Submarine geomorphology and late Quaternary evolution of the Taranto offshore (southern Italy) under natural and anthropogenic controls.

This study presents a multidisciplinary geological and environmental characterization of the submerged offshore area of Taranto (Apulia, southern Italy), developed within the framework of the Italian National Cartographic Project (CARG), coordinated by ISPRA. The investigated area includes Mar Piccolo, Mar Grande, and the northern Ionian Sea, forming a complex coastal–marine system characterized by strong environmental heterogeneity, high marine biodiversity, and intense anthropogenic pressure.

The study area comprises three marine basins with different geomorphological and hydrodynamic settings: the shallow and semi-enclosed Mar Piccolo, the circular Mar Grande basin and the open northern Ionian Sea, reaching depths of up to 1,500 m. This variability exerts a strong control on sedimentary processes, habitat distribution, and the spatial imprint of human activities on the seafloor.

The research integrates high-resolution geophysical and acoustic datasets acquired through Multibeam Echosounder (MBES), Side-Scan Sonar (SSS) and Sub-Bottom Profiler (SBP) surveys. Seabed morphology and habitat mapping are primarily based on Side-Scan Sonar data acquired using a dual-frequency system (100–500 kHz). The data were processed into georeferenced acoustic mosaics with a spatial resolution of 0,50 m and analyzed within a GIS environment for detailed seabed classification and interpretation.

Acoustic backscatter analysis allowed the identification and mapping of benthic habitats, including seagrass meadows and bioconstructions, through correlation with substrate type, bathymetry, and light penetration. The high spatial resolution of the SSS mosaics also enabled the recognition of seabed features related to anthropogenic activities, such as dredging marks and infrastructure-related modifications, whose distribution was mapped at an areal scale due to their density and spatial extent.

Stratigraphic interpretation is based on the identification of key seismic unconformities and depositional sequences within a sequence-stratigraphic framework spanning from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present. In the Mar Piccolo basin, this framework is constrained by borehole data, radiocarbon dating, and sedimentary facies analysis. Correlation with the shelf domain is locally hindered by the disturbances related to the anthropic activities, while the correlation with the slope domain is is made more complex by the presence of substrate outcrops and chaotic seismic bodies, interpreted as submarine landslides related to sea-level fall stages.

The resulting integrated geodatabase gives its contribution to the first comprehensive geological map project of the Italian seabed and provides a robust framework for reconstructing sedimentary dynamics, sea-level fluctuations, and cumulative anthropogenic impacts. These results support sustainable coastal management, marine ecosystem conservation, and ecological transition strategies in line with current Blue Economy and environmental policy objectives.