@article {LoIacono2014a,
	title = {{Submarine canyons of north-western Sicily (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea): Variability in morphology, sedimentary processes and evolution on a tectonically active margin}},
	journal = {Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography},
	volume = {104},
	year = {2014},
	month = {jun},
	pages = {93{\textendash}105},
	publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},
	abstract = {Swath-bathymetry, mono-channel and multi-channel seismic reflection records acquired during the last two decades on the northern Sicilian margin have unveiled a dense network of submarine canyons within the depth range of 80-2100. m. The canyons display a relevant variability in their geometry, morphology and sedimentary processes. The margin shows a young, tectonically active shelf to slope setting, linking the Sicilian-Maghrebian Thrust Belt to the Tyrrhenian oceanic realm, developed during the Neogene-Quaternary time span. The aim of this study is to highlight the main governing factors that contributed to the evolution and differentiation of the northern Sicilian canyons, mainly focusing on the Gulf of Palermo and on the Gulf of Castellammare. Tectonic control is more evident in the canyons of the Gulf of Palermo, with submarine landslides retrograding on a steep slope and mainly controlling their evolution. Otherwise, canyons, tributaries and gullies mapped in the Gulf of Castellammare developed on a less steep substrate and display sinuous to meandering paths, with a relevant role of coastal/shelf sedimentary inputs and downslope turbidity processes in their formation. Results suggest that, despite the geographically close proximity of the two study areas, the different structural settings of the Castellammare and Palermo Basins are mainly responsible for canyon variability. Data indicate likely on-going uplift and tilting movements along the Sicilian margin, influencing the development of the studied canyons, which have probably been more active during the Quaternary glacial maxima than they are in the present day. {\textcopyright} 2013 Elsevier Ltd.},
	keywords = {landslides, Seismic data, Sicily, Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Submarine canyons, swath-bathymetry, tectonics},
	issn = {09670645},
	doi = {10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.06.018},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84901673777\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Lo Iacono, Claudio and Sulli, Attilio and Agate, Mauro}
}
@article {Ribo2011,
	title = {{Dense shelf water cascades in the Cap de Creus and Palam{\'o}s submarine canyons during winters 2007 and 2008}},
	journal = {Marine Geology},
	volume = {284},
	number = {1-4},
	year = {2011},
	month = {jun},
	pages = {175{\textendash}188},
	abstract = {The Cap de Creus and the Palam{\'o}s submarine canyon heads were instrumented during two consecutive winters to study their respective role in the dynamics of the sediment transport on the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Several events of dense shelf-water cascading (DSWC) were identified simultaneously at both canyons and compared between them. DSWC events were characterized by abrupt drops of temperature, increases of current speeds, and peaks of high suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC). Concentrations up to 170mg l -1 were recorded in both studied winters at the Cap de Creus Canyon coinciding with the first DSWC event of the winter concurrent with an eastern storm. Overall, the amount of sediment transported during the DSWC events was one order of magnitude greater at the Cap de Creus Canyon than at the Palam{\'o}s Canyon. Results from this study have identified for the first time the presence of DSWC events also in the Palam{\'o}s Canyon head, south of the Gulf of Lions (GoL), and corroborated previous findings that the Cap de Creus Canyon is the main pathway for DSWC and the associated sediment transport from the GoL down to the deeper regions of the north-western Mediterranean. {\textcopyright} 2011 Elsevier B.V.},
	keywords = {Continental margin, Sediment transport, Submarine canyons, Western Mediterranean},
	issn = {00253227},
	doi = {10.1016/j.margeo.2011.04.001},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79957644806\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Rib{\'o}, M. and Puig, P. and Palanques, A. and Lo Iacono, C.}
}
@article {LoIacono2011,
	title = {{Submarine canyon morphologies in the Gulf of Palermo (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) and possible implications for geo-hazard}},
	journal = {Marine Geophysical Research},
	volume = {32},
	number = {1-2},
	year = {2011},
	month = {mar},
	pages = {127{\textendash}138},
	abstract = {The continental shelf and the upper slope of the Gulf of Palermo (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) in the depth interval ranging from 50 to 1,500 m were mapped for the first time with Multi Beam echosounder and high resolution seismic. Seven submarine canyons are confined to the upper slope or indent the shelf-edge and enter the Palermo intraslope basin at a depth of around 1,300 m. The canyons evolved through concurrent top-down turbiditic processes and bottom-up retrogressive mass failures. Most of the mass failure features of the area are related to canyon-shaping processes and only few of them are not confined to the upper slope. In general, these features probably do not represent a significant tsunami hazard along the coast. The geological element that controls the evolution of the canyons and induces sediment instability corresponds to the steep slope gradient, especially in the western sector of the Gulf, where the steepest canyons are located. The structural features mapped in the Palermo offshore contributed to the regulation of mass failure processes in the area, with direct faults and antiform structures coinciding with some of the canyon heads. Furthermore, the occurrence of pockmarks and highs that probably consist of authigenic carbonates above faulted and folded strata suggests a local relationship between structural control, fluid escape processes and mass failure. This paper presents a valuable high-resolution morphologic dataset of the Gulf of Palermo, which constitutes a reliable base for evaluating the geo-hazard potential related to slope failure in the area. {\textcopyright} 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.},
