Isostatic rebound following the Alpine deglaciation: impact on the sea level variations and vertical movements in the Mediterranean region

Here we show and discuss the first results arising from the SAVEMEDCOASTS-2 Project (Sea Level Rise Scenarios along the Mediterranean Coasts - 2, funded by the European Commission ECHO), which aims to respond to the need for people and assets prevention from natural disasters in the Mediterranean coastal zones placed at less than 1 m above sea level, which are vulnerable to the combined effect of sea-level rise and land subsidence.We use geodetic data from global navigation satellite system (GNSS), synthetic aperture radar interferometric measurements (InSAR), Lidar and tide gauge data, and the latest IPCC - SROCC projections of sea-level rise released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to estimate the Relative Sea Level Rise to realize marine flooding scenarios expected for 2100 AD in six targeted areas of the Mediterranean region.We focus on the Ebro (Spain), Rhone (France), and Nile (Egypt) river deltas; the reclamation area of Basento (Italy), the coastal plain of Thessaloniki (Greece), and the Venice lagoon (Italy). Results, from Copernicus Sentinel-1A (S1A) and Sentinel-1B (S1B) sensors, highlighted the variable spatial rates of land subsidence up to some cm/yr in most of the investigated areas representing a relevant driver of local SLR. All the investigated zones show valuable coastal infrastructures and natural reserves where SLR and land subsidence are exacerbating coastal retreat, land flooding, and storm surges.The hazard implications for the population living along the shore should push land planners and decision-makers to take into account scenarios similar to that reported in this study for cognizant coastal management.

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Response of the Mediterranean and Dead Sea coastal aquifers to sea level variations

Water Resources Research ◽

10.1029/2009wr008708 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 46 (12) ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Y. Yechieli ◽

E. Shalev ◽

S. Wollman ◽

Y. Kiro ◽

U. Kafri

Keyword(s):

Sea Level ◽

Coastal Aquifers ◽

Dead Sea ◽

Sea Level Variations ◽

The Mediterranean

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Isostatic response and geomorphological evolution of the Nile valley during the Messinian salinity crisis

BSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin ◽

10.2113/gssgfbull.181.1.19 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 181 (1) ◽

pp. 19-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Julien Gargani ◽

Christophe Rigollet ◽

Sonia Scarselli

Keyword(s):

Sea Level ◽

Erosion Rate ◽

Water Discharge ◽

Nile River ◽

Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽

Nile Valley ◽

River Nile ◽

Isostatic Rebound ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Geomorphological Evolution

Abstract During the Messinian salinity crisis (5.96–5.33 Ma), the Mediterranean Sea was disconnected from the Atlantic Ocean. As a consequence, a dramatic sea-level fall occurred during part of the crisis and deep erosion has been observed on the Mediterranean margins as well as on the continent. Here, we demonstrate that the erosion and the large sea-level fall generated a significant uplift along the Nile River delta valley, due to isostatic rebound. Based on a quantitative analysis, our results suggest that the uplift of the Egyptian margin and of the Nile valley flanks may have triggered an enclosed environment during the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC). We estimated a mean rate of regressive erosion of −2.5 m/y along the River Nile during the MSC and of 1.25 and 0.4 m/y for the smaller rivers. The water discharge of the River Nile necessary to trigger this erosion rate was at least 5 to 25 times superior than the water discharge of the smaller one’s.

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