Events and News

The Plastic Busters MPAs - Capitalization Conference

Plastic Busters MPAs is an Interreg Med funded project aiming to maintain biodiversity and preserve natural ecosystems in pelagic and coastal marine protected areas by consolidating Mediterranean efforts against marine litter.

Sea Robot. The challenges of marine exploration

On 11 April, on the occasion of the National Day of the Sea, ISPRA will present a new documentary to tell which state-of-the-art technologies are used to study the depths of the sea today. Thanks to a series of new underwater technologies developed in recent decades, it is now possible to observe and study the seabed and what is at great depths. In the documentary you will discover what the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) is, with which researchers operate at a depth of 600 meters; multibeam or multibeam sonar, side scan sonar, tecnoshark. Tools that allow us to implement what Europe asks of us: to protect at least 30% of our seas by 2030.

Presentation of the documentary

Trailer

A new buoy of the National Wave Network (RON) installed off the coast of Venice

On March 15, a new RON buoy was launched about 8 miles off the coast of Venice. The buoy was moored near the Acqua Alta Oceanographic Platform, in order to compare the wave measurements of the buoy with a sophisticated and advanced optical measurement system of the waves during storm surges of Bora and Scirocco that the CNR ISMAR of Venice has tested and exported to various international institutions

Advancing the research for the conservation of Sea Turles in the Mediterranean Sea: study on the seasonal niche of the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) in the Adriatic and Ionian seas

Although Caretta caretta is the most common marine turtle in the Mediterranean Sea, its distribution is relatively difficult to assess due to a lack of data especially in offshore waters.
To identify the key factors and the most important areas for the conservation of the species, a recent study investigated the ecological niche of the loggerhead turtle in the crucial area of ​​the Adriatic-Ionian Sea, highlighting the priorities for the species in the reproductive period of April-September and in the winter one.

Computing ship strikes and near miss events of fin whales along the main ferry routes in the Pelagos Sanctuary and adjacent west area, in summer

In the Mediterranean, collisions with large ships are considered among the main threats to the fin whale, a species considered vulnerable by the IUCN red lists for the risk of extinction in the Mediterranean.

Since 2007, a network of various entities coordinated by ISPRA (FLT Med Net),  has been studying the impacts of maritime traffic along the main sea routes in the Mediterranean, collecting data on collision or near miss events.

Final meeting of the project LIFE SE POSSO "Posidonia...and not only"

A conference talk show to talk about marine governance, Posidonia oceanica meadows to be protected and recovered, anthropogenic impacts on these protected habitats, good practices to be replicated in the Mediterranean, transparency and participation in the protection of our marine natural capital. Marine forests, blue carbon and Citizen science will also be discussed. European and national institutional authorities will participate, the main Stakeholders involved in the project, the research projects with which Life SEPOSSO has carried out a wide and heterogeneous networking activity.

The event will be moderate by Fabio Gallo of Linea Blu Tv show.

Program

Streaming live channel YouTube ISPRA 

Further information: https://lifeseposso.eu/

Presentation of the EcoAtl@nte

Finally a unique single point of access to Italian environmental data, also accompanied by stories, photos and interactive maps: ISPRA presents the EcoAtlante, the journey into the Italian environment that allows you to discover and share the highly topical issues that affect our country today .

An absolute news: the possibility of creating customized national and local maps with data, trends and SNPA percentages from the various themes.

During the presentation, the operation and the different ways of sharing maps and data will be illustrated.

Come and compose your map!

Program

EcoAtl@nte

Program

Press release (ita) 

Video EcoAtl@nte

Interview with Michele Munafò

World Seagrass Day

Underwater seagrass beds are valuable ecosystems for the oceans. They produce enormous quantities of oxygen and capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, provide food and shelter for many species and protect the beaches. Unfortunately they are strongly threatened by anthropogenic impacts and it is essential to improve the conservation and monitoring of these ecosystems around the world.

What is the impact of plastics on sea turtles?

ISPRA researchers have explained during the tv show Geo the impact of plastic on sea turtles and presented the publication “Marine Litter: looking forward a new world” e il fumetto "Carrie. A brave turtle in a changing world".

Will the abandonment of single-use plastic serve to free the Sicilian seabed from waste?

From 14 January 2022 the sale of single-use plastic products is prohibited, will this serve to improve the situation of the seabed in Sicily? How does the waste finish into the sea? How has the Italian situation changed from 2019 to today? An ISPRA researcher, guest of MedicalExcellence TV, talked about all this topic.

ISPRA's Hydro-Meteo-Sea Forecasting System: operational implementations in the environmental field, research applications and development lines

The Hydro-Meteo-Sea Forecasting System (SIMM), which became operational at the beginning of 2000, was designed with the aim of providing meteorological and meteo-marine forecasts in an area, that of the Mediterranean, characterized by the interaction of various phenomena on a range of scales ranging from km to the synoptic scale.

