scholarly journals Coastal HF radars in the Mediterranean: Applications in support of science priorities and societal needs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Reyes ◽  
Eva Aguiar ◽  
Michele Bendoni ◽  
Maristella Berta ◽  
Carlo Brandini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Maritime Safety ◽  
Ocean Science ◽  
Societal Needs ◽  
Blue Growth ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Extreme Hazards

Abstract. The Mediterranean Sea is a prominent climate change hot spot, being their socio-economically vital coastal areas the most vulnerable targets for maritime safety, diverse met-ocean hazards and marine pollution. Providing an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution at wide coastal areas, High-frequency radars (HFRs) have been steadily gaining recognition as an effective land-based remote sensing technology for a continuous monitoring of the surface circulation, increasingly waves and occasionally winds. HFR measurements have boosted the thorough scientific knowledge of coastal processes, also fostering a broad range of applