Erosion affects about 25% of the coast of the Apulia region, with the severest consequences being along sandy coastlines. Beach retreat is mainly due to the decrease of solid material transport, the destruction of dune deposits and the building of docks that obstruct the longshore current. A survey was conducted around Capitolo, the main sandy coastline near Bari, to examine the hazards affecting beaches and to provide guidelines for the management of human activities along the coasts. The survey was carried out along a coastal stretch of about 3 km, extending in a South Easterly direction from 178 21′ 30′′ E, 408 54′ 20′′ N to 178 23′ E, 408 53′ 40′′ N. The map, at a scale of 1:3000, shows three levels of hazard, determined as follows: (i) the state of preservation of the dunes and watercourses, based on the geomorphological map of the Apulia region; (ii) data collected from July 1989 to April 2008 by the Monopoli buoy of the National Wave Measuring Network; (iii) the shoreline change rates computed within a geographic information system (GIS). A matrix was established taking into account of these features, weighting each parameter in order to develop a hazard-level measurement for shoreline lengths of about 25 meters. The results show that all Capitolo beaches have a high level of shore preservation hazard. The results of this study should be a factor in any decisions made on the management of the present day village, both existing commercial activities and the future development of the area.

Terrestrial Laser Scanner surveys performed in coastal area have generated 3D cloud points used to obtain digital elevation model and standard deviation of the micro-topography of coastal surfaces. Starting from data collected, roughness. coefficients have been estimated for each surface typology characterizing the coastal area (sand calcarenite, vegetation, etc). Applying Machine Learning techniques on digital images, the extension and the surface typology of these areas have been obtained. All data collected have been elaborated by means of software implemented stalling from known hydrodynamic formula to evaluate the inland penetration of a hypothesized tsunami.

A general coastal retreat affects almost all the beaches of the Apulia region (southern Italy). In particular, the coastal strip of the Gulf of Manfredonia shows an evident retreat due to human activity. To control coastal erosion, several defence interventions have been realised: breakwaters, shore parallel defences, and, above all, sev- eral types of groynes (rectilinear, hook-shaped, T-shaped) were built along the shoreline in accordance with local request. Nowadays, there are about 300 coastal defences built up to protect against human activities. A laser scanner survey of these defences, using a Leica Geosystems HDS3000, was carried out between April 2006 and September 2008 to collect data about the beach profiles and changes occurring in the defence framework. The survey work consists of 3D rendering of defences in order to make comparisons between scans of different periods. Overlap between the points cloud of the whole coastline showed that defences preserved their own profile when no human interventions took place. Moreover, throughout the length of the investigated area, not a single trend occurred in the beach profile: according to the defence framework, some stretches of coast display advancing trend, while others are stable or retreating. Therefore, this preliminary study indicated that the changes that occurred in the beach pro- files and defence structures are mainly due to human interventions.

Recent developments in laser scanning techniques and digital modelling provide powerful tools for the knowledge, management and preservation of the underground. A Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) survey was performed to create a 3D virtual model of the Santa Croce cave (Apulia, Southern Italy); this is well known for its Palaeolithic and Neolithic finds (a Neanderthal thigh-bone among all) and used as a showcave both for its natural and historic heritage. The survey included chimneys, passages and also the surface over the cave to acquire a model of the entire system. Data were acquired by processing the resulting points cloud to pursue three main purposes: karst hazard management, education and geoheritage preservation. Thanks to the virtual model, the opportunity to visit the site through a virtual tour, also showing hardly accessible details, is an exciting way to discover the underground environment. Therefore, interactive virtual image can be utilised to promote the site as an important tool to disseminate knowledge and to increase interest in the Earth sciences in society at large.

The presence of mega-boulders scattered landward along gently sloping rocky coasts is attributed to the impact of tsunami or of exceptional storms. Considering the original position and the size of the largest boulder is possible to estimate the characteristics of the wave that moved them in the past, and then estimate the maximum inundation. The present roughness of the coastal area conditions the capacity of the tsunami inland penetration in case of a future event. The knowledge of the parameters of the possible tsunami together with the coastal topography and roughness make possible to estimate automatically scenarios of probable flooding