An Integrated Monitoring Network for the Mitigation of the Coastal Risk

Abstract

The southern coast of Sicily (Italy) and the islands of Malta’s archipelagos are highly exposed to risks coming from the sea. These coasts are subjected to fast erosion phenomena due to natural causes, which involve failure of cliffs, triggering of localized erosions and the possibility of flooding. In this context the research project NEWS - Nearshore hazard monitoring and Early Warning System - (INTERREG V-A Program “Italia-Malta”), aimed to implement a strategy, common to the two Countries, which includes: i) monitoring systems on land and offshore, ii) an early warning system to prevent the risks coming from the sea, iii) the proposal of specific actions aimed to increase the resilience of the population against these natural disasters. The test sites include low and high coasts: i) Granelli (Pachino) and Santa Maria del Focallo (Ispica) in South Sicily, characterized by thin sandy coast; ii) Selmun and Wied Il-Mielah in the archipelago of Malta, characterized by high cliffs and rocky arch. The proposed solutions adopt an integrated geophysical sensor network on land, as well as, a networked set of wave buoys installed offshore Sicily and Maltese Islands. The goal of the network system is to estimate in advance the possibility that an area of the coast may be affected by a flood or a strong erosion concomitantly with a storm or with the collapse of a cliff, and to promptly activate safeguard measures to avoid damage to populations living close to the coasts.