1,721,101 research outputs found
Scientific diving: Towards European harmonisation
No full textIn the European Union, almost half of the population presently lives within 50-60km from the sea, and marine and coastal zone resources produce much of the EU’s economic wealth. While fishing, shipping and tourism industries all compete for vital space along the estimated 90 000km of coastline, coastal zones contain some of Europe’s most fragile and valuable natural habitats and archaeological heritages. Surveying and assessing the status quo and the future changes of coastal habitats are therefore key priorities for marine science in the coming decades. This is particularly important in the light of tremendous forthcoming challenges, such as:
- fast changing human demography resulting in a rise in coastal populations and rapid coastal urbanisation;
- increasing tourism, resulting in coastal zone development and degradation;
- increasing demand and overexploitation of living and non-living resources;
- conflicting uses of the marine environment (e.g. fish/shellfish farming, boating, recreational diving, mineral/oil/gas extractions, wind farms);
- global change (i.e. increasing frequency of extreme events and rise in superficial water temperature, sea level rise, sea water acidification, diseases and mass mortality events).
Another key priority for marine science is to support all the ambitious efforts within the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). All these issues require advancement in marine biology, geology and archaeology that improves our knowledge of natural processes affecting biodiversity and functioning. It must also address the human impact and improve ways to mitigate it (e.g. designing ecologically active coastal and marine infrastructures, and developing innovative restorations techniques), as well as develop innovative technologies which support these actions
Frontiers in Marine Science
No full textFrontiers in Marine Science publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of all aspects of the environment, biology, ecosystem functioning and human interactions with the oceans. Field Chief Editor Carlos M. Duarte at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, policy makers and the public worldwide.
With the human population predicted to reach 9 billion people by 2050, it is clear that traditional land resources will not suffice to meet the demand for food or energy, required to support high-quality livelihoods. As a result, the oceans are emerging as a source of untapped assets, with new innovative industries, such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, marine energy and deep-sea mining growing rapidly under a new era characterized by rapid growth of a blue, ocean-based economy. The sustainability of the blue economy is closely dependent on our knowledge about how to mitigate the impacts of the multiple pressures on the ocean ecosystem associated with the increased scale and diversification of industry operations in the ocean and global human pressures on the environment. Therefore, Frontiers in Marine Science particularly welcomes the communication of research outcomes addressing ocean-based solutions for the emerging challenges, including improved forecasting and observational capacities, understanding biodiversity and ecosystem problems, locally and globally, effective management strategies to maintain ocean health, and an improved capacity to sustainably derive resources from the oceans.
To this end the journal has developed a number of specialties that clearly outline these research areas. Ultimately, the journal seeks to catalyze progress by welcoming new ideas and approaches that are likely to shift paradigms in our understanding and interactions with the oceans. Frontiers’ Research Topics are particularly suited to introduce new developments and directions in the marine sciences (www.frontiersin.org/about/RTGuidelines). Frontiers in Marine Science will make use of the unique Frontiers platform for open-access publishing and research networking for scientists, which provides an equal opportunity to seek, share and create knowledge. The mission of Frontiers is to place publishing back in the hands of working scientists and to promote an interactive, fair, and efficient review process. Articles are peer-reviewed according to the Frontiers review guidelines, which evaluate manuscripts on objective editorial criteria
Monitoring mediterranean marine protected areas: A set of guidelines to support the development of management plans
No full textWith the aim to address some of the complex needs of Marine Protected Areas management, the results of the FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN "Monitoring Mediterranean Marine Protected Area" (MMMPA) project are synthesized in timely and original guidelines
The coral-killing sponge Chalinula nematifera as a common substrate generalist in Komodo National Park, Indonesia
No full textChalinula nematifera is an encrusting sponge (Porifera: Haplosclerida), which can overgrow live corals. Originally described from the central Pacific (Marshall Islands), this coral-killing sponge is raising concerns due to its rapid range expansion in the Pacific. Its ability to overgrow various coral species was documented at Komodo National Park in October 2016. It was observed at six sites out of ten, where it was overgrowing and/or peripherally interacting with living corals belonging to 13 species, some of which represent new host records. It was also found on dead coral colonies previously covered by algae or sediment, and on encrusting coralline algae. Its habitat choice showed no obvious preferences regarding host corals and depth range
Conservation challenges in human dominated seascapes: The harbour and coast of Ravenna
