How Does the Architecture of Holocene Deposits Affect Land Subsidence and Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Areas?

Sea-level rise seriously jeopardizes many low-lying coastal plains threatening high valuable transitional environments such as deltas, estuaries and lagoons as well as compromising the economy of society, for example that related to farming and tourism. Holocene estuaries, deltas, lagoons and associated coastal plains are formed by complex subsurface architectures inherited from the evolutionary dynamics of transitional environments in a sea level rise context. Holocene coastal deposits, due to their geo-mechanical and hydro-stratigraphic characteristics, have a fundamental role in driving land subsidence and saltwater intrusion. Land subsidence rates, which reflect regional and local tectonic effects, can be greatly enhanced by primary consolidation and creep of the Holocene deposits, thus resulting in an additional vertical movement at ground surface. Holocene coastal aquifers, groundwater reserves, and continental-sea groundwater exchanges depend on hydro-stratigraphic setting, which in turn reflects the evolution of depositional environments during marine transgression.

The main goal of this collection is to overcome the traditionally fragmented and sectoral approach to coastal zone study, where different levels of governance (local, regional, national) and multiple actors are involved too (coastal planners, watershed management authorities, environmental agencies, ministries, local communities, etc.). This uncoordinated approach usually results in limited coastal knowledge, which addresses only one phenomenon (or a limited set of phenomena) at a time. Instead, the collection will foster a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach, to better understand environmental phenomena (anthropic vs. natural) and their impacts in coastal environments.

This Research Topic aims to explore the role of the architecture of Holocene deposits in deltas, estuaries, lagoons and coastal plains in controlling and driving land subsidence and saltwater intrusion by taking into account a variety of independent factors. The focus is on the sedimentary architecture and the related geotechnical and hydrological characteristics. We encourage studies addressing a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and applying state of the art methodologies. Interdisciplinary studies are strongly encouraged as they provide the basis for a sustainable management.

This Research Topic has been realized in collaboration with Carla Buffardi, PhD, at Università della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli Aversa.