	keywords = {Geo-hazard, Mass failure processes, Southern Mediterranean, Submarine canyons, Swath mapping},
	issn = {0025-3235},
	doi = {10.1007/s11001-011-9118-0},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79961169577\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Lo Iacono, Claudio and Sulli, Attilio and Agate, Mauro and Lo Presti, Valeria and Pepe, Fabrizio and Catalano, Raimondo}
}
@article {Amblas2011,
	title = {{Transient erosion in the Valencia Trough turbidite systems, NW Mediterranean Basin}},
	journal = {Geomorphology},
	volume = {130},
	number = {3-4},
	year = {2011},
	month = {jul},
	pages = {173{\textendash}184},
	abstract = {Submarine canyons can efficiently drain sediments from continental margins just as river systems do in subaerial catchments. Like in river systems, submarine canyons are often arranged as complex drainage networks that evolve from patterns of erosion and deposition. In the present paper we use a morphometric analysis of submarine canyon-channel long-profiles to study the recent sedimentary history of the Valencia Trough turbidite system (VTTS) in the NW Mediterranean Sea. The VTTS is unique in that it drains sediment from margins with contrasting morphologies through a single "trunk" conduit, the Valencia Channel. The Valencia Channel has been active since the late Miocene, evolving in response to Plio-Quaternary episodes of erosion and deposition. The integrated analysis of long-profiles obtained from high-resolution bathymetric data across the entire turbidite system shows evidence for transient canyon incision in the form of knickpoints and hanging tributaries. Multiple factors appear to have triggered these periods of incision. These include a large debris flow at 11,500. yr. BP that disrupted the upper reaches of the VTTS and glacio-eustatic lowstands that forced shifting of sediment input to the VTTS. Based on these inferences, long-term time-averaged incision rates for the Valencia Channel have been estimated. The evidence we present strongly suggests that Foix Canyon has played a key role in the drainage dynamics of the VTTS in the past.This study builds conceptually on a recent modeling study that provides a morphodynamic explanation for the long-term evolution of submarine canyon thalweg profiles. The procedure and results from this work are of potential application to other submarine sediment drainage systems, past and present, including those containing mid-ocean type valleys like the Valencia Channel. {\textcopyright} 2011 Elsevier B.V.},
	keywords = {Knickpoints, Long-profiles, Submarine canyons, Transient erosion, Turbidity currents},
	issn = {0169555X},
	doi = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.03.013},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79956155543\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Amblas, David and Gerber, Thomas P. and Canals, Miquel and Pratson, Lincoln F. and Urgeles, Roger and Lastras, Galderic and Calafat, Antoni M.}
}
@article {Orejas2009,
	title = {{Cold-water corals in the Cap de Creus canyon, northwestern Mediterranean: spatial distribution, density and anthropogenic impact}},
	journal = {Marine Ecology Progress Series},
	volume = {397},
	year = {2009},
	month = {dec},
	pages = {37{\textendash}51},
	abstract = {The occurrence and density of 3 cold-water coral (CWC) species (Madrepora oculata, Lophelia pertusa and Dendrophyllia cornigera) were investigated in the Cap de Creus canyon (northwestern Mediterranean) by conducting and analysing 22 video survey transects. Species distribution patterns were also investigated at 3 spatial extents (km, 100s of m and m) across 3 of the transects using spatial statistics. Additionally, the locations of snagged benthic long-line fishing gear were logged across these 3 transects. Video surveys were carried out by both remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and the JAGO manned submersible. CWCs were present in 15 of the 22 survey transects, predominantly those covering areas with hard substrate (boulders or hardrock outcrops). M. oculata was the most abundant CWC species in the survey transects, whereas L. pertusa and D. cornigera were much more sparsely distributed, with only isolated colonies observed in the majority of transects. M. oculata showed a significant contagious distribution pattern across the analysed transects, with several scales of spatial pattern and patch size being detected, whereas L. pertusa and D. cornigera were not found in sufficient numbers to apply spatial statistics. Different covariance patterns were found across the transects between snagged fishing gear and the presence of M. oculata. Further investigation of this relationship and the level of hazard posed by long-line fishing to M. oculata colonies is required prior to development of a protective management strategy. {\textcopyright} Inter-Research 2009.},
	keywords = {Cold water corals, Manned submersible, Patch size, Population density, ROVs, Spatial patterns, Spatial statistic, Submarine canyons},
	issn = {0171-8630},
	doi = {10.3354/meps08314},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-74049102713\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Orejas, C and Gori, A and Lo Iacono, C and Puig, P and Gili, JM and Dale, MRT}
}
