The Panarea natural CO2 seeps: fate and impact of the leaking gas (PaCO2) ; R/V URANIA, Cruise No. U10/2011, 27 July – 01 August 2011, Naples (Italy) – Naples (Italy)

Carbon capture and storage (CCS), both on- and offshore, is expected to be an important technique to mitigate anthropogenic effects on global climate by isolating man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) in deep geological formations. In marine environments, however, the potential impacts of CO2 leakage, appropriate detection methods, and risk and pathways of atmospheric emissions are poorly defined. The natural CO2 gas seeps that occur in the relatively shallow waters off the coast of Panarea Island (Aeolian Islands, Italy) can be studied as a large-scale, real-world analogue of what might occur at a leaking offshore CCS site and what tools can be used to study it. The oceanographic survey PaCO2 was performed aboard R/V Urania from 27 July – 01 August 2011 (Naples – Naples). The project’s ship-time was funded by Eurofleets, with work being performed as a sub-project of the Seventh Framework Programme projects “ECO2” and “RISCS”, which provided subsidiary funding. Large amounts of data and samples were collected during the cruise which will be interpreted in the coming months, with preliminary results detailed here. Of particular importance was the discovery of much larger areas showing gas seepage than previously reported. Interdisciplinary measurements were performed at the Panarea seepage site. The international team of scientists onboard R/V Urania performed complementary sampling and measurements for biological, chemical, and physical parameters throughout the area. Together with the dedication of R/V Urania’s Captain and crew, and the eagerness and cooperation of the scientific crew, we were able to obtain excellent scientific results during this six-day cruise

Exceptional dense water formation on the Adriatic shelf in the winter of 2012

In this paper we document dense water formation throughout the Adriatic shelf and coastal area in January/February 2012, resulting in record-breaking densities observed during and after the event. The unprecedented dense water generation was preconditioned by a dry and warm year which resulted in a significant reduction of coastal freshwaters, superimposed on a long-term basin-wide salinity increase. The final event that triggered the dense water formation was an extended period of cold weather with strong and severe winds. Record-breaking potential density anomalies (above 30 kg m⁻³) were measured at several formation sites. Accumulated surface net heat and water losses in some coastal regions exceeded 1.5 GJ m⁻² and 250 kg m⁻² over 21 days, respectively. Excessiveness, importance of shelf-type dense water formation and effects on the thermohaline circulation and deep aquatic systems are discussed

Sostenibilit\ue0 della Mitilicoltura triestina SosteMiTs

Dal complesso degli studi emerge la sostenibilit\ue0 degli allevamenti di Mytilus galloprovincialis del Golfo di Trieste dal punto biologico e delle risorse rinnovabili, il loro impatto ambientale limitato e reversibile, ma anche l\u2019importanza di tale attivit\ue0 nel contesto socio-economico regionale. Un CD, accluso alla Relazione di sintesi, riporta le Relazioni estese dei singoli studi e, per i dati completi, \ue8 opportuno rivolgersi al Coordinatore del Progetto od ai Coordinatori dei singoli moduli operativi