Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Degree in Geological Sciences, PhD in physics of the complex system.

Direction or participation to several national and international research and monitoring projects in geophysical geodesy and education. Coordinator of the European Projects Savemedcoasts (www.savemedcoasts.eu) and Savemedcoasts2 (www.savemedcoasts2.eu), funded by DGECHO in 2016-2022. 

Research activity is documented by about 180 printed papers in peer review national and international scientific journals, book chapters, monographs and conference proceedings. Guest editor of special volumes and author of three scientific documentaries. Teaching experience in national and international Universities and in scientific communication. Research activity mainly focuses on the following topics: 1) geodesy applied to the study of crustal deformation at regional and local scale in seismic and volcanic areas; 2) integration of topographic data by aerial survey techniques, laser scanning, single and multi-beam bathymetry; 3) sea level changes. For this latter research, has worked in the Mediterranean using coastal archaeological indicators, geological data, tidal and GPS data high resolution DTM/DSM and numerical modelling. This led to first estimates of the contribution to eustatic and glacio-hydro-isostatic sea level changes to the total observed variation and the estimation of the vertical deformation induced by tectonic activity. This methodology, integrated by climate data, has led to first estimates of future projections of rising sea levels along some parts of the Italian coasts and in the Mediterranean.

CONFERENCIA

Sea level change and vertical movement of the land in the last 2000 years along the Mediterranean coasts inferred from the Roman fish tanks 

Cambio del nivel del mar y movimiento vertical de la tierra en los últimos 2000 años a lo largo de las costas mediterráneas inferidos a partir de las piscifactorías romanas

During the last 50 years have been published several papers on the archaeological significance for sea level studies of fish tanks, harbors, breakwaters and coastal quarries of Roman age or even earlier, that provided important archaeological and environmental information.

Among these archaeological sea level indicators that were built or excavated along the coasts of the Mediterranean, the Roman fish tanks are particularly valuable because they can provide very precise information on the eustatic changes and vertical land movements since their construction.

According to the Latin authors Plinius and Varro, the use of the fish tanks for fish culture was introduced between the end of the second century AD and early first century BC. These structures were used for a relatively short period only, due to high cost of maintenance. The building of new tanks then ceased during the second century A.D. 

Most of the best examples of fish tanks occur along the coast near Rome, Italy, although they are also found along all the Mediterranean coasts and beyond its borders. Well-preserved remains of these structures provide a precise measure of sea-level change. The structural features that tidally control the exchange of water used to define the ancient local sea level are identified as the channel thresholds, the sluice gate and sliding post positions, and the lowest level crepido. These are consistent within all the tanks, allowing the measure of local sea-level change over the past 2000 years at each location with a precision even better than 20 cm.

Here, we will discuss the features of these constructions and their architectural elements that bear directly on sea level at the time they were operational and the relevance they deserve to better understand the trend of the recent sea levels and the role of vertical land movements linked to Global Isostatic Adjustment, volcanism and tectonics.

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Durante los últimos 50 años se han publicado varios trabajos sobre la importancia arqueológica para los estudios del nivel del mar de viveros, puertos, rompeolas y canteras costeras de época romana o incluso anterior, que han proporcionado importante información arqueológica y medioambiental.

Entre estos indicadores arqueológicos del nivel del mar que se construyeron o excavaron a lo largo de las costas del Mediterráneo, las piscifactorías romanas son especialmente valiosas porque pueden proporcionar información muy precisa sobre los cambios eustáticos y los movimientos verticales del terreno desde su construcción.

Según los autores latinos Plinio y Varrón, el uso de viveros para la cría de peces se introdujo entre finales del siglo II d.C. y principios del siglo I a.C.. Estas estructuras sólo se utilizaron durante un periodo relativamente corto, debido al elevado coste de su mantenimiento. La construcción de nuevos depósitos cesó  durante el siglo II d.C.

La mayoría de los mejores ejemplos de piscifactorís se encuentran a lo largo de la costa cercana a Roma (Italia), aunque también se encuentran a lo largo de todas las costas mediterráneas y más allá de sus fronteras. Los restos bien conservados de estas estructuras proporcionan una medida precisa del cambio del nivel del mar. Las características estructurales que controlan marealmente el intercambio de agua utilizado para definir el antiguo nivel local del mar se identifican como los umbrales de los canales, las posiciones de las compuertas y los postes deslizantes, y el crepido del nivel más bajo. Éstos son consistentes dentro de todos los depósitos, permitiendo la medida del cambio local del nivel del mar durante los últimos 2000 años en cada localización con una precisión incluso mjeor  de 20 cm.

Aquí, discutiremos las características de estas construcciones y sus elementos arquitectónicos que tienen que ver directamente con el nivel del mar en el momento en que estaban operativas y la relevancia que merecen para comprender mejor la tendencia de los niveles del mar recientes y el papel de los movimientos verticales de la tierra ligados al Ajuste Isostático Global, el vulcanismo y la tectónica.