Last week, from 4 to 6 October, a small delegation of the SEA MARVEL research team from DI3A of the University of Catania participated in the conference “IEEE-Metrology for the Sea 2023” held at the University of Malta, Valletta Campus.
Each year, MetroSea gathers several international experts working in the field of research and development of tools and measurement methods to be used at sea. The focus of the various thematic sessions is on new technologies for monitoring the marine environment, from the assisted production to the metrology in the maritime industry, from maritime engineering to all the studies and research that have brought innovations in this field.
Measurement is the pillar of systemic science, which allows a wider knowledge of a phenomenon or a resource. In fact, MetroSea is the forum in which innovations on the global scene are presented, in the field of measurement and applied tools in order to increase knowledge for the protection of the sea.
SEA MARVEL contribution at MetroSea was the work entitled “Presence of marine floating litter and vulnerable species in the Central Mediterranean Sea”, presented by Dr Alessandra Raffa during the special session “Advanced Modelling Analysis on Priority Species, Habitat and Marine Environment”with Dr Clara Monaco as Chair.
Presentation by Dr. Alessandra Raffa alla conferenza MetroSea 2023.
The session focused on anthropogenic stressors affecting vulnerable species and priority natural habitats, causing the loss of biodiversity. The habitats being destroyed, chemical pollutants, overfishing, maritime traffic, pathogens and climate change can negatively affect marine ecosystems and have wide spillover effects also on human beings, in terms of health and access to marine resources. Therefore, the fact of understanding and foreseen how ecosystem and key species will respond to changes caused by human activities will be fundamental to suggest new management and conservation strategies for marine resources. In this regard, computational ecology applied to the monitoring of the marine environment, mainly based on the development and the application of smart systems based dedicated to automation and the marine ecologic modelling, can become a valid tool to guide sustainable management policies and targeted conservation strategies, hence contributing to the protection of marine resources for future generations.
The work presented during the conference was carried out by the research team including Dr.Clara Monaco, Dr. Alessandra Raffa, Dr. Enrico Giarrusso, Dr. Antonella Arcangeli and Dr.Carla Tumino, coordinated by professor Iuri Peri. The research has spot a light on key species such as cetaceans and sea turtles inhabiting eastern Sicilian waters and the strait of Sicily, and on the distribution of floating waste, mainly plastics, located in the mentioned areas. Such situation raises concern on the state of health of the assessed cross border waters and of the vulnerable species living there. Therefore, it is paramount to define new strategies and mitigate this issue in the whole area of central Mediterranean waters.
The download of the full scientific work is available in the scientific publication section of the documents menu on this website.
A summary of the preliminary results of the marine monitoring activity carried out for SEA MARVEL is also available on the page monitorings.
