Mega-litter and remediation: the case of Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea)

Morpho-bathymetric acoustic surveys as a tool for mapping traces of anthropogenic activities on the seafloor: The case study of the Taranto area, southern Italy

In this study, an investigation procedure for mapping the traces of anthropogenic activities on the seafloor is proposed. Analyses are based on the interpretation of acoustic data (Multibeam Echosounder and Side Scan Sonar) acquired in the Taranto coastal area. Specific GIS tools supported the acoustic data analysis, interpretation, and mapping. These analyses highlighted that the seafloor of both coastal basins included in the investigated area is affected by a high distribution of traces related to different anthropogenic activities such as dredging, shipping, and mussel farming activities. Such kind of traces resulted efficiently detectable from morpho-bathymetric acoustic data. In particular, groove traces resulted highly distributed in both basins, while sunken mussel farm facilities are widely distributed in the Mar Grande basin. The results highlight as acoustic surveys represent a useful tool for orienting effective coastal management actions. This study points out how geophysical surveys support the geo-environmental characterization of highly urbanized coastal sectors.

The nauticAttiva project: A mobile phone-based tool for the citizen science plastic monitoring in the marine and coastal environment

Plastic pollution is involving large coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Innovative methods of plastic monitoring can be addressed through the citizen science approaches integrated with mobile phones. On the other hand, the availability of mobile phones is increasing among several users. Mobile phones can be integrated with a web mobile app, which allows to collect a lot of data for extended areas and in a short temporal range. In this study, the web service of iNaturalist was applied to implement a mobile phone-based tool to collect pictures of plastic items. At present, the web mobile app has been used to collect pictures of plastic debris in the Mediterranean Sea. Results were compared with the Mediterranean hydrodynamic regime, to highlight the pathways and densities of the plastic items. The proposed mobile phone-based tool represented a citizen science approach useful for the acquisition of plastic observations in the marine and coastal environment.

Geo-Environmental Characterisation of High Contaminated Coastal Sites: The Analysis of Past Experiences in Taranto (Southern Italy) as a Key for Defining Operational Guidelines

Despite its remarkable geomorphological, ecological, and touristic value, the coastal sector of the Apulia region (Southern Italy) hosts three of the main contaminated Italian sites (Sites of National Interest, or SINs), for which urgent environmental remediation and reclamation actions are required. These sites are affected by intense coastal modification and diffuse environmental pollution due to the strong industrialisation and urbanisation processes that have been taking place since the second half of the XIX century. The Apulian coastal SINs, established by the National Law 426/1998 and delimited by the Ministerial Decree of 10 January 2000, include large coastal sectors and marine areas, which have been deeply investigated by the National Institution for the Environmental Research and Protection (ISPRA) and the Regional Agency for the Prevention and Protection of the Environment (ARPA) with the aim of obtaining a deep environmental characterisation of the marine matrices (sediments, water, and biota). More recently, high-resolution and multidisciplinary investigations focused on the geo-environmental characterisation of the coastal basins in the SIN Taranto site have been funded by the “Special Commissioner for the urgent measures of reclamation, environmental improvements, and redevelopment of Taranto”. In this review, we propose an overview of the investigations carried out in the Apulian SINs for the environmental characterisation of the marine matrices, with special reference to the sea bottom and sediments. Based on the experience gained in the previous characterisation activities, further research is aimed at defying a specific protocol of analysis for supporting the identification of priority actions for an effective and efficient geo-morphodynamic and environmental characterisation of the contaminated coastal areas, with special reference to geomorphological, sedimentological, and geo-dynamic features for which innovative and high-resolution investigations are required.

New insights about Haplosporidium pinnae and the pen shell Pinna nobilis mass mortality events

Since early autumn 2016, Mass Mortality Events (MME) have drastically impacted the population of the fan mussel Pinna nobilis in the Mediterranean Sea. Haplosporidium pinnae, a newly described Haplosporidian species, has been considered the causative agent of the mortality outbreaks in association to opportunistic bacterial pathogens. In the present study, we first reported a cytological description of H. pinnae in moribund specimens of P. nobilis which were collected in the Gulf of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Italy) during summer 2018. Different life-cycle stages of the parasite, including uni- and binucleate cells, small plasmodia, big multinucleate plasmodia and sporocysts with spores, were detected in all the examined animals and most of the parasite cells were present in gills, mantle and digestive gland, while the spores were found only in the latter organ. Histology and molecular biology were also performed, confirming the nature of the infectious agent, as already reported in the area. Additionally, molecular study revealed the presence of the Mycobacterium ulcerans - M. marinum complex but no evident macroscopical or microscopical lesions, just as no bacteria referred to Mycobacterium were observed. In conclusion, the present study aimed to provide further contributions to the understanding of the mortality of P. nobilis, pointing on the role of the cytological method of investigation both for diagnostic and epidemiological purposes, and discussing about the current epidemic situation in the Adriatic sea.

DPSIR Model Applied to the Remediation of Contaminated Sites. A Case Study: Mar Piccolo of Taranto

The study critically analyses the complex situation of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (South of Italy), considered one of the most polluted marine ecosystems in Europe. In order to investigate possible cause–effect relationships, useful to plan appropriate planning responses or remediation technologies to be adopted, the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) model was applied. Methodologically, about 100 references have been considered, whose information was organized according to the logical scheme of the DPSIR. The results showed how the Mar Piccolo is the final receptor of pollutants coming from all industrial and agricultural activities, especially due to its natural hydrogeological network conformation. The anthropic activity represents a critical impact on the ecosystem due to the subsequent marine litter. The mobility of contaminants from sediments to the water column showed the potential risk related to the bioaccumulation of organisms from different trophic levels, posing a threat of unacceptable magnitude to human safety. The paper concludes by discussing the actions currently implemented by the authorities in response to the anthropogenic impacts as well as the need for new ones concerning both plans, programs, and remediation interventions. The case study shows how the DPSIR is a useful framework to organize extensive and heterogeneous information about a complex environmental system, such as the one investigated. This preliminary organization of the available data can represent the starting point for the development of a DPSIR-based Environmental Decision Support System (EDSS) with robust cause–effect relationships.

A Spatial Analysis to Define Data Requirements for Hydrological and Water Quality Models in Data-Limited Regions

The objective of the present work is a spatial analysis aimed at supporting hydrological and water quality model applications in the Canale d’Aiedda basin (Puglia, Italy), a data-limited area. The basin is part of the sensitive environmental area of Taranto that requires remediation of the soil, subsoil, surface water, and groundwater. A monitoring plan was defined to record the streamflow and water quality parameters needed for calibrating and validating models, and a database archived in a GIS environment was built, which includes climatic data, soil hydraulic parameters, groundwater data, surface water quality parameters, point-source parameters, and information on agricultural practices. Based on a one-year monitoring of activities, the average annual loads of N-NO3 and P-PO4 delivered to the Mar Piccolo amounted to about 42 t year−1, and 2 t year−1, respectively. Knowledge uncertainty in monthly load estimation was found to be up to 25% for N-NO3 and 40% for P-PO4. The contributions of point sources in terms of N-NO3 and P-PO4 were estimated at 45% and 77%, respectively. This study defines a procedure for supporting modelling activities at the basin scale for data-limited regions.