Davide S Murgese - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Davide S Murgese

Springer eBooks, Aug 31, 2014

Natural risk assessment for urban areas and infrastructures is important for the definition of ma... more Natural risk assessment for urban areas and infrastructures is important for the definition of management and prevention plans against consequences of natural events. In this paper we present the results of a multi-risk assessment for the Cuneo Province road network. The study defined specific risk levels with regard to landslides, floods, torrential floods, debris-flows, snow-avalanches, earthquakes and forest fires. Consequences for infrastructures were assessed by quantifying exposed elements value and vulnerability. All acquired data are then combined in order to produce specific hazard and risk maps. Specific risk levels were then processed to produce a multi-risk map for the Cuneo province road network. Landslide runout was numerically simulated in a GIS environment, for a comparison with hazard assessment results obtained following the methodology here proposed. Multi-risk assessment represents a valuable tool for enhancing scheduling activities related to the implementation of mitigation structure/measures and for supporting the coordination of risk management procedures at a cross border level.

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Aug 1, 2008

We have examined the upper 276 cm of deep-sea core BAR9403 taken at a water depth of 2034 m offsh... more We have examined the upper 276 cm of deep-sea core BAR9403 taken at a water depth of 2034 m offshore the southern portion of Sumatra in the eastern Indian Ocean using several micropalaeontological proxies. Faunal counts and stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon of planktic and benthic foraminifers, as well as floral counts of dinoflagellates were obtained to reconstruct conditions in the oceans over the last 35,000 years. At times, we found that when benthic foraminifers indicate high organic content values at the bottom of the ocean this is not paralleled by high productivity signals at the sea surface, but instead must relate to changes in bottom-water circulation as a result of slower water circulation. The marine isotopic stages [MIS] 3-1 are clearly differentiated by benthic and foraminiferal assemblages as well as dinoflagellates and their cysts. MIS 3 is characterised by a much sharper [than today] thermocline that was closer to the sea surface and by the absence of a low-salinity 'barrier layer' which today results from high monsoonal rains. The absence of the latter persisted during the last glacial period [MIS 2] when bottom circulation must have been reduced and high percentages of organic matter occurred on the sea floor combined with low dissolved-oxygen levels. The deglaciation is marked by a change in salinity at the sea surface as seen by the dinoflagellates and planktic foraminifers and progressive alteration of the thermocline was detected by foraminifers suggesting a less productive deep chlorophyll maximum in contrast with MIS 3 and 2. Monsoonal activity commenced around 15,000 cal years ago and was well established 2000 years later. The Holocene is marked by a significant increase in river discharge to the ocean, pulsed by the delivery of organic matter to the sea floor, despite overall oligotrophic conditions at and near the sea surface induced by a permanent low-salinity cap. We did not identify obvious and persistent upwelling conditions offshore Sumatra for the last 35,000 years.

&lt;p&gt;Ecosystems role in preserving water resources is acknowledged by EU Wate... more &lt;p&gt;Ecosystems role in preserving water resources is acknowledged by EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC and by Groundwater Directive 2006/118/EC. In this view nutrient concentration represent a critical aspect with regard to water quality and eutrophication. Nitrate pollution is specifically addressed by the Nitrate Directive 91/676/EEC, which provides nitrate management rules for farming activities, defines nitrate vulnerable zones and gives indications on nitrate monitoring in water bodies.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To preserve water quality levels an important role is played by Riparian Buffer Zones (RBZ) through the provision of the Ecosystem Service (ES) nutrient retention, the uptake process operated by plant roots. Research has shown how ES valuation is a very effective approach to support land management process, as it allows a better understanding of the importance of the role of ecosystems in guaranteeing wellbeing conditions for human communities and for the environment.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In order to perform a complete assessment of ES, the use of maps only providing information on processes occurring at/above the surface (e.g land use maps, or ecosystem maps, or ecosystem function maps) does not allow a complete analysis of underground dynamics.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the case of the valuation of the ES &amp;#8220;nutrient retention&amp;#8221; provided by RBZ it is necessary to include the hydrogeological model and its links with the riverine network. The simple presence/absence of vegetation, or even a detailed vegetation classification map, cannot provide a complete description of all conditions required to fully assess this ES, as information on groundwater flow, sediments and soils characteristics is needed.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;For the Riparian Vegetation Management Plan of the Gesso Stura Riverine Park a specific index to study vegetation contribution to nutrient retention was introduced: the VEgetation NUtrient-retention Service (VENUS) Index. This index provides land managers a semi-quantitative indication on the spatial distribution of &amp;#8220;best conditions&amp;#8221; (suitability map) for nutrient retention by vegetation; it is based on a simple set of parameters representing the main factors controlling the interactions between vegetation roots and water flows (runoff and groundwater) from surrounding areas towards water bodies.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The application of the VENUS Index improved the definition of management measures for riparian vegetation and allowed reaching the following results: (1) identification of homogeneous sectors in terms of RBZ relevance for nutrient retention; (2) assessment of different RBZ management scenarios with regard to nutrient retention performance; (3) definition of specific management measures to preserve and/or foster the provision of nutrient retention.&lt;/p&gt;

