Storm Energy Flux Characterization along the Mediterranean Coast of Andalusia (Spain)

This paper investigates wave climate and storm characteristics along the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia, for the period 1979&ndash

Prediction of soil texture distributions using VNIR-SWIR reflectance spectroscopy

Abstract Reflectance spectroscopy provides an alternate method to non-destructively characterize key soil properties. Different approaches, including chemometrics techniques or specific absorption features, have been proposed to estimate soil properties from visible and near-infrared (VNIR, 400-1200 nm) and shortwave infrared (SWIR, 1200-2500 nm) reflectance domains. The main goal of this study was to test the performance of two distinct methods for soil texture estimation by VNIR-SWIR reflectance measurements: i) the Continuum Removal (CR) technique that was used to correlate specific spectral absorption features with clay, silt and sand content, and ii) the Partial Least-Squares Regressio…

Critical analysis of the thermal inertia approach to map soil water content under sparse vegetation and changeable sky conditions

The paper reports a critical analysis of the thermal inertia approach to map surface soil water content on bare and sparsely vegetated soils by means of remotely sensed data. The study area is an experimental area located in Barrax (Spain). Field data were acquired within the Barrax 2011 research project. AHS airborne images including VIS/NIR and TIR bands were acquired both day and night time by the INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial) between the 11 th and 13 rd of June 2011. Images cover a corn pivot surrounded by bare soil, where a set of in situ data have been collected previously and simultaneously to overpasses. To validate remotely sensed estimations, a preliminary prox…

Dinamica costiera: individuazione della linea di riva e stima della sue incertezze

La linea di riva, ha natura dinamica, ovvero è sottoposta a continui cambiamenti, a breve e lungo termine, causati da processi geomorfologici, idrodinamici e da fattori improvvisi e rapidi. La ricerca esamina le problematiche legate all’incertezza nell’individuazione della posizione della linea di riva, al variare del tempo, considerando sia aspetti geologico - geomorfologici che aspetti idraulico marittimi. Il caso studio è un tratto di costa marsalese (Trapani). Tale settore è caratterizzato da una costa bassa con sedimenti sabbiosi d'età olocenica. L’analisi diacronica è stata basata su ortofoto e cartografie per il periodo di tempo compreso tra il 1994 e il 2006. È da precisare che la m…

A regional approach for exploring the relation between sediment transport and coastal erosion in Sicily

To study on a regional basis, the relation between fluvial sediment delivery and coastal erosion, the historical record of coastline migration of Sicily was analyzed with respect to the estimated sediment delivery to the coast obtained from the spatially distributed sediment delivery WaTEM/SEDEM model. The latter was directly acquired from the ESDAC database as a 25 m pixel layers, being based on the combination between the RUSLE model and a transport capacity routing algorithm. At the same time, the coastline-evolution (accretion/retreatment) data for 1960/1994 and 1994/2012 intervals were processed. This dataset, provided by ISPRA (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Resear…

Stima da remoto delle caratteristiche evapotraspirative e di umidità del sistema suolo-vegetazione di un impianto viticolo su morfologia complessa

Obiettivo della ricerca è la messa a punto di tecniche di elaborazione d’immagini telerilevate al fine di analizzare le caratteristiche evapotraspirative e di umidità del sistema suolo-vegetazione. La valutazione di tali grandezze è, infatti, di notevole interesse poiché consente alle aziende viticole di ottimizzare i processi di produzione nonché la qualità del prodotto. L’evapotraspirazione effettiva del sistema suolo-vegetazione (ETa) è stata stimata mediante l’applicazione del SEBAL (Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land), un modello di bilancio energetico facente uso d’immagini telerilevate nel campo riflessivo ed emissivo dello spettro. Il modello, implementato nella versione Moun…

Monitoring Mediterranean marine pollution using remote sensing and hydrodynamic modelling

Human activities contaminate both coastal areas and open seas, even though impacts are different in terms of pollutants, ecosystems and recovery time. In particular, Mediterranean offshore pollution is mainly related to maritime transport of oil, accounting for 25% of the global maritime traffic and, during the last 25 years, for nearly 7% of the world oil accidents, thus causing serious biological impacts on both open sea and coastal zone habitats. This paper provides a general review of maritime pollution monitoring using integrated approaches of remote sensing and hydrodynamic modeling; focusing on the main results of the MAPRES (Marine pollution monitoring and detection by aerial survei…

Caratterizzazione della rugosità e dell’umidità del suolo tramite dati radar multifrequenza e multipolarizzazione

Mapping phycocyanin cells density of Planktothrix rubescens in freshwater reservoirs

Stagnone di Marsala lagoon, Sicily

State and parameter update in a coupled energy/hydrologic balance model using ensemble Kalman filtering

Summary The capability to accurately monitor and describe daily evapotranspiration (ET) in a cost effective manner is generally attributed to hydrological models. However, continuous solution of energy and water balance provides precise estimations only when a detailed knowledge of sub-surface characteristics is available. On the other hand, residual surface energy balance models, based on remote observation of land surface temperature, are characterised by sufficient accuracy, but their applicability is limited by the lack of high frequency and high resolution thermal data. A compromise between these two methodologies is represented by the use of data assimilation scheme to include sparse …

A critical analysis of three remote sensing-based actual evapotranspiration assessment methods over sparse crops agricultural areas

During last two decades the increasing availability of remotely sensed acquisitions in the thermal infrared part of the spectrum has encouraged hydrologist community to develop models and methodologies based on these kind of data. The aim of this paper is to compare three methods developed to assess the actual evapotranspiration spatial distribution by means of remote sensing data. The comparison was focused on the differences between the "single" (SEBAL) and "two" source (TSEB) surface energy balance approaches and the S-SEBI semi-empirical method. The first assumes a semiempirical internal calibration for the sensible heat flux assessment; the second uses a physically based approach in or…

Estimation of the time lag occurring between vegetation indices and aridity indices in a Sicilian semi-arid catchment

The evolution of drought phenomena in a Sicilian semi-arid catchment has been analyzed processing both remote sensing images and climatic data for the period 1985-2000. The remote sensing dataset includes Landsat TM and ETM+ multispectral images, while the climatic dataset includes monthly rainfall and air temperature. The results have been specifically discussed for areas where it is possible to neglect agricultural activities and vegetation growth is only influenced by natural forcing. The main outcome of this study is the quantification of the time lag between the remote sensing retrieved vegetation indices and the aridity indices (AIs) calculated from climatic data. Moreover the obtaine…

Actual evapotranspiration assessment by means of a coupled energy/hydrologic balance model: Validation over an olive grove by means of scintillometry and measurements of soil water contents

Summary A coupled energy/hydrologic model was applied to simulate the exchange of energy and water in the soil–plant-atmosphere system (SPA). The model, which uses a “two-source” approach to estimate the energy fluxes, and the “force-restore” approach to represent the water balance, was validated by means of evapotranspiration measurements collected via scintillometry and soil moisture measurements collected via time domain reflectometry (TDR) in a Sicilian olive grove. The comparison between measured and estimated fluxes values at an hourly scale showed good agreement. Additional comparisons on a daily timescale confirmed the model’s applicability for quantifying crop water requirements. A…

On the Influence of Spatial Resolution on Submerged Vegetation Mapping Using Satellite Images

Predisposizione di modelli previsionali della domanda idrica residenziale in condizioni di scarsità

Influenza della correlazione seriale nell'analisi di trend in serie di variabili climatiche in Sicilia

Flow hydraulic characteristics determining the occurrence of either smooth or abrupt sewer pressurization

Laboratory experiments showed that pipe pressurization consequent on a drastic reduction in the downstream discharge can occur either by a gradual rising of the free-surface (“smooth” pressurization) or by propagation of a front filling the whole cross-section (“abrupt” pressurization). This study examines the free-surface flow characteristics that determine smooth or abrupt pressurization pattern through a theoretical approach using dimensionless variables. A critical flow rate value, which separates the pressurization patterns, exists for any given pipe diameter. For flow rates higher than this specific value, only abrupt pressurization occurs. For lower flow rates, either smooth or abrup…

Monitoring marine water quality of Sicily by means of remotely sensed imagery

Within the framework of the GEOGRID research project, a semi-automatic computational chain has been implemented in order to map the time evolution of marine water quality, around Sicily island, by means of satellite images. To this aim a set of MODIS (TERRA and AQUA) multispectral images has been acquired. An automatic system to georeference and calibrate the images has been implemented. All the procedures to map clorophill-a, total suspended solids and turbidity come from the literature, whereas models parameters have been calibrated by means of in situ measurements.

Efficiency of Wave Energy Converters off the Sicilian Channel

This paper presents a preliminary analysis on efficiency of wave energy converters off the Sicilian Channel (Italy) carried out using the SNL-SWAN spectral model (”Sandia National Laboratories – Simulating WAves Nearshore”). This open source numerical code makes possible to calculate the power extracted from wave energy converter (WEC) devices, arranged in arrays. The WEC arrays were located parallel to the coastline, near the 20 m bathymetric isoline. Three devices were tested: Pelamis, Wave Dragon and Oyster 2; one of the input data of the numerical model is the WEC power matrix, expressed as a function of the wave height and period. This matrix was determined experimentally by the protot…

Flow and turbulence characteristics in the presence of a discontinuous ligulate seagrass prairie

Estimating crop coefficients and actual evapotranspiration in citrus orchards with sporadic cover weeds based on ground and remote sensing data

AbstractAccurate estimations of actual crop evapotranspiration are of utmost importance to evaluate crop water requirements and to optimize water use efficiency. At this aim, coupling simple agro-hydrological models, such as the well-known FAO-56 model, with remote observations of the land surface could represent an easy-to-use tool to identify biophysical parameters of vegetation, such as the crop coefficient Kc under the actual field conditions and to estimate actual crop evapotranspiration. This paper intends, therefore, to propose an operational procedure to evaluate the spatio-temporal variability of Kc in a citrus orchard characterized by the sporadic presence of ground weeds, based o…

A time domain triangle method approach to estimate actual evapotranspiration: Application in a Mediterranean region using MODIS and MSG-SEVIRI products

Abstract In this study, spatially distributed estimates of regional actual evapotranspiration (ET) were obtained using a revised procedure of the so called “triangle method” to parameterize the Priestley–Taylor ϕ coefficient. In the procedure herein proposed, named Time-Domain Triangle Method (TDTM), the triangular feature space was parameterized considering pairs of T s –VI values obtained by exploring, for each pixel, only their temporal dynamics. This new method was developed using time series products provided by MODIS and MSG-SEVIRI sensors. Moreover the proposed procedure does not depend on ancillary data, and it is only based on remotely sensed vegetation indices and day–night time l…

Application of energy balance models for actual evapotranspiration assessment by means of airborne and satellite remote sensing data

Detection of crop water status in mature olive orchards using vegetation spectral measurements

Identifying wave and turbulence components in wind-driven shallow basins

Wind-induced waves play an important role in shallow lake hydro- and sediment dynamics. That is why field measurements are important for the validation of their estimation methods, especially in shallow waters. In the first part of the present paper a method is introduced to improve the interpretation of the measured data, applicable both for pressure and velocity data. Replacing the turbulence-affected tail of the measured spectrum with a fitted power function causes a considerable 8-10% difference in the derived bulk wave parameters so this procedure is worth to be done. In the second part an appropriate technique to obtain wave features from 3D velocity time series will be described. The…

Mapping soil water content under sparse vegetation and changeable sky conditions: comparison of two thermal inertia approaches

A critical analysis of a thermal inertia approach to map surface soil water content on bare and sparsely vegetated soils by means of remotely sensed data is reported. The study area is an experimental field located in Barrax, Spain. In situ data were acquired within the Barrax 2011 research project. An advanced hyperspectral scanner airborne imager provides images in the visible/near-infrared and thermal infrared bands. Images were acquired both in day and night times by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial between 12th and 13th of June 2011. The scene covers a corn irrigation pivot surrounded by bare soil, where a set of in situ data have been collected both previously and simult…

Monitoring the invasion of an exotic tree (Ailanthus altissima) (Mill.) Swingle with Landsat satellite time series imagery in urban forest.

