The present-day nearshore submarine depositional terraces off the Campania coast (South-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea): An analysis of their morpho-bathymetric variability

A census of about 76 near-shore Submarine Depositional Terraces (n-SDT) has been realized along the Campania offshore, in order to verify the correlation of their edge depths versus their fetch - used as a proxy of the wave forcing- at a regional scale. The main morphometric parameters of each terrace were derived from high resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), by means of a GIS-based software. A moderate correlation occurs between the edge depth and the geographical exposure of all the n-SDTs and it improves if the NW-oriented terraces only are considered; the best correlation is observed with the edge depth of the n-SDT developed around the rocky cliffs and promontories. A complementary analysis of the extreme wave climate in the area, in relation with the edge depth of n-SDTs, was also carried out. The aims of this study are to learn more on the morpho-bathymetric variability of these coastal bodies and to provide clues on the use of their past counterparts as morphological proxies of past sea level stands.