Downscaling With an Unstructured Coastal-Ocean Model to the Goro Lagoon and the Po River Delta Branches

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Maicu ◽  
Jacopo Alessandri ◽  
Nadia Pinardi ◽  
Giorgia Verri ◽  
Georg Umgiesser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Flexible Tool ◽  
Po River ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
Tidal Forcing ◽  
Freshwater Inputs

The Goro Lagoon Finite Element Model (GOLFEM) presented in this paper concentrates on the high-resolution downscaled model of the Goro Lagoon, along with five Po river branches and the coastal area of the Po delta in the northern Adriatic Sea (Italy) where crucial socio-economic activities take place. GOLFEM was validated by means of validation scores (bias – BIAS, root mean square error – RMSE, and mean absolute error – MAE) for the water level, current velocity, salinity and temperature measured at several fixed stations in the lagoon. The range of scores at the stations are: for temperature between −0.8 to +1.2°C, for salinity from −0.2 to 5 PSU, for sea level 0.1 m. The lagoon is dominated by an estuarine vertical circulation due to a double opening at the lagoon mouth and sustained by multiple sources of freshwater inputs. The non-linear interactions among the tidal forcing, the wind and the freshwater inputs affect the lagoon circulation at both seasonal and daily time scales. The sensitivity of the circulation to the forcings was analyzed with several sensitivity experiments done with the exclusion of the tidal forcing and different configurations of the river connections. GOLFEM was designed to resolve the lagoon dynamics at high resolution in order to evaluate the potential effects on the clam farming of two proposed scenarios of human intervention on the morphology of the connection with the sea. We calculated the changes of the lagoon current speed and salinity, and using opportune fitness indexes related to the clams physiology, we quantified analytically the effects of the interventions in terms of extension and persistence of areas of the clams optimal growth. The results demonstrate that the correct management of this kind of fragile environment relies on both long-term (intervention scenarios) and short-term (coastal flooding forecasts and potential anoxic conditions) modeling, based on a flexible tool that is able to consider all the recorded human interventions on the river connections. This study also demonstrates the importance of designing a seamless chain of models that are capable of integrating local effects into the coarser operational oceanographic models.

scholarly journals The Legacy of the Idrija Mine Twenty-Five Years after Closing: Is Mercury in the Water Column of the Gulf of Trieste Still an Environmental Issue?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10192
Author(s):  
Elena Pavoni ◽  
Elisa Petranich ◽  
Sergio Signore ◽  
Giorgio Fontolan ◽  
Stefano Covelli
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
High Discharge ◽  
Fine Sediments ◽  
Gulf Of Trieste ◽  
Freshwater Inputs

Mercury (Hg) contamination in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea) due to mining activity in Idrija (Slovenia) still represents an issue of environmental concern. The Isonzo/Soča River’s freshwater inputs have been identified as the main source of Hg into the Gulf, especially following periods of medium-high discharge. This research aims to evaluate the occurrence and distribution of dissolved (DHg) and particulate (PHg) Hg along the water column in the northernmost sector of the Gulf, a shallow and sheltered embayment suitable for the accumulation of fine sediments. Sediment and water samples were collected under unperturbed and perturbed environmental conditions induced by natural and anthropogenic factors. Mercury in the sediments (0.77–6.39 µg g−1) and its relationship to grain size were found to be consistent with previous research focused on the entire Gulf, testifying to the common origin of the sediment. Results showed a notable variability of DHg (<LOD–149 ng L−1) and PHg (0.39–12.5 ng L−1) depending on the interaction between riverine and marine hydrological conditions. Mercury was found to be mainly partitioned in the suspended particles, especially following periods of high discharge, thus confirming the crucial role of the river inputs in regulating PHg distribution in the Gulf.

scholarly journals Seasonal and Interannual Trends of Oceanographic Parameters over 40 Years in the Northern Adriatic Sea in Relation to Nutrient Loadings Using the EMODnet Chemistry Data Portal

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Grilli ◽  
Stefano Accoroni ◽  
Francesco Acri ◽  
Fabrizio Bernardi Aubry ◽  
Caterina Bergami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Po River ◽  
Northern Adriatic