In the Mediterranean area, one the most threat tree to various ecosystems is Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. This is an aggressive invasive species common in natural and semi-natural habitat. Monitoring and mapping of invasive species is an important information for the conservation and management of ecosystems. The study of distribution and diffusion of invasive species are useful to assess their environmental impacts, formulate effective control strategies, and forecast potential spread. The main target of this work is to examine the feasibility of mapping the expansion of A. altissima using remote sensing techniques in a highly complex urban forest setting. Remote sensing has been a…

Misure idrodinamiche nello Stagnone di Marsala

Indoor spectroradiometric characterization of plastic litters commonly polluting the Mediterranean Sea: toward the application of multispectral imagery

AbstractAround 350 million tonnes of plastics are annually produced worldwide. A remarkable percentage of these products is dispersed in the environment, finally reaching and dispersed in the marine environment. Recent field surveys detected microplastics’ concentrations in the Mediterranean Sea. The most commonly polymers found were polyethylene, polypropylene and viscose, ethylene vinyl acetate and polystyrene. In general, the in-situ monitoring of microplastic pollution is difficult and time consuming. The main goals of this work were to spectrally characterize the most commonly polymers and to quantify their spectral separability that may allow to determine optimal band combinations for…

On the use of unmanned aerial systems for environmental monitoring

[EN] Environmental monitoring plays a central role in diagnosing climate and management impacts on natural and agricultural systems; enhancing the understanding of hydrological processes; optimizing the allocation and distribution of water resources; and assessing, forecasting, and even preventing natural disasters. Nowadays, most monitoring and data collection systems are based upon a combination of ground-based measurements, manned airborne sensors, and satellite observations. These data are utilized in describing both small-and large-scale processes, but have spatiotemporal constraints inherent to each respective collection system. Bridging the unique spatial and temporal divides that li…

Critical Analysis Of Remote Sensing Techniques To Monitor Coastal Water Quality-Related Parameters

DETERMINAZIONE DELLE CARATTERISTICHE OTTICHE DI VEGETAZIONE SOMMERSA TRAMITE METODO MONTE CARLO

Si presentano i risultati di una ricerca volta alla determinazione della risposta spettrale della vegeta-zione sommersa mediante simulazioni stocastiche, con l’obiettivo di porre in risalto il range d’applicabilità (in termini di profondità e di lunghezza d’onda) delle tecniche di monitoraggio della vegetazione sommersa a partire da dati telerilevati. Per fare ciò è stato sviluppato e implementato un codice di calcolo che permette di ricostruire, mediante simulazioni stocastiche, la firma spettrale di oggetti posti sul fondale, una volta note le caratteristiche ottiche degli oggetti stessi e della colonna d’acqua. La flessibilità del modello di calcolo implementato ha inoltre permesso di es…

Applications of a remote sensing-based two-source energy balance algorithm for mapping surface fluxes without in situ air temperature observations

Abstract The two-source energy balance (TSEB) model uses remotely sensed maps of land–surface temperature (LST) along with local air temperature estimates at a nominal blending height to model heat and water fluxes across a landscape, partitioned between dual sources of canopy and soil. For operational implementation of TSEB, however, it is often difficult to obtain representative air temperature data that are compatible with the LST retrievals, which may themselves have residual errors due to atmospheric and emissivity corrections. To address this issue, two different strategies in applying the TSEB model without requiring local air temperature data were tested over a typical Mediterranean…

Use of differential SAR interferometry for detecting and measuring ground displacement due to a extensive landslide near Niscemi (Sicily, Italy)

A Methodological Approach to Determine Sound Response Modalities to Coastal Erosion Processes in Mediterranean Andalusia (Spain)

Human occupation along coastal areas has been greatly increasing in recent decades and, in many places, human activities and infrastructures are threatened by erosion processes that can produce relevant economic and human losses. In order to reduce such impacts and design sound management strategies, which can range from the &ldquo

Assessing the performance of a large-scale irrigation system by estimations of actual evapotranspiration obtained by Landsat satellite images resampled with cubic convolution

Abstract Remote sensing techniques allow monitoring the Earth surface and acquiring worthwhile information that can be used efficiently in agro-hydrological systems. Satellite images associated to computational models represent reliable resources to estimate actual evapotranspiration fluxes, ETa, based on surface energy balance. The knowledge of ETa and its spatial distribution is crucial for a broad range of applications at different scales, from fields to large irrigation districts. In single plots and/or in irrigation districts, linking water volumes delivered to the plots with the estimations of remote sensed ETa can have a great potential to develop new cost-effective indicators of irr…

Modellazione matematica delle oscillazioni di pressione nella pressurizzazione di un condotto fognario

Si esamina il transitorio di pressurizzazione di un condotto fognario, un fenomeno abbastanza frequente nelle reti di drenaggio urbano. Durante tale transitorio si attuano delle intense oscillazioni di pressione, solitamente interpretate addirittura come “fenomeni di colpo d’ariete” e ritenute in grado di danneggia-re la rete. La natura di tali oscillazioni non è ancora chiara, anche se esse sono generalmente imputate, con modalità non definite, alla interferenza fra la corrente liquida e le sacche d’aria di notevoli dimen-sioni imprigionate dalla corrente liquida contro il cielo del condotto. Nella presente memoria, sulla base di precedenti esperienze di laboratorio, si affronta la modella…

The impact of in-canopy wind profile formulations on heat flux estimation in an open orchard using the remote sensing-based two-source model

Abstract. For open orchard and vineyard canopies containing significant fractions of exposed soil (>50%), typical of Mediterranean agricultural regions, the energy balance of the vegetation elements is strongly influenced by heat exchange with the bare soil/substrate. For these agricultural systems a "two-source" approach, where radiation and turbulent exchange between the soil and canopy elements are explicitly modelled, appears to be the only suitable methodology for reliably assessing energy fluxes. In strongly clumped canopies, the effective wind speed profile inside and below the canopy layer can strongly influence the partitioning of energy fluxes between the soil and vegetation co…

Mapping evapotranspiration on vineyards: A comparison between Penman-Monteith and energy balance approaches for operational purposes

Estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) in Sicilian vineyard is an emerging issue since these agricultural systems are more and more converted from rainfed to irrigated conditions, with significant impacts on the management of the scarce water resources of the region. The choice of the most appropriate methodology for assessing water use in these systems is still an issue of debating, due to the complexity of canopy and root systems and for their high spatial fragmentation. In vineyards, quality and quantity of the final product are dependent on the controlled stress conditions to be set trough irrigation. This paper reports an application of the well-known Penman-Monteith approach, applied i…

Comparing actual evapotranspiration and plant water potential on a vineyard

Agricultural water requirement in arid and semi-arid environments represents an important fraction of the total water consumption, suggesting the need of appropriate water management practices to sparingly use the resource. Furthermore the quality and quantity of some crops products, such as grape, is improved under a controlled amount of water stress. The latter is related, on a side to actual evapotranspiration (ET) through water demand, on the other side to plant water content through leaf water potential. Residual energy balance approaches based on remote sensing allow to estimate the spatial distribution of daily actual ET at plant scale, representing an useful tool to detect its spati…

Confronto tra evapotraspirazione effettiva e potenziale idrico fogliare da dati telerilevati e micrometeorologici

The synergy of water quality and sea surface currents data in determining the spatio-temporal evolution of large-scale circulation features

Chlorophyll-a (CHL-a) and Sea Surface Temperature (SST), amongst others, are proxies or indicators for water quality and can be easily retrieved synoptically and almost in near-real time through satellite remote-sensing. However, as they evolve in space and time in response to winds and currents, a full resolution of the temporal and spatial scales of these latters is required and their influence in shaping the distribution of water quality parameters needs to be assessed. While providing synoptic views and revealing mesoscale features, satellites suffer, indeed, from inadequate representation of sub-grid physical processes and lack of temporal resolution. Conventional point-wise measuremen…

Comparison of potential vs. actual vegetation status by means of distributed hydrological bilance model and remore sensing data

A geostatistical approach to map near-surface soil moisture through hyperspatial resolution thermal inertia.

Thermal inertia has been applied to map soil water content exploiting remote sensing data in the short and long wave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Over the last years, optical and thermal cameras were sufficiently miniaturized to be loaded onboard of unmanned aerial systems (UASs), which provide unprecedented potentials to derive hyperspatial resolution thermal inertia for soil water content mapping. In this study, we apply a simplification of thermal inertia, the apparent thermal inertia (ATI), over pixels where underlying thermal inertia hypotheses are fulfilled (unshaded bare soil). Then, a kriging algorithm is used to spatialize the ATI to get a soil water content map. The pr…

Exploring the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with the simplified ‘triangle’ technique for soil water content and evaporative fraction retrievals in a Mediterranean setting

Participation of Dr. Petropoulos has been funded by the ENViSIoN-EO Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant (grant No 752094), part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Part of the present collaborative work was also materialised in the framework of a short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) of the HARMONIOUS Cost Action which financially supported Dr Petropoulos’ visit between 4 to 15 February 2020 to the Department of Engineering of the University of Palermo, Italy. Η συμμετοχή του Δρ. Πετρόπουλου χρηματοδοτήθηκε από το πρόγραμμα της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης για Έρευνα και Καινοτομία «Oρίζοντας 2020», δράση Marie Sklodowska - Curie , έργο ENViSIoN-EO (αριθ. 752094). Επίσης μέ…

Uncertainties in shoreline position analysis: the role of run-up and tide in a gentle slope beach

Abstract. In the last decades in the Mediterranean sea, high anthropic pressure from increasing economic and touristic development has affected several coastal areas. Today the erosion phenomena threaten human activities and existing structures, and interdisciplinary studies are needed to better understand actual coastal dynamics. Beach evolution analysis can be conducted using GIS methodologies, such as the well-known Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS), in which error assessment based on shoreline positioning plays a significant role. In this study, we propose a new approach to estimate the positioning errors due to tide and wave run-up influence. To improve the assessment of the wav…

Shoreline detection in gentle slope Mediterranean beach

Large-Eddy Simulation e tecnica LS-PIV: lo studio della turbolenza superficiale

Gli avanzamenti tecnologici degli ultimi decenni hanno fatto registrare la rapida diffusione di tecnologie innovative con cui condurre un monitoraggio ambientale più efficiente ed efficace. Nel campo del monitoraggio fluviale sono sempre più utilizzate le tecniche basate sull’elaborazione di immagini, fornendo una valida alternativa alle metodologie tradizionalmente adottate. Le tecniche ottiche restituiscono infatti misure non intrusive, assicurando migliori condizioni di sicurezza per gli operatori. I metodi ottici più utilizzati sono la Large-Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LS-PIV) [1] e la Large-Scale Particle Tracking Velocimetry (LS-PTV) [2]. Le tecniche LS-PIV e LS-PTV si basano su…

