On April 10, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, the Aula Magna of the Department of Earth and Geo-environmental Sciences at the University of Bari (UNIBA), will host the event "The Coast in 4D: Knowing to Manage Space Over Time – Results of PRIN Projects and Advances in the Knowledge of Coastal Dynamics in a Changing World."

The event presents the results of six PRIN projects (Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale) and discusses recent advances in the understanding of coastal dynamics, including coastal evolution, vulnerability and hazard assessment, sea level rise, saltwater intrusion, coastal karst, sandy beach environments, rocky cliff instability, and submarine groundwater discharge. The following PRIN projects are involved:

• ARCHIMEDE – Multidisciplinary approach to better define vulnerability and hazard of medicanes along the Ionian coasts of Sicily (UNIBA, UNICT, UNIPA; PI: G. Scicchitano – UNIBA)

• BERMS – Beach Environments: towards a holistic approach for the study of sandy beaches (UNIBA, UNICAL; PI: M. Moretti – UNIBA)

• Fu.Co.Ka. – Future scenarios in Coastal Karst: saltwater intrusion, loss of water resources and sinkhole development as effects of climate changes (UNIBA, UNISANNIO, CNR-IRSA; PI: M. Parise – UNIBA)

• GAIA – Geomorphological and hydrogeological vulnerability of Italian coastal areas in response to sea level rise and marine extreme events (UNIBA, INGV, UNIPARTHENOPE; PI: G. Mastronuzzi – UNIBA)

• INSPECTING – Instability processes of coastal rocky cliffs and associated retreat trends in relation to the evolution of extreme meteo-marine events: an advanced methodological approach (UNIBA, UNICT, CNR-ISAC; PI: P. Lollino – UNIBA)

• SUBGEO – Submarine groundwater discharge analysis with an innovative and integrated geophysical approach (UNIBA, CNR-IMAA; PI: G. Romano – UNIBA)