No full textRavenna is the major coastal city of Emilia-Romagna region and one of the largest commercial seaports in Italy. Its harbour was established in the lagoon systems surrounding the city, which are comprised of the southern part of the Po Delta Park, inscribed in the World Heritage List. The Emilia-Romagna coast is an area of renowned environmental, cultural and economical value, and one of the world's leading holiday destinations. Human pressure on the coast has been historically intense, and environmental problems are varied and severe, including: 1) erosion and land subsidence (both natural and human-induced), which have lead to proliferation of hard defence structures over 60% of an originally sandy coast and which is expected to become even more serious because of rising sea levels; 2) developments of settlements, industries, aquaculture, ports, tourism and recreation, which have lead to the creation of vast built-up areas at the expense of natural habitats; 3) fragmentation, transformation (e.g. changes in sediment characteristics) and loss of native habitats and biodiversity; 4) eutrophication, poor water quality, algal blooms and spread of exotic species. Pockets of extensive coastal habitats of high naturalistic and environmental value still remain in the region, and one of the greatest challenges for local authorities is the identification of more sustainable defence measures, that combine coastal protection to nature conservation. We provide an up-to-date overview of the status and trends of the harbour of Ravenna and surrounding coastal areas, with the intents to identify future directions to improve the conservation and management of this valuable coastal region, and to provide a scientific support to local authorities in the urban redevelopment project for the regeneration of the harbour area for leisure and touris
From citizen sciences to environmental quality assessment: The Portofino mpa case study
No full textThe proposed Mediterranean Reef Check Species sensitivity (MRC-Ss) index, based on data provided by volunteer scuba divers, may represent a proxy of the mean sensitivity of the assemblages toward the natural and anthropic disturb agents indicated by the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Its application may represent the occasion to raise public awareness and enhance the collaboration between coastal management authorities (e.g., MPA managers) and dive centres, through a participatory approach
Impact of dredging in a shallow coastal lagoon: Microtox® Basic Solid-Phase Test, trace metals and Corophium bioassay
No full textThe aim of this work was to measure survival of the amphipod Corophium insidiosum and luminescence inhibition in the marine bacterium Vibrio fisheri on surface sediment samples collected from a shallow coastal lagoon (Pialassa Baiona, northern Adriatic Italian coast) before execution of dredging operations to deepen the main inner channel of the lagoon and restore the water circulation. Trace metal (Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb) concentrations, grain size and organic carbon matter content as loss of ignition were also measured. Toxicity testing with V. fisheri was carried out according to the Microtox® Basic Solid-Phase Test (BSPT) protocol. The preliminary outcomes of this work show that: (a) the investigated area can be categorised as moderately degraded; (b) there is no evident spatial pattern in sediment toxicity and trace metal concentrations; (c) Microtox® responses are not biased by sediment characteristics such as silt, clay and organic matter content
Marine beach litter monitoring strategies along Mediterranean coasts. A methodological review
Full text link: Marine beach litter (MBL) represents a serious issue for marine life, coastal ecosystems, human health and several economical activities. The Mediterranean Sea is a semi enclosed basin particularly vulnerable to this problem. Its coasts are threatened by critical anthropogenic pressures that sum up with intensive fishing and shipping, and the slow turnover of its waters. In the last decades, several scientific and participative initiatives have been conducted to study, monitor and clean-up shorelines. These studies were generally characterized by differences in timing and frequency of the surveys, as well as in litter sampling, classification and analysis. This paper presents a systematic review of current literature concerning MBL monitoring strategies along the Mediterranean coasts. Scopus indexed studies are analysed to identify discrepancies and similarities among the applied protocols, understand where current gaps lie, and point out what would be needed to develop a basin-scale efficient monitoring for the Mediterranean Sea
Scientific knowledge on marine beach litter: A bibliometric analysis
Full text linkLitter reduction in the coastal and marine environment represents a major challenge but must be prioritized to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as the goods and services that humans derive from seas and oceans. This paper reviews the available global scientific literature focusing on marine beach litter and tracks its evolution and trends by combining social network analysis and bibliometrics. The relationships and co-occurrences among authors, countries and keywords retrieved from the Scopus abstract and citation database are presented. A total of 1765 publications are analysed: the majority being journal articles. Results reveal the notable worldwide increase in scientific interest in beach litter in the last decade, as well as its multidisciplinary perspectives. This information could be beneficial for the processes that support the improvement of international efforts for beach litter monitoring, removal, and management activities
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