SEWER PRESSURIZATION MODELLING BY A RIGID-COLUMN METHOD

Mathematical modelling of pressurization transient by a rigid-column method is studied based on previous laboratory testing. Of course, such a method is not able to simulate the experimental intense pressure oscillations; however, it is considerably simpler than other feasible methods and more easily implementable within drainage network models. Starting from this operative point of view, the paper aims at recognizing “what” and “how much” of the transient can be simulated by a rigid-column method. Actually, better results were obtained than it was expected. The model proves to be successful in simulation of the filling pipe stage as well as the stabilization stage of flow to the final stea…

Interpreting and modelling field data for wastewater dispersion into sea through dimensional analysis

Optical properties of Sicilian lakes during a Cyanophycea Planktothrix rubescens algal bloom

In December 2006 blooms of Planktothrix rubescens were found in the reservoir Prizzi in Sicily. Planktothrix is a genus of filamentous alga comprising approximately 6 species, between these the P. rubescens is sadly famous since this organism produces microcystins which are powerful hepatotoxins. Firstly found in Europe in 1825 on Geneva lake, recently (2006) those algae has been find out in Pozzillo, Nicoletti e Ancipa reservoirs (Enna Province), as well as in Prizzi (Palermo Province) and Garcia reservoirs (Trapani Province). Toxins produced by those bacteria (usually called microcystine LR-1 and LR-2) are highly toxic since they can activate oncogenes cells causing cancer pathologies on …

Hydrodynamic measurements in a shallow lagoon

Coupling SAR X-band and optical data for NDVI retrieval: model calibration and validation on two test areas

Sustainability of modern agro-hydrology requires the knowledge of spatial and temporal variability of vegetation biomass to optimize management of land and water resources. Diversely from optical imaging, temporal resolution of active sensors, such as SAR, is not limited by sky cloudiness; thus, they may be combined with optical imageries to provide a more continuous monitoring of land surfaces. Several new SAR missions (e.g., ALOS-PALSAR, COSMO-SkyMed 1 and 2, TerraSAR-X, TerraSAR-X2, Sentinel 1) acquiring at X-, C- and L-bands and dual polarization capability, are characterized by a short revisit time (from 12 h to ~10 days) and high spatial resolution (<20 m). These satellites could prov…

Wind- and tide-induced currents in the Stagnone Lagoon (Sicily)

The hydrodynamic circulation is analyzed in the coastal lagoon of Stagnone di Marsala, a natural reserve located in the north-western part of Sicily, using both experimental measurements and numerical simulations. Field measurements of velocities and water levels, carried out using an ultrasound sensor (3D), are used to validate the numerical model. A 3D finite-volume model is used to solve the Reynolds-averaged momentum and mass balance differential equations on a curvilinear structured grid, employing the k– $${\varepsilon}$$ turbulence model for the Reynolds stresses. The numerical analysis allows to identify the relative contribution of the forces affecting the hydrodynamic circulation …

Sensitivity analysis on the relationship between vegetation growth and multi-polarized radar data

Spatially distributed soil moisture is required for watershed applications such as drought and flood prediction, crop irrigation scheduling, etc. In particular, an accurate assessment of the spatial and temporal variation of soil moisture is necessary to improve the predictive capability of runoff models, and for improving and validating hydrological processes forecasting. In recent years, several models have been developed in order to retrieve soil moisture using RADAR data. However, these models need precise prior knowledge about surface roughness. Within this framework, the present research aims to investigate the capabilities of multi polarimetric RADAR images to overcome the use of in …

Coherent flow and turbulence structures in fragmented meadows of the mediterranean seagrass posidonia oceanica

Experimental investigation on pressurization transient of a drainage sewer

Stima dell'erosione idrica in due bacini siciliani mediante tecniche GIS

Power sensitivity analysis of multi-frequency, multi-polarized, multi-temporal SAR data for soil-vegetation system variables characterization

Abstract: The knowledge of spatial and temporal variability of soil water content and others soil-vegetation variables (leaf area index, fractional cover) assumes high importance in crop management. Where and when the cloudiness limits the use of optical and thermal remote sensing techniques, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery has proven to have several advantages (cloud penetration, day/night acquisitions and high spatial resolution). However, measured backscattering is controlled by several factors including SAR configuration (acquisition geometry, frequency and polarization), and target dielectric and geometric properties. Thus, uncertainties arise about the more suitable configurati…

Effects of rainfall events on the evapotranspiration retrieved by an energy balance model

An alternative way to map the actual evapotranspiration (ET) spatial distribution at daily scale is the application of residual surface energy balance models to satellite images that are characterised by high temporal frequency and moderate spatial resolution, like those acquired by the MODIS sensors on board of TERRA and AQUA platforms. Within this research the well-known SEBAL model has been applied on an area located in the southern part of Sicily (Imera Meridionale catchment) using four images acquired between the 27th of March and the 11th of April 2007. The catchment extends for about 2000 km2 and includes both mountains and hill areas: the first are located in the northern part (the …

Processing hyperspectral mivis data in order to monitor submerged vegetation in shallow water

Flow resistance of a very dense Posidonia oceanica grassland in shallow water

Proximal-sensing-powered modelling of energy-water fluxes in a vineyard: A spatial resolution analysis

Spatial resolution is a key parameter in energy–water surface flux modelling. In this research, scale effects are analyzed on fluxes modelled with the FEST-EWB model, by upscaling both its inputs and outputs separately. The main questions are: (a) if high-resolution remote sensing images are necessary to accurately model a heterogeneous area; and (b) whether and to what extent low-resolution modelling provides worse/better results than the upscaled results of high-resolution modelling. The study area is an experimental vineyard field where proximal sensing images were obtained by an airborne platform and verification fluxes were measured via a flux tower. Modelled fluxes are in line with th…

Actual evapotranspiration estimation by means of airborne and satellite remote sensing data

ABSTRACT During the last the two decades, the scientific community developed detailed mathematical models for simulating land surface energy fluxes and crop evapotrans piration rates by means of a energy ba lance approach. These models can be applied in large areas and with a spatial distributed approach using surface brightness temperature and some ancillary data retrieved from satellite/airborne remote sensed imagery. In this paper a district scale application in combination with multispectral (LandaSat 7 TM data) and hyperspectral airborne MIVIS data has been carried out to test the potentialities of two different energy balance models to estimate evapotranspiration fluxes from a set of …

Using scintillometry to assess reference evapotranspiration methods and their impact on the water balance of olive groves

Abstract Reference evapotranspiration (ET 0 ) is widely used for irrigation scheduling, to promote an efficient use of water resources for a sustainable agro-ecosystem productivity, as well as to manage water quality and to face other environmental concerns. As suggested by ASCE-EWRI and FAO, standard Penman–Monteith methods are generally applied for an accurate estimation of ET 0 from hourly to daily scale. In absence of detailed meteorological information several simplified equations, using a limited number of variables, have been proposed as alternative. In this paper, the performance of different reference evapotranspiration methods, at hourly (Penman–Monteith, Pristley–Taylor, Makkink …

Stima dell’evapotraspirazione effettiva tramite modelli di bilancio energetico superficiale e immagini telerilevate

Uncertainties in shoreline position analysis: the role of run-up and tide in a gentle slope beach

Abstract. In recent decades in the Mediterranean Sea, high anthropic pressure from increasing economic and touristic development has affected several coastal areas. Today the erosion phenomena threaten human activities and existing structures, and interdisciplinary studies are needed to better understand actual coastal dynamics. Beach evolution analysis can be conducted using GIS methodologies, such as the well-known Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS), in which error assessment based on shoreline positioning plays a significant role. In this study, a new approach is proposed to estimate the positioning errors due to tide and wave run-up influence. To improve the assessment of the wave…

Assessing the performance of thermal inertia and Hydrus models to estimate surface soil water content

The knowledge of soil water content (SWC) dynamics in the upper soil layer is important for several hydrological processes. Due to the difficulty of assessing the spatial and temporal SWC dynamics in the field, some model-based approaches have been proposed during the last decade. The main objective of this work was to assess the performance of two approaches to estimate SWC in the upper soil layer under field conditions: the physically-based thermal inertia and the Hydrus model. Their validity was firstly assessed under controlled laboratory conditions. Thermal inertia was firstly validated in laboratory conditions using the transient line heat source (TLHS) method. Then, it was applied in…

Assessing daily actual evapotranspiration through energy balance: an experiment to evaluate the selfpreservation hypothesis with acquisition time

An operational use of the actual evapotranspiration estimates requires the integration from instantaneous to daily values. This can commonly be achieved under the hypothesis of daytime self-preservation of the evaporative fraction. In this study, it has been evaluated the effect of this assumption on the assessment of daily evapotranspiration from proximity sensing images acquired at hourly intervals over a homogeneous olive groove. Results have been validated by comparison with observations made by a micrometeorological (EC-flux tower) and an eco-physiological (sap flux) sensor. SEBAL model has been applied to thermal and multispectral images acquired during a clear day on August 2009 trou…

Analisi evolutiva della distribuzione della vegetazione sommersa in una laguna per mezzo di dati iperspettrali MIVIS

Stima delle componenti del flusso evapotraspirativo di un oliveto con l’uso congiunto delle tecniche Sap-Flow ed Eddy Covariance.

