Special Session 25

SPECIAL SESSION #25

Danilo Morelli

DISTAV – University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

• danilo.morelli@unige.it

Francesca Budillon

ISMAR - Research National Council, Napoli, Italy

• francesca.budillon@cnr.it

Nicola Corradi

DISTAV – University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

• nicola.corradi@unige.it

Roberta Ivaldi

Italian Hydrographic Institute, Italian Navy, Italy

• roberta_ivaldi@marina.difesa.it

Maria Rosaria Senatore

University of Sannio, Italy

• senatore@unisannio.it

Recent advances in geological and environmental marine exploration are driven by the growing use of modern, reliable techniques and tools, enabling highly accurate and very high-resolution measurements.

Data collected by direct and remote methods used for marine geological and geophysical surveys have a wide range of applications, from environmental protection, risk mitigation (assessment), cultural heritage analysis and conservation, to the official geological and thematic cartography with associated community databases. The latter and the associated community database represent, in many cases, the measured integration of technical, environmental and scientific information with continuous upgrades aimed at their reciprocal valorisations.

The session aims to receive and discuss contributions in the following topics:

• Digital Terrain Models and seabed morphology;
• Backscatter surveys;
• Surveys and sampling from autonomous vehicles (AUV);
• Survey techniques and data processing for seismic stratigraphy;
• Measurements on bottom sediments (core logs);
• Ocean Bottom Seismic (OBS) applications for monitoring the active geodynamic processes;
• Numerical and physical modeling describing or simulating the evolution of the seabed in shallow and deep waters;
• Official geological and thematic cartography and associated community databases.

Danilo Morelli, is graduated in Earth Sciences in 1991, PhD degree in Environmental Science, Marine Sciences in 2008, was a postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Trieste (2008-2015), and has been a fixed-term Assistant Professor (Type A; 2020-2025), at the University of Genoa in Stratigraphic and Sedimentological Geology.
His activity is dedicated to the study of stratigraphic architecture and the morpho-structural setting of the continental margins as well as to their cartographic representation, focusing on some of the most critical Italian marine areas, from the point of view of active tectonics and geohazard-related. The skills maturation in the digital processing of seismic-stratigraphic and morpho-tectonic data interpretations, alongside the collection of new field data, the collaboration with other specialists in marine geology and active morpho-tectonics of the emerged areas, was used for the advancement of knowledge in the field of land-sea geology, the environment and marine exploration. He is the Author or co-author of over 100 publications (ISI-indexed, other journals and geological maps) and national and international conference proceedings.
He was the scientific coordinator for the marine areas of Geological Cartographic Projects of the Genoa University (2020-2025), dedicated to the 1:50.000 official geological sheets of "Albenga" and "Genoa," carried out in the framework of the National CARG Project. In the framework of the MAGIC 1-2 Project (Marine Geohazard along the Italian Coasts; 2007-2015) of the Italian Civil Protection Department, he was the scientific coordinator of the Trieste University unit for the marine survey fieldwork and realisation of 4 cartographic sheets (1:50.000) of the Ligurian Sea.

Francesca Budillon, graduated in Earth Sciences and has been a researcher in marine geology at the National Research Council of Italy since 1998. Her main fields of interest are recent and active geological processes along the continental margins, which she usually approaches by coupling seismic and sequential stratigraphic models, integrated stratigraphy, morpho-bathymetric analysis of digital terrain models, seabed acoustic facies analysis, and lithofacies analysis of marine sediment samples. She has been involved in several projects on thematic cartography aimed at geological, geomorphological, and geohazard mapping of the continental margins off the Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia regions. Her recent published works deal with submarine landslides, morpho-dynamic modifications in shallow water settings, deposition of event beds (gravity flows and tempestites) in response to natural forcing, and anthropogenic impacts on the seabed. She has supervised three PhD theses, six master's degrees, and five post-degree fellowships as a co-tutor. She has participated in more than 40 oceanographic cruises, seven times as chief scientist, and has co-authored approximately 70 peer-reviewed papers (indexed and non-indexed), three explanatory notes for geological maps, and several technical notes.