Blue Horizon: plastic

How is it possible that there is still so much plastic waste in the sea? Is there a solution to all of this?
Experts from CNR-IAS, ISPRA and The Great Bubble Barrier will talk tonight about these issues. In particular, an ISPRA researcher will present the policies implemented at European and national level in order to manage and solve the problem of plastic in the sea.

Published in the ‘Biodiversity and Conservation’ scientific journal the article ‘Cetacean sensitivity and threats analysis to assess effectiveness of protection measures: an example of integrated approach for cetacean conservation in the Bonifacio Bouches.’

The study investigated the effectiveness of spatial protection measures for conserving cetacean species in the Bonifacio Bouches. Cetaceans are highly mobile and eclectic species, which interact with the environment and the human activities in a complex way. To preserve their environment, a primary tool is the establishment of marine protected areas in key sites of high ecological value. 

Submarines and environmental protection: a concrete commitment in the Mediterranean through the collaboration between ISPRA and the Italian Navy

On 14 January, at the Navy General Staff, the ISPRA President, Stefano Laporta, and the Head of the 5th Submarine Department of the General Staff,  Admiral Vito Lacerenza, discussed the collaboration activities between ISPRA and the Italian Navy provided for by the memorandum of understanding signed in December 2019. The agreement aims to strengthen synergies for the protection of the marine environment and, in this context, a significant contribution can also come from the monitoring of marine habitats through the acoustic sensors of submarines. ISPRA and the Navy also collaborate in the development of Artificial Intelligence algorithms for the classification of anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic noise. The close collaboration with ISPRA has also allowed the inclusion of a submarine officer, as an expert in the sector, in the Technical Group on Underwater Noise established under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive aimed at protecting the seas of the European Union. The new generation submarines, thanks to a range of technologically advanced sensors, in addition to ensuring deterrence, safety and protection of national interests in the Mediterranean, contribute to scientific research and the protection of the marine environment.

Project STRONG SEA - Survey and TReatment ON Ghost Nets Sea LIFE

ISPRA is coordinator of the project started in December 2021. Strong Sea is funded under the LIFE program, priority area Nature and Biodiversity, on the funds established in the 2014-2020 programming. The aim of the project is to protect and improve the conservation status of Posidonia oceanica and Coralligenous habitats, both included in Directive 92/43 / EEC (Habitat Directive) and in the Natura 2000 network of sites.
The affected area is the Gulf of Asinara and the North West coast of Sardinia.

Project LIFE CONCEPTU Maris "CONservation of CEtaceans and Pelagic sea TUrtles in Med: Managing Actions for their Recovery In Sustainability"

The LIFE CONCEPTU Maris project, formulated more than a year ago, started on 10 January, based on the awareness that the Mediterranean Sea is undergoing serious changes due to growing anthropogenic pressures.
On this front, cetaceans and pelagic sea turtles, among the most charismatic and important species of our seas, risk a lot in terms of conservation.

Costa Concordia: 10 years after the shipwreck, the analysis on the environmental restoration of the seabed

On 13 January 2012, in the waters of the Giglio Island, the cruise ship Costa Concordia sank in a tragic event, which cost the lives of 32 people, and also caused considerable damage to the coastal environment, especially to the seabed.

Damage determined by the presence of the wreck and by the site activities, necessary to remove and move it away; in addition to the damage caused by harmful substances the ship was loaded with: fuel, heavy oils, paints and detergents.
An Observatory was set up to monitor the proper conduct of operations, whose work is still ongoing and in which representatives of the MiTE, ISPRA, Arpa Toscana and the local authorities involved participate.
The restoration works carried out so far have been more successful than expected. Removed the causes of the loss of posidonia, the transplants carried out in 2016 have shown a doubling of the number of transplanted beams, just as those carried out since 2019 seem to have a similar outcome. Similarly for the gorgonians, the high survival and healing rates have meant that some rock faces have regained their original three-dimensionality and are approaching their natural condition.

Concordia. Photographic report from the removal of the wreck to the restoration of the damaged marine environments

Video: the environmental emergencies at sea: the case of  “Costa Concordia”

Photo gallery

Web site MiTE

ISPRA publication “Marine Litter: looking forward a new world"

As part of the INDICIT I and II Projects, Ispra has produced the publication "Marine Litter: looking forward a new world", the result of a selection of photographic material collected in over four years of project activity together with an environmental awareness comic.

PNRR: MiTE-ISPRA protocol signed for the restoration of the seabed and marine habitats

400 million euros for interventions in favor of the sustainable blue economy
With the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the MiTE and ISPRA, the M2C4-3.5 investment of the PNRR "Restoration and protection of the seabed and marine habitats" can be carried out, which will allow to the Country to strengthen the observation capacities of marine ecosystems and implement a recovery and restoration campaign of marine habitats degraded by anthropogenic pressure.

