• Energy Research

This study is based on assessing fecal indicator bacteria contamination along meteorological, hydrological and physical-chemical variables after high rainy events during the summer period. The study focused on four different coastal sites in the western and eastern Adriatic coast characterized by various geomorphological and hydrological features, levels of urbanization and anthropogenic pressures, with the aim of finding appropriate and effective solutions to ensure the safety and sustainability of tourism and public health. Detailed in-situ survey revealed a wide range of fecal indicator bacterial (FIB) across the different river mouths with concentrations of E. coli ranging from 165 to 6700 CFU 100 mL-1. It was found that nitrogen compounds track microbial load and acted as tracers for fecal contaminants. Further, a modelling tool was also used to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of fecal pollution at these coastal sites. The integrated monitoring through high frequent survey in river waters and modeling framework allowed for the estimation of fecal indicator bacterial load at the river mouth and examination of fecal pollutant dispersion in recreational waters, considering different scenarios of fecal dispersion along the coast. This study formed the basis of a robust decision support system aimed at improving the management of recreational areas and ensuring the protection of water bodies through efficient management of bathing areas.

The transfer of communication and knowledge from science and research to the general public is a paramount step to raise people’s awareness about environmental issues and their negative and positive impacts on each of us. Many projects and initiatives seek to raise awareness among citizens, with particular attention to young people, about the importance of maintaining clean and healthy oceans. With this paper, we aim to present the successful communication initiatives developed during two Interreg projects, AdSWiM and WATERCARE, with schools and educational organisations on the local and national levels in Italy and Croatia. Both projects make a special effort to realize dedicated communication strategies with the objective of raising the awareness of environmental topics and issues among young people (i.e., students of different school grades) and teachers. The promotion of ocean literacy among students is crucial, as children and young people represent the future citizens and consumers who will develop attitudes and make decisions that will inevitably affect the environment.

This project aims to define an innovative approach to allow for a more efficient, reliable, and integrated-based approach study of the coastal environment. In particular, the discharge of chemical and microbiological pollutants into the sea will be the focus of this project, as a consequence of both human activities and events linked to climate change (Fig. 1). Therefore microbiological, especially faecal and pesticide contamination will be assessed in both riverine and coastal marine environments. Faecal bacteria will be characterized at the genetic level to identify the host or environment from which they were derived, as indicators of contamination sources. The ultimate objective is to better define the effects of discharges on the coastal ecosystem and its biodiversity in order to improve its protection and conservation, ultimately mitigate their impacts. Fig. 1. This figure has been reproduced from a published paper MATERIALS AND METHODS Five sampling stations were chosen along the Arzilla River (Fano, Italy) closed to contamination sources: 1) near a little town; 2) near an oil mill, industries and horse riding centre; 3) in proximity of a reservoir where the digestate is discharged; 4) above the sewer outflow; 5) near the mouth of the river, next to the bathing area The hydro-meteorological station located near the mouth of the river allows for temporal monitoring of river flow and rainfall levels with a real-time visualization of the data. Multiple Parameters Analysis: • Trophic status: nutrient concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus, and dissolved oxygen; • Microbial contamination: analysis of faecal contamination in river, seawater, and sediment samples analysed using culture-based methods for faecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci) and through innovative molecular (qPCR) methods (using different types of primers to establish from which type of organism the contamination originates) [1]; • Pesticides: neonicotinoid and polar anionic classes; • Biodiversity status: Indicator species found in the sediment (meiobenthic analysis). II. EXPECTED RESULTS This PhD project is at the beginning of the first year and does not yet allow for obtaining results, but the expected results will concern: 1. Identification of major sources of chemical and microbiological pollution in the coastal areas and overall assessment of water quality. 2. Evaluation of the biodiversity status through the analysis of the trophic status and the study of indicator organisms (i.e., meiofauna) in sediment samples. This evaluation will provide insights into the ecological condition and overall quality of the coastal ecosystem. 3. Enhanced understanding of the impacts of climate change on the health of coastal environments. This knowledge can help inform future research and policies addressing the combined effects of these factors. ACKNOWLEDGMENT Project funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP by Decree n.118 of 2 March 2023 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU).

In a climate change scenario , relevant attention must be given to its impact on marine environments as well as transitional waters (e.g. coastal lagoons), with the aim of their conservation and sustainable use. The environmental changes are already undergoing and scientific knowledge is advancing about the factors affecting the structure and functioning of these ecosystems. The dataset is composed by in situ measurement by mean multiparametric probe CTD, manual sampling and lab analisys, in order to investigate the impacts of climate change on water physico-chemical properties of Lesina lagoon over a period of 14 years. Surface water temperature and salinity data were measured from 2010 to 2023 by a multiparametric probe (CTD) Hydrolab DS5. The measurements were carried out in a total of 38 sampling sites All the data collected were then processed according to the methodologies standardized by the probe manufacturer. The raw data were converted into engineering units based on precision and accuracy of the calibration process of the multiparametric probe, which takes place annually at the manufacturing company.

Phytoplankton and benthic vegetation biomass undergoes spatial-temporal changes in relation to their life cycle, but also to meteorological conditions, physical-chemical variables, organic input and internal dynamism. The main aim of this work was to observe the effect of all environmental variables on the vegetative dynamic process in a protected zone of a Mediterranean costal lagoon (Lesina lagoon, SE Italy). Seven samplings were performed from 2010 to 2012 at 30 sites for nutrient and chlorophyll analyses, while TOC measurements and wet biomass evaluation were performed at 10 sites. Temperature, salinity and oxygen saturation were also measured by multiparametric probe and a visual census for vegetation was performed. Sites close to freshwater inflow were characterized by lower temperature and salinity, and high nitrate, with maxima of 191.05 ?M in May 2010 and more than 250 ?M in October 2010. Silicates drastically decreased from May 2010 (87.57 ?M) to July 2010 (6.15 ?M) and increased again in October (74.99 ?M). Chl a concentrations were not on average higher than 6 mg m-3, but peaks of20 mg m-3 were observed during May 2011 and May 2012. Benthic vegetation wet biomass collected in 2010 was approximately twice that collected in 2012, with a maximum of 27,554 g m-2 and a dominance of macroalgae (70 % in May 2010 and 40 % in August 2010). During period 2010, a simultaneous and drastic decreasing of both mean values of wet biomass and chl a was observed from May to October 2010. During period 2012 a shift of vegetation biomass was shown from May (phytoplankton prevalence) to August 2012, with angiosperm prevalence (more than 30 %).