Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Dipping Tidal Notches (DTN): Exposed vs Sheltered Morphometry

Stefano Furlani
* ORCID logo ,
Mauro Agate
,
Eleonora de Sabata
,
Renato Chemello
,
Valeria Vaccher
,
Giulia Visconti
,
Fabrizio Antonioli
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 2 April 2024 / Approved: 2 April 2024 / Online: 2 April 2024 (10:26:14 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Furlani, S.; Agate, M.; de Sabata, E.; Chemello, R.; Vaccher, V.; Visconti, G.; Antonioli, F. Dipping Tidal Notch (DTN): Exposed vs. Sheltered Morphometry. Geosciences 2024, 14, 157. Furlani, S.; Agate, M.; de Sabata, E.; Chemello, R.; Vaccher, V.; Visconti, G.; Antonioli, F. Dipping Tidal Notch (DTN): Exposed vs. Sheltered Morphometry. Geosciences 2024, 14, 157.

Abstract

Tidal notches, long regarded as reliable indicators of mean sea level, have been extensively studied along carbonate coasts in the central Mediterranean Sea. Previous studies revealed a correlation between the genesis of tidal notches and tidal range, lithology, cliff foot depth and wave energy. In the 2020 Geoswim campaign at Lampedusa, the southernmost island of the Pelagie archipelago (Italy), 'anomalous' tidal notches were identified. Unlike normal notches observed elsewhere, those in Lampedusa's southern bays exhibited a particular behavior —constantly deepening in the inner part of the bays, reaching a maximum depth of approximately 30 cm below sea level and narrowing inwards. Similar phenomena were previously observed by [1] near Marseille (France) and in Gozo Island (Malta). Time-lapse images, alongside measurements of morphometric param-eters, were collected during the survey. Despite the rapid morphological changes of the notches within the bay, the tectonic stability of the studied areas was confirmed by literature and data. Our hypothesis indicates that a combination of marine factors, influenced by local meteomarine conditions driven by the local morphology of the small bays exposed to southern quadrants con-tribute to the formation of these unique landforms. The latter manifest higher lowering erosion rates slightly below mean sea level in sheltered areas, challenging conventional notions about tidal notch formation.

Keywords

Coastal landforms; Rock coast geomorphology; Mediterranean Sea; Tidal notches; Sea level markers

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Geography

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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