{"id":2956,"date":"2026-09-13T19:42:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T19:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gapsrl.tech\/?page_id=2956"},"modified":"2026-09-23T20:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T20:00:21","slug":"coastal-erosion-maps","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gapsrl.tech\/en\/products-and-services-en\/coastal-erosion-maps\/","title":{"rendered":"Coastal erosion maps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Water quality products<\/h2>\n

\n "Water quality refers to the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the water itself. It refers to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed." – Wikipedia.
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\n Ocean colour (OC) analysis refers to a method of assessing the \u2018health\u2019 of the sea by measuring oceanic biological activity using optical sensors. Standard water colour products are well calibrated for ocean waters. Shallow waters require highly sophisticated processing that takes into account the local characteristics of the study area.
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\n GAP has developed a water colour analysis optimised for coastal waters, providing:\n <\/p>\n

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Content integrated from the historical data sheet<\/h2>\n

VIS\/NIR Remote Sensing Products<\/p>\n

Coastal erosion maps<\/h2>\n

Coastlines identify the position of shorelines. They are of fundamental importance in many applications. They can also serve as a key parameter for monitoring the morphology of coastal areas, as they enable the creation of a precise digital elevation model of these areas.<\/p>\n

By using SAR and optical imagery alongside data fusion, classification and filtering techniques, it is possible to extract the coastline semi-automatically from remote-sensing data, with a level of accuracy that depends on the image\u2019s spatial resolution.<\/p>\n

Coastal zone management policies can benefit from historical information on coastal dynamics. Existing archives of remote-sensing data are a valuable resource for this type of information.<\/p>\n

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Changes to the coastline from satellite imagery<\/p>\n

Submerged aquatic vegetation<\/p>\n

The analysis of benthic marine communities is generally regarded as one of the essential activities for enhancing our understanding and, consequently, the proper management of coastal zones. Posidonia oceanica is a marine flowering plant that characterises the final stage of succession on the sandy seabeds of the Mediterranean Sea. Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows constitute the most important and productive ecosystem in the Mediterranean basin and play a vital role in the ecological balance of coastal waters. In particular, Posidonia oceanica ecosystems contribute significantly to the oxygenation of the water through photosynthesis; they provide shelter for many marine animals; produce a large amount of biomass for neighbouring ecosystems, stabilise sandy shores and seabeds by dampening wave action and the subsequent accumulation of sediments, shape the coastline and protect sandy beaches from erosion. The figure shows how GAP is capable of providing classification maps of algal communities. In particular, the figure shows the results of a classification applied to a Landsat TM image of the sea off Taranto, with an overall accuracy of 70 per cent. The dark green areas indicate Posidonia seagrass beds.<\/p>\n

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Submerged vegetation, Taranto, Italy 2008<\/p>\n

Chlorophyll is the pigment that enables plants, including algae, to convert sunlight into organic compounds through photosynthesis. Measuring chlorophyll-a concentrations in water can be used to estimate algal biomass. An excessive amount of chlorophyll-a indicates the presence of algal blooms, which usually consist of a single species of algae, typically not consumed by fish and other predators. The unused algae settle on the seabed and degrade, causing a reduction in oxygen levels in deeper waters.<\/p>\n

Suspended solids provide a measure of the amount of sediment being carried along by the current. This is highly dependent on water flow and usually increases during and immediately after rainfall events. When sediment settles out of the water, aquatic habitats are often destroyed. Suspended materials play an important role in water quality management as they are linked to total primary production (for example, the release of nutrients) and to the fluxes of heavy metals and micropollutants. The procedures implemented and tested are based on the processing of satellite imagery, which enables the creation of a map of Total Suspended Sediment. The figure shows a study of sediment dispersion following Hurricane Isabel in Chesapeake Bay in the United States. The circle highlights a narrow plume of sediment moving towards the ocean.<\/p>\n

Coloured dissolved organic carbon<\/p>\n

Dissolved coloured organic carbon, also known as fulvic or humic acid, contributes to the brownish colour of a watercourse. Tannins are an example of such compounds. In a nutrient-poor environment, it can act as a nutrient, enabling the growth of algae, whilst in a nutrient-rich environment, it can be a by-product of algae decomposition.<\/p>\n

Turbidity is a measure of the amount of particulate matter suspended in water. Water with high turbidity appears cloudy or opaque. High turbidity can cause water temperatures to rise, as suspended particles absorb more heat, and can also reduce the amount of light penetrating the water.<\/p>\n

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Chlorophyll-a, Southern Italy 2008<\/p>\n

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Suspended Sediments, Chesapeake Bay 2003<\/p>\n

Sea surface temperature<\/p>\n

Water temperature affects the water\u2019s capacity to hold oxygen, the rate of photosynthesis by aquatic plants and the metabolic rates of aquatic organisms. Weather conditions, damming, the discharge of cooling water, urban rainwater and groundwater inflows all cause changes in temperature.<\/p>\n

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Surface sea temperature, Italy 2008<\/p>\n

Dynamic modelling of physical and biological parameters in coastal waters<\/h2>\n

To calibrate data on the physical and biological parameters of coastal waters against ground-based reference measurements, dynamic modelling techniques were used to ensure accurate interpolation. The figure shows the modelling of winter temperature dynamics in the waters of the Mar Piccolo and Mar Grande in Taranto.<\/p>\n

Modelling of temperature variation in the \u2018Mar Piccolo\u2019 and \u2018Mar Grande\u2019 of Taranto<\/p>\n

Water-Leaving Reflectance<\/h2>\n

The biophysical parameters characterising seawater quality can be determined by measuring water-leaving reflectance derived from satellite data in the optical and infrared bands, after removing the effects of absorption and scattering caused by aerosols and atmospheric gases. The analysis of coastal waters is more challenging due to the reflection effect of the seabed in shallow waters and the presence of various types of aerosols.<\/p>\n

Sophisticated instruments are available at GAP to directly determine the values of biophysical parameters, with in situ measurements for calibration and validation.<\/p>\n

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The AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network), managed by NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Centre, provides measurements that can be used to validate satellite observations for atmospheric and climatological studies and forms part of a global network for measuring atmospheric aerosols. Measurements taken every 15\u201330 minutes by a scanning solar photometer are sent directly to Goddard and analysed in near real time. The stations provide direct measurements of aerosol optical depth at various wavelengths and the particle size distribution in the atmosphere. One AERONET station is located on the roof of the Department of Physics at the University of Bari, known as Bari_University. It is managed by the Department of Physics at the University of Bari in collaboration with GAP srl. A second station, named Bari_Waterfront, is located at the Apulian headquarters of ARPA (Regional Agency for Environmental Prevention and Protection).<\/p>\n

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