Use of biopolymers in sea water

A cutting-edge project for environmental sustainability
A net consisting of a bioplastic identified thanks to a project started in 2016 by A.S.A. was installed in a tank of the Livorno Aquarium. SpA (Azienda Servizi Ambientali SpA) in cooperation with the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering of the University of Pisa, to which ISPRA and the Department of Biology of the University of Pisa subsequently joined, in 2019 the Livorno Aquarium and more recently, the textile company Coatyarn Srl.
It is a network made with technology designed by Coatyarn Srl using a biodegradable bioplastic in the sea, suitable for creating reforestation plants of Posidonia oceanica meadows.

Progetto H2020 EuroSea conference

Funded by the European Commission's research and innovation program, the EuroSea Project, of which ISPRA is a partner, supports the flagship initiative of the G7 countries on the future of seas and oceans.

ISPRA participation in Sealogy 2021

PNRR - Restoration and protection of the seabed and marine habitats for a sustainable blue economy
The 2021 edition of Sealogy, the European Blue Economy Exhibition, will be held in Ferrara from 18 to 20 November.
ISPRA will be present at the event and is organizing on November 19, together with the MiTE, the conference "PNRR - Restoration and protection of the seabed and marine habitats for a sustainable blue economy".

Public consultation on the updating of the Marine Strategy Measures Programs

On November 5, 2021, in implementation of art. 16 of Legislative Decree. 190/2010, it is opened the public consultation on the updating of the Marine Strategy Measures Programs pursuant to art. 12 of Legislative Decree 190/2010, prepared by the Ministry of Ecological Transition with the technical-scientific support of ISPRA.

ISPRA survey campaign on the marine environment in the offshore sector

An investigation campaign is in the phase of develop in the central Adriatic, between the Pescara, Ancona and Cesenatico seafarers, aimed at completing and deepening the knowledge framework on the marine environment affected by the presence of offshore platforms for the extraction of hydrocarbons from the bottom of the sea.

Fixed Line Transect Mediterranean monitoring Network - FLT Med Net. The long-term international agreement for the monitoring of marine macrofauna and the main threats deriving from maritime traffic and marine litter has been renewed

ISPRA and fourteen Research Institutions of the Mediterranean Area just signed the new triennial Agreement for continuous standard monitoring of cetaceans, sea turtle, other macro fauna and main threats (FLT Med Net, 2021 – 2024). The Agreement renew a long-term free of charge collaboration which started in 2007, when ISPRA (ex APAT) set off a sustainable approach for gathering long term data on marine macro fauna and two of their main threats (influence of maritime traffic, exposure risk by Floating marine macro litter) using ferries as platform of research. Since then, the approach was developed and shared within a growing international network of Universities and Research Institutions from five Mediterranean countries.

European Maritime Forum

The event aims to present the Blue Economy and in particular its target sectors such as: fishing and aquaculture, tourism, logistics and transport, renewable energy will therefore be the main assets, always with the aim of tending towards processes of approach to sustainability and circularity.

Barcolana Sea Summit

Barcolana Sea Summit, scheduled in Trieste from 6 to 9 October 2021, is a multilateral event on the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems, for greater environmental awareness and a regenerative socio-economic model.
The aim of the event is to create awareness of the need to establish a new relationship between man and sea, involving scientists, policy makers, businesses and civil society.

NET SCIENCE TOGETHER: Scientists for a day!

Around the ISPRA laboratories alongside researchers who study and protect the sea
ISPRA with the National Research Council - Institute for BioEconomy, thanks to a partnership that "unites and unites" most of the scientific research of Livorno, organizes the European Night of Researchers and Researchers, in collaboration with: Interuniversity Center of Marine Biology and Applied Ecology - CIBM, Aplysia, Harbor Master's Office, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and LaMMA Consortium and with the involvement of institutions and stakeholders of the city.

NET SCIENZAINSIEME brings you aboard the Astrea ship

Also this year NET Scienza Insieme virtually brings the public into their research facilities. After the Castel Romano Laboratories, board the Astrea, the research vessel of ISPRA.
In this virtual visit  will be possible to learn about the main research activities of the Institute on the marine environment and its ecosystems, carried out during the campaigns at sea, thanks to professionalism and cutting-edge technological tools, described by short videos that will accompany the virtual visit.

Welcome on board of the Astrea ship

ISPRA is launching the new comics of the INDICT project on the "Carrie" sea turtle at the European Researchers' Night

The protection of the marine environment and its biodiversity, the threats of pollution and waste at sea are the central theme of the new comic developed by ISPRA within the exhibition for the INDICIT project.
The sea turtle Carrie is the protagonist of a new story, the adventure of a courageous creature and the dangers it encounters among abandoned plastic and microplastic nets.
The comic will be exhibited for the first time at the European Researchers' Night on 24 and 25 September at the Città dell'Altra Economia in Rome as part of the NET ScienzaInsieme project.