Giuseppe Calamita

Addressing contemporary environmental challenges, such as climate change, land degradation, and ecosystem transformation, requires not only scientific knowledge but also new ways of communicating complexity, uncertainty, and responsibility. Art–science collaborations are increasingly recognised as effective tools to engage diverse audiences emotionally and cognitively, fostering environmental awareness and sustainable mindsets. This contribution presents The Kaleidoscopic Lens of Art: Imaging the Environment, an interdisciplinary educational project that bridges Earth Observation science and artistic practice to promote environmental literacy and meaningful public engagement.Developed within Italy’s PCTO (Pathways for Transversal Skills and Career Guidance) framework, the project involved third-year high school italian students working in close collaboration with researchers from the Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis (IMAA) of the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy. Students analysed authentic satellite imagery and geospatial datasets related to environmental processes and human–environment interactions, including landscape change and urban–natural dynamics. Scientific data were then reinterpreted through multiple artistic languages transforming analytical evidence into visual narratives.The educational pathway followed a blended methodology combining classroom instruction, field activities, laboratory sessions, and creative workshops. This iterative process guided students from scientific observation and data analysis to conceptual re-elaboration and artistic production. The resulting works—mixed-media paintings, architectural reinterpretations of landscapes, and digitally manipulated satellite imagery—functioned as hybrid artefacts, simultaneously conveying scientific content and eliciting emotional and ethical reflection on sustainability.The collective exhibition COSMOS CREATIVO: Artistic Transformations of Earth from Space, presented during the European Researchers’ Night (2024–2025), demonstrated the potential of art–science collaboration to act as a powerful form of science communication. By translating complex environmental data into accessible and emotionally resonant forms, the exhibition fostered dialogue between students, scientists, and the wider public, highlighting the shared responsibility of scientific and artistic communities in communicating planetary boundaries and ecosystem fragility.Aligned with the EU Key Competences for Lifelong Learning and SDG 4, the project offers a replicable model for integrating STEAM education, environmental awareness, and civic engagement. By positioning scientific data as both analytical tools and sources of aesthetic inspiration, The Kaleidoscopic Lens of Art illustrates how art–science collaborations can build bridges between disciplines, enhance public understanding of Earth system science, and support the cultural imagination needed to envision sustainable futures.Keywords: interdisciplinary education, PCTO, STEM and art integration, environmental awareness, satellite imagery, geospatial data, creative learning, high school education

The advent of Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing (CRNS) stations has represented a significant advancement in the field of soil moisture (SM) retrieval. With footprints of up to 300 m and measurements referring to soil depths of up to 50 cm, these stations can effectively contribute to improving the evaluation of satellite-derived and modelled SM products.Recently, a CRNS station implemented by Finapp S.r.l. was installed in the peri-urban area of Tito (Contrada Carlone – 40.573425 N, 15.676042 E), located in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. The monitoring site, characterized by complex geomorphological conditions, features an integrated setup including time-lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) system, an array of hydrological sensors (tensiometers, soil moisture sensors, piezometers), and meteorological sensors (temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation). This open-air monitoring laboratory, supported by advanced methodologies for data integration, enables a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach to investigate SM variability and, more broadly, provides insights into the hydrogeological risks affecting the site. The laboratory was established within the framework of the “ITINERIS” project (PNRR M4C2 Inv.3.1 IR), funded by the EU’s Next Generation program.Focusing on the CRNS station, SM data acquired since July 2025 have already been compared with different satellite-based SM products, such as the weekly Copernicus Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) derived from Sentinel-1 SAR data and the daily Soil Water Index (SWI) obtained from ASCAT (Advanced Scatterometer) acquisitions. Additional datasets and products acquired at different temporal and spatial scales, as well as based on diverse technologies (active, passive, and merged), will be considered in future analysis. Preliminary results are promising and highlight the strong potential of the laboratory to produce accurate SM measurements. These measurements will be scaled up to the regional level within the framework of the “Space It Up” project, funded by the Italian Space Agency and the Ministry of University and Research (contract No. 2024-5-E.0 – CUP I53D24000060005), to better investigate the impacts of climate change across the entire region. SM variability as well as spatiotemporal anomalies will be analyzed.

