SEA STORMS WHICH AFFECTED CENTRAL TYRRHENIAN COASTS OF THE ITALIAN PENINSULA IN 2002

A diagnostic evaluation of several sea storms in the West coasts of Italy during 2002 was carried out considering the atmospheric characteristics of the storms and the interaction between the motion of atmosphere and the sea. The application of various diagnostic tools indicates common features as well as differences among the cases analysed. The role of latent heat transfer from the sea to the atmosphere is considered. The observing network of buoys moored by the Institute of Meteorology and Oceanography of the University of Naples “Parthenope” and by the Agency for the Protection of Environment and Technical Services (APAT) is useful for the analysis of sea-wave generation as a response to wind forcing and the impact on the coastal environment