Wind- and tide-induce currents in the Stagnone Lagoon (Sicily)

Coupling two radar backscattering models to assess soil roughness and surface water content at farm scale

Remote sensing techniques are useful for agro-hydrological monitoring at the farm scale because the availability of spatially and temporally distributed data improves agricultural models for irrigation and crop yield optimization under water scarcity conditions. This research focuses on the surface water content retrieval using active microwave data. Two semi-empirical models were chosen as these showed the best performances in simulating cross and co-polarized backscatter. Thus, these models were coupled to obtain reliable assessments of both soil water content and soil roughness. The use of the coupled model enables one to avoid using roughness measured in situ. Remote sensing images and …

Modellazione matematica del transitorio di pressurizzazione di un condotto fognario

Evaluating the performance of reference evapotranspiration equations with scintillometer measurements under Mediterranean climate and effects on olive grove actual evapotranspiration estimated with FAO-56 water balance model

The concept of reference potranspiration is widely used to support water resource management in agriculture and for irrigation scheduling, especially under arid and semi-arid conditions. The Penman-Monteith standardized formulations, as suggested by ASCE and FAO-56 papers, are generally applied for accurate estimations of ETo, at hourly and daily scale. When detailed meteorological information are not available, several alternative and simplified equations, using a limited number of variables, have been proposed (Blaney-Criddle, HargreavesSamani, Turc, Makkinen and Pristley-Taylor). In this paper, scintillometer measurements collected for six month in 2005, on an experimental plot under “re…

INFLUENCE OF POSIDONIA OCEANICA MEADOW DENSITY ON FLOW RESISTANCE IN SHALLOW WATERS

Aquatic vegetation considerably affects circulation in water bodies with influence increasing as the depth decreases. On the other hand, increasing use of mathematical circulation models for management of coastal sea waters, lagoons and marshes requires determination of such effects and in particular of flow resistance. A typical plant of inshore sandy beds, less than 40 m deep, in the Mediterranean Sea is Posidonia oceanica, which is constituted by a tuft of very thin and flexible ribbon-like leaves about 1 cm wide and up to 1.5 m long. This plant forms meadows with areal density usually ranging between 500 and 1000 plants/m2. Because of its characteristics, Posidonia oceanica constitutes …

Mediterranean Maritime Pollution: The Role Of Remote Sensing To Monitor And Mitigate

Hydrothermal fluid venting in the offshore sector of Campi Flegrei caldera: A geochemical, geophysical, and volcanological study

The ongoing unrest at the Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc) in southern Italy is prompting exploration of its poorly studied offshore sector. We report on a multidisciplinary investigation of the Secca delle Fumose (SdF), a submarine relief known since antiquity as the largest degassing structure of the offshore sector of CFc. We combined high-resolution morpho-bathymetric and seismo-stratigraphic data with onshore geological information to propose that the present-day SdF morphology and structure developed during the initial stages of the last CFc eruption at Monte Nuovo in AD 1538. We suggest that the SdF relief stands on the eastern uplifted border of a N-S-trending graben-like structure forme…

APPLICATION OF THE MAST SCHEME FOR THE SHALLOW WATER SIMULATION IN THE MARSALA LAGOON

Coastal dynamics: shoreline detection in a Sicilian beach

The opportunity of using wave energy converters in a Mediterranean hot spot

The opportunity of using wave energy converter arrays in a hot spot area of the Mediterranean sea was investigated. For this purpose, numerical simulations of wave energy converters together with a simple cost-effective analysis were carried out. The selected study area is one of the most energetic inside the Sicilian channel (Italy). The numerical simulations were performed using the SNL-SWAN (“Sandia National Laboratories – Simulating WAves Nearshore”) spectral model with an unstructured mesh. The power absorbed from thirteen Wave Energy Converter (WEC) devices was computed. In particular, Pelamis, Wave Dragon, Oyster 2, Wavestar, B-HBA, B-OF, Bref-HB, Bref-SHB, F–2HB, F–3OF, F-HBA and F-…

Particle tracking in a gap of aquatic vegetation meadow

Aquatic vegetation considerably affects the flow field in water bodies, with influence increasing as the depth decreases. As a consequence, vegetation also affects suspended particle transport. In inshore sandy beds less than 40 m deep of the Mediterranean Sea, meadows of Posidonia oceanica are widespread. This plant is constituted by a tuft of very thin and flexible ribbon-like leaves about 1 cm wide and up to 1.5 m long; the meadow areal density can reach 1000-1200 plant/m2. Frequently, such meadows are not continuous but vegetated areas alternate with sand strips (“gaps”). The presence of such discontinuities noticeably affects the flow field and gaps can actually act as particle traps. …

INFLUENZA DELLA DENSITÀ DI UN PRATO DI POSIDONIA OCEANICA SULLA RESISTENZA AL MOTO IN ACQUE BASSE

L’impiego di modelli di circolazione per la gestione di acque costiere, quali lagune, paludi, ecc., richiede la valutazione degli effetti della vegetazione acquatica, i quali crescono al diminuire della profondità idrica. Una pianta tipica dei fondi sabbiosi sotto costa del Mar Mediterraneo è la Posidonia oceanica, la quale per le sue caratteristiche (ciuffi di foglie nastriformi molto flessibili e lunghe fino a 1,5 m) costituisce una particolare scabrezza, poiché al crescere della velocità della corrente le foglie si incurvano sempre più fino ad adagiarsi sul fondo. Nella presente memoria si rielaborano tutti insieme i dati sperimentali di due precedenti indagini degli scriventi, riguardan…

Misure ad alta frequenza a supporto della modellazione fisica delle opere di scarico della diga di laminazione di Pratolungo

Soil Water Content Assessment: Critical Issues Concerning the Operational Application of the Triangle Method

Knowledge of soil water content plays a key role in water management efforts to improve irrigation efficiency. Among the indirect estimation methods of soil water content via Earth Observation data is the triangle method, used to analyze optical and thermal features because these are primarily controlled by water content within the near-surface evaporation layer and root zone in bare and vegetated soils. Although the soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer theory describes the ongoing processes, theoretical models reveal limits for operational use. When applying simplified empirical formulations, meteorological forcing could be replaced with alternative variables when the above-canopy temperatu…

Surface soil humidity retrieval by means of a semi-empirical coupled SAR model

In the last years, the availability of new technologies of Earth Observation encouraged researches to use integrated approaches for environmental monitoring. Even for agro-hydrological applications, remotely sensed data are available on wide areas allowing the retrieval of cost-effective and representative estimation of high spatial and temporal variability of the soil-vegetation system variables. In particular, soil water content plays an important role determining the partition of precipitation between surface runoff and infiltration and, moreover, influences the distribution of the incoming radiation between latent and sensible heat flux. As a consequence, distributed soil water content …

A new shoreline change assessment approach for erosion management strategies

Shoreline evolution studies are fundamental to assess the rate of beach accretion or retreatment. In the last years, researchers developed many methods with several techniques belonging to different disciplines and backgrounds. Nowadays, the Shoreline Change Analysis (SCA) is the most widespread method to assess shoreline evolution. In fact, the SCA is needed to perform management strategies able to respond to current erosion or potential future erosion problems. This paper presents a new approach using an automatic method for SCA with accuracy and speed improvements. Indeed, in the framework of the management of coastal erosion and to develop an adaptation plan to coastal hazards it is nec…

Trasporto di particelle sospese in una discontinuità di un prato di vegetazione acquatica

La vegetazione acquatica influenza sensibilmente il campo di moto e il trasporto solido nei corpi idrici. Nelle aree sottocosta del Mar Mediterraneo sono molto diffusi i prati di Posidonia oceanica, una pianta costituita da un ciuffo di foglie nastriformi molto lunghe e flessibili. Spesso i prati sono interrotti da frequenti strisce di sabbia, e tali discontinuità, modificando sensibilmente il campo di moto, possono agire come “trappole” per i sedimenti. Nella presente memoria, sulla base di un campo di moto sperimentale, si simula numericamente il trasporto di particelle sospese in una tale discontinuità. A tal fine si adotta un semplice modello lagrangiano che assume assenza di velocità r…

Influenza del clima ondoso e delle mareee sulla posizione della linea di riva: Lido Signorino (Marsala)

La conoscenza della posizione della linea di riva nel tempo è indispensabile per verificare la necessità di opere di difesa e per lo sviluppo di piani di gestione costiera. Essa rappresenta l’intersezione tra la superficie marina e quella terrestre, non è un’entità geometrica fissa, ma varia continuamente a causa del moto ondoso e delle fluttuazioni del livello marino ed è in continuo movimento a causa dei fenomeni di trasporto solido. La maggior difficoltà riscontrata nelle operazioni di rilievo è la determinazione esatta della sua posizione. Risulta pertanto necessaria la comprensione delle caratteristiche del moto ondoso (conoscenza delle mareggiate), dei livelli marini e del profilo tra…

Wave Energy Assessment around the Aegadian Islands (Sicily)

This paper presents the estimation of the wave energy potential around the Aegadian islands (Italy), carried out on the basis of high resolution wave hindcast. This reanalysis was developed employing Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) and WAVEWATCH III ® models for the modelling of the atmosphere and the waves, respectively. Wave climate has been determined using the above-mentioned 32-year dataset covering the years from 1979 to 2010. To improve the information about wave characteristics regarding spatial details, i.e., increasing wave model resolution, especially in the nearshore region around the islands, a SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) wave propagation model was used. Results obtai…

Indagine sulla vulnerabilità alla desertificazione mediante l’utilizzo di dati termopluviometrici e telerilevati

The Stagnone di Marsala, western Sicily

A Comparison between Drifter and X-Band Wave Radar for Sea Surface Current Estimation

This paper deals with exploitation of the wave radar system for sea surface current estimation in a coastal zone. In particular, we present the results of the processing of the radar data collected by an X-band marine radar installed in Capo Granitola site, which is located in the south-west part of Sicily, on 15 May 2015. The effectiveness of the data processing is analyzed by comparing the wave radar estimated sea surface current with that provided by the Lagrangian drifters along its movement trajectory. During the measurement campaign, three drifter releases are carried out and for each one the comparison is provided in terms of the mean error and standard deviation. In addition, we rep…

Optical techniques for river flow monitoring: an automatic procedure for the identification of the best video sequence to process by LS-PIV technique

Technological advances over last decades gave an innovative impulse to the development of new streamflow measurements techniques, especially regarding remote flow monitoring methods that allow for non-intrusive measurements. The most widely used image-based techniques are the optical ones, such as Large-Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LS-PIV) and Large-Scale Particle Tracking Velocimetry (LS-PTV). The dynamic movement of tracers floating on the water surface of a river is recorded, and the resulting videos are processed by applying a statistical cross-correlation analysis to detect the most probable frame-by-frame displacement, finally deriving the surface velocity field. To obtain river …

Sprectroradiometric characteristics of inland water bodies infestated by Oscillatoria rubescens algae

In December 2006 blooms of Oscillatoria rubescens were found in the reservoir Prizzi in Sicily. Oscillatoria is a genus of filamentous alga comprising approximately 6 species, between these the O. rubescens is sadly famous since this organism produces microcystins which are powerful hepatotoxins. Firstly found in Europe in 1825 on Geneva lake, recently (2006) those algae has been find out in Pozzillo, Nicoletti e Ancipa reservoirs (Enna Province), as well as in Prizzi (Palermo Province) and Garcia reservoirs (Trapani Province). Toxins produced by those bacteria (usually called microcystine LR-1 and LR-2) are highly toxic since they can activate oncogenes cells causing cancer pathologies on …

Influence of hydrodynamic conditions on the production and fate ofPosidonia oceanicain a semi-enclosed shallow basin (Stagnone di Marsala, Western Sicily)

An integrated approach using hydrodynamic and transport numerical models, lepidochronology and stable isotope analysis was used to investigate how local hydrodynamic conditions influence the primary production and fate of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica in a Mediterranean semi-enclosed marine system (Stagnone di Marsala). The water mass exchange aptitude of different sectors of the basin was analysed, and data collected were used to select two sectors (colonized by Posidonia oceanica showing the lowest and highest water exchange values) for biological analyses. According to the mean dispersal coefficient differences simulated by the hydrodynamic model, growth rate and primary production of …

Caratterizzazione della vegetazione mediante immagini NOAA-AVHRR e modellistica idrologica

On the Use of the Eddy Covariance Latent Heat Flux and Sap Flow Transpiration for the Validation of a Surface Energy Balance Model

Actual evapotranspiration is assessed via surface energy balance at an hourly rate. However, a robust estimation of daily evapotranspiration from hourly values is required. Outcomes of surface energy balance are frequently determined via measures of eddy covariance latent heat flux. Surface energy balance can be applied on images acquired at different times and spatial resolutions. In addition, hourly actual evapotranspiration needs to be integrated at a daily rate for operational uses. Questions arise whether the validation of surface energy balance models can benefit from complementary in situ measures of latent heat flux and sap flow transpiration. Here, validation was driven by image ac…

