MASTRONUZZI G. & SANSÒ P.
Coastal geomorphology and Tsunami vulnerability. The case-study of Apulia region (Italy)
Pages 83-91
Abstract
The growing urbanization of the coastal area rises the risk linked to low frequency – high magnitude events, like tsunamis, which are rarely taken into account by planners. Present-day research focuses mainly on the tsunami hazard assessment, linked to the frequency and intensity of these catastrophic events. However, tsunamis can have very different effects in response to different morphological types of coasts. Aiming to define the vulnerability of the Apulian coast (southern Italy), the effects of tsunamis on different types of coast have been inferred from the available post-report events integrated by information gathered form the geological research on deposits and forms which have been related to tsunami action. This analysis allows the vulnerability of different type of coasts occurring in Apulia region to be assessed. The study reveals that that more than half of the Apulian coast is marked by a very low or low vulnerability to tsunami action (57%) whereas about a quarter (21%) shows a high or very high vulnerability.