Historical urban centres of high cultural and monumental relevance are commonly characterized by complex and highly heterogeneous subsurface settings, resulting from the superposition of natural geological deposits, archaeological layers, and centuries of anthropogenic modifications. In such contexts, limited or fragmented subsurface knowledge may hinder archaeological interpretation and constrain multidisciplinary analyses aimed at urban reconstruction and heritage preservation.This contribution is framed within the Italian PRIN 2022 project NEW AGE (New Integrated Approach for Seismic Protection and Enhancement of Heritage Buildings on Historic Earthen Deposits) and presents results from non-invasive geophysical investigations conducted at two emblematic monumental sites: the Roman Amphitheatre (Arena) of Verona and the Santa Sofia monumental complex in Benevento, both characterized by prolonged and stratified occupation histories, leading to highly heterogeneous near-surface conditions. The investigations benefited from advanced geophysical instrumentation made available through the IRPAC and ITINERIS research infrastructure (funded through regional and national programs, respectively), supporting enhanced data acquisition capabilities within the project framework.We propose a multi-scale, multi-method geophysical approach designed to improve the characterization of shallow subsurface conditions in densely built and historically layered urban environments. The investigation strategy combines ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and seismic methods, selected to explore complementary physical properties and depth ranges while accommodating site-specific logistical and conservation constraints.GPR surveys provided high-resolution imaging of shallow subsurface heterogeneities and anthropogenic features, supporting the identification of archaeological remains and spatial variations within near-surface layers. ERT investigations complemented these results by resolving broader geological structures and deeper resistivity contrasts, allowing reconstruction of subsurface variability at different spatial scales. Seismic measurements contributed additional constraints on subsurface layering and mechanical properties.The combined interpretation of the different datasets acquired, supported by archaeological and geotechnical information where available, provides a robust and physically consistent reconstruction of the shallow subsurface in complex, historically layered monumental settings. The multi-method geophysical framework enables the identification of stratigraphic heterogeneities, anthropogenic layers, and buried structures, reducing subsurface uncertainty in complex heritage contexts and supporting subsequent geological, archaeological, and engineering analyses.

The increasing frequency of extreme climatic events, from protracted droughts to high-intensity precipitation, necessitates robust frameworks for monitoring soil hydrological dynamics and associated geological risks. Hydrogeophysical methods, particularly when integrated with multi-sensory environmental arrays, offer a powerful means of capturing the spatiotemporal evolution of pore pressure, a key driver of slope instability. This study presents a multi-parametric, multi-scale monitoring strategy deployed at an open-air laboratory situated on a slow-moving peri-urban landslide in the southern Apennines (Basilicata, Italy) developed as part of the ITINERIS project (PNRR M4C2 Inv.3.1 IR EU’s Next Generation program).We combine time-lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography (tl-ERT) with a diverse hydrological sensor suite, including tensiometers, piezometers, soil temperature probes, and a non-invasive Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing (CRNS) station for area-wide moisture estimation. To address the complexities of hydrogeological scaling, e.g., the dynamic nature of soil moisture patterns and their scale-dependent manifestations, we developed a customized laboratory framework designed to replicate field-scale coupled ERT and hydrological measurements. This dual-scale approach enables the derivation of site-specific petrophysical relations and facilitates the calibration of 2D/3D dynamic thermo-hydro-geophysical model.This work focuses on the development of a robust data mining and processing workflow designed to harmonize heterogeneous geophysical, hydrological, and meteorological datasets. In this study, we present the validation of laboratory protocols alongside the preliminary setup of multi-scale field monitoring and field acquisition systems. By proposing inversion strategies and automated quality control, we aim to minimize interpretative ambiguity and move towards a more geologically consistent representation of vadose zone mechanisms. This integrated approach is establishing a preliminary foundation for future predictive modelling while offering a scalable solution for monitoring hydrogeological hazards in complex environments.

