Marco Marcelli

Trace-Metal Enrichment and Pollution in Coastal Sediments in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy

Abstract This study evaluated the distribution pattern and pollution of chromium, arsenic (As), manganese (Mn), nickel, lead, and copper in surface sediments along the northern Latium coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Italy. The enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index, and potential toxicity response index were used to evaluate the degree of contamination. These results show As and Mn contamination. The high enrichment and contamination levels of As and Mn are located in two hot spots. These elevations are due to naturally high levels of As and Mn in the Mignone River and the Marangone Stream as well as the intense human activity in the area including the largest energy production site in Europe (Torrevaldaliga Nord coal-fired power plant) and of one of the most important ports for cruise traffic in the Mediterranean Sea.

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.

Mercury Enrichment in Sediments of the Coastal Area of Northern Latium, Italy

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of the Hg geochemical anomaly arising in the Amiata and Tolfa complex to the coastal area of northern Latium and to examine the possible influence on this area by the Mignone River, and by the small coastal basins, which are characterized by both previous mining activities and decades of past industrial impact. The results confirm the extension of the anomaly of concentrations of Hg in the coastal area of northern Latium, with the northern sector influenced by the contributions of the Fiora and Mignone Rivers and the southern sector influenced by the contributions of minor basins. The results show high values of the Adverse Effect Index throughout the considered area and highlight the need for further investigation in order to assess the impact of human activities on the present and past values of Hg in marine sediments.

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.

Anthropogenic impact on river basins: temporal evolution of sediment classes and accumulation rates in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy

Abstract In this study, sedimentological and geochronological data from sections of a core (GRT50) collected in the Northern Latium coastal area were compared to data on pluviometric (rainfall) trends, river flows and the temporal evolution of human interventions in the three most important hydrographic basins (Mignone, Marta and Fiora) of this coastal area. The statistical analysis of pluviometric trends identified variations due to a decreasing trend in the Fiora river basin, whereas in the two other locations the decrease was not so significant. Data from the sedimentological analysis of the core confirmed a progressive decrease in the sandy component, which declined from about 30% to the current level of 7% over the last 36 years. There was no significant variation in the sediment mass accumulation rates (MAR), which were characterized by an almost cyclic trend that was probably determined by the most intense floods in the study area. The results revealed that the variations caused by the fluvial processes have affected the water runoff of the Fiora River, and that the consequent decrease in the sand production has been responsible for the recession of beaches in the coastal area between Tarquinia and Montalto di Castro.

Analysis of mesoscale productivity processes in the Adriatic Sea : Comparison between data acquired by Sarago, a towed undulating vehicle, and CTD casts

A modern approach to the study of pelagic ecosystems requires both an appropriate spatial and temporal resolution and a synoptic observation. For this reason, it is indispensable a rapid and high-resolution data acquisition along the water column. During the CNR project PRISMA II, four oceanographic cruises were performed in the Northern Adriatic Sea to analyse the high variability of ecological processes related to the frontal system. The SARAGO, a towed undulating vehicle, allowed a fine description of physical and biological acquired parameters (CTD, chlorophyll a concentration, photosynthetic efficiency, PAR). In succession, CTD and bottle carousel casts were performed to analyse physical and biogeochemical features. In this work, we compare the distribution and quantification of the relevant variables acquired by the two different sampling methods. A mathematical model was applied to estimate primary production.

Underwater noise assessment outside harbor areas: The case of Port of Civitavecchia, northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy

Underwater noise assessment is particularly important in coastal areas where a wide range of natural and anthropogenic sounds generate complex and variable soundscapes. In the last century, the number and size of noise sources has increased significantly, thereby increasing the oceans background noise. Shipping is the main source of lower-frequency underwater noises (<500 Hz). This research aimed to provide an initial assessment of underwater noise levels in a coastal area of the northern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy) using short-term recordings. Spatial and temporal variations in the noise level, and the type and number of ships sailing through the port were recorded. A significant correlation was found between ferry boats and sound pressure levels, indicating their role as a prevalent source of low frequency underwater noise in the project area. This research could provide the baseline for implementation of distribution and point-source underwater noise models that are required for sustainable coastal management.

Landsat 8 OLI satellite data for mapping of the Posidonia oceanica and benthic habitats of coastal ecosystems

ABSTRACT The benthic seabeds and seagrass ecosystems, in particular the vulnerable Posidonia oceanica (PO), are increasingly threatened by climate change and other anthropogenic pressures. Along the 8000 km coastline of Italy, they are often poorly mapped and monitored to properly evaluate their health status. Thus to support these monitoring needs, the improved capabilities of the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) Earth Observation (EO) satellite system were tested for PO mapping by coupling its atmospherically corrected multispectral data with near-synchronous sea truth information. Two different approaches for the necessary atmospheric correction were exploited focusing on the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and adjacency noise effects, which typically occur at land–sea interfaces. The general achievements demonstrated the effectiveness of High Resolution (HR) spectral responses captured by OLI sensor, for monitoring seagrass and sea beds in the optically complex Tyrrhenian shallow waters, with performance level dependent on the type of applied atmospheric pre-processing. The distribution of the PO leaf area index (LAI) on different substrates has been most effectively modelled using on purpose developed spectral indices. They were based on the coastal and blue-green OLI bands, atmospherically corrected using a recently introduced method for AOD retrieval, based on the Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) reflectance. The alternative correction method including a less effective AOD assessment but the removal of adjacency effects has proven its efficacy for improving the thematic discriminability of the seabed types characterized by different PO cover–substrate combinations.

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.