Electronic system for drift clock calculation and synchronization for seafloor observatory

The paper describes a new electronic device that allows an easily measurement of the drift between a reference time source (usually GPS) and an atomic rubidium clock which is normally used in seafloor observatories. The Rubidium clock is used in autonomous seafloor observatories to supply reference time for data acquisition with the precision of milliseconds. During the deployment of seafloor observatory the clock is synchronized with GPS. It is critical to evaluate the time drift between the clock and the GPS, when the observatory is recovered. In fact, thanks to an accurate drift measurement it’s possible to have a correct timestamp for data series collected by seafloor observatory’s instruments. The device described in this paper is composed by an Arduino mega shield integrated with other electronic circuits. The device is easily customizable for different clocks in fact Arduino IDE allows development of the desired features for the rubidium clock used in the specific application.Peer Reviewe

The importance of multi-parametric analysis in long-term submarine gas emission monitoring : the SN4 observatory at the north anatolian fault (marmara sea,turkey)

Peer Reviewe

InSEA Project: Initiatives in Supporting the consolidation and enhancement of the EMSO infrastructure and related Activities

The observation of the phenomena occurring on our planet was in the past based mainly on ground monitoring with both temporal and spatial approaches. On the other hand, in the part covered by the oceans until a few years ago the monitoring was carried out through discrete measurement campaigns in time and space with the disadvantage of not having information on the variability of oceanic processes. Only more recently, since the 90s of the last century, technology has allowed the installation of multidisciplinary systems on the seabed for long periods (years), even at great depths (thousands of meters). From the circumscribed campaigns in space and time, we have therefore moved on to the installation of observatories on the seabed, to record in a continuous way the physical and chemical parameters, in order to know the state of the oceans and of the whole planet. This produces two advantages: A spatial improvement of the observations, because they extend from land to the 1. previously less known and more extensive part of the planet, i.e. the oceans that cover seventenths of the Earth’s surface; A scientific improvement, because the oceans represent a fundamental element in the 2. processes at the base of the Earth’s climate, whose knowledge on large time scales makes it possible to understand the future evolution of these processes [e.g. Favali et al., 2015].PublishedRome6IT. Osservatori non satellitar

A first insight into the Marsili volcanic seamount (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): results from ORION-GEOSTAR3 experiment

The Marsili Seamount is the largest European underwater volcano. It is Plio-Pleistocenic in age, rising up to more than 3000m from the seafloor in the SE Tyrrhenian basin (Central Mediterranean), a back arc basin which began progressively opening 10 Ma ago (Kastens et al., 1988). The seamount lies in a key area for understanding the evolution of the Tyrrhenian region, characterized by high values of heat flow (Della Vedova et al., 2001) and low values of Moho isobaths (Locardi and Nicolich, 1988). In spite of the large dimensions of the Marsili seamount, we still have limited knowledge of its present activity. Ocean exploration is dependent on available technology and infrastructure, which started to develop strongly only after the 1980s. In fact, from its discovery in the 1920s, very little was known of the Marsili Seamount until the late 1990s when new techniques such as multibeam acoustic bathymetry were developed allowed to reveal at least the morphology. Some dedicated expeditions then obtained the first morpho-bathimetric map of the entire Tyrrhenian seafloor, based on multibeam swath-mapping together with seismic, gravimetric and magnetometric data (e.g. Marani and Gamberi, 2004). Although these data have greatly contributed to our understanding, the necessarily short measurement time limits the extent to which they reflect short- to medium-term geophysical processes in the Tyrrhenian basin. New technologies, such as multiparameter seafloor observatories, provide long-term continuous time-series in deep ocean waters, which are the basis for an original approach in ocean exploration. The observation of phenomena variability over time is key to understanding many Earth processes, among which we recall hydrothermal activity, active tectonics, and ecosystem life cycles. The development in Europe of multidisciplinary seafloor observatories has been pioneered under the EC Framework Programmes, specifically in the GEOSTAR projects (Beranzoli et al., 1988, 2000). From 2003 to 2005, long-term geophysical and oceanographic monitoring was conducted within the EC ORION-GEOSTAR3 project with two multiparameter observatories deployed on the seafloor 3320m below sea level (b.s.l.) in the vicinity of the Marsili Seamount. The two observatories were equipped with a set of sensors providing long-term continuous time-series of various physical measurements. The acquired time series are the longest continuous data record of the Marsili Basin available so far. This chaper intends to provide the main information on this experiment and present some results of the processing of the corresponding time-series, adding new valuable information on the still poorly explored activity of the volcano seamount. This chapter is organized as follows: The next section will provide the geological setting to understanding the importance of the Marsili Seamount and its basin; the ORION-GEOSTAR3 experiment is described in Section 24.3; some results from this unprecedented seismic, magnetic and gravimetric data analyses are shown in Section 24.4; and finally, in the last section we present our discussion with the main conclusions.Published623-6413A. Geofisica marina e osservazioni multiparametriche a fondo mar

Prevalence of Chromosomally Integrated Human Herpesvirus 6 in Patients with Human Herpesvirus 6–Central Nervous System Dysfunction

AbstractWe identified 37 hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients with human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) central nervous system dysfunction and tested donor-recipient pairs for chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (ciHHV-6). One patient had ciHHV-6A with possible HHV-6A reactivation and encephalitis. There was no ciHHV-6 enrichment in this group, but larger studies are needed to determine if patients with ciHHV-6 are at increased risk for HHV-6–associated diseases or other complications