Nicola Corradi, is a Contract Professor and was an Associate Professor of Stratigraphic and Sedimentological Geology and Lecturer in Marine Geology at the University of Genoa. Since 1978 he has Post-Graduate Scholarship Holder at CNR and UniGe and since 1981 to 1998 he has Confirmed Researcher at University of Genoa involved in research on the marine geology and sedimentology. Since 1978 he participated in projects, field experiences and cruises, of CNR, MURST/MIUR, ERS1 - ESA TELSAT-University of Liège (BE) UE-CORINE, UE-Tempus, MAE, UMR Géoazur (FR), Interreg – Medocc and Maritime, MIUR-PRIN, on the Coastal Dynamics and Management of the Continental Shelf. Since 1987 he participates in the Marine Geology researches of the National Research Project on Antarctica (PNRA), carrying out seven oceanographic cruises in Antarctica, four with the role of Geological Coordinator, and two as Scientific Director. Since 2009 he is member of the College of Teachers of the Master’s Degree in Geomatics II Level for the European qualification in Hydrographic Engineering. In 2011 he was member of the College of Teachers of the Master’s Degree in Marine Applied Sciences - I Level of the University of Parma, and in 2012 he was member of the College of Teachers of the International Master’s Degree in: “Human Interaction with Coastal and Ocean Dynamics” (IUSS – Pavia). He is the author and co-author of more than 150 publications. Founding member, in 2003, of the “Italian Association of Sedimentary Geology” and in 2005 of the “National Group for Research on the Coastal Environment – GNRAC”. Since 2017 he is a member of Accademia Ligure di Scienze e Lettere.

Roberta Ivaldi, PhD degree in Environmental Science, Marine Sciences and MSc degree in Geological Sciences cum laude, is Associate Professor in Marine Geology at the Italian Hydrographic Institute. She is member of GEBCO SCUFN (Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names) as IHO representative, member of the GEBCO IBCAO (International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean) Editorial Board, member of National Decade Committee of the UN Ocean Decade for Sustainable Development 2021-2030, manager of the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory - EMSO Italia. Scientific director of the HIGH NORTH Program endorsed by UN Ocean Decade, has been involved in several oceanographic cruises and research programs in the Mediterranean Sea, Northern Atlantic, Antarctica and Arctic. Her research focuses on ocean knowledge, exploration and new technologies applied in order to obtain a 3D integrated mapping (bottom and ice- water column), sediment geotechnical properties and high-resolution seismic stratigraphy in extreme marine environment and polar sector.

Maria Rosaria Senatore, is an Associate Professor of Geology and Stratigraphic Geology at the University of Sannio (Benevento, Italy). Her primary research interests lie in marine geology, with a particular focus on sub-bottom stratigraphy along the Tyrrhenian continental margin of southern Italy and in the Gulf of Taranto. The Research Contributions are: a) Continental-shelf evolution: Investigated the recent geological history of the Salerno, Pozzuoli, Gaeta and Taranto gulfs through integrated seismic stratigraphy, physical stratigraphy and sedimentological analyses of piston and gravity cores; b) Climatic and environmental change: Examined environmental responses to high- and very-high-frequency climatic oscillations, and characterized associated shifts in depositional regimes; c) Deep-sea turbiditic systems: Analyzed sedimentary architecture and triggering mechanisms of turbidite flows in the Mediterranean basin.
She also works on Pleistocene–Holocene coastal-plain stratigraphy encompasses:

• Physical and sequence stratigraphic reconstructions of the Sele and Sarno river plains and the Metaponto plain, based on outcrop and borehole data;
• Facies analysis and reconstruction of depositional environments;
• Chronostratigraphic correlation of sedimentary sequences;
• Assessment of high-frequency environmental and climatic variations.

She has been Leadership and Coordination of National Project Car.G. (Director of marine field operations for the 1:50 000 geological mapping of the Rotondella, Policoro and Foce del Sinni sheets), MAGIC Project (Marine Geohazard Along the Italian Coasts) (Scientific Coordinator of the University of Sannio unit under Italy’s Department of Civil Protection, Member of the project’s National Technical and Scientific Committee).
Awards and Publications:

• Academic Earth Science 1989 Prize from the Accademia di Scienze Fisiche e Matematiche della Società Nazionale di Scienze Lettere ed Arti in Napoli.

Author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed articles (ISI-indexed and other journals) and of proceedings in both national and international conferences.