Long-term data series (1971–2015) of physical and biogeochemical parameters were analyzed in order to assess trends and variability of oceanographic conditions in the northern Adriatic Sea (NAS), a mid-latitude shallow continental shelf strongly impacted by river discharges, human activities and climate changes. Interpolation maps and statistical models were applied to investigate seasonal and spatial variability, as well as decadal trends of temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a and nutrients. This analysis shows that sea surface temperature increased by +0.36% year−1 over four decades. Annual mean flow of the Po River markedly changed due to the occurrence of periods of persistent drought, whereas the frequency of flow rates higher than 3000 m3 s−1 decreased between 2006 and 2015. Moreover, we observed a long-term decrease in surface phosphate concentrations in Po River water (−1.34% year−1) and in seawater (in summer −2.56% year−1) coupled, however, to a significant increase in nitrate concentration in seawater (+3.80% year−1) in almost all seasons. These changes indicate that the nutrient concentrations in the NAS have been largely modulated, in the last forty years, by the evolution of environmental management practices and of the runoff. This implies that further alteration of the marine environment must be expected as a consequence of the climate changes.

scholarly journals The infaunal community in experimentally seeded low and high density Manila clam (Tapes philippinarum) beds in a Po River Delta lagoon (Italy)

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 860-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mantovani ◽  
G. Castaldelli ◽  
R. Rossi ◽  
E.A. Fano
Keyword(s):  
Subsequent Development ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Manila Clam ◽  
Macrobenthic Community ◽  
In Situ Experiment ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Tapes Philippinarum ◽  
Po River ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
Infaunal Community

Abstract The Sacca di Goro is a shallow, brackish, eutrophic coastal lagoon in the southernmost part of the Po River Delta (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy). It is heavily exploited for rearing the Manila clam (Tapes philippinarum), mean annual production since 1986 being 10 000 t. Commercial cultivation of bivalves can exert severe impact on a local environment, especially on the invertebrate community, reducing species richness and abundance. An in situ experiment was conducted from March 2003 to February 2004 to examine the effect of clam cultivation on the macrobenthic community. Replicated sites within an area licensed for clam farming were seeded with low (500 m−2) and high (1500 m−2) clam densities; the surrounding unseeded areas were used as a control. There were only weak effects of clam presence and density on macrobenthic community abundance and functional group composition. The main determinants regulating the macrobenthic community were seasonal variations in other biota, particularly proliferation of the invasive mussel, Musculista senhousia, in August, which in turn caused a significant increase in the biomass of surface deposit-feeders and the subsequent development of Ulva rigida beds in September.

scholarly journals Ecological Importance of Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Changing Marine Environmental Conditions

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2750
Author(s):  
Ingrid Ivančić ◽  
Romina Kraus ◽  
Mirjana Najdek ◽  
Stefano Cozzi
Keyword(s):  
Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Phosphatase Activity ◽  
Alkaline Phosphatase Activity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Po River ◽  
Coastal System ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
P Limitation

The effects of changing hydrological and climatic conditions on the dynamics of phosphorus (P) were studied in the Northern Adriatic Sea (NA), a coastal system currently affected by these changes. P limitation is one of the key stresses in the NA and it is a globally important phenomenon in aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, the response to P stress by inducing alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) was studied in characteristic water types in the NA, formed by the changing freshwater input in different thermic conditions. APA was important in providing P for microbial growth in upper waters dominated by assimilation during the warmer part of the year in stratified conditions. Contrarily, APA was not important during mixing in the colder part of the year, as well as in waters dominated by regeneration. In waters influenced by freshwater, temperature had no effect on APA, while in high-salinity waters, temperature was an important factor for APA increase. The highest APA occurred during riverine nutrients supply, indicating that the alteration of anthropogenic nutrient loads might strongly change P status in this coastal system. Furthermore, predicted increases in winter sea temperature and summer Po River discharge could delay the water column mixing, prolonging periods of P limitation.

