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Badlands are characteristic erosional forms distributed along the entire Apennines. In the Italian context badland areas are called "calanchi", the plural of the word "calanco". In this paper we present the first calanchi inventory map of the Oltrepo Pavese area, Northern Apennines (Italy). In total 263 calanchi were mapped using remote sensing techniques like Orthophotos, Google Earth images, as well as field recognition. Moreover, calanchi were characterised from a geomorphologic, geologic and a morphometric point of view. The calanchi of the Oltrepo Pavese have been categorised in two geomorphological classes based on process related morphologies. In the study area calanchi mainly occur in soft sedimentary bedrock materials such as melanges, marls, claystones, and interstratified rocks. The results show that calanchi formations are often related to faults and tectonic lineaments present in the study area. Moreover, we analyse a 5 m cell size Digital Terrain Model to detect correlations between calanchi and morphometric indices. The calanchi, defined and categorised for the first time in the study area, show typical morphometric characteristics of Apennine calanchi forms and features. In particular, they occur on concave south-facing slopes on soft bedrock formations. Finally, a multitemporal air photo interpretation over a 40 years period indicated a general decrease in calanchi areas. The area reduction is mainly correlated to intensive land use changes combined with variations of precipitation pattern. The revegetation trend was also confirmed by NDVI analysis based on Landsat satellites images. The calanchi were digitized and stored in a GIS database providing the information for future quantitative modelling assessments. • We generated a first inventory map of the Oltrepo Pavese calanchi forms and features. • Calanchi have been classified in two morphogenetic types (Type A; Type B). • Calanchi develop mainly in soft sedimentary bedrock formations. • A general trend in area reduction has been observed for the calanchi forms and features. • NDVI and land use change analysis confirm revegetation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we draw on a unique dataset of hydrological and microbiological time series to apply water footprint (WF) methodology to quantify the environmental impact of cattle grazing on karst area in a regional park of the southern Apennines (Italy). The use of WF methodology in the same specific environment where relevant data are monitored, and the hydrogeological and microbiological characterisation of the study area, validate the results of our WF assessment, that can be summarised as follows. First, we show that an ecological indicator such as the grey water footprint (GWF) may be of particular relevance to the park authority to implement policies to preserve groundwater quality. Second, we introduce a new metric, referred to as the environment-related grey water footprint (GWF env ), to estimate the virtual water needed to absorb the microbial pollution of a cattle grazing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two models are combined to estimate the net carbon fluxes of managed pastures. • The first is an NDVI-driven parametric model, the second a biogeochemical model. • The simulation takes into account the effects of mowing and grazing. • The carbon flux estimates are assessed versus eddy covariance observations. • The approach is able to simulate the carbon balance of managed mountain pastures. The current paper presents a methodology which can simulate the net carbon fluxes of semi-natural grasslands based on the combination of a parametric and a bio-geochemical model. The first model (modified C-Fix) estimates grassland gross primary production (GPP) by driving the light use efficiency approach with remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data. The latter model (BIOME-BGC) simulates all main ecosystem processes based on meteorological and ancillary data. The outputs of the two models are finally combined and corrected for the effects of human-induced biomass changes (i.e. mowing, grazing, etc.). The modelling strategy, fed with ancillary and MODIS NDVI data, is tested in two semi-natural grasslands, the first (Amplero) on the Apennines and the second (Monte Bondone) on the Alps (Central and Northern Italy, respectively). The two sites, which show diversified eco-climatic conditions and are managed differently (i.e. Amplero by spring mowing plus cattle grazing and Monte Bondone by summer mowing), were selected for the availability of eddy covariance observations of GPP and net ecosystem production (NEP) collected during several years (from 2003 to 2012). These observations were used to assess the estimates of the modelling strategy, obtaining promising results for both study sites. The greatest estimation errors are found in the Alpine site and are mostly induced by the inaccurate detection of local grassland NDVI values, which is due to the insufficient spatial and temporal resolutions of the used MODIS NDVI imagery. The results of the study highlight the importance of information on the local management practices applied, which is decisive for quantifying medium-term changes in net carbon fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on both structure and functions is essential to evaluate the ecological integrity of stream ecosystems and their response to natural and anthropogenic disturbance. Leaf-bags have been widely employed to assess stream ecosystem processes and the degree of leaf mass consumption has been proposed as one of the most useful functional