On the processing of field spectroradiometric data for remote sensing mapping of submerged vegetation in coastal zones and lagoon environments

Stima dell'evapotraspirazione effettiva mediante telerilevamento aereo iperspettrale

Surface soil humidity retrieval using remote sensing techniques: a triangle method validation

Soil humidity plays a key-role in hydrological and agricultural processes. In the rainfall-runoff processes the knowledge of its spatial distribution is fundamental to accurately model these phenomena. Furthermore in agronomy and agricultural sciences, assessing the water content of the root zone is required in order to optimize the plant productivity and to improve the irrigation systems management. Despite the importance of this variable the in situ measurements techniques based on Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) or on the standard thermo-gravimetric methods, are neither cost-effective nor representative of its spatial and temporal variability. Indirect estimations via Earth Observation (…

Mappatura della vegetazione sommersa mediante immagini multispettrali telerilevate da satellite

Comparative Analysis Between Actual and Potential Evapotranspiration in a Sicilian Semi-Arid Catchment

Estimation of actual evapotranspiration of Mediterranean perennial crops by means of remote-sensing based surface energy balance models

Abstract. Actual evapotranspiration from typical Mediterranean crops has been assessed in a Sicilian study area by using surface energy balance (SEB) and soil-water balance models. Both modelling approaches use remotely sensed data to estimate evapotranspiration fluxes in a spatially distributed way. The first approach exploits visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR) and thermal (TIR) observations to solve the surface energy balance equation whereas the soil-water balance model uses only VIS-NIR data to detect the spatial variability of crop parameters. Considering that the study area is characterized by typical spatially sparse Mediterranean vegetation, i.e. olive, citrus and vineyards, alterna…

Telerilevamento di aree archeologiche mediante dati iperspettrali MIVIS” (Remote sensing of archaelogical areas using hyperspectral MIVIS data)

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between physical parameters and the spatial distribution of buried archaeological structures, using data acquired by the airborne hyperspectral sensor mivis in the visible, near infrared and thermal infrared wavelengths. The study areas are the territories of Halaesa, an important city in the Hellenistic-Roman period, and the Punic city of Mozia in Sicily. The influence of buried structures on thermal-radiative behaviour has been investigated using three parameters: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (ndvi), thermal inertia, and Thermal Balanced Gradient. These techniques are shown to be particularly effective in identifying surface p…

Mathematical modelling of pressure oscillations in sewer pressurization

Velocity profiles and water levels measurements in a shallow coastal lagoon

Tsunami Propagation and Flooding in Sicilian Coastal Areas by Means of a Weakly Dispersive Boussinesq Model

This paper addresses the tsunami propagation and subsequent coastal areas flooding by means of a depth-integrated numerical model. Such an approach is fundamental in order to assess the inundation hazard in coastal areas generated by seismogenic tsunami. In this study we adopted, an interdisciplinary approach, in order to consider the tsunami propagation, relates both to geomorphological characteristics of the coast and the bathymetry. In order to validate the numerical model, comparisons with results of other studies were performed. This manuscript presents first applicative results achieved using the weakly dispersive Boussinesq model in the field of tsunami propagation and coastal inunda…

Masonry structures subjected to tsunami loads: Modeling issues and application to a case study

Abstract Tsunamis are among the most dangerous natural disasters for coastal areas experiencing tsunami hazard. One of the major concerns in the assessment of strategies for the risk mitigation is to estimate vulnerability of structures and infrastructures. However, reliable approaches for the evaluation of the structural capacity under tsunami loads are nowadays not always available for all the types of structures, especially masonry. On this aim, the paper deals with the modeling issues of 3D masonry structures subjected to tsunami loads and the effect on the structural behavior of different modeling approaches. First, a brief state of the art on the available studies is presented regardi…

Comparison of Potential VS actual vegetation status by means of distributed hydrologic balance model and remote sensing data

Determinazione dell’umidità del sistema suolo-vegetazione mediante tecniche di remote sensing: una verifica del metodo triangolare

Regional Soil Moisture Retrieval Using Remotely Sensed Crop Water Stress Indicators

Modelli energetici per la stima dell'evapotraspirazione effettiva mediante telerilevamento aereo e satellitare

The classification of submerged vegetation using hyperspectral MIVIS data

The aim of this research is to use hyperspectral MIVIS data to map the Posidonia oceanica prairies in a coastal lagoon (Stagnone di Marsala). It is approximately 12 km long and 2 km wide and is linked to the open sea by two shallow openings. This environment is characterised by prairies of phanerogams, the most common of which is Posidonia oceanica, an ideal habitat for numerous species of fish, molluscs and crustaceans. A knowledge of the distribution of submerged vegetation is useful to monitor the health of the lagoon. In order to classify the MIVIS imagery, the attenuation effects of the water column have been removed from the signal using Lyzenga’s technique. A comparison between class…

Coastal high-frequency radars in the Mediterranean – Part 1: Status of operations and a framework for future development

Due to the semi-enclosed nature of the Mediterranean Sea, natural disasters and anthropogenic activities impose stronger pressures on its coastal ecosystems than in any other sea of the world. With the aim of responding adequately to science priorities and societal challenges, littoral waters must be effectively monitored with high-frequency radar (HFR) systems. This land-based remote sensing technology can provide, in near-real time, fine-resolution maps of the surface circulation over broad coastal areas, along with reliable directional wave and wind information. The main goal of this work is to showcase the current status of the Mediterranean HFR network and the future roadmap for orches…

Coastal zone water quality: Calibration of a water-turbidity equation for MODIS data

AbstractA nephelometric turbidity algorithm has been specifically calibrated for coastal waters in Sicily. To this purpose, intensive field campaigns were performed in July, August and September 2008. Measurements were collected in situ in three different gulfs. Statistical analysis suggests that field data should be spatially grouped but temporally separated; hence, new calibration parameters have been proposed.Turbidity retrieved by applying the algorithm using literature coefficients and the ones calibrated in situ are shown and compared. The comparison demonstrated that a specific calibration was necessary for quantitatively monitoring turbidity in Sicilian gulfs.

Diachronic analysis of the shoreline in San Leone beach (Agrigento-Sicily)

In the last century the Italian coasts and the Sicilian ones, suffered of a radical transformation due to a large population increase. The coastal areas settlements is related to the growth of the industrial activities, the development of tourism and the associated expansion of the road network. The development of these activities, have encouraged the rapid growth of populated areas without adequate urban planning and environmental criteria. In many cases, private houses, hotels, roads or railways covered or occupied entire coastal areas, such as destroying several kilometers of backshore dune systems. In addition, the construction or expansion of ports and fishing marinas effected the natu…

Spatial sharpening of land surface temperature for daily energy balance applications

ABSTRACT Daily high spatial resolution assessment of actual evapotranspiration is essential for water management and crop water requirement estimation under stress conditions. The application of energy balance models usually requires satellite observations of radiometric surface temperat ure with high geometrical and temporal resolutions. By now, however, high spatial resolution (~ 100 m) is available with low time fre quency (approximately every two weeks); at the opposite daily acquisition are characterised by poor spatial resolution. The analysis of vegetation index (VI) and land surface temperature (LST) spatial relationship, shows in substance a scale invariant behaviour [1] ; this con…

Estimation of Mediterranean crops evapotranspiration by means of remote-sensing based models

Abstract. Actual evapotranspiration from typical Mediterranean crops has been assessed in a Sicilian study area by using Surface Energy Balance and Agro-Hydrological models. Both modelling approaches require remotely sensed data to estimate evapotranspiration fluxes in a spatially distributed way. The first approach exploits visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR) and thermal (TIR) observations to solve the surface energy balance equation. To this end two different schemes have been tested: the two-sources TSEB model, where soil and vegetation components of the surface energy balance are treated separately, and the widely used one-source SEBAL model, where soil and vegetation are considered as a…

A simple method to directly retrieve reference evapotranspiration from geostationary satellite images

Abstract Application of FAO-56 methodology for the assessment of reference evapotranspiration, ET 0 , is challenging in areas of the world with sparse meteorological network stations. For this reason alternative procedures using remotely observed data have been proposed in the literature. In this work, a simplified version of the Makkink approach [J. Inst. Wat. Eng. 11: 277–288, 1957] was tested in a typical Mediterranean environment (Sicily, Italy). The implemented Makkink approach (MAK) uses remotely estimated solar radiation derived from Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite data and in situ observations of air temperature to assess ET 0 at daily time scale. Alternatively, taking ad…

Vegetation index retrieval by coupling optical and SAR images

Monitoring spatial and temporal variability of Vegetation Indices (VIs) is important to manage land and water resources, with significant impact on the sustainability of modern agriculture Although algorithms based on optical data give accurate products, cloud cover dramatically reduces the temporal resolution of these outputs. The launch of new Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellations such as COSMO-Skymed opened new opportunities to develop agro-hydrological applications. Indeed, these satellites may represent a suitable source of data for operational applications due to their high spatial and temporal resolutions (10 m in StripMap PingPong acquisition mode, best revisit time with 4 s…

Evapotranspiration from an Olive Orchard using Remote Sensing-Based Dual Crop Coefficient Approach

A remote sensing-based approach to estimate actual evapotranspiration (ET) was tested in an area covered by olive trees and characterized by Mediterranean climate. The methodology is a modified version of the standard FAO-56 dual crop coefficient procedure, in which the crop potential transpiration, T p, is obtained by directly applying the Penman-Monteith (PM) equation with actual canopy characteristics (i.e., leaf area index, albedo and canopy height) derived from optical remote sensing data. Due to the minimum requirement of in-situ ancillary inputs, the methodology is suitable also for applications on large areas where the use of tabled crop coefficient values become problematic, due to…

Analisi statistica della velocità del vento nel Canale di Sicilia

Misure di velocità e livelli nello Stagnone di Marsala

Coastal HF radars in the Mediterranean: Applications in support of science priorities and societal needs

Abstract. The Mediterranean Sea is a prominent climate change hot spot, being their socio-economically vital coastal areas the most vulnerable targets for maritime safety, diverse met-ocean hazards and marine pollution. Providing an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution at wide coastal areas, High-frequency radars (HFRs) have been steadily gaining recognition as an effective land-based remote sensing technology for a continuous monitoring of the surface circulation, increasingly waves and occasionally winds. HFR measurements have boosted the thorough scientific knowledge of coastal processes, also fostering a broad range of applications, which has promoted their integration in the C…

La pressurizzazione di un condotto fognario: una indagine sperimentale

Daytime sensible heat flux estimation over heterogeneous surfaces using multitemporal land-surface temperature observations

Equations based on surface renewal (SR) analysis to estimate the sensible heat flux (H) require as input the mean ramp amplitude and period observed in the ramp-like pattern of the air temperature measured at high frequency. A SR-based method to estimate sensible heat flux (HSR-LST) requiring only low-frequency measurements of the air temperature, horizontal mean wind speed, and land-surface temperature as input was derived and tested under unstable conditions over a heterogeneous canopy (olive grove). HSR-LST assumes that the mean ramp amplitude can be inferred from the difference between land-surface temperature and mean air temperature through a linear relationship and that the ramp freq…

GIS AND REMOTE SENSING IN HYDROLOGY: SELECTED PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Coupling a hydro-maritime model and remotely sensed techniques to assess the shoreline positioning uncertainty: the Marsala coast study case

The severe erosion phenomena affecting the Mediterranean coasts are strictly related to geophysical characteristics and socio-economic pressures. This suggests the need of monitoring and modelling the phenomenon in order to quantify its strength. In fact, the shoreline position, as well as its temporal evolution, provides important information for designing defence structures and for the development of a coastal management plan. The shoreline has a dynamic nature as it changes both in the short and long period. Those changes are caused by geo-morphological (e.g. bars and barrier island development etc.) and hydrodynamic (wave motion, tides and flows) processes, as well as by sudden and fast…

ADCP velocity profiles analisys in the Castellammare gulf

Velocity profiles have been collected in three points within the Castellammare gulf at around 1500 m far from the coastline. This area is characterized by the presence of an aquaculture farm that positioned 5 floating cages in this zone. The impact of this activity on the environment strictly depends on the currents and water exchange. The general aim of this research is the characterization of the circulation characteristics of this area. The analysis of the free surface oscillations shows the typical behaviour of tide forcing, with high minima and maxima during the night, due to the higher moon attraction during these hours compared with the morning hours. A prevalent current direction fr…

GIS AND REMOTE SENSING IN HYDROLOGY: SELECTED PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS. Proceedings of the ECO-GEOWATER conference - GIS for International river basin management.

