Inertial bioluminescence rhythms at the Capo Passero (KM3NeT-Italia) site, Central Mediterranean Sea

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Identifying priorities for the protection of deep Mediterranean Sea ecosystems through an integrated approach

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Fanelli, E., Bianchelli, S., Foglini, F., Canals, M., Castellan, G., Guell-Bujons, Q., Galil, B., Goren, M., Evans, J., Fabri, M.-C., Vaz, S., Ciuffardi, T., Schembri, P. J., Angeletti, L., Taviani, M., & Danovaro, R. Identifying priorities for the protection of deep Mediterranean Sea ecosystems through an integrated approach. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, (2021): 698890, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.698890.Benthic habitats of the deep Mediterranean Sea and the biodiversity they host are increasingly jeopardized by increasing human pressures, both direct and indirect, which encompass fisheries, chemical and acoustic pollution, littering, oil and gas exploration and production and marine infrastructures (i.e., cable and pipeline laying), and bioprospecting. To this, is added the pervasive and growing effects of human-induced perturbations of the climate system. International frameworks provide foundations for the protection of deep-sea ecosystems, but the lack of standardized criteria for the identification of areas deserving protection, insufficient legislative instruments and poor implementation hinder an efficient set up in practical terms. Here, we discuss the international legal frameworks and management measures in relation to the status of habitats and key species in the deep Mediterranean Basin. By comparing the results of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and of expert evaluation (EE), we identify priority deep-sea areas for conservation and select five criteria for the designation of future protected areas in the deep Mediterranean Sea. Our results indicate that areas (1) with high ecological relevance (e.g., hosting endemic and locally endangered species and rare habitats),(2) ensuring shelf-slope connectivity (e.g., submarine canyons), and (3) subject to current and foreseeable intense anthropogenic impacts, should be prioritized for conservation. The results presented here provide an ecosystem-based conservation strategy for designating priority areas for protection in the deep Mediterranean Sea.This study was supported by the DG ENV project IDEM (Implementation of the MSFD to the Deep Mediterranean Sea; contract EU No. 11.0661/2017/750680/SUB/EN V.C2). MC and QG-B acknowledge support from Generalitat de Catalunya autonomous government through its funding scheme to excellence research groups (Grant 2017 SGR 315)

Using SeaDataNet Management System to preserve the XBT Data-Set of the Mediterranean Sea

significant amount of Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) data has been collected in the Mediterranean Sea since 1999 in the framework of operational oceanography activities. The management and storage of such a volume of data poses significant challenges and opportunities. The SeaDataNet project, a pan-European infrastructure for marine data diffusion, provides a convenient way to avoid dispersion of these temperature vertical profiles and to facilitate access to a wider public. The XBT data flow, along with the recent improvements in the quality check procedures and the consistence of the available historical data set are described. The main features of SeaDataNet services and the advantage of using this system for long-term data archiving are presented. Finally, focus on the Ligurian Sea is included in order to provide an example of the kind of information and final products devoted to different users can be easily derived from the SeaDataNet web portal

Rapporto tecnico-scientifico sullo stato dell'arte dei sistemi oceanografici operativi in Mare Mediterraneo e nei mari italiani con particolare riguardo ai sistemi osservativi

L’attività dell’Unità Operativa 2 (UO02) all’interno della Azione 1 (AZ1) del progetto bandiera RITMARE (La Ricerca ITaliana per il MARE; http://www.ritmare.it/), del Programma Nazionale della Ricerca finanziato dal Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca, è iniziata effettuando una ricognizione completa dei sistemi osservativi attualmente funzionanti in maniera operativa o pre-operativa nei mari Italiani i cui dati sono utilizzati per la validazione dei sistemi numerici o per essere assimilati al loro interno. La ricognizione sarà propedeutica al fine di mettere in evidenza punti deboli e ridondanze sia in termini generali che in base a specifiche zone geografiche, nonché per evidenziare possibili potenzialità future, attraverso una sintesi delle informazioni raccolte ed incontri con i soggetti attivi nell’oceanografia operativa in Italia. I risultati della UO02 in questa attività saranno accorpati con le informazioni acquisite dalle altre UO partecipanti all’azione e utilizzati dall’Azione 2- “Disegno e architettura delle linee di sviluppo e aggiornamento dei sistemi di previsione”, Work Package 4 (WP4) “Sistemi di previsione”, Sottoprogetto 5 (SP5) – “Sistemi Osservativi”. Durante i primi 24 mesi del progetto, il CNR ha provveduto a raccogliere le informazioni sui prodotti dei sistemi osservativi in real-time o near-real-time dei mari italiani, con l’obiettivo di validare i sistemi di previsione del mare disponibili nel 2012 – metà 2013, nell’ambito del WP4 Azione 1. Questo servirà in generale per poter cominciare a valutare i prodotti sui quali sviluppare le future attività di validazione dei sistemi di previsione del mare. In tale direzione è stato proposto un questionario ai diversi istituti ed enti di ricerca operanti sul territorio nazionale. I risultati del sondaggio hanno evidenziato almeno quattro grossi poli di osservazioni disponibili: l’area del Mar Ligure, il basso Tirreno, l’Adriatico e il canale di Sicilia. Questo rapporto è stato integrato inoltre con l’analisi e le conclusioni di un’attività di censimento dei sistemi di osservazione presenti in Italia, fatta nell’ambito del progetto nazionale “SSD Pesca - Sistema di supporto alle decisioni per la gestione sostenibile della pesca nelle regioni del Mezzogiorno d’Italia” (Sparnocchia et al., 2012), con lo scopo di valutarne la consistenza (distribuzione geografica, parametri misurati) ed evidenziarne i punti di forza e le criticità da risolvere per il migliore impiego a supporto del sistema pesca, con particolare riguardo al Mezzogiorno d’Italia

Inertial bioluminescence rhythms at the Central Mediterranean KM3NeT deep-sea neutrino telescope

41e Congres de la Commission Internationale pour l’Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Méditerranée (CIESM), 12-16 September 2016, Kiel.-- 1 page, 1 figureHere, we used data from the prototype tower detector installed 80 km off -shore Capo Passero in the abyssal Central Mediterranean KM3NeT neutrino telescope (3500 m depth), to portray bioluminescence rhythms at different depths of the structure. The tower raises 420 meters above the bottom and contains 8 floors (3349 -3069 m). We focused on 10-min bioluminescence readings for June 2013, as detected by Photo Multiplier Tubes. A significant periodicity in bioluminescent intensity, equivalent to ca. 20.27h, was detected. A time-lag in phase timing appears from shallower to the deeper floors, with progressive dampening of bioluminescence fluctuations. The presence of structured peaks in overall bioluminescence suggests that drifted organisms travel in discontinuous swarms and bursts are provoked by currents bringing animals against the towerPeer Reviewe

Marine GIS as a Tool to Support Backscatter Data Analysis for Zooplankton Investigations

Echo-sounders and Vessel-Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (VM-ADCP) are widely operating onboard research vessels with the aim of providing real-time backscatter and ocean current profiles along the route, while the vessel is moving. Backscatter data are exploited to infer important information about zooplankton presence and distribution. Nevertheless, as these organisms daily vertically migrate even below the depth of the instrument range, the combination of space and time variability make their mapping from a moving vessel quite complex. The objective of this work is to describe a GIS application developed for the management and analysis of these data. The GIS capability as a tool to facilitate zooplankton investigations is assessed by means of a test-case in the area of the Ligurian Sea (Western Mediterranean) by using VM-ADCP backscatter data made available during oceanographic campaigns. The system, which includes a high-resolution bathymetry, environmental parameters, ephemeris, allows to select and visualize data sorted according to all the possible layer combinations. Moreover, different backscatter profiles, characterizing the identified migration phases can be enlightened by means of false color scale representation

Inertial bioluminescence rhythms at the Central Mediterranean KM3NeT deep-sea neutrino telescope

41e Congres de la Commission Internationale pour l’Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Méditerranée (CIESM), 12-16 September 2016, Kiel.-- 1 page, 1 figureHere, we used data from the prototype tower detector installed 80 km off -shore Capo Passero in the abyssal Central Mediterranean KM3NeT neutrino telescope (3500 m depth), to portray bioluminescence rhythms at different depths of the structure. The tower raises 420 meters above the bottom and contains 8 floors (3349 -3069 m). We focused on 10-min bioluminescence readings for June 2013, as detected by Photo Multiplier Tubes. A significant periodicity in bioluminescent intensity, equivalent to ca. 20.27h, was detected. A time-lag in phase timing appears from shallower to the deeper floors, with progressive dampening of bioluminescence fluctuations. The presence of structured peaks in overall bioluminescence suggests that drifted organisms travel in discontinuous swarms and bursts are provoked by currents bringing animals against the towerPeer Reviewe

A spar buoy-mounted ADCP measurement station in the Ligurian Sea: a metrological approach to correct current measures for bias effects and evaluate uncertainties

Since the ‘70s, the ENEA Marine Environment Research Centre of S. Teresa has been involved in monitoring and analysis of physical, chemical and biological processes in marine environment. In order to provide a deeper view of the real marine dynamics, based on the integrated use of data and models, some of these activities have been recently focused on the measurement of current profiles in the open sea. A dedicated experimental methodology and data analysis were carried out to design and install a system for measuring current profiles in the surface layer in the Ligurian Sea: the measurement station, based on an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) mounted on the surface buoy of W1-M3A (Western 1 Mediterranean Moored Multisensor) weather-oceanographic observatory, led to the acquisition of a time series of data continuously acquired for five months (from April to August 2017). The collected dataset, together with the implemented post-processing techniques, were aimed to realize a monitoring system able to support (and verify by comparison) marine current numerical models, with the final purpose of improving their performances. Main object of this work are both the correction of bias effects due to the buoy influence on ADCP measures and the evaluation of the overall uncertainty associated with the current velocities. In the following, an overall view of the performed experimental activity is briefly reported, ranging from the design of the measuring station to its implementation, from recovery to preliminary data processing and uncertainty analysis applied to a sub-set of data, used as a test case

Improved Current Estimates from Spar Buoy-Mounted ADCP Measurement Station: A Case Study in the Ligurian Sea

Current measurements in the open sea are generally acquired by Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs). In the case of ADCPs mounted on spar buoy, current profiles require to be post-processed, to properly take into account the buoy influence: in fact, ADCP compass may reflect alterations induced by the metal structure of the buoy and apparent currents can occur due to the large displacement of the platform. Uncertainty analysis is finally required to properly consider both these effects and to compute robust velocity estimates. A new methodology is tested for a measurement station in the Ligurian Sea, where an ADCP was mounted on the surface buoy of the W1-M3A (Western 1 Mediterranean Moored Multisensor Array) oceanographic observatory, facing upwards at the depth of about 40 m. Marine current numerical models and historical data in the area have been used as a basis for comparison to test the consistency of the proposed method. A very good agreement is obtained. Only minor discrepancies are reported (e.g., monthly averages from the reference model slightly underestimate the west-east current component along the entire profile), but, in general, the application of the proposed methodology ensures that the spar buoy-mounted ADCP system is able to provide reliable measurements for oceanographic studies and validation of 3D hydrodynamic models