Team
The University of Ferrara is involved in sediment dynamics research through the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, one of the oldest departments of the University, with an international reputation in sedimentary research.
The COSTUF team headed by professor Ciavola has a longstanding tradition of sediment transport research at local, national and international level, having carried out fieldwork in the Ravenna and Ferrara coast, Po Delta, Lagoon of Venice, Conero Headland, Portugal, Spain, France, Albania, Montenegro, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Ireland and United Kingdom. The main interests of the group currently include beach and estuarine processes, remote sensing, video-monitoring, sediment transport, Holocene sedimentation in lagoons and coastal lakes, cliff erosion, evaluation of coastal vulnerability, coastal risk and sediment supply provided by rivers to the coast.
Team members:
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Paolo Ciavola (PhD) is a full professor at the University of Ferrara. He obtained a PhD in Marine Sciences at the University of Algarve (Faro, Portugal) and a MSc in Geological Sciences at the University of Bologna. He is currently teaching at the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences (Physical Geography and Geomorphology, Coastal Risks,), at the Engineering Department (Geomorphology, Coastal Dynamics) and at the Department of Humanistic Studies (Coastal and Fluvial Landscape) |
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Riccardo Brunetta (PhD) is a post-doctoral researcher graduated in Earth Sciences at the University of Ferrara. His PhD focused on the interactions between riverine and coastal processes, especially the evolution of wetlands environments and the applications of the building-with-nature approach; the main study cases were located in Italy, The Netherlands, and Canada, thanks to the collaboration with the HZ University of Applied Sciences (Vlissingen, NL), and Saint Mary's University (Halifax, CA), with particular interest on sediment transport and prediction of geomorphological changes. His study consists on fieldworks activities (UAV and GPS surveys, sediment samplings (traps, coring), and GIS analyses.
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Paulo Cabrita (MSc) is a PhD student who graduated in Marine Biology with a master's degree in Marine and Coastal Systems, both obtained at the University of Algarve. His PhD is focused on morphodynamics and numerical modelling, using XBeach to simulate the behaviour of different European beaches during coastal storms. The research will also involve fieldwork activities. |
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Sabrina Terracciano (MSc) is a PhD student graduated in Earth Sciences at the University of Naples (Federico II). She is starting her PhD working on coastal processes and predictions of geomorphological changes, analysing the risk of impact of the storms on different kind of beaches at gulf of Oristano (Sardinia). Her study consists on use of satellite images combined with fieldworks activities (UAV, Total Laser Scanner, AUV, sediment samplings) and GIS analyses. |
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Antonis Chatzipavlis (PhD) is a post-doctoral researcher, graduated in Marine Sciences at the University of the Aegean. During his PhD Antonis investigated the morphological behavior of two different beach systems (i.e., a perched and an open sea beach) with the use of coastal videos, topo-bathymetric and hydrodynamic data, whereas he tested different artificial neural network techniques to project beach rotation (i.e. changes in shoreline position). His research focuses on the detailed study of nearshore hydro-morphodynamics and sediment dynamics, by emphasizing on coastal flood and erosion processes. Antonis also holds a skippers’ and a divers’ license, while he is an experienced free diver. |
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Sara Augusti (MSc) is a Ph.D. student graduated in Geological Sciences at the University of Ferrara. Her research focuses on the dynamics of two beaches in the Sinis Peninsula (Oristano), Sardinia, through a biogeomorphological analysis. She will combine high-precision shoreline data collected with RTK GPS with shoreline extraction using SAET with medium-resolution satellite imagery (Sentinel-2, Landsat-8, PRISMA) for medium-term monitoring. Additionally, a two-dimensional numerical model (XBeach) will simulate waves, currents, and sediment transport, providing insights into coastal evolution in response to climatic events. Aerial drone surveys and marine drone bathymetric studies further analyse beach profiles and shallow waters. |
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