1,721,010 research outputs found
First Record Of Aplysia Dactylomela Rang, 1828 (Heterobranchia, Aplysiidae) from Pianosa Island (northern Tyrrhenian Sea)
No full textThe non-indigenous spotted sea hare Aplysia dactylomela Rang, 1828, entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic, is recorded for the first time from shallow coastal waters of Pianosa Island in 2015. This record can be considered the first occurrence in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea. One specimen of A. dactylomela was photographed while was feeding on a rock bottom mainly covered with red algae
Citizen science: a successful tool for monitoring biodiversity in Marine Protected Areas
No full textIn the last few decades, anthopogenic activities, introduction of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS, i.e. organisms introduced outside of their natural range), and climate changes, have significantly affected Mediterranean marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Coll et al., 2010). All that is also true for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), whose major aim is biodiversity conservation. Therefore, monitoring and surveillance plans are strongly needed, and the creation of public awareness campaigns might be effective tool to plan effective management and conservation strategies in MPAs. Since intensive monitoring programs could be very expensive, citizen science, the involvement of citizens in science (including conservation, natural resource and environment), could be a useful tool for gathering data in monitoring plan that would otherwise be impossible to collect because of limitations on time and resources (Tulloch et al., 2013). Therefore, citizen science may have management, awareness, education and scientific implications.
We report the experience of two citizen science projects carried out in MPAs. Precisely, the project “Blue Paths” and the project “Caulerpa cylindracea – Egadi Islands”. “Blue Paths”, promoted and ideated by the Unified School District ISA 2 “2 Giugno” of La Spezia, with the partnership of Marine Parks and Research Centers (CNR-ISMAR and DLTM) aimed at: 1) monitoring the coastal flora and fauna in selected MPAs within the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Sea, and 2) promoting a scientific literacy in marine science through the direct involvement of citizens. Researchers, teachers and volunteers worked together to help school students in the identification of the organisms collected during visual census activities. In addition to the high educational value (Mioni et al., 2016), the project had significant scientific fallouts. In particular, a 5 years campaign (May 2014-May 2018) carried out at Pianosa Island, in the National Park of Tuscan Archipelago, allowed to record both time series of data and the presence of the NIS Aplysia dactylomela, a yellowish-brownish opistobranch with black rings that make it easily identifiable (Mioni et al., 2018).
The project “Caulerpa cylindracea – Egadi Islands”, sponsored by the STEBICEF Department of the University of Palermo and by the Egadi Islands MPA, aimed at monitoring the spread dynamics of the “sea grape” C. cylindracea within the Egadi Islands MPA. The project, registering 156 sightings, allowed to gather information on the behaviour strategies of this alga but also on other NIS (Mannino, Balistreri, 2018). It also allowed to highlight as the presence of C. cylindracea, favoured the settlement of another NIS, the tube-building sabellid Branchiomma bairdi. In June 2017, another citizen science project “Aliens in the sea”, also sponsored by the STEBICEF Department and aiming at collecting data on 19 marine NIS (vegetal and animal) along the Sicilian coasts, was launched.
Citizen science is a rigorous process, indistinguishable from conventional science apart from the participation of volunteers. When properly designed, carried out, and evaluated, citizen science can efficiently generate high-quality data, and help solve problems
Linear or Nonlinear Modeling for ENSO Dynamics?
Get PDFThe observed ENSO statistics exhibits a non-Gaussian behavior, which is indicative of the presence of nonlinear processes. In this paper, we use the Recharge Oscillator Model (ROM), a largely used Low-Order Model (LOM) of ENSO, as well as methodologies borrowed from the field of statistical mechanics to identify which aspects of the system may give rise to nonlinearities that are consistent with the observed ENSO statistics. In particular, we are interested in understanding whether the nonlinearities reside in the system dynamics or in the fast atmospheric forcing. Our results indicate that one important dynamical nonlinearity often introduced in the ROM cannot justify a non-Gaussian system behavior, while the nonlinearity in the atmospheric forcing can instead produce a statistics similar to the observed. The implications of the non-Gaussian character of ENSO statistics for the frequency of extreme El Nino events is then examined
Estimate of the average timing for strong El Niño events using the recharge oscillator model with a multiplicative perturbation
Get PDFEl Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the leading mode of tropical Pacific variability at interannual timescales. Through atmospheric teleconnections, ENSO exerts large influences worldwide, so that improved understanding of this phenomenon can be of critical societal relevance. Extreme ENSO events, in particular, have been associated with devastating weather events in many parts of the world, so that the ability to assess their frequency and probability of occurrence is extremely important. In this study, we describe the ENSO phenomenon in terms of the Recharge Oscillator Model perturbed by multiplicative deterministic chaotic forcing, and use methodologies from the field of Statistical Mechanics to determine the average time between El Niño events of given strengths. This is achieved by describing the system in terms of its probability density function, which is governed by a Fokker Planck equation, and then using the Mean First Passage Time technique for the determination of the mean time between extreme events. The ability to obtain analytical solutions to the problem allows a clear identification of the most relevant model parameters for controlling the frequency of extreme events. The key parameter is the strength of the multiplicative component of the stochastic perturbation, but the decorrelation timescale of the stochastic forcing is also very influential. Results obtained with this approach suggest an average waiting time between extreme events of only some tens of years
The optimal hybrid/electric ferry for the liguria Natural Parks
No full textWith this work we want to contribute to the
evaluation of the effectiveness of using an electric/hybrid Ferry
boat for tourist transportation in a real case. For this purpose, it
is necessary to define the “optimal” systems configuration of the
Ferry boat in term of engine power, energy storage and
photovoltaic system sizes and also percentage of hybrid or pure
electric usage. However the adjective “optimal” cannot have an
absolute definition because it strongly depends on the context we
are evaluating the problem and also subjective factors, not easily
quantifiable, enter the evaluation of optimal system. For
example, for a ferry working in marine Natural Parks like those
around La Spezia harbor, operating and initial costs are
important parameters to be considered, but pollution, noise and
comfort are at least as much important ones. Moreover, due to
the constraints given by the battery storage system (volume,
weight, cost and recharge time) the hybrid/electric system of the
ferry must be well targeted at the specific routes and possible
stages in the transport service around the La Spezia Gulf. For
that reason, we focus to the determination of an optimal hybrid
ferryboat, aimed at the specific case of La Spezia.
We think that the analysis here performed can be replicated
to other cases and may be useful in showing the potential of these
new technologies for a more sustainable boating, both from the
environmental and economic point of view, while also improving
the service provided to passengers, especially in terms of comfort
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
The assessment and management of plant invasions with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The Yucca gloriosa case, Italy
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