Predicting ground motion over large areas seems to be the frontier in the enhancement of seismic hazard maps at the national level. Simplified approaches based on 1D numerical simulations have gained traction due to the limited availability of detailed geological and geotechnical data. The Italian Project PRIN-SERENA (mapping Seismic site Effects at REgional and National scAle) aims to improve ground motion amplification maps by deriving site-specific amplification functions (FAs) through numerical modelling and validating these models against experimental data to ensure reliability and practical applicability.In the framework of WP6-SERENA project, we evaluated the suitability of these simplified methods in 21 seismic stations located an intermontane basin in the southern Apennines (Val d’Agri, southern Italy), characterised by high seismicicity and complex geology. The amplification functions (FA) were experimentally estimated by applying a nonparametric single-step generalized inversion (Klin et al., 2018) to a database of about 2000 waveforms from local and regional events (up to 400 km), providing robust azimuthal coverage for each station.For the 21 sites experimental FAs were estimated for three period bands of engineering interest: 0.1 – 0.5 s, 0.4-0.8 s and 0.7-1.1 s. These estimates were compared with those derived from the 1D stochastic modelling results by using the NC92soil software (Acunzo et al., 2024) and the subsurface seismo-stratigraphic and mechanical models as input data. The modelled FAs exhibited a narrow amplification range (0.7-1.5), while experimental FAs showed a broader range (1-5). Sites that have the same stratigraphic and mechanical subsurface model have identical modelled FAs, while experimental FAs have very different values reflecting the actual geological complexity of the sites. This discrepancy is most evident at sites with thick surface soils (>100 m), where the 1D models were unable to fully account for subsurface conditions.For the sites with pronounced discrepancies, deterministic modelling incorporating detailed subsurface characteristics and a higher shear velocity contrast between sediments and bedrock was performed. For sites with low sediment cover ( 200 m), deterministic modelling could not reproduce the experimental findings.These results highlight the limitations of simplified 1D modelling, which primarily accounts for stratigraphic amplification but fails to capture the full complexity of the local seismic response, influenced by path and source effects, as the experimental approach does. Simplified numerical estimates of FAs risk underestimating or misrepresenting seismic site responses, particularly in geologically complex settings such as valleys and intermontane basins. This study underscores the importance of integrating experimental data into seismic hazard assessments to account for the complexity of local seismic responses. Acunzo, G. et al. 2024. NC92Soil: A computer code for deterministic and stochastic 1D equivalent linear seismic site response analyses. Computers and Geotechnics, 165, p.105857.Klin, P. et al. 2018. GITANES: A MATLAB package for estimation of site spectral amplification with the generalized inversion technique, Seismol. Res. Lett. 89, no. 1, 182–190.

The Italian NEW AGE project (PRIN 2022 “New Integrated Approach for Seismic Protection and Enhancement of Heritage Buildings on Historic Earthen Deposits”) seeks to advance seismic risk mitigation strategies for all cities with significant monumental heritage and all historic centres.The project adopts a holistic approach, treating the urban environment as an integrated soil-building system, to assess and address the mutual interactions between subsurface conditions and overlying cultural heritage structures. This approach is crucial for the effective preservation of heritage sites in seismic-prone areas.Seismic investigations, integrated with electromagnetic (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomographies (ERTs), provide non-invasive methods suitable for investigating subsurface conditions and foundation structures beneath urban environments. GPR is particularly effective for characterizing the shallower layers of subsoil and for detecting possible buried archaeological features. Similarly, ERT is a robust and cost-effective method for delineating the geometry of geological structures in urban areas, at greater depths.The project employs a multiscale, multiresolution geophysical strategy to comprehensively study the geological subsurface, soil-foundation systems, and heritage structures. By integrating these methods, the PRIN NEW AGE project aims to provide a robust framework for seismic risk mitigation and the sustainable preservation of cultural heritage in urban areas. The proposed strategy was tested to characterize the subsurface of the Arena di Verona from an archaeological and geological point of view, through the combined and integrated use of Seismic, GPR and ERT. In this presentation, only the results obtained with GPR and ERT will be presented while the seismic analyses will be presented by Gallipoli et al. in the work “Rapid and non-invasive structural characterization of the Roman Arena in Verona, Italy, through geophysical prospecting”. GPR acquisitions were performed with a monochannel system coupled to antennae operating at different frequencies, and a multichannel GPR stepped-frequency system equipped with an external GNSS system. GPR data collected by the first GPR system, operating at frequencies of 200 and 400 MHz, allowed the identification of the Arena foundation system, while the multichannel system, leveraging the unmatched resolution offered, enabled the identification of interesting anomalies within the amphitheatre and surrounding areas, belonging to different historical phases.ERTs were carried inside the Arena and in Piazza Bra. In Piazza Bra, two ERTs were conducted with a 5-meter electrode spacing, covering a total length of 235 meters, to investigate depths of up to several tens of meters for geological purposes while, in the Cavea, two ERTs were conducted in two different arcades, along with a roll-along ERT survey in the longitudinal tunnel beneath the Cavea for improving the resolution and supporting the archaeological research.The information obtained with GPR and ERTs, supported and validated by archaeological data and geotechnical drilling have provided highly valuable insights from both the engineering and the archaeological perspectives.Geophysical activities are realized also exploiting instrumentations and facilities provided by the Research Infrastructures of IRPAC (financed by PO FESR Basilicata 2014-2020 – DGR n. 402 del 28.06.2019 / CUP: G29J19001190003) and ITINERIS (financed by European Union – Next Generation EU, PNRR, M4C2 inv.3.1, CUP B53C2200215000).

