ITALY-CHINA BILATERAL PROJECT
"Coastal System Changes in the Anthropocene: Natural vs. Induced Drivers in China and Italy"
It is a bilateral project between the Italian National Research Council and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, funded for 3 years (2020-2022).
Deltas, estuaries, and lagoons form complex and fragile transition zones between river-dominated plains and marine systems. These systems have responded significantly to climate change and human activities, and the current hydrogeological and morphological structure of coastal systems results from human-induced processes superimposed on natural evolution.
In recent decades, anthropogenic pressure on coastal systems has increased, putting the coastal environment at risk and leading to a serious loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Erosion, subsidence, salt intrusion, and pollution are among the most widespread processes triggered by the combination of various anthropogenic factors, such as the construction of dams, engineering infrastructure, hydraulic works (including land reclamation), and groundwater exploitation.
The Gulf of Venice and Laizhou Bay represent key areas for understanding the morphological, hydrological, and ecological changes underway on the coasts of the Adriatic Sea and the Bohai Sea. Drawing on the experience and scientific expertise of the Italian and Chinese partners, the project aims to investigate how climate and anthropogenic forcing control deltaic, estuarine, and lagoon depositional systems and their impact on their morphology and ecosystems.
Foreign scientific coordinator: Cheng Tang, Chinese Academy of Sciences – Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (CAS-YIC).