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Apr 1, 2007

Benthic foraminifera and carbon isotopes from closely spaced samples taken from three deep-sea co... more Benthic foraminifera and carbon isotopes from closely spaced samples taken from three deep-sea cores were analysed to reconstruct the palaeoceanographic evolution of the eastern Indian Ocean for the last 30 kyrs, with an extension back to 60 kyrs based on one core. Benthic foraminifera were studied by means of Q-mode Factor Analysis. The benthic foraminifera accumulation rate (BFAR) and the accumulation rates (AR) of Bulimina aculeata, Epistominella exigua and Uvigerina proboscidea were calculated for determining episodes of increased organic matter supply to the sea floor. The δ 18 O and δ 13 C records of Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi were measured from all 3 cores to gather information about past intermediate-and deep-water circulation and changes in seasurface palaeoproductivity. The co-variance of the organic matter supply and dissolved-oxygen levels affected the distribution of benthic foraminifera. Below a depth of 1800 m, reduced deep-water circulation was recognised by a low δ 13 C of C. wuellerstorfi and increased carbonflux rate by a high BFAR and B. aculeata, E. exigua and U. proboscidea AR, as well as by a B. aculeata faunal dominance. A more oligotrophic environment was characterised by a low BFAR and B. aculeata, E. exigua and U. proboscidea AR. Active deep-water circulation was postulated with high δ 13 C values for C. wuellerstorfi and by a faunal dominance by C. wuellerstorfi. At intermediate depths (∼ 1000 m) and south of 20°S, the presence of strong bottom currents and the lateral advection of small amounts of organic matter, favoured the suspension feeder C. wuellerstorfi. Under extremely high dissolved-oxygen levels, determined by the increased influence of the Antarctic Intermediate Water (seen through high δ 13 C of C. wuellerstorfi) and a reduced supply of organic matter, Nummoloculina irregularis and Globocassidulina subglobosa dominated the benthic foraminifera assemblage. The reduction of oxygen levels, a more stratified water column and the Leeuwin Current flow, along its present pattern, favoured the species U. proboscidea and Bolivina robusta. Based on these observations, the following palaeoceanographic evolution of the eastern Indian Ocean is proposed:

