New elements highlighted for the study of underwater geological risks and their interaction with coastal infrastructures and environments
A study coordinated by a team of researchers from theNational Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and University of Palermo (Department of Earth and Marine Sciences), published in the magazine Communications Earth & Environment (Nature Portfolio), shows the processes controlling the evolution of submarine canyons along the Italian coast. These deep seafloor incisions, similar to canyons observed on land but much larger, can influence the stability of continental margins and represent a potential risk factor for coastal areas.
The research analyzed over 2.700 underwater canyon warheads (i.e., the shallowest areas closest to the coast) through a machine learning model that integrates bathymetric data, instrumental seismicity, crustal deformations, and deformation rates measured by satellite geodesy. The results show that tectonic activity and proximity to river mouths are the main factors driving the retreat and evolution of these underwater landscape features.
The study highlights how canyons are dynamic systems sensitive to both deep-sea geological processes and coastal sediment dynamics, with significant implications for understanding natural hazards along the Italian and Mediterranean coasts.
"This work was carried out thanks to the availability of multiple public datasets, both European and National, many of which produced by the INGV, ranging from satellite data to bathymetric data.", explains Salvatore Stramondo, Director of the Earthquake Department of the INGV. “Italy is one of the few nations in the world to freely provide such a quantity of geophysical and geomorphological data, the integration of which allows for improved assessment of the phenomena that shape coastal margins and for strengthening natural risk analysis tools.".
According to the authors, the combination of regional seismicity and sedimentary contribution from rivers favors conditions of gravitational instability of the submarine slopes, controlling the migration of the canyon heads towards the coast over time.
"Submarine canyons represent real preferential routes for the transport of sediments towards the deep sea", points out Nicholas Parrino, Researcher at INGV. “In this work we used modern analysis techniques that use artificial intelligence to understand the factors that drive its evolution. and this helps to reconstruct the interaction between tectonic processes, coastal dynamics and seascape changes".
"The Italian peninsula is surrounded by seismically active continental margins and its more than 8000 km of coastline is largely exposed to multiple processes of seismic-induced origin chand they can affect the seabed and coasts” he concludes Pierfrancesco Burrato, Senior Researcher INGV. “This knowledge is essential to protect infrastructure and plan coastal management interventions in high-risk areas.".
The new data pave the way for more in-depth studies on the evolution of the seabed and the safety of coastal margins, strengthening monitoring and prevention strategies.
Figure 1 - 3D topographic and bathymetric view of the Gulf of Palermo showing the heads of submarine canyons along the continental slope. The black dots represent the initial points of the canyon incisions.
Figure 2 - Seismotectonic and morphological context of the Italian continental margins.