Spatial analysis of natural and seminatural habitats of Natura 2000 network in the Sicani Mountains (W Sicily – Italy)

On the use of LSPIV-based free software programs for the monitoring of river: testing the PIVlab and the FUDAA-LSPIV with synthetic and real image sequences

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The development of new image-based techniques is allowing a radical change in the environmental monitoring field. The fundamental characteristics of these methods are related to the possibility of obtaining non-intrusive measurements even in adverse circumstances, such as high flow conditions, which may seriously threaten the operators&amp;amp;#8217; safety conditions in traditional approaches.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Optical techniques, based on the acquisition, analysis and elaboration of sequences of images acquired by digital cameras, are aimed at a complete characterization of the river instantaneous surface velocity field, through the analysis of a floating…

Daily evapotranspiration assessment by means of residual surface energy balance modeling: A critical analysis under a wide range of water availability

Summary An operational use of the actual evapotranspiration assessed by remote sensing approaches requires the integration of instantaneous fluxes to daily values. This is commonly achieved under the hypotheses of daytime self-preservation of evaporative fraction and negligible daily ground heat flux. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of these assumptions on estimate daily evapotranspiration over a full phenological cycle, including phases characterized by significant changes both in net radiation and vegetation cover. To assess the reliability of these hypotheses, the observations made by a flux tower, installed within a homogeneous field of cereal located in the valley part …

The use of the Specht distributed hydrologic balance model for an analysis of vegetation state

Post-processing of Pixel and Object-Based Land Cover Classifications of Very High Spatial Resolution Images

The state of the art is plenty of classification methods. Pixel-based methods include the most traditional ones. Although these achieved high accuracy when classifying remote sensing images, some limits emerged with the advent of very high-resolution images that enhanced the spectral heterogeneity within a class. Therefore, in the last decade, new classification methods capable of overcoming these limits have undergone considerable development. Within this research, we compared the performances of an Object-based and a Pixel-Based classification method, the Random Forests (RF) and the Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), respectively. Their ability to quantify the extension and the perimeter…

On the influence of flexible vegetation on flow fields in shallow water: a flume experiment

Influence of serial correlation on climatic variables trends analysis in Sicily

Coastal high-frequency radars in the Mediterranean - Part 2: Applications in support of science priorities and societal needs

The Mediterranean Sea is a prominent climate-change hot spot, with many socioeconomically vital coastal areas being the most vulnerable targets for maritime safety, diverse met-ocean hazards and marine pollution. Providing an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution at wide coastal areas, high-frequency radars (HFRs) have been steadily gaining recognition as an effective land-based remote sensing technology for continuous monitoring of the surface circulation, increasingly waves and occasionally winds. HFR measurements have boosted the thorough scientific knowledge of coastal processes, also fostering a broad range of applications, which has promoted their integration in coastal ocean …

Comparison between energy balance and mass balance models for actual evapotranspiration assessment

The assessment of the water needs for a specific crop has a fundamental importance in the management of water resources. The application of empirical models able to retrieve estimates of the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) to assess the need for water could give a valid tool for the planning of water supply, avoiding unnecessary water losses. In this context, two independent models for estimating actual evapotranspiration were compared. The first model is based on an energy balance and uses remotely sensed data and ancillary data from weather stations to assess the ETa. The second model also uses remotely sensed data and climatic data on a daily basis from a weather network. Field measureme…

Investigating reservoir sediment and watershed erosion using the WEPP model

Optical Methods for River Monitoring: A Simulation-Based Approach to Explore Optimal Experimental Setup for LSPIV

Recent advances in image-based methods for environmental monitoring are opening new frontiers for remote streamflow measurements in natural environments. Such techniques offer numerous advantages compared to traditional approaches. Despite the wide availability of cost-effective devices and software for image processing, these techniques are still rarely systematically implemented in practical applications, probably due to the lack of consistent operational protocols for both phases of images acquisition and processing. In this work, the optimal experimental setup for LSPIV based flow velocity measurements under different conditions is explored using the software PIVlab, investigating perfo…

Validation of HF radar sea surface currents in the Malta-Sicily Channel

Abstract A network of High-Frequency radar (HFR) stations runs operationally in the Malta-Sicily Channel (MSC), Central Mediterranean Sea, providing sea surface current maps with high temporal (1 h) and spatial (3 × 3 km) resolutions since August 2012. Comparisons with surface drifter data and near-surface Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) observations, as well as radar site-to-site baseline analyses, provide quantitative assessments of HFR velocities accuracy. Twenty-two drifters were deployed within the HFR domain of coverage between December 2012 and October 2013. Additionally, six ADCP vertical current profiles were collected at selected positions during a dedicated field survey.…

On the influences of vegetation biomass on COSMO-Skymed X-band

The knowledge of spatial and temporal variability of land cover is important to manage water resources for yield forecasting, water stress prediction, irrigation water management and flood protection. Cloud cover dramatically reduces the temporal resolution of optical data thus limiting their operational use; in addition, the spatial resolution is often inadequate for applications in heterogeneous areas. On the other hand, algorithms based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) implemented to retrieve vegetation parameters are not yet fully validated. New SAR missions (COSMO-Skymed and Terrasar-X) may represent a suitable source of data for operational uses due to the high spatial and temporal r…

MODELLAZIONE DELLA QUALITÀ DELLE ACQUE NEI RICETTORI IN TEMPO DI PIOGGIA

Controllo dell’inquinamento delle acque meteoriche e qualità dei corpi idrici ricettori: l’esperienza del bacino Nord di Palermo

Critical analysis of thermal inertia approaches for surface soil water content retrieval

The “thermal inertia” method to retrieve surface soil water content maps on bare or sparsely-vegetated soils is analysed. The study area is a small experimental watershed, where optical and thermal images (in day and night time) and in situ data were simultaneously acquired. The sensitivity of thermal inertia to the phase difference between incoming radiation and soil temperature is demonstrated. Thus, to obtain an accurate value of the phase difference, the temporal distance between thermographs using a three-temperature approach is evaluated. We highlight when a cosine correction of the temperature needs to be applied, depending on whether the thermal inertia formulation includes two gene…

Time Series Analysis of Climatic Vegetation Data in the Oreto Watershed in Sicily

Tecnica Differenziale Interferometrica per l’individuazione di un dissesto: il caso della frana di Niscemi

Thermal inertia modeling for soil surface water content estimation: A laboratory experiment

We are proposing a new method for estimating soil surface water content from thermal inertia distributions retrieved from visible–near infrared (VISNIR)and thermal infrared (TIR) images. A drying experiment was conducted on three fi ne-textured soils while acquiring multispectral VIS-NIR and TIR images. Simultaneous measurements of soil water content and thermal inertia were conducted by the thermogravimetric method and the heat pulse technique, respectively. Direct measurements were used to test the thermal inertia approach proposed by Murray and Verhoef that requires only knowledge of soil porosity and can be easily inverted to derive soil water content from thermal inertia. For the three…

Telerilevamento di aree archeologiche mediante dati iperspettrali MIVIS

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between physical parameters and the spatial distribution of buried archaeological structures, using data acquired by the airborne hyperspectral sensor MIVIS in the visible, near infrared and thermal infrared wavelengths. The study areas are the territories of Halaesa, an important city in the Hellenistic-Roman period, and the Punic city of Mozia in Sicily. The influence of buried structures on thermal-radiative behaviour has been investigated using three parameters: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), thermal inertia, and Thermal Balanced Gradient. These techniques are shown to be particularly effective in identifying surface p…

Assessing the performance of different model-based techniques to estimate water content in the upper soil layer

he knowledge of soil water content (SWC) of the upper soil layer is important for most hydrological processes occurring over vegetated areas and under dry climate. Because direct field measurements of SWC are difficult, the use of different type of sensors and model-based approaches have been proposed and extensively used during the last decade. The main objective of this work is to assess the performance of two models estimating SWC of the upper soil layer: the transient line heat source method and the physically based Hydrus-1D model. The models' performance is assessed using field measurements acquired through a Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR). The experiment was carried out on an olive …

Regional-scale modeling of reference evapotranspiration: Intercomparison of two simplified temperature- and radiation-based approaches

Two regionalized models for the distributed estimation of daily reference evapotranspiration, the temperature-based Hargreaves (HE) and the radiation-based Makkink (MK) equations, are applied in Southern Italy during the years 2007 and 2008. Spatially distributed meteorological inputs, such as air temperature and incoming solar radiation, were derived from geostatistical interpolation of ground data and from the Land Surface Analysis Satellite Application Facility (LSA-SAF) surface radiation product, respectively. Comparison of the latter with 83,394 daily measurements provided by 128 weather stations shows a not negligible seasonal error in daily solar radiation that is corrected by means …

Un sistema integrato di telerilevamento e modellistica idrodinamica per il monitoraggio delle praterie a Posidonia oceanica

TECNICHE OTTICHE PER IL MONITORAGGIO DEI CORSI D’ACQUA: UNA PROCEDURA AUTOMATICA PER L’INDIVIDUAZIONE DELLA MIGLORE SEQUENZA VIDEO DA PROCESSARE CON TECNICA LS-PIV

Misurare con accuratezza le portate di un corso d’acqua è uno dei principali obiettivi dell’idrometria tecnica (Eltner et al., 2020) e rappresenta da decenni una vera e propria sfida per la comunità scientifica. Le osservazioni di deflusso nei corsi d’acqua sono di fondamentale importanza per qualsiasi applicazione idrologica e idraulica (Pizarro et al., 2020) e consentono di comprendere al meglio le dinamiche di processi complessi, come ad esempio le piene lampo (Perks et al., 2016). La portata è una grandezza fisica la cui stima è caratterizzata da considerevole incertezza. Gli approcci tradizionali prevedono una stima indiretta della grandezza, attraverso un metodo velocità-area, che con…

