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Regional Special Issue: Climate Change in Italy
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Regional Special Issue: Climate Change in Italy

A special issue of Climate (ISSN 2225-1154).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2024) | Viewed by 13607

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Delle Rose Marco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, National Research Council of Italy, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: hydrology; hydrogeology; climate changes; hydrometeorology; geomorphology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maria Teresa Caccamo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Physical and Earth Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: complementary spectroscopic techniques; infrared spectroscopy; Raman spectroscopic; neutron scattering; polymers; peo; peg; disaccharides; trehalose; maltose; sucrose
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As a region that is more sensitive to climate change, the Mediterranean is warming faster than the global average. The Italian peninsula, together with the whole Central Mediterranean area, have been impacted significantly over the last few decades. Extreme weather events have caused serious damage, while climate processes have impacted health and ecosystems, creating new risks determined not only by weather events but also by changing exposures and vulnerabilities. Several coastal zones face disasters, including flooding and erosion, and the salinization of river deltas and aquifers that sustain food security and livelihoods. Indeed, the Italian mountains continue to become warmer and drier. Again, for the Central Mediterranean, several models foresee further warming, droughts, and long-lasting modifications. What will the physical geographical consequences be based on current trends and forecasting?

This Special Issue aims to invite scholars to submit research on the physical impacts of climate change on the Italian peninsula as well as the whole Central Mediterranean area. It intends to promote a discussion on climate change’s impact on coastal and mountain zones and the related challenges from the perspective of physical geography. We are looking for research on: the analysis of extreme events; the forecasting and application of observation and forecasting methods; empirical studies; case studies; and modeling and projection studies for the near and far future.

Dr. Delle Rose Marco
Dr. Maria Teresa Caccamo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Climate is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change impacts
  • physical geography research
  • Earth surface processes
  • holistic system analysis
  • climatology
  • geomorphology
  • glaciology
  • hydrology
  • pedology
  • applications in environmental management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 7393 KiB  
Article
Evapotranspiration Analysis in Central Italy: A Combined Trend and Clustering Approach
by Fabio Di Nunno, Nazzareno Diodato, Gianni Bellocchi, Carla Tricarico, Giovanni de Marinis and Francesco Granata
Climate 2024, 12(5), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli12050064 - 3 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1659
Abstract
Climate change is increasingly influencing the water cycle, hindering the effective management of water resources in various sectors. Lazio, central Italy, exhibits a wide range of climatic conditions, stretching from the Tyrrhenian coast to the Apennines. This study assessed a crucial aspect of [...] Read more.
Climate change is increasingly influencing the water cycle, hindering the effective management of water resources in various sectors. Lazio, central Italy, exhibits a wide range of climatic conditions, stretching from the Tyrrhenian coast to the Apennines. This study assessed a crucial aspect of climate change, focusing specifically on reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and its associated hydrological variables. The seasonal Mann–Kendall (MK) test was used to assess trends in gridded data. The K-means algorithm was then applied to divide Lazio into four homogeneous regions (clusters), each characterized by distinct trends in hydrological variables. The analysis revealed statistically significant increasing trends (p ≤ 0.01) in temperature, solar radiation, and ETo, with more marked effects observed in the coastal and hilly clusters. In contrast, statistically significant decreasing trends (p ≤ 0.01) were observed for relative humidity, while no statistically significant trends (p > 0.01) were observed for precipitation. This study’s methodology, combining trend analysis and clustering, provides a comprehensive view of ETo dynamics in Lazio, aiding in pattern recognition and identifying regions with similar trends. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Special Issue: Climate Change in Italy)
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17 pages, 2739 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Snow Cover in the Sibillini Mountains in Central Italy
by Matteo Gentilucci, Andrea Catorci, Tiziana Panichella, Sara Moscatelli, Younes Hamed, Rim Missaoui and Gilberto Pambianchi
Climate 2023, 11(3), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli11030072 - 19 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2060
Abstract
Research on solid precipitation and snow cover, especially in mountainous areas, suffers from problems related to the lack of on-site observations and the low reliability of measurements, which is often due to instruments that are not suitable for the environmental conditions. In this [...] Read more.
