Felix Gross

Southern Italy is located at a continental margin, which is associated along converging plate boundaries. Hence the area is strongly affected by seismicity and volcanic activity. Within historical and modern times the coastline of southern Italy experienced severe earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis. Three major earthquakes took place in 1693, 1783 and 1908 (Billi et al. 2010), in which the 1908 earthquake (Ms=7.3 80,000 casualties) was characterized by the worst tsunami Italy documented in historical times (~2000 casualties). However, it is still unclear, whether the tsunami was triggered by a sudden vertical movement along a major fault during the earthquake or as a result of giant marine slide initiated by the earthquake. The recurrence rates of major landslides and therefore the risk associated with landslides is also unknown. Based on detailed bathymetric data sets collected by Italian colleagues in the frame of the MaGIC Project (Marine Geohazards along the Italian Coast) an acquisition of seismic data (2d and 3d) and gravity cores shall be collected off Southern Italy during the RV Meteor Cruise M86/2 scheduled for 27.12.2011-17.01.2012. Earthquakes, Landslides and tsunamis are a major threat for all coasts surrounding the Mediterranean Sea detailed investigations of these major catastrophic events are the basis for assessing the related risks for the coasts. The coast of Southern Italy represents an outstanding location for such investigations due to regular well documented catastrophic events in historic times. Hence the proposed work would represent an important step towards a risk assessment for the entire Mediterranean Sea.

By 2060 more than 1 Billion people could be living in low-elevation coastal zones (Neumann et al. 2015). Continental margins are increasingly used for wind parks, hydrocarbon extraction, pipelines, telecommunication cables, fishing, and mining. The increasing coastal population and new ventures in offshore human activities set new challenges to the assessment and mitigation of marine hazards. Submarine landslides, which have repeatedly caused devastating tsunamis and destroyed seabed infrastructure, are one of the most dangerous marine hazards. In contrast to earthquakes, where endangered areas are relatively well constrained and recurrence rates are often known from historic records, occurrence and timing of submarine landslides remain largely enigmatic (Talling et al. 2014). Therefore, hazard assessments for submarine landslides are more difficult than for other marine geohazards. Given the urgent need for improved hazard assessments, key future challenges are the identification of endangered areas, real-time monitoring of submarine slopes, and development of early warning systems. This project aims to take a step towards these challenges by (I) testing the feasibility of seafloor instruments for in-situ monitoring of landslide-related seafloor deformation, and (II) benchmarking how the data can be used to gain insight into active landslide processes. If successful, landslide monitoring will not only improve our understanding of submarine landslide processes but may well provide a basis for future hazard assessment, disaster mitigation, preparedness, and sustainable use of seafloor resources, making Kiel a pioneer in the field.

Ocean hazards are a great threat to coastal communities, offshore infrastructure, and natural habitats. In this proposal, we aim to conduct an integrative risk assessment for the geologically active, and hence vulnerable area, off East Sicily. We will test if our previous geophysical and geological work on geo-hazards, when combined with a comprehensive vulnerability study, leads to an improved risk assessment. Hence, the project covers the next steps after hazard identification and classification by incorporating different disciplines and methods such as geosciences, geography, computer sciences and statistics.