Tidal currents in the Malta - Sicily Channel from high-frequency radar observations

Two years of sea surface current measurements acquired since August 2012 by High-Frequency SeaSonde radars over the relatively shallow shelf area dividing the Maltese Islands from Sicily (the Malta - Sicily Channel), are used to characterize the surface tidal currents in the region. Tidal currents are generally weak and concentrated in the semidiurnal and diurnal bands, barely exceeding 3cms-1 in the semidiurnal band (M2, S2), and below 6cms-1 in the diurnal band (K1, O1). In the middle part of the basin, the M2 currents oscillate along the main Channel axis; on the contrary the S2 oscillations are oriented along the energetic Atlantic Ionian Stream (AIS) flow. Diurnal tides have a more cir…

Effect of morphology on remote sensing-based evapotranspiration assessment at basin scale

CALYPSO: LA RETE RADAR HF PER IL MONITORAGGIO DELLE CORRENTI MARINE SUPERFICIALI NEL CANALE TRA LA SICILIA E MALTA (MAR MEDITERRANEO)

Il canale tra le isole di Sicilia e Malta si trova in una delle principali rotte marittime del Mediterraneo e in una regione strategica per le piattaforme di estrazione petrolifera, quindi seriamente esposta al rischio di eventi di sversamento di idrocarburi in mare. Ciò può costituire una grave minaccia agli ecosistemi locali e alle attività economiche, tra le quali il turismo e la pesca. I danni derivanti da un eventuale sversamento sarebbero incalcolabili per l'arcipelago maltese, dove le risorse marine ed il turismo rappresentano i principali proventi economici e, in maniera analoga, per la Sicilia. Le misure di prevenzione e di mitigazione, insieme a un rapido intervento e a un process…

Detecting the chaotic nature of advection in complex river flows

In order to detect signatures of chaotic advection in river surface motion, surface buoys equipped with GPS were deployed in a field experiment in River Danube, Hungary. The buoys were released in the vicinity of groynes where complex mixing processes occur. A detailed analysis of the trajectories was carried out, focusing on the time evolution of the distance between buoy pairs. The analysis included the determination and comparison of local Lyapunov exponents and prediction times of finite-time hyperbolic behaviour, which is related to strong mixing. Despite of the small number of applied buoys we found evidence on Lagrangian chaos in the wake of a groyne field. In order to supplement the…

Flow resistance ofPosidonia oceanicain shallow water

Management of coastal waters and lagoons by mathematical circulation models requires determination of the hydraulic resistance of submerged vegetation. A plant typical of sandy coastal bottoms in the Mediterranean Sea is Posidonia oceanica, which is constituted by very thin and flexible ribbon-like leaves, about 1 cm wide and up to 1.5 m long, and usually covers the bottom with a density of 500-1000 plants/ m2. From the hydraulic viewpoint, P. oceanica constitutes a particular roughness, because, as the velocity increases, the leaves bend more and more until they lie down on the bottom. Although P. oceanica is widespread, in the technical literature it is difficult to find indications about…

A post-fire analysis of vegetation dynamics in semi-forested areas using multi-temporal remote sensing imagery

Controllo dell'inquinamento delle acque meteoriche e qualità dei corpi idrici ricettori

An Approach for the Validation of a Coastal Erosion Vulnerability Index: An Application in Sicily

In recent decades, coastal erosion phenomena have increased due to climate change. The increased frequency and intensity of extreme events and the poor sediment supply by anthropized river basins (dams, river weirs, culverts, etc.) have a crucial role in coastal erosion. Therefore, an integrated analysis of coastal erosion is crucial to produce detailed and accurate coastal erosion vulnerability information to support mitigation strategies. This research aimed to assess the erosion vulnerability of the Sicilian coast, also including a validation procedure of the obtained scenario. The coastal vulnerability was computed by means of the CeVI (Coastal Erosion Vulnerability Index) approach, whi…

Un modello energetico-idrologico per la stima distribuita dell’evapotraspirazione alla scala di bacino: prime applicazioni

Turbidity analysis in Sicilian coastal zones by means of remote sensing images and spectroradiometric measurements

Water turbidity has a wide range of variability both spatially and temporally. Rivers transport sediments to the river mouth following a seasonal behaviour and occasionally during flood events (Doxaran et al., 2006; Pribble et al., 2001). Once in the sea, sediments are spatially driven by currents, and re-suspended by waves from the bottom, changing water turbidity in the tidal and sub-tidal zones (Cloern et al., 1989; Uncles et al., 2002; Wolanski & Spagnol, 2003). Moreover human activities such as transport and dredging occasionally and locally influence turbidity magnitude and distribution (Schoellhamer, 1996). In recent years the pollution of the maritime environment suggests that only …

Soil Water Content Diachronic Mapping: An FFT Frequency Analysis of a Temperature–Vegetation Index

Among the indirect estimation approaches of soil water content in the upper layer of the soil, the &ldquo

Soil water content assessment: Seasonal effects on the triangle method

Among indirect estimations of the soil water content in the upper layer, the "triangle method" is based on the relationship between the optical and thermal features sensed via Earth Observation. These features are controlled by water content at surface and within root zone, but also by meteorological forcing including air temperature and humidity, and solar radiation. Night and day-time MODIS composite land-surface temperature (LST) allowed applying the thermal admittance version of the method; by taking into account the temporal admittance of the soil, this version was previously found achieving high accuracy in estimate the soil water content at high spatial resolution within a short time…

Large-Eddy Simulation in LSPIV techniques: the study of surface turbolence

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In recent years, technological advances have been observed in environmental monitoring field, leading to a rapid spread of innovative technologies overcoming many historical challenges. In river monitoring field the use of image-based techniques provides non-intrusive measurements ensuring the best safety conditions for operators. The most used optical methods are the Large-Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) and the Large-Scale Particle Tracking Velocimetry (LSPTV).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In LSPIV and LSPTV techniques a floating tracer is introduced on the water surface and its motion is recorded by commercial devices (e.g. digital cameras). Resulting video…

Assessing actual evapotranspiration via surface energy balance aiming to optimize water and energy consumption in large scale pressurized irrigation systems

Satellite imagery provides a dependable basis for computational models that aimed to determine actual evapotranspiration (ET) by surface energy balance. Satellite-based models enables quantifying ET over large areas for a wide range of applications, such as monitoring water distribution, managing irrigation and assessing irrigation systems’ performance. With the aim to evaluate the energy and water consumption of a large scale on-turn pressurized irrigation system in the district of Aguas Nuevas, Albacete, Spain, the satellite-based image-processing model SEBAL was used for calculating actual ET. The model has been applied to quantify instantaneous, daily, and seasonal actual ET over high- …

Testing two temporal upscaling schemes for the estimation of the time variability of the actual evapotranspiration

Temporal availability of grapes actual evapotranspiration is an emerging issue since vineyards farms are more and more converted from rainfed to irrigated agricultural systems. The manuscript aims to verify the accuracy of the actual evapotranspiration retrieval coupling a single source energy balance approach and two different temporal upscaling schemes. The first scheme tests the temporal upscaling of the main input variables, namely the NDVI, albedo and LST; the second scheme tests the temporal upscaling of the energy balance output, the actual evapotranspiration. The temporal upscaling schemes were implemented on: i) airborne remote sensing data acquired monthly during a whole irrigatio…

Resistenza al moto di un fondo ricoperto da Posidonia Oceanica: confronto fra due densità areali delle piante

Storm sewer pressurization transient – an experimental investigation

Pipe pressurization is examined experimentally by 144 laboratory experiments in a circular tilting pipe between two tanks, in which the transient was triggered by sudden closing of the downstream tank outlet. The experiments cover ranges of values of slope, velocity and filling ratio of the open-channel flow not explored in previous studies. Situations involving considerable air quantity and consequent intense pressure oscillations were also reproduced. Two different pressurization patterns, defined as “smooth” and “abrupt”, were observed, but only the abrupt pattern produced intense pressure oscillations. The comparison among all the abrupt pressurization surges showed how the oscillations…

Forest accessibility, Madonie mountains (northern Sicily, Italy): implementing a GIS decision support system

Valorisation and sustainable exploitation of woody biomass from cultivation interventions might be an important opportunity to track alternative development trails for rural communities in natural protected areas. The governance of Mediterranean protected areas is characterized by overlapping, sometimes conflicting institutions, stakeholders and regulations, causing negative impacts on decision-making processes. We present an open source GIS-based decision support system tool for mapping forest accessibility and optimizing woody biomass extraction. Two models were implemented to support forest managers during the decision-making process in designing and managing wood-energy supply chains. T…

Actual evapotranspiration assessment in a sparse tall Mediterranean crops

Planktothrix rubescens in freshwater reservoirs: remote sensing potentiality for mapping cell density

Planktothrix rubescens is sadly famous for producing microcystins (MCs), which are powerful hepatotoxins. During the winter 2005/06, P. rubescens has been found in the Pozzillo, Nicoletti, Prizzi and Garcia reservoirs, Sicily; in 2008 it was also detected in SS. Trinita di Delia and Castello reservoirs. Indeed, during periods of low shortwave irradiance such as winter, when light weakly penetrates water column and the water cools, P. rubescens filaments float up to the surface, forming red-colored blooms. Ancillary meteorological measurements highlighted low air temperatures between two frosts in December 2007 and February 2008, with a simultaneous reduction in the incoming total solar radi…

Un confronto tra stime di evapotraspirazione effettiva basate su dati telerilevati in sistemi agricoli e condizioni di stress idrico

Log velocity profile and bottom displacement for a flow over a very flexible submerged canopy

Management of shallow lagoons and salt marsh environments usually requires use of numerical models in order to understand the hydrodynamic characteristics of these basins. In order for these models to give reliable results one has to have good knowledge of the interaction between the flow and the aquatic vegetation, which strongly alters the hydrodynamic characteristics. Many experimental and theoretical studies are available in the technical literature, but, because of the very different vegetation and flow characteristics, they do not yet allow one to have a clear and general knowledge of the phenomena, in terms of both flow resistance and velocity distribution. The latter is very importa…

Comparison of sensible and latent heat fluxes computed by a surface energy balance algorithm and measured eddy covariance fluxes across rainfall events

Un modello di inerzia termica per la stima del contenuto idrico del suolo da immagini termiche e multispettrali

INVESTIGATING RESERVOIR SEDIMENT AND CATCHMENT EROSION USING THE WEPP MODEL

A thermal inertia model for soil water content retrieval using thermal and multispectral images

Soil moisture is difficult to quantify because of its high spatial variability. Consequently, great efforts have been undertaken by the research community to develop practical remote sensing approaches to estimate the spatial distribution of surface soil moisture over large areas and with high spatial detail. Many methodologies have been developed using remote sensing data acquiring information in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Conventional field measurement techniques (including gravimetric and time-domain reflectometry) are point-based, involve on-site operators, are time expensive and, in any case, do not provide exhaustive information on the spatial distribution of soi…

Sinergia tra mappe di qualità delle acque e correnti superficiali nella determinazione strutture di circolazione

La mappatura delle variabili di qualità delle acque, quali la clorofilla-a (CHL-a) e la Temperatura Superficiale del mare (SST-Sea Surface Temperature) viene effettuata routinariamente dai sensori satellitari per l’osservazione della terra. I satelliti forniscono una visione sinottica di questi parametri, praticamente in tempo reale e su larga scala. Ad ogni modo, le relazioni tra i parametri di qualità delle acque e le forzanti fisiche che ne determinano le variabilità spazio-temporali, quali campi di vento e di correnti, necessitano uno studio approfondito.