Research on solid precipitation and snow cover, especially in mountainous areas, suffers from problems related to the lack of on-site observations and the low reliability of measurements, which is often due to instruments that are not suitable for the environmental conditions. In this context, the study area is the Monti Sibillini National Park, and it is no exception, as it is a mountainous area located in central Italy, where the measurements are scarce and fragmented. The purpose of this research is to provide a characterization of the snow cover with regard to maximum annual snow depth, average snow depth during the snowy period, and days with snow cover on the ground in the Monti Sibillini National Park area, by means of ground weather stations, and also analyzing any trends over the last 30 years. For this research, in order to obtain reliable snow cover data, only data from weather stations equipped with a sonar system and manual weather stations, where the surveyor goes to the site each morning and checks the thickness of the snowpack and records, it were collected. The data were collected from 1 November to 30 April each year for 30 years, from 1991 to 2020; six weather stations were taken into account, while four more were added as of 1 January 2010. The longer period was used to assess possible ongoing trends, which proved to be very heterogeneous in the results, predominantly negative in the case of days with snow cover on the ground, while trends were predominantly positive for maximum annual snow depth and distributed between positive and negative for the average annual snow depth. The shorter period, 2010–2022, on the other hand, ensured the presence of a larger number of weather stations and was used to assess the correlation and presence of clusters between the various weather stations and, consequently, in the study area. Furthermore, in this way, an up-to-date nivometric classification of the study area was obtained (in terms of days with snow on the ground, maximum height of snowpack, and average height of snowpack), filling a gap where there had been no nivometric study in the aforementioned area. The interpolations were processed using geostatistical techniques such as co-kriging with altitude as an independent variable, allowing fairly precise spatialization, analyzing the results of cross-validation. This analysis could be a useful tool for hydrological modeling of the area, as well as having a clear use related to tourism and vegetation, which is extremely influenced by the nivometric variables in its phenology. In addition, this analysis could also be considered a starting point for the calibration of more recent satellite products dedicated to snow cover detection, in order to further improve the compiled climate characterization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Special Issue: Climate Change in Italy)
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23 pages, 3181 KiB  
Article
Macro-Regional Strategies, Climate Policies and Regional Climatic Governance in the Alps
by Valentina Cattivelli
Climate 2023, 11(2), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli11020037 - 3 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2802
Abstract
This paper describes the macro-regional governance framework behind the climate adaptation policies that are currently in place in the Alpine area. Through this discussion, it specifically considers the implications of the regional governance of South Tyrol and Lombardy as case studies. Despite rising [...] Read more.
This paper describes the macro-regional governance framework behind the climate adaptation policies that are currently in place in the Alpine area. Through this discussion, it specifically considers the implications of the regional governance of South Tyrol and Lombardy as case studies. Despite rising concern at the European level, there are still no specific guidelines in place for climate change governance at the macro-regional level. Macro-regions encompass multiple regions that have certain shared morphological characteristics. To address climate changes that occur here, they adopt optional larger-scale strategies without adequately considering territorial and governmental specificities at the regional level. Each individual region adopts specific climate adaptation strategies to deal with the challenges of the territories they govern, without considering the effects on their neighbours, decentralises climate policies to the lowest tiers of government, and encourages participation from individuals and non-governmental organisations. The Alpine macro-region is governed by three separate international/transnational institutions at the macro-regional level and is subject to different regulations from each of the 48 regions/autonomous provinces. One of these regions is Lombardy, which is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change due to having the highest values for land consumption and pollution in Italy. From the administrative point of view, it is an ordinary region, which means that it has the same legislative competences of the other Italian regions. South Tyrol is entirely mountainous. Being an autonomous province, it benefits from greater legislative autonomy than ordinary regions. Based on documental analysis of climate adaptation strategies, findings demonstrate that the preferred governance structure involves the presence of a coordinating institution (such as the province in South Tyrol or the region in Lombardy) that decides climate action, along with several other local institutions and stakeholders that have less decision-making power. Its preferred mechanism for addressing specific climate challenges is the definition of specific regulations and the draft of regional and mono-sectoral plans. These regulations do not relate strongly to wider-scale strategies at the macro-regional level, but are inspired by their principles and priorities. At both definition and implementation levels, the participation of local organisations is limited and not incentivised. Administratively, South Tyrol enjoys greater autonomy, whereas Lombardy must comply more closely with state regulations that limit its decision-making freedom. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Special Issue: Climate Change in Italy)
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25 pages, 4897 KiB  
Article
Climate Change Effects upon Pasture in the Alps: The Case of Valtellina Valley, Italy
by Francesca Casale and Daniele Bocchiola
Climate 2022, 10(11), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli10110173 - 7 Nov 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4126
Abstract
In this study, we assessed the potential effects of climate change upon the productivity of mountain pastures in the Valtellina valley of Italy. Two species, Trisetum flavescens and Nardus stricta, among the most abundant in Italian pastures, were chosen for the simulation [...] Read more.
