigBee radio module, which periodically sends readings to a local gateway. Here data are processed by a microcontroller and then transferred to a remote data collection centre, through GSM technology. The ease of installation, the reduced power consumption and the low maintenance required, make the proposed solution able to work independently, limiting human intervention, for all the duration of the expected experimental campaign. In order to analyze the cause-effect relationship between the transported sand and the wind, the sensing structure is integrated with a multi-layer anemoscope-anemometer structure. The overall sensor network has been developed and tested in the laboratory, and its operation has been validated in field through a 48 h measurement campaign.

A Wireless Sensor Network Framework for Real-Time Monitoring of Height and Volume Variations on Sandy Beaches and Dunes

In this paper, the authors describe the realization and testing of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) framework aiming at measuring, remotely and in real time, the level variations of the sand layer of sandy beaches or dunes. The proposed framework is based on an innovative low cost sensing structure, able to measure the level variations with a 5-cm degree of precision and to locally transfer the acquired data through the ZigBee protocol. The described sensor is integrated in a wider ZigBee wireless sensor network architecture composed of an array of sensors that, arranged according to a grid layout, can acquire the same data at different points, allowing the definition of a dynamic map of the area under study. The WSN is connected to a local Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) gateway that is in charge of data processing and transmission to a cloud infrastructure through a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) connection. Data are then stored in a MySQL database and made available any time and anywhere through the Internet. The proposed architecture has been tested in a laboratory, to analyze data acquisition, processing timing and power consumption and then in situ to prove the effectiveness of the system. The described infrastructure is expected to be integrated in a wider IoT architecture including different typologies of sensors, in order to create a multi-purpose tool for the study of coastal erosive processes.

Vulnerability assessment of a coastal dune system at São Francisco do Sul Island (Santa Catarina, Brazil)

In this paper a Coastal Dune Vulnerability Index (CDVI) has been applied on a beach located in the eastern side of Sao Francisco do Sul Island (Brazil). The aim of this study is to assess the vulnerability of a coastal dune system and to identify the areas that result most sensitive to environmental changes. The CDVI has been applied along six transects traced out on two sectors that have been selected based on dune characteristics: Zone A is characterized by well developed parabolic dunes, whereas Zone B is characterized by transverse dunes. The analysis involved 51 quantitative and qualitative variables, divided into five groups: geomorphological dune system condition, marine influence, Aeolian effect, vegetation condition and human effect. The total CDVI was computed as the unweighted average of the partial vulnerability indices. In summary, the total vulnerability can be classified as medium: the geomorphological factor must be monitored at Grande beach, in particular the blowouts in Zone A and the frontal dune retreat in Zone B. The results of the study confirm that the management of coastal areas might be improved using a tool such as the CDVI, which can be easily applied on a regular basis to take under control the factors that mostly affect the evolution of the site.