Alice Madonia

Design and Application of New Low-Cost Instruments for Marine Environmental Research

The development of low-cost instrumentation plays a key role in marine environmental studies and represents one of the most innovative aspects of current oceanographic research. These kinds of devices can be used for several applications, ranging from vertical profilers to stand-alone systems, and can be installed on different platforms (buoys, Voluntary Observing Ships, underwater vehicles, etc.). The availability of low-cost technologies enables the realization of extended observatory networks for the study of marine physical and biological processes through an integrated approach merging in situ observations, forecasting models and remotely sensed data. We present new low-cost sensors and probes developed to measure marine temperature, conductivity, chlorophyll a and Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter fluorescence, focusing on sensing strategies, general architecture, laboratory trials, in situ tests and comparison with standard instruments. Furthermore, we report the expendable (New T-FLaP), vertical profiler (T-FLaPpro) and stand-alone (Spectra) applications of these technological developments that were tested during several oceanographic surveys in the Mediterranean Sea.

Assessment of environmental conditions in Civitavecchia (Rome, Italy) harbour

Harbours and maritime transport are essential for both local and national economic development creating wealth, jobs and attracting investment and resources. However, the presence of port infrastructures and associated activities such as vessel docking, handling and transport of goods, production of a great quantity of wastes and pollutants and periodical dredgings, generate significant environmental impacts on coastal ecosystems and seawater quality. Civitavecchia harbour (Rome, Italy) is the first Mediterranean cruise port with approximately 2.6 million passengers, characterized by intense traffic of ships engaged in the carriage of goods and persons and interested by continuous maintenance and expansion works to improve its receptive capacity. In this context a significant support is given from the availability of continuous measurement systems, which offer an important tool for marine monitoring, allowing the acquisition of physical, chemical and biological time series, fundamental prerogative to promptly verify any unexpected phenomena and process. The Laboratory of Experimental Oceanology and Marine Ecology (University of Tuscia) is strongly involved in the environmental monitoring of the Civitavecchia coastal area. In June 2012 a fixed station was installed on a dock of the Civitavecchia harbour performing repeated measurements of surface water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity and chl-a fluorescence. Moreover, a weather station acquiring meteorological parameters www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line) WIT Transactions on Ecology and The Environment, Vol 182,

T-FLaP advances: instrumental and operative implementation

ABSTRACT The development of new technologies is a fundamental aspect of oceanographic research, a trend driven by the increasingly large data sets required for integrated approaches utilising in situ observations, forecasting models and remotely-sensed data. These requirements cannot be achieved with the current marine measurement technologies, which are too expensive for extensive utilisation. Temperature-fluorescence launchable probe (T-FLaP) technology provides low-cost, user-friendly, in situ measurements of the physical and bio-optical variables of water bodies, representing a useful tool in multi-platform observational system networks. This paper reports the results of the latest research activities on T-FLaP evolution and its various applications.

Mathematical models supporting the monitoring of Civitavecchia harbour (Rome)

Knowledge of the sources and types of pollutants, of the hydrodynamic field and of the health status of the marine ecosystems subjected to stress is needed to monitor coastal marine environments. The building of new piers and docks and the extension of a breakwater in Civitavecchia harbour have required extensive dredging that was authorised by the Minister of Environment with the prescription to monitor the coastal marine ecosystems with reference to Posidonia oceanica and benthic biocenoses. The structure of benthic communities and the health status of P. oceanica meadows are important indicators of the Ecological Quality Status of coastal marine waters (WFD, 2000/60/CE). In 2012, a multi-platform observing system (C-CEMS) was tested taking into account: a) the distribution of benthic biocenoses; b) physical and biological data acquired by fixed stations and periodic in situ samplings; and c) the results of numerical simulations of sediment particle tracking. This approach was used along the coastline of Northern Latium (Italy) between Tarquinia and Santa Severa. The dispersion of suspended and deposited materials calculated by numerical model is strongly related to the decrement of the shoots density of P. oceanica and to changes of benthic community’s structures.

Cost-Effective Technologies to Study the Arctic Ocean Environment

The Arctic region is known to be severely affected by climate change, with evident alterations in both physical and biological processes. Monitoring the Arctic Ocean ecosystem is key to understanding the impact of natural and human-induced change on the environment. Large data sets are required to monitor the Arctic marine ecosystem and validate high-resolution satellite observations (e.g., Sentinel), which are necessary to feed climatic and biogeochemical forecasting models. However, the Global Observing System needs to complete its geographic coverage, particularly for the harsh, extreme environment of the Arctic Region. In this scenario, autonomous systems are proving to be valuable tools for increasing the resolution of existing data. To this end, a low-cost, miniaturized and flexible probe, ArLoC (Arctic Low-Cost probe), was designed, built and installed on an innovative unmanned marine vehicle, the PROTEUS (Portable RObotic TEchnology for Unmanned Surveys), during a preliminary scientific campaign in the Svalbard Archipelago within the UVASS project. This study outlines the instrumentation used and its design features, its preliminary integration on PROTEUS and its test results.

Evaluation of MODIS—Aqua Chlorophyll-a Algorithms in the Basilicata Ionian Coastal Waters

Standard chlorophyll-a (chl-a) algorithms, which rely on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) data aboard the Aqua satellite, usually show different performances depending on the area under consideration. In this paper, we assessed their accuracy in retrieving the chl-a concentration in the Basilicata Ionian Coastal waters (Ionian Sea, South of Italy). The outputs of one empirical (Med-OC3) and two semi-analytical algorithms, the Garver–Siegel–Maritorena (GSM) and the Generalized Inherent Optical Properties (GIOP) model, have been compared with ground measurements acquired during three different measurement campaigns. The achieved results prove the poor accuracy (adjusted R2 value of 0.12) of the investigated empirical algorithm and, conversely, the good performance of semi-analytical algorithms (adjusted R2 ranging from 0.74 to 0.79). The co-existence of Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) and Non-Algal Particles (NAP) has likely determined large errors in the reflectance ratios used in the OCx form algorithms. Finally, a local scale assessment of the bio-optical properties, on the basis of the in situ dataset, allowed for the definition of an operational local scale-tuned version of the MODIS chl-a algorithm, which assured increased accuracy (adjusted R2 value of 0.86). Such a tuned algorithm version can provide useful information which can be used by local authorities within regional management systems.

Computational modeling of immune system of the fish for a more effective vaccination in aquaculture

Motivation: A computational model equipped with the main immunological features of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) immune system was used to predict more effective vaccination in fish. The performance of the model was evaluated by using the results of two in vivo vaccinations trials against L. anguillarum and P. damselae. Results: Tests were performed to select the appropriate doses of vaccine and infectious bacteria to set up the model. Simulation outputs were compared with the specific antibody production and the expression of BcR and TcR gene transcripts in spleen. The model has shown a good ability to be used in sea bass and could be implemented for different routes of vaccine administration even with more than two pathogens. The model confirms the suitability of in silico methods to optimize vaccine doses and the immune response to them. This model could be applied to other species to optimize the design of new vaccination treatments of fish in aquaculture. Availability and implementation: The method is available at http://www.iac.cnr.it/˜filippo/c‐immsim/ Contact: nromano@unitus.it Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.