Modeling the Environmental Dynamics of the Northern Adriatic Sea with an explicit benthic-pelagic coupling.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Zavatarelli ◽  
Isabella Scroccaro ◽  
Tomas Lovato
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Open Boundary ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Po River ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
Benthic Pelagic Coupling ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;In the framework of the European Project H2020 &quot;ODYSSEA&quot; (Operating a network of integrated observatory systems in the Mediterranean SEA,&amp;#160;http://odysseaplatform.eu/) a forecasting modeling system of the coupled physical and biogeochemical conditions&amp;#160;of the Northern Adriatic Sea is under development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The modeling system consists of the on-line coupling of the European general circulation model - NEMO (Nucleus for European&amp;#160;Modeling of the Ocean,&amp;#160;https://www.nemo-ocean.eu/), with the marine biogeochemical model - BFM (Biogeochemical Flux Model,&amp;#160;bfm-community.eu/).&lt;br&gt;The biogeochemical component of the model includes the simulation of the biogeochemical processes of both water column and sediments and their coupling. The model is run for the first time in the Northern Adriatic Sea with an explicit benthic-pelagic coupling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The horizontal spatial discretization is defined by a rectangular grid of 315 &amp;#215; 278 cells, having a horizontal resolution of about 800 m. The vertical resolution is defined at 2 m, with 48 z-levels regularly spaced. Currently the atmospheric forcing are the ECMWF 6hr analysis atmospheric fields. The river supplies of fresh water and nutrient salts consider the daily runoff of the Po river, while the other&amp;#160;rivers within the study area are included as climatological values. The open boundary conditions of the modeling system come from the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS,&amp;#160;http://marine.copernicus.eu/).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this work, the hindcast simulations encompassing the period 2000 &amp;#8211; 2009 are validated against available observations from in situ and satellite platforms for sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a and dissolved inorganic nutrients and, in order to evaluate the impact of a resolved benthic biogeochemical dynamics,&amp;#160; compared against simulations results obtained utilising a simple benthic closure parameterisation.&lt;/p&gt;

Transport of Carbon and Nitrogen to the Northern Adriatic Sea by the Po River

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Pettine ◽  
L. Patrolecco ◽  
M. Camusso ◽  
S. Crescenzio
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Po River ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

scholarly journals Next generation sequencing reveals distinct fecal pollution signatures in aquatic sediments across gradients of anthropogenic influence

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Marco Luna ◽  
Grazia Marina Quero ◽  
Laura Perini
Keyword(s):  
Next Generation Sequencing ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Fecal Pollution ◽  
Fecal Bacteria ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Aquatic Sediments ◽  
Po River ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
Generation Sequencing

<p>Aquatic sediments are the repository of a variety of anthropogenic pollutants, including bacteria of fecal origin, that reach the aquatic environment from a variety of sources. Although fecal bacteria can survive for long periods of time in aquatic sediments, the microbiological quality of sediments is almost entirely neglected when performing quality assessments of aquatic ecosystems. Here we investigated the relative abundance, patterns and diversity of fecal bacterial populations in two coastal areas in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Italy): the Po river prodelta (PRP, an estuarine area receiving significant contaminant discharge from one of the largest European rivers) and the Lagoon of Venice (LV, a transitional environment impacted by a multitude of anthropogenic stressors). From both areas, several indicators of fecal and sewage contamination were determined in the sediments using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of 16S rDNA amplicons. At both areas, fecal contamination was high, with fecal bacteria accounting for up to 3.96% and 1.12% of the sediment bacterial assemblages in PRP and LV, respectively. The magnitude of the fecal signature was highest in the PRP site, highlighting the major role of the Po river in spreading microbial contaminants into the adjacent coastal area. In the LV site, fecal pollution was highest in the urban area, and almost disappeared when moving to the open sea. Our analysis revealed a large number of fecal Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU, 960 and 181 in PRP and LV, respectively) and showed a different fecal signature in the two areas, suggesting a diverse contribution of human and non-human sources of contamination. These results highlight the potential of NGS techniques to gain insights into the origin and fate of different fecal bacteria populations in aquatic sediments.</p>

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