Marine Micropaleontology, Jul 1, 2005

Relative abundances of benthic foraminifera in 57 core tops collected within a depth-range betwee... more Relative abundances of benthic foraminifera in 57 core tops collected within a depth-range between 700 and 4335 m below sea level [b.s.l.] from the eastern Indian Ocean (mostly between Australia and Indonesia) were investigated quantitatively using Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) to analyse species spatial-distribution. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and correlation matrices were used to evaluate the relationships between the species distribution and environmental variables (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and phosphate concentrations, carbon-flux rate). Seven key-species proved useful for distinguishing environmental parameters. Two groups of species are identified by means of the first DCA ordination axis. The first group increases in relative abundances with depth and includes three taxa: Oridorsalis tener umbonatus, Epistominella exigua and Pyrgo murrhina. These three taxa prefer a cold (b 3 8C) and well-oxygenated (N 3.5 ml/l) environment, with low carbon flux to the sea floor (b 3 g C m À 2 year À 1). O. tener umbonatus and P. murrhina tend to indicate reduced food availability, whereas E. exigua may indicate periodic delivery (seasonal) of organic matter to the sea floor. The second group includes Nummoloculina irregularis and Cibicidoides pseudoungerianus, typical of upper-bathyal depths. C. pseudoungerianus is correlated with a warm (N 2.5 8C) environment characterised by high carbon-flux rate (N 2.5 g C m À 2 year À 1). N. irregularis is associated with high dissolvedoxygen concentrations (N 3 ml/l) and its distribution is limited to south of 20 8S. In this area, the contemporary presence of the low salinity and well oxygenated Antarctic Intermediate Water and low primary productivity at the sea-surface (which causes low oxygen consumption at the sea floor) create the ideal conditions for this species. The second ordination-axis scores identify another taxon, Uvigerina proboscidea. The distribution of this species is mainly limited to low latitudes (north of 258S), where carbon flux rate is high (N 3.5 g C m À 2 year À 1), due to higher primary productivity levels at the sea surface, and oxygen levels are low (b 3 ml/l) due to the organic matter oxidation and the presence of oxygen-depleted Indonesian Intermediate Water and North Indian Intermediate Water.

Green Infrastructure (GI) multifunctionality-namely the capacity to deliver a wide range of Ecosy... more Green Infrastructure (GI) multifunctionality-namely the capacity to deliver a wide range of Ecosystem Services (ES)-is one of the main GI planning principles. It is for this reason that the integration between GI and ES concepts and approaches is increasingly tested. This paper presents the outcomes of an applied research that took up the challenge of implementing GI at the local level through the landscape design of a peri-urban rural park (Chieri, Italy) conceived as a GI node. The park's project was based on the evaluation of ES, that allowed to highlight the ES performance of alternative design choices and to support the GI design towards multifunctionality. Eventually, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes were defined in order to foster the implementation of the park's project. The research, thus: (i) puts in action a multiscalar approach, translating at the local level, through landscape design, GI planning indications; (ii) promotes GI multifunctionality based on a "place-based" vision, that is through the assessment of local features, highlighting the actual area's potential to provide ES and the existing ES trade-offs; (iii) identifies PES as a tool for increasing the effectiveness of GI implementation.

Springer eBooks, Aug 24, 2014

In this paper, changes in annual average precipitation levels from the statistical downscaling (m... more In this paper, changes in annual average precipitation levels from the statistical downscaling (multi linear regression) of RegCM3 data for the meteorological station of Aymaville (Aosta Valley Region, NW Italy) are applied to assess the effect of climate change on stream discharge in presence of a micro-hydroelectric power plant. Impacts were assessed by comparing minimum stream discharge for present days condition with the required water withdrawn under future annual precipitation scenarios (A2 and B2). Equations used to calculate monthly and minimum stream discharge are those provided by the Valle d’Aosta Region Water quality management plan. Modifications in annual average precipitation levels are useful to assess future impacts for months from October to May. Water discharge for the period from June to October, is solely or partially a function of catchment mean altitude (=snowmelt contribution), thus an assessment of climate change effects is not possible. Taking into account the effects of climate change on snow precipitation level and snow accumulation, we suggest that catchment mean altitude is not a suitable parameter for depicting climate change effects on stream discharge during months characterised by prevalent snowmelt contribution.

Green energy and technology, Aug 7, 2019

The concept of Ecosystem Services (ES), namely the benefits that people obtain from ecosystems, c... more The concept of Ecosystem Services (ES), namely the benefits that people obtain from ecosystems, clearly highlights the added value that environment and landscape conservation provides for the society and the economy and, more generally, for human well-being. In the last decade, several studies dealt with the needs and ways of integrating ES evaluation into spatial planning policies to foster sustainable development. More recently, the relationship between ES evaluation and landscape design has been increasingly investigated too, and ES have been proposed as a conceptual framework for addressing landscape architecture towards multifunctionality objectives. This chapter presents the first outcomes of an applied research that assumed ES evaluation-understood both as biophysical assessment and economic valuation-as a tool to sustain landscape design choices at the local scale. The study evaluated ES in a rural peri-urban area of Chieri (Turin, Italy), to support the project of a rural-recreational park. In the envisaged park, agricultural, natural and recreational areas coexist and a more sustainable relationship between the dense city and its peri-urban context is promoted. ES evaluation allowed to highlight at the site-scale the ES performance of alternative design choices and to draft possible pathways for the implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes. This chapter is the result of the combined research activity undertaken by the four authors. The final written version of paragraphs 1 and 5 is to be attributed to Emma Salizzoni, that of paragraph 4 to Marco Allocco, that of paragraph 3 to Davide Murgese and that of paragraph 2 to Giorgio Quaglio.

Values and Functions for Future Cities, 2019

Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 1, 2014

Values and Functions for Future Cities, 2019

Landslide Science and Practice, 2013

Journal of Micropalaeontology, May 1, 2011

This study describes and illustrates the evolution of deep-sea benthic foraminifera from the Blak... more This study describes and illustrates the evolution of deep-sea benthic foraminifera from the Blake Ridge during the late Neogene. In total, 305 species of benthic foraminifera belonging to 107 genera were identified. The Blake Ridge receives fine-grained nannofossil-bearing hemipelagic sediments, transported from the Canadian continental margin by the Deep Western Boundary Undercurrent (DWBUC). We thus presume that changes in benthic foraminifera at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) sites 991A, 994C, 995A and B and 997A reflect mainly changes in the intensity of the DWBUC, which is closely related to North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) production. However, the dominance of Uvigerina peregrina, U. proboscidea and Cassidulina carinata during the late Miocene in all the holes suggests an increased influence of Southern Component Waters in the Blake Ridge region. During the early Pliocene (4.8-2.8 Ma) in all the sites benthic faunal assemblages suggest that there was an increased transport of organic-rich sediments by the DWBUC from the Canadian margin to the Blake Ridge, driven by increased production of NADW. During this time the species diversity (Sanders' rarefied values) was low. In the younger interval (since 2.8 Ma), the faunal data suggest less transport of organic-rich sediments to the Blake Ridge, which appears to be related to weakening of the DWBUC during cold intervals. An increase in species diversity at 3 Ma probably resulted from decreased population of bacteria due to low organic matter and/or less competition. In the late Pleistocene (c. 0.6 Ma), Stilostomella lepidula became extinct in all the studied holes, suggesting that this species may have possessed a mode of feeding which no longer existed in the cold, well-oxygenated oceans of the present.

Landslide Science and Practice, 2013

Debris-flows hazard assessment related to shallow landslides occurrence is evaluated by means of ... more Debris-flows hazard assessment related to shallow landslides occurrence is evaluated by means of AFHE (Alluvial Fan Hazard Evaluation) and SLHA (Shallow Landslides Hazard Assessment) methods. Both methodologies are based on the combination of weighted thematic maps, whose weights are calculated following the system theory approach. Results are obtained by means of GIS analysis. The AFHE method allows the calculation of the catchment hazard index and the production of the alluvial-fan hazard maps. The catchment hazard index describes the hill-slope proneness to deliver sediment towards the channels and the capability of the latter to transfer this sediment to the apex of the alluvial fan. The alluvial-fan hazard-map is a raster map, where the alluvial fan is partitioned into square cells, each one characterised by specific coefficients, ranging from 0 (very low hazard) to 1 (very high hazard). Values are given based on process energy, event frequency, prevailing geomorphological processes and hydraulic studies. The SLHA method allows the identification of potential sediment sources for debris-flows. This procedure is applied to obtain the shallow-landslide susceptibility for the catchment area by combining weighted thematic maps. Maps are related to the factors that control the occurrence of shallow landslide: geomorphology (slope, landslides presence), soil geotechnical properties, land cover, land use, soil permeability etc. The coupled methods were applied in a mountain area of the western Italian Alps. The proposed procedures are effective both at regional and at local scale, allowing a simple and quick preliminary hazard assessment.

Springer eBooks, Aug 31, 2014

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Aug 1, 2008

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Apr 1, 2007

Marine Micropaleontology, Jul 1, 2005

Springer eBooks, Aug 24, 2014

Green energy and technology, Aug 7, 2019

Values and Functions for Future Cities, 2019

Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 1, 2014

Values and Functions for Future Cities, 2019

Landslide Science and Practice, 2013

Journal of Micropalaeontology, May 1, 2011

Landslide Science and Practice, 2013