According to a recent study based on analysis of long-term satellite imagery datasets (Ninfo et al. 2018), the Po river Delta (Northern Italy) started again a positive sedimentation trend and a constructive process is ongoing at the main river branches. New tidal flats are building up around the tip of the delta, where once agricultural fields were inundated by the strong floods of 1950-60. The evolution of these environments is comparable with recent restoration projects that took place for example in the Venice lagoon, indicating that this case study is a good example for considering future reconstruction of microtidal areas in a deltaic context. A young tidal flat of about 10 ha, located in the Northern part of the Po della Pila branch, was studied by fieldwork activities since October 2018. Morphological surveys, sediment distribution and sedimentary pattern were defined through UAV survey, coring and sediment traps. Moreover, the study was supported by an historical review of orthophotos from the 1950s till the present. The results show that an extended crevasse splay, which covers the central part of the flat, has developed from the early years 21st century, due to human intervention on levees as well as river floods. The tidal flat granulometry is predominately fine sediment (Silty clay and Clayey silt), except for the central area, where the sand percentage increases (Silty sand). Two subfacies were defined: the most surficial one reaches ~10 cm depth below the surface and it is characterized by coarser sediment in the central section of the tidal flat; instead, the sand percentage increases within the sediment column from ~10 to 25 cm next to the inlets. The study area experienced a positive sediment budget and it was characterized by higher rates of accretion after Po river floods. The deposition rates ranged from 0.5 to 3.3 g/m2 per hour during two surveys of September 2019 and March 2021 but increased further from 1.9 to 20 g/m2 per hour during the survey of June-July 2020. All these observations suggest that the tidal flat, as well as the southern part of the lagoon, is fed by sediment from the Po River branch, while the tide redistributes the sediment around the tidal flat. The work finally aims at comparing this case study with other tidal flats and salt marshes worldwide characterized by similar as well different tidal regimes, thus identifying the optimal elevation for vegetation to establish and flourish. This could support the future restoration projects of these environments.

Sedimentary evolution of a young tidal flat in the Northern Part of the Po Delta (Italy): a Strategy for Future Building-with-Nature Management

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Earth Sciences should be understood not only as necessary for a better understanding of the interior of the planet Earth, but also as a defense of society from dangerous geological events, for the understanding of climatic variations, for the planning and use of georesources in a ethical and respecting and protecting the environment.

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Sedimentary evolution of a young tidal flat in the Northern Part of the Po Delta (Italy): a Strategy for Future Building-with-Nature Management

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