Events and News

ISPRA participates in the 40th Anci annual assembly

From 24 to 26 October, in the Blue Pavilion of the Genoa Fair, the annual Assembly of the ANCI returns, now in its fortieth edition. The title chosen this year is “Three colors on the heart. Mayors unite Italy." The inaugural day on Tuesday 24th will take place in the presence of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella.
Mayors, institutions and the business world will meet to discuss current and future challenges.

Networking protects the sea. Life Sea.Net project

The objective of this event, carried out within the initiatives envisaged by the LIFE Sea.Net project, is to connect the protection experiences implemented by the managers of marine areas and protected marine sites, create synergies between the various entities that deal with the use and valorisation of the sea in protected areas with the final objective of creating a network to effectively protect the sea. During the workshop, in particular, the activities of the European Life Sea.Net project will be presented, coordinated by Legambiente and co-financed by the EU LIFE Programme, which aims to spread knowledge of Natura 2000 marine sites and improve their management.

The citizen allied with science! Between alien species and marine litter

Do you want to become a scientist citizen and support scientific research?
Alien species and marine debris are among the main "intruders" of the underwater world. Researchers have been studying them for some time, also with the aim of mitigating their impacts, but their widespread diffusion in the marine environment and the difficulty of constant monitoring make their job very difficult. Fortunately, in recent years, volunteer observers have also come to the aid of researchers, with citizen science (participation of citizens in research activities)

Extreme storm surges and climate change. How do we measure waves?

How to measure waves and storm surges?
Waves are formed thanks to the winds that blow over the seas, transferring part of their energy to the surface of the water. The wave motion propagates for hundreds of kilometers with effects on a fairly deep water column. When the waves approach the coast, the seabed becomes shallower, friction increases, the water column decreases and the energy makes the wave steeper until it breaks.
How are the instruments managed by ISPRA that "observe the sea" made?
So how can we adapt to the ongoing climate change?

The Mareographic Network of the Venice Lagoon

Six hours up, six hours down

On the occasion of the European Night of Researchers it will be possible to visit the ISPRA headquarters in Venice. Researchers will meet adults and children curious to discover the functioning of the natural engine of the city of Venice and its lagoon: the MAREA.

The knowledge acquired over the years on the phenomenon will be illustrated through an overview of both the constant MONITORING activity in the field and the development and operational application of MODELS for forecasting the tide level. Above all, it will be a moment to have a useful chat about such an important phenomenon for Venice and the other lagoon islands.

Down to the river - The Italian monitoring of floating macro litter at the mouth of rivers, in the context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Preliminary investigation on the inputs of marine litter from rivers to the sea

As part of the agreement between the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and ISPRA, an investigation on riverine floating macro litter (>2.5 cm) in stations close to the sea was carried out. The project undertook the monitoring of 12 rivers flowing in the three sub-regions (Western Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean), defined by the Marine Strategy. Systematics visual surveys and GPS trackers were used to assess inputs from rivers to sea.

Results and information based on one-year preliminary survey, will be presented in Rome on 28 September 2023 as part of the Communication activities of the mentioned agreement.

Marine strategy. The monitoring of the Italian seas

On 25 September in Palermo the results of some activities relating to the second cycle of monitoring of the marine environment conducted in all Italian seas will be presented in accordance with the Framework Directive on Marine Strategy 2008/56/EC. The activities are financed by MASE and implemented by SNPA in collaboration with Italian universities and research institutions. The Marine Strategy Directive is the environmental pillar of the Union's maritime policy, aimed at achieving "good environmental status" for all marine waters of the EU Member States.

Strong Sea Life and the SeaWatcher APP land in Stintino

Strong Sea Life - Survey and TReatment ON Ghost nets - and the SeaWatcher App will be present at the next round of the "17th National Latin Sailing Championship", organized by the Circolo Nautico Torres which will take place in Stintino from 21st to 24th September. Strong Sea and the SeaWatcher App are part of the large project within the LIFE programme, the aim of which is the development of a European environmental policy,

RemTech Expo 2023

From 20 to 22 September in Ferrara the XVII Edition of RemTech Expo will be held, the Environmental Technological Hub specialized in the themes of recovery, regeneration and sustainable development of territories. Also this year ISPRA will participate in numerous meetings.

Fourth edition of the "Summer school of geomorphology, ecology and biology in the marine and insular environment"

The fourth edition of the "Summer school of geomorphology, ecology and biology in the marine and insular environment" which was held in Favignana from 11 to 16 September, ended with great success. The initiative is organized annually by the ISPRA in collaboration with the University of Chieti-Pescara and Sapienza, University of Rome.

