Events and News

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

Final results of the GoFree project

The final results of the project dedicated to the introduction of striped humpback shrimp  fishing in Sardegna with biodegradable and compostable pots are encouraging.
In the 5 experimental fishing campaigns, "sustainable" tools offered performances, in terms of fishing yield, comparable to those made of plastic. The researchers also studied the nutritional components of the striped hunchback, deep-sea shrimp, to evaluate its nutritional contribution to human nutrition.
The GoFree project, coordinated by ISPRA, has opened up new perspectives for reconciling tradition, sustainability and innovation with a view to conserving biodiversity in marine environments.

Final event MED Dé.CO.U.Plages

Two days dedicated to the European Italy-Tunisia project, for an eco-sustainable management of plastic waste and Posidonia oceanica deposits.
The project, in which ISPRA participates, was developed over three years, among the beaches of some sites identified by the researchers (Favignana, Kerkennah, Madia) to experiment with best practice models for mapping and monitoring the accumulations of Posidonia (Banquette) and to develop an ecological beach model.
The closure of the project, which was held in Kerkennah (TU) these days saw the participation of all the partners involved

Climate change, energy transition and digitalisation: models of adaptation, management and development of the Mediterranean coastal areas

The event is aimed at institutions, administrations, researchers and professionals working on issues related to the impacts of climate change, with particular attention to the issues of energy transition and digitization.

Signed the memorandum of understanding between ISPRA and the University of Palermo

The agreement is aimed at promoting collaboration between ISPRA and UNIPA for the achievement of goals of common interest in the planning and implementation of projects in the sectors of environmental protection and sustainability, for the adoption of a shared strategy.

16 June, World sea turtle day

World Sea Turtle Day is celebrated on 16 June, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the endangered status of these species.
On January 20, the Kick-off meeting of the LIFE TURTLENEST project was held, co-financed by the European Union and coordinated by Legambiente, whose main objective is to conserve and protect the Caretta Caretta sea turtle. LIFE TURTLENEST also intends to evaluate the impact of climate change on the nesting of the species.

ISPRA, as project partner, is responsible for the geomorphological characterization of nesting sites, analysis for land use planning and management, geomorphological and chemical characterization and preparation of guidelines on coastal erosion management for the suitability of the nesting habitat.

Sea and Health

Understand and check the connections between the global ocean and human health trough the scientific cooperation and the institutional partnership 
The Conference, with the participation of institutions, research bodies and the third sector involved in the protection of aquatic and marine environments, intends to strengthen the actions that Italy is promoting at national and international level, in the perspective of "planetary health" and "one water”, towards the realization of the sustainable development goals of the UN Agenda 2030.

The event is structured in a first part focused on the actions of the central institutions with respect to environmental protection and a second part dedicated to research and communication, in which the «SEA-CARE» project will also be presented, in partnership with ISS-SNPA-MM and some Universities, and the actions of PNRR MER – Marine Ecosystem Restoration,  Restoration, carried out by ISPRA, under the vision of MASE

Wreck of the Elpis ship on the seabed of the Marine Protected Area of ​​the Egadi Islands: the 3D mapping mission is underwary

Ultra-resolution 3D photogrammetric surveys and samples for laboratory analyzes are underway aimed at understanding the colonization dynamics of oceanic posidonia on the ship wrecked in 1978. The mission involves ISPRA, the Underwater Carabinieri Nuclei of Messina and Rome, the Naval Service of Favignana , IAS CNR of Palermo and DiSTeM UNIPA.