Recent evolution of the Vendicari barrier system, Southern Sicily, Italy

The current paper describes the 50-year evolution of coastal lakes (Vendicari) in southern Sicily, separated from the sea by a barrier system, divided into two distinct cells by the presence of a rocky island nearshore. Shoreline and dune foot change were studied by means of the DSAS tool of ArcGis, interpreting aerial flights spanning from 1955 to 2007. The morphology of the dune system was mapped during a program of field validation in 2004. The study identified the evidence of sand mining occurred on the dunes in the 1970s, leaving a scar on the dune system still not healed. An analysis of changes in beach width identified a different behaviour of the northern and southern cells. The northern one in the last 50 years has experienced a progressive reduction at a rate of up to 1 m/year. On the northern hand the southern cell increased beach width at a rate of 0.5 m. Projection of coastal retreat up to 2050 shows that beach retreat will eventually threaten the integrity of the back-barrier environments of the lakes.