Summer school of Geomorphology, Ecology and Biology in the marine and island environment

The fourth edition of the "Summer School of Geomorphology, Ecology and Biology in the marine and insular environment", organized by ISPRA will take place in Favignana (Egadi Islands) from 11 September 2023 and will last 6 days in which frontal lessons will alternate with practical activities.
The school has the patronage of the Marine Protected Area "Egadi Islands", the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the CNR, the Municipality of Favignana and the Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environment (ARPA Sicily).

The risks of the Adriatic. How to save the coasts and beaches that we love

The Adriatic Mediterranean Festival will take place from 30 August to 3 September, an event that explores the wealth of creative and cultural expressions of the sea, between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The day of 1 September includes the meeting "The risks of the Adriatic. How to save the coasts and beaches we love", which will see the participation of an ISPRA expert.

Venice - Sea level exceeds 110 cm for the first time in summer

On the evening of yesterday 28 August, the sea level exceeded for the first time in the middle of summer the level of +110 cm on the Tide Mark of Punta della Salute (ZMPS) in the Gulf of Venice, a threshold beyond which there would be significant flooding of the City of Venice, avoided, in this case, by the entry into operation of the MoSE system

Conclusion of the monitoring campaign on microplastics

ISPRA is pleased to announce the conclusion of the monitoring campaign on microplastics, financed by the Ministry of the Environment and conducted by the Institute.
The monitoring covered the period 2021-2023, focusing on the eastern and northern coasts of Sicily in the last campaign that has just ended.
ISPRA researchers have acquired key data during this campaign, creating the basis for an in-depth analysis of the presence of microplastics in Italian seas. Attention shifts to the ISPRA laboratories, where the collected samples will be carefully analysed, helping to create a clear understanding of the presence of microplastics in marine waters.

Documentary "Plastic Busters MPAs"

The project, coordinated by ISPRA, was funded by the European Community Cooperation INTERREG MED. For the first time on a Mediterranean scale, EU countries and candidate states have joined forces to tackle the problem of marine litter +. The consequences generated on the marine environment and on the health of its fauna have been studied in some protected areas. The objective of "Plastic Busters MPAs" was to define, through specific memoranda of understanding, a "Governance Plan" of the marine protected areas involved so as to extend it to all marine protected areas of the Mediterranean.

Signed the agreement for the joint Sino-Italian laboratory of Functional Biology of Marine Biota between Zhejiang Ocean University and ISPRA

The laboratories were set up at the respective locations of the Zhejiang Ocean University (ZJOU) Haida South Road campus, Lincheng Changzhi Island, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, and at the ISPRA headquarters in Livorno, as part of the Experimental Section for Ecological Risk Assessment in marine-coastal areas of the National Center for environmental characterization and protection of the coastal strip, marine climatology and operational oceanography

Sea turtle nests, 2023 is the record year

 There are currently 293 loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests found and secured along Italian beaches: it is the all-time record and a number destined to increase in the coming weeks. Volunteers from Legambiente and other organizations, engaged in nest monitoring and surveillance activities as part of the European LIFE Turtlenest project, continue to report day by day traces of mother turtle ascent on Italian beaches.

LIFE Conceptu Maris: photo contest edition 2023

Until midnight on 24 September 2023, those who photograph the beauty of the Mediterranean can participate in the second edition of the “Profondo blu. Whales, dolphins and turtles in the open sea”related to LIFE Conceptu Maris.

"Beware of those 4!" Citizen science campaign promoted by IRBIM CNR and ISPRA for the sighting of alien species in the Mediterranean

In the video, the latest sighting, along the Calabrian coasts, of the Scorpion Fish which has very long and thin venomous spines on its dorsal, anal and pelvic fins.
ISPRA and CNR-IRBIM recall the campaign Watch out for those 4! The two institutes, in collaboration with the Alien Fish project, collect reports as envisaged by the "Beware of those 4" campaign.

Video

Approved the Convention between ISPRA - Civil Protection Department for SiAM

The Convention signed between ISPRA and the Civil Protection Department for a collaborative relationship in institutional activities aimed at the development of knowledge and methodologies useful for the functioning of the National Alert System for Tsunami Generated by Earthquake (SiAM) 

Documentary "Pescatori di Reti"

In the documentary "Pescatori di Reti", produced by ISPRA, all the activities carried out by the partners during the project  Mo.Ri.net  are described.  The main objective of the project is to remove marine litter, with particular attention to ghost nets, i.e. lost or entangled nets or parts of them, identified in two pilot areas: in the Marine Protected Area of ​​the Asinara Park and in the Gulf of Asinara and Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area in Sardegna

Comics "Twenty thousand nets under the sea"

The sea is progressively becoming a deposit of marine waste.