descriptor in aquatic environments. However, the breakdown rate of leaves has been compared with structural indicators of macroinvertebrate assemblages derived from leaf-bags or from benthic samples, without any direct comparison on the characteristics of communities sampled with the two methods. The main objective of the paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of the structure, functional organization and biological traits of macroinvertebrate assemblages from artificial leaf packs and from benthic samples of a third-order stream in the Central Apennines (Italy). Of the 43 macroinvertebrate taxa globally found in our survey, 9 showed low ability or scarce attitude to colonize leaf-bags, while 6 rare taxa were exclusively sampled in artificial leaf packs. Both assemblages were characterized by the dominance of Chironomidae, though they were more abundant in leaf-bags (71% of total individuals collected) than in benthic samples (44%). Conversely, the mayfly Baetis sp. comprised more than 17% of total individuals collected with Surber nets and only 5% of leaf-bag assemblages. We found that compared to benthic assemblages, leaf-bag communities were less diversified with a lower richness and a lower number of Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Plecoptera (EPT) taxa; significant differences also emerged in assemblage composition. Contrary to what expected, artificial leaf packs resulted not particularly attractive for shredder organisms and were mainly colonized by collectors. Also the biological trait profiles of the leaf-bag community were significantly different from those shared by resident benthic taxa. Our findings could have profound implications in the assessment of the structural and functional integrity of stream ecosystems and in studies on freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In these studies, the two methods (leaf-bags and Surber nets) should be regarded as complementary and not alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we inferred the origin of a huge clastic deposit (i.e. L'Aquila Breccia) which widely crops out within the L'Aquila intermontane basin, a tectonic depression in central Apennines, that is bounded by seismogenic active faults, as demonstrated by the earthquake occurred on April 6, 2009 (Mw 6.1). The genesis of this deposit is still debated in the literature: for this reason, a number of methods have been applied, mainly aimed at evidencing its geomorphological and sedimentological features, as well as at defining its geometry and volume through cross sections constrained by borehole data and field observations. On the basis of the obtained results, we identified such deposit as resulting from a Quaternary rock avalanche event. In particular, the rock avalanche would have detached during the cold climate phases of late Middle Pleistocene from the southern slope of the Gran Sasso Range, a sector characterized by the presence of numerous DGSD-related landforms. We performed morphometric analyses of the Gran Sasso slope, in order to define the potential source area of the inferred rock avalanche and, according to the results, the volume estimated from this area (about 108 m3) is coherent with the volume calculated for the preserved rock avalanche deposit. Furthermore, we analyzed the main features of the deposit (i.e. age and morphometric parameters) also in the light of similar rock avalanche events occurred in the same region during the Quaternary, with the aim of discussing potential analogues and better understanding the role of gravity-induced processes in the Quaternary morpho-evolution of the Apennine chain. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinkholes are widely found in Italy in both carbonate slopes and alluvial plain settings. Since they may occur catastrophically, without showing premonitory signs and resulting in severe economic losses and casualties, they constitute a significant risk in many areas, and even pose a threat to human life. In this paper, we carried out a detailed multidisciplinary study of the Fossa San Vito sinkhole (southern Italy) that is a particular type of cover collapse sinkhole. The latter is a sub-circular, closed depression, with a diameter of ~200 m and with inner walls up to 25 m high, located in the piedmont area placed along the inner border of the Sarno River alluvial plain. The study entailed morphological and stratigraphic analysis by means of field surveys, including nine trenches, four boreholes, and the reinterpretation of stratigraphical data from the literature. In addition, hydrogeological and soil gas analysis were carried out to investigate the possible role of deep-water uprising. The study attempted to identify the genetic mechanism and include the reconstruction of a detailed subsurface stratigraphic model, showing that the infilling of the depression is about 45 m thick and consists of well-laminated, silty-clay lacustrine sediments interbedded with tephra layers. 14C dating of fossil wood found at the base of the lacustrine deposits constrains the age of the collapse at 5483 cal. years B.P. The collapse of the topographic surface involved a volume of about 400,000 cubic metres and originated at depth >80 m. Unlabelled Image • This study describes a peculiar type of cover collapse sinkhole. • The sinkhole has a diameter of ~200 m and is, at least, 65 m deep. • 14C dating constrains the age of the collapse at ~5483 cal. yr B.P. • The sinkhole was occupied by a lake and filled in by 40 m thick silts and clays. • The void responsible for the collapse formed by subsurface erosion at the rockhead [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]