Combined use of eddy covariance and sap flow techniques for partition of ET fluxes and water stress assessment in an irrigated olive orchard

Correct estimation of crop actual transpiration plays a key-role in precision irrigation scheduling, since crop growth and yield are associated to the water passing through the crop. Objective of the work was to assess how the combined use of micro-meteorological techniques (eddy covariance, EC) and physiological measurements (sap flow, SF) allows a better comprehension of the processes involving in the Soil–Plant–Atmosphere continuum. To this aim, an experimental dataset of actual evapotranspiration, plant transpiration, and soil water content measurements was collected in an olive orchard during the midseason phenological period of 2009 and 2010. It was demonstrated that the joint use of …

REMOTE SENSING ANALYSIS COUPLED TO FIELD MEASUREMENTS FOR THE EVALUATION OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM A LANDFILL SITE: A CASE STUDY

SUMMARY: the waste disposal in sanitary landfills generates landfill gas (LFG), mainly constituted by methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), because of the anaerobic degradation of the organic matter contained in the disposed waste. It is worth mentioning that CH4 is recognized as one of the most important contributor to global warming and sanitary landfills for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) have been found to be a significant source of CH4 generation and emission. The main aim of the present work was the evaluation of methane emissions from a Sicilian landfill site by coupling of direct field measurements and ground temperature data acquired through remote sensing techniques. It is worth me…

Tsunami Vulnerability Evaluation for a Small Ancient Village on Eastern Sicily Coast

The Ionian sea is prone to tsunamis due to its proximity to the Calabrian subduction zone, which is one of the major tsunamigenic areas of the Mediterranean. The tsunami disaster risk is, nowadays, significantly higher due to the increased exposure of buildings as a result of the economic and touristic growth of the Mediterranean coastal areas. This study focuses on Marzamemi, a small village in the western coast of Sicily, since its morphology and human presence amplify the need to assess its buildings’ vulnerability. The main objective of this research is to quantify the building vulnerability to tsunami hazards using a physical and realistic tsunami scenario. For this purpose, the relati…

Optical techniques: non-intrusive river monitoring approach

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Technological advances over last decades gave an innovative impulse to development of new streamflow measurements techniques, making possible to implement remote flow monitoring methods that allow for non-intrusive measurements. Here, we focus on image-based techniques that involve the use of digital camera, either installed on a bridge or equipped by a drone (UAVs &amp;amp;#8211; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The most widely known and used optical techniques are the Large-Scale Particle Image Velocimetry and the Large-Scale Particle Tracking Velocimetry. Optical techniques are based on four main steps: (i) seeding and recording, (ii) images pre-processing, (iii) images proces…

Interpreting and modelling field data for wastewater dispersion into sea trough dimensional analysis

This paper deals with the mathematical and experimental characterization of a coastal urban wastewater discharge in the South Tyrrhenian Sea, namely the Golfo di Palermo, western Sicily (Italy). The stretch of water lying before the central part of the capital town receives the wastewater originating from about 200 000 inhabitants. The sewage is currently still discharged on-shore without any prior treatment by a free-surface outfall called “Porta Felice”. The Municipality is currently implementing a plan to connect the sewerage system of these areas to the main wastewater treatment plant; at the moment, however, no mitigation measure has been applied yet and the quality of the Gulf is stil…

Stagnone di Marsala Lagoon, western Sicily.

Downscaling hydrodynamics features to depict causes of major productivity of Sicilian-Maltese area and implications for resource management

Abstract Chlorophyll- a ( CHL-a ) and sea surface temperature ( SST ) are generally accepted as proxies for water quality. They can be easily retrieved in a quasi-near real time mode through satellite remote sensing and, as such, they provide an overview of the water quality on a synoptic scale in open waters. Their distributions evolve in space and time in response to local and remote forcing, such as winds and currents, which however have much finer temporal and spatial scales than those resolvable by satellites in spite of recent advances in satellite remote-sensing techniques. Satellite data are often characterized by a moderate temporal resolution to adequately catch the actual sub-gri…

An integrated information system for the acquisition, management and sharing of environmental data aimed to decision making

This paper reports the first results of the Project SESAMO - SistEma informativo integrato per l’acquisizione, geStione e condivisione di dati AMbientali per il supportO alle decisioni (Integrated Information System for the acquisition, management and sharing of environmental data aimed to decision making). The main aim of the project is to design and develop an integrated environmental information platform able to provide monitoring services for decision support, integrating data from different environmental monitoring systems (including WSN). This ICT platform, based on a service-oriented architecture (SOA), will be developed to coordinate a wide variety of data acquisition systems, based…

FOTOGRAMMETRIA CONVENZIONALE E SENSORE AD IM-MAGINI “CASI”: APPLICAZIONI ALLA MAPPATURA DELLA VEGETAZIONE SOMMERSA

Obiettivo della ricerca è stato quello di testare l’applicabilità delle tecniche che fanno uso di dati te-lerilevati (multispettrali e da aerofotogrammetria convenzionale) da piattaforma aerea per il monito-raggio delle praterie di Posidonia oceanica. L’analisi multitemporale ha permesso di monitorare l'e-voluzione del “limite superiore” delle praterie sommerse evidenziando l'impatto della pressione an-tropica sulla componente biotica fotoautotrofa dell'ecosistema marino costiero. Dallo studio è emer-so che l'analisi dei dati telerilevati da aereo fornisce un contributo essenziale all’indagine del pae-saggio vegetale a media e piccola scala, consentendo sia un monitoraggio periodico di vast…

Early warnings of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus infestation of Phoenix canariensis: a proximity thermal sensing approach

Phoenix canariensis represents one of the most relevant ornamental plants within Mediterranean environment. In the last few years the infestation of a curculio coleopteron, namely the Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, caused a widespread decimation of these palms. Unluckily damages caused by the insect are evident only in the advanced phase of the disease making futile almost any plant treatment. Early warning of this disease may represents the only way to setup efficient actions to fight the coleopteron in trees where it takes over, thus limiting its spreading in contiguous palms. This research aims to achieve the former result by processing: i) short and long-wave images of the crown acquired du…

A diachronic analysis of estuarine turbidity due to a flood following an extreme rainfall event

During floods following rainfall events characterized by long return period, rivers bring to their mouths the higher concentration of sediments. This paper deals with a qualitative assessment of coastal water and turbidity load in estuarine waters as a consequence of an intense rainfall event occurred on the 16t h and 17 th September 2003 in the eastern part of Sicily. Although empirical relationships to estimate turbidity using remote sensing can be found in literature, however models parameters need to be calibrated through in situ measures acquired via intensive field campaigns. The algorithm used within this research was calibrated using field data acquired during three periods in 2008 …

Detecting crop water status in mature olive orchards using vegetation spectral measurements.

Full spectral measurements (350–2500 nm) at tree canopy and leaf levels and the corresponding leaf water potentials (LWP) were acquired in an olive grove of Sicily, at different hours of the day, during summer season 2011. The main objective of the work was to assess, on the basis of the experimental data-set, two different approaches to detect crop water status in terms of LWP. Specifically, using existing families of Vegetation Indices (VIs) and applying Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) were optimised and tested. The results indicated that a satisfactory estimation of LWP at tree canopy and leaf levels can be obtained using vegetation indices based on the near infrared–shortwave in…

HF radar for wind waves measurements in the Malta-Sicily Channel

Abstract The CALYPSO HF radar network is a permanent and fully operational observing system currently composed of four CODAR SeaSonde stations. The system is providing real-time hourly maps of sea surface currents and waves data in the Malta-Sicily Channel. The present work aims to compare significant wave height measurements by HF Radar to wave data from numerical models and satellite altimeter. This is the first time that this set of wave data are analysed since the four HF radars were installed between 2012 and 2015. Results suggest that CODAR HF Radar wave data are a reliable source of wave information even in the case of extreme events, providing an avenue to improve and complete the o…

Hydrological consequences of natural rubber plantations in Southeast Asia

Since the turn of the century, rubber plantations have been expanding their footprint across Southeast Asia in response to an increasing global demand for rubber products. Between 2000 and 2014, the area cultivated with rubber more than doubled. It is not clear how this major change in the agricultural landscape of Southeast Asia, the main area of rubber production in the world, is affecting land‐use patterns and water resources in the region. Here we use maps of rubber plantations and other croplands in conjunction with a hydrological model and remote sensing analyses to assess land‐use patterns and water resources affected by natural rubber plantations. Results show water requirements of …

Partitioning ET measurements for sparse vegetation: application to an olive orchard.

Measurements and Observations in the XXI century (MOXXI) : innovation and multi-disciplinarity to sense the hydrological cycle

ISI Document Delivery No.: FV7JXTimes Cited: 4Cited Reference Count: 249Tauro, Flavia Selker, John van de Giesen, Nick Abrate, Tommaso Uijlenhoet, Remko Porfiri, Maurizio Manfreda, Salvatore Caylor, Kelly Moramarco, Tommaso Benveniste, Jerome Ciraolo, Giuseppe Estes, Lyndon Domeneghetti, Alessio Perks, Matthew T. Corbari, Chiara Rabiei, Ehsan Ravazzani, Giovanni Bogena, Heye Harfouche, Antoine Brocca, Luca Maltese, Antonino Wickert, Andy Tarpanelli, Angelica Good, Stephen Alcala, Jose Manuel Lopez Petroselli, Andrea Cudennec, Christophe Blume, Theresa Hut, Rolf Grimaldi, SalvatoreTaylor & francis ltdAbingdon; To promote the advancement of novel observation techniques that may lead to new so…

Time series analysis of climate and vegetation variables in the Oreto watershed (Sicily, Italy)

Linee guida per la gestione dell'emergenza idrica e per la pianificazione di interventi di mitigazione in ambiente urbano

Laboratory Measurements of Flow and Turbulence in Discontinuous Distributions of Ligulate Seagrass

Turbulent flow characteristics were investigated in laboratory flume studies of a ligulate plant canopy interrupted by a gap representing discontinuities observed in seagrass prairies. The reliability of velocity measurements obtained using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter within the canopy was shown using specifically designed experiments. In relatively fast flow (mean velocity 5.5 cm s−1), the mean flow profile was logarithmic above the canopy, had an inflection point near its top, and uniformly low values within it. Within the gap, a recirculation cell formed. Reynolds stress maxima were approximately coincident with the mean flow inflection point. Quadrant analysis revealed an ejection-d…

Analysis of energy fluxes estimations over Italy using time-differencing models based on thermal remote sensing data

Large area estimations of land surface fluxes can be a useful operational tool for up-scaling local measurements and can serve as an upper-boundary condition for higher spatial resolution applications. Given hourly measurements of radiometric surface temperature from a geostationary satellite, it is possible to derive the partitioning of energy fluxes based on the influence of the evapotranspiration process on morning surface temperature rise. In this work, the Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model and the Dual Temperature Difference (DTD) approach were applied in order to relate the sensible heat flux to time-differential remote observations of surface temperature obtained from Me…