The cartoon "Twenty thousand networks under the seas" deals with the issue of marine litter, focusing attention on the impact that waste has on marine organisms and ecosystems, and illustrating some positive actions carried out thanks to the collaboration between several subjects, in particular researchers and fishermen.

"20,000 Nets Under the Sea" (2D, 3D version for 3D version requires 3D glasses)

Signed agreement between the Italian Navy and ISPRA for the protection and monitoring of the seas

The signing of the implementing agreement between the Navy and ISPRA was held today in the morning. The agreement was signed by the Chief of Staff of the Navy, team admiral Enrico Credendino, and the Director General of ISPRA, Dr. Maria Siclari.

The agreement formalises the collaboration between the two institutes, in projects, research and studies concerning the knowledge and protection of the marine environment, also in the context of the National Military Research Plan, the exchange of oceanographic data relating to activities of common interest and professional updating.

In underlining the importance of this agreement, the Director General of ISPRA declared: "The agreement on the broad and complex theme of monitoring and assessing submarine noise represents a fundamental element in the context of the fruitful collaboration between ISPRA and the Navy, which is articulated on several levels from the PNRR to the implementation of Community directives, Marine Strategy in primis".

web site Italian Navy

Sea urchins more sensitive to metal toxicity as a consequence of the past two decades

The ISPRA research group based in Livorno, in collaboration with a researcher from the University of Nottingham, has published the results of a twenty-year laboratory activity conducted using sea urchins in Marine Pollution Bulletin. Data have shown as the climate change and ocean acidification, which is already taking place in the Mediterranean Sea, have caused a reduction in the tolerance of a natural population of sea urchins to copper toxicity. This conclusion supports the need to reevaluate the knowledge we have today about environmental contaminants in the context of future changes in the environment.

Ma.Ro.Ma. Project: the relevant activities within the Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area carried out by ISPRA

ISPRA is conducting significant activities within the Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area through the use of UAS "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle" systems, drones equipped with multispectral cameras and very high resolution RGB.
The surveys are carried out thanks to the scientific collaboration between ISPRA and the managing body of the Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area, as part of the Ma.Ro.Ma. Project. Marine Robotic Mapping.

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the areas in the world where seabirds are most at risk of ingesting plastic

Published in Nature Communications a study on the exposure of seabirds to plastic pollution in the seas, carried out by more than 200 scholars from all over the world, including three ISPRA researchers.
The movements of more than 7,000 individuals belonging to 77 seabird species were analyzed in relation to the concentration of plastic in the sea.
The results of the study identified the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and circular sea currents as the areas most at risk of plastic ingestion for birds.

Read the study

Underwater Cleaning 2023

Last 8 july was held in the Mondello Gulf the edition of the Underwater Cleaning Mondello 2023. The initiative, organized by OWAC Engineering Company and patronage by Asja Ambiente, has seen tens of volunteers involved in the collection of any kind of waste, along the beach of the Gulf. Thanks to the job of the teams on the sea, made up of about thirty freedivers, plastic and glass bottles, plastic bags and even truck covers were recovered.

Change the climate. Change the sea

The Sea Essence International Festival is held on the Island of Elba from 30 June to 2 July, the first international festival dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the sea.

The three-day activities will focus on the initiatives to be undertaken to achieve full sustainability for the marine ecosystem, bringing together the environment, economy and society.
On Friday 30 June, the ISPRA Director General, Maria Siclari, will participate in the conference "Change the climate Change the sea". The central themes of the meeting are pollution and the overexploitation of the seas and oceans which cause an increasing number of problems, such as the danger for the diversity of species, the acidification of the seas and the increase in plastic waste. .

The ecological beach of Ascea Marina, in Cilento

On 24 and 25 June, ISPRA researchers, in collaboration with the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, involved children and teenagers in various environmental education activities on the beach of Ascea Marina: workshops on sea turtles and oceanic Posidonia, games, comics on the sea and much else.

The ecological beach

What species of cetaceans and turtles can be found in our seas?

Some videos realized in four languages ​​by the CIMA Foundation, the International Center for Environmental Monitoring, are available on the LIFE Conceptu Maris Project website to explain which species of cetaceans and turtles it is possible to encounter in the Italian seas and also to give useful indications for recognizing them.

ISPRA is the coordinating beneficiary of the Project