This study proposes an integrated methodology to investigate hydrogeological instability, combining remote sensing with in-situ geophysical surveys in Gorgoglione, a small town in Basilicata, southern Italy, located in a low mountain area (~800 m a.s.l.). The Italian Apennines, where Gorgoglione is situated, are highly susceptible to geomorphological instability due to the interplay of lithology, relief morphology, active tectonics, seismicity, climate, and vegetation. In recent decades, land abandonment around small towns and villages has exacerbated soil erosion and increased landslide occurrence. These challenges are further compounded by inadequate urban planning, poor construction practices, and ineffective water and wastewater management, along with a lack of sufficient landslide mitigation measures. Unlike regions experiencing rapid urbanization, these areas face issues tied to unregulated urban decline, making them critical test beds for developing innovative methods to study and mitigate natural processes that heighten urban risks.The research aims to provide insights into residual landslide risks to support the development of effective mitigation and management strategies. The activity of instability processes was analyzed using SAR interferometry from both satellite and ground-based platforms. Subsurface geological and lithostratigraphic characteristics were reconstructed by integrating geological and geomorphological information with geophysical techniques, including Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) analysis of ambient seismic noise. The pronounced directional patterns observed in HVSR analysis are being investigated to determine their potential correlation with the landslide movement direction identified through SAR interferometric data.

The frequency of extreme rainfall events has significantly risen in recent years, compelling administrators of urban areas to develop and adopt innovative strategies to effectively manage precipitation overload. This climatic trend has heightened the complexity of addressing hydrogeological risks, requiring a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving catastrophic events. Among these, landslides represent one of the most critical challenges, necessitating multidisciplinary approaches to improve prediction, prevention, and mitigation strategies. Several studies have demonstrated how the spatial-temporal variation of moisture content in soil is crucial in the triggering and reactivation of landslide phenomena. Hydrogeophysics plays a pivotal role in understanding these processes at multiscale spatial-temporal resolutions. Its effectiveness is significantly enhanced when combined with detailed hydrological and environmental analyses. Multiparametric strategy, leveraging continuous multisensory monitoring systems, has proven to be one of the most effective methods for modeling soil moisture behavior. Recent advancements have optimized the selection of components for such systems, incorporating time-lapse ERT systems alongside various hydrologic and environmental sensors. This synergy enables sophisticated 2D and 3D dynamic thermo-hydro-geomechanical modeling of the subsurface, offering unprecedented insights into soil moisture dynamics and landslide mechanisms. Our work focuses on a peri-urban landslide located a few hundred meters from the centre of a small town in the southern Apennines of Italy, characterized by slow-moving displacements. We are establishing an open-air laboratory equipped with a monitoring station that integrates time-lapse ERT system with an array of several hydrological (tensiometers, soil moisture sensors, piezometers) and meteorological (thermometers, hygrometers, anemometers, pyranometers) sensors. The large quantity of data generated by this monitoring station will be managed through the development of innovative data processing methods, also leveraging advanced machine learning techniques. These approaches will enable efficient analysis and integration of geophysical, hydrogeological, and environmental datasets across laboratory and site scales, enhancing our ability to model and understand landslide behaviour with greater accuracy and precision. This work is one of the activities carried out within the WP7-7.4 task of the ITINERIS "Italian Integrated Environmental Research Infrastructures System" project (PNRR M4C2 Inv.3.1 IR), funded by the EU's Next Generation program, an integrated geophysical approach for the assessment of geohazards in urban areas.