In this study, we assessed the potential effects of climate change upon the productivity of mountain pastures in the Valtellina valley of Italy. Two species, Trisetum flavescens and Nardus stricta, among the most abundant in Italian pastures, were chosen for the simulation of low- and high-altitude pastures, respectively. We introduced some agroclimatic indices, related to growing season parameters, climate, and water availability, to evaluate the impacts of climate change upon pasture production. First, the dynamic of the pasture species was evaluated for the present period using the climate-driven, hydrologically based model Poli-Hydro, nesting the Poli-Pasture module simulating plants growth. Poli-Pasture was validated against yield data, at province scale, and at local scale. Then, agroclimatic indices were calculated. Subsequently, IPCC scenarios of the Fifth and Sixth Assessment Reports (AR5 and AR6) were used to project species production and agroclimatic indices until the end of the 21st century. In response to increased temperature under all scenarios, a large potential for an increased growing season length and species yield overall (between +30% and +180% for AR5 at 2100) was found. Potential for decreased yield (until −31% for AR5) is seen below 1100 m asl in response to heat stress; however, it is compensated by a large increase higher up (between +50% and +140% for AR5 above 2000 m asl). Larger evapotranspiration is foreseen and larger water demand expected. However, specific (for hectares of pasture) water use would decrease visibly, and no significant water limitations would be seen. Results provide preliminary evidence of potential livestock, and thereby economic development in the valley at higher altitudes than now. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Special Issue: Climate Change in Italy)
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7 pages, 1241 KiB  
Communication
Mid-XIX Century Estuary SST Time Series Recorded in the Venice Lagoon
by Sara Rubinetti, Davide Zanchettin, Kevin Gazzola, Alvise Papa and Angelo Rubino
Climate 2022, 10(10), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli10100155 - 20 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1669
Abstract
Sea surface temperature (SST) is of paramount importance for comprehending ocean dynamics and hence the Earth’s climate system. Accordingly, it is also the most measured oceanographic parameter. However, until the end of the XIX century, no continuous time series of SST seems to [...] Read more.
Sea surface temperature (SST) is of paramount importance for comprehending ocean dynamics and hence the Earth’s climate system. Accordingly, it is also the most measured oceanographic parameter. However, until the end of the XIX century, no continuous time series of SST seems to exist, with most of the available data deriving from measurements on ships. Here, we present a continuous digitalized record of surface water measurements originally written in a book published in 1853. The measurements were retrieved thrice daily in the Venice lagoon, in the northeastern part of the Italian peninsula, from June to August 1851 and 1852. To the best of our knowledge, these data constitute the oldest time series of the entire world ocean. The measurements were performed by immersing a Réaumur thermometer a few meters deep in the lagoon water at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 8 p.m. Despite several limitations affecting these data (e.g., lacking information regarding the exact water depth where measurements were performed and instrumental metadata), they are of utmost significance, as they put many decades backward the date of the development of a fundamental aspect of oceanographic observations. Moreover, the data were collected close to the Punta della Salute site, where actual sea water temperature measurements have been performed since 2002. Therefore, a unique comparison between surface water temperatures within the Lagoon of Venice across three centuries is possible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Special Issue: Climate Change in Italy)
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