Assessing the Potential of Intra-specific Biodiversity towards Adaptation of Irrigated and Rain-fed Italian Production Systems to Future Climate

AbstractThe study addresses the biophysical dimension of adaptation. It illustrates and applies a framework to evaluate options for adaptation by identifying cultivars optimally adapted to expected climate conditions, building on existing crops intra-specific biodiversity. The aim is to reduce the vulnerability of current production systems without altering the pattern of current species and cultivation systems.Adaptability is assessed through a three-step approach that involves: 1) evaluation of indicators of expected thermal and hydrological conditions within the specific landscape and production system; 2) determination, for a set of cultivars, of cultivar- specific thermal and hydrological requirements to attain the desirable yield; 3) identification, as options for adaptation, of the cultivars for which expected climate conditions match the climatic requirements. The approach relies on a process-based simulation model of water flow in the soil-plant-atmosphere system for the calculation of hydrological indicators. Thermal indicators are derived by means of phenological models. Empirical functions of cultivars yield response to water availability are used to determine cultivar-specific hydrological requirements, whereas cultivars thermal requirements are estimated through phenological observations.In a future climate case (2021-2050) three case-studies are analyzed: 1) a system dominated by rain-fed crops (olive, winegrapes, durum wheat) in a hilly area of southern Italy; 2) irrigated fruit crops (peach, pear) in the Po Valley; 3) maize and tomato crop in an irrigated plain of southern Italy.Cultivars adapted to the future climate have been identified for rain-fed crops (e.g. 5 olive cvs). For irrigated crops we have evaluated adaptability for optimal and deficit irrigation schedules, accounting for site-specific soils hydrological properties. Options for adaptations have been identified as a combination of cultivars, soils and irrigation schedules (e.g 2 tomato cvs and 3 maize hybrids have been identified as options for adaptation at scarce water availability). Moreover, in the case of fruit crops, accounting for phenological changes highlighted the impact on irrigation water requirements of the interaction between phenology and the intra-annual distribution of precipitation

NEMO-SN1 Abyssal Cabled Observatory in the Western Ionian Sea

The NEutrinoMediterranean Observatory—Submarine Network 1 (NEMO-SN1) seafloor observatory is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, Western Ionian Sea, off Eastern Sicily (Southern Italy) at 2100-m water depth, 25 km from the harbor of the city of Catania. It is a prototype of a cabled deep-sea multiparameter observatory and the first one operating with real-time data transmission in Europe since 2005. NEMO-SN1 is also the first-established node of the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory (EMSO), one of the incoming European large-scale research infrastructures included in the Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) since 2006. EMSO will specifically address long-term monitoring of environmental processes related to marine ecosystems, marine mammals, climate change, and geohazards

The EMSO Generic Instrument Module (EGIM): Standardized and interoperable instrumentation for ocean observation

The oceans are a fundamental source for climate balance, sustainability of resources and life on Earth, therefore society has a strong and pressing interest in maintaining and, where possible, restoring the health of the marine ecosystems. Effective, integrated ocean observation is key to suggesting actions to reduce anthropogenic impact from coastal to deep-sea environments and address the main challenges of the 21st century, which are summarized in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Blue Growth strategies. The European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory (EMSO), is a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), with the aim of providing long-term observations via fixed-point ocean observatories in key environmental locations across European seas from the Arctic to the Black Sea. These may be supported by ship-based observations and autonomous systems such as gliders. In this paper, we present the EMSO Generic Instrument Module (EGIM), a deployment ready multi-sensor instrumentation module, designed to measure physical, biogeochemical, biological and ecosystem variables consistently, in a range of marine environments, over long periods of time. Here, we describe the system, features, configuration, operation and data management. We demonstrate, through a series of coastal and oceanic pilot experiments that the EGIM is a valuable standard ocean observation module, which can significantly improve the capacity of existing ocean observatories and provides the basis for new observatories. The diverse examples of use included the monitoring of fish activity response upon oceanographic variability, hydrothermal vent fluids and particle dispersion, passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals and time series of environmental variation in the water column. With the EGIM available to all the EMSO Regional Facilities, EMSO will be reaching a milestone in standardization and interoperability, marking a key capability advancement in addressing issues of sustainability in resource and habitat management of the oceans

Marinaro, Giuditta. (2005). Transmissometer dataset (Ctg Alphatracka II @ 1 sample / hour) from INGV/SN-2 seafloor platform during MABEL project in Weddell Sea site (Weddell Sea), part of PNRA network.

Alphatracka MKII is a transmissometer monitors the total suspended matter in water by measuring the beam attenuation coefficient alfa at 660 nm. Transmissometer provides information about possible suspension of particle matter due to bottom currents. The time-series is complete and continue through all period of measurement, without gap of data or relevant sensor problem

Marinaro, Giuditta. (2013). Methane meter dataset (Franatech METS @ 1 Hz) from INGV/SN-4 seafloor platform during MARSITE project in Marmara Sea site (Marmara Sea), part of EMSO network.

The Methane sensor provides two output analogue channels (Vmet, Vt) which are sampled at 1Hz by a dedicated Analog To Digital Converter of the SN4 station. From (Vmet, Vt) through a calibration formula, the dissolved methane concentration in sea water can be computed. The sensor has been used with the pump. The purpose of the methane sensor installation on the SN4 observatory is to monitor the variation of methane gas dissolved in sea water. The installation site is rich in gas seepage from seafloor, thus the variation in methane dissolved concentration can provide a mean to monitor gas emission from seabed. This sensor enable us to study methane gas emission dynamic and its correlation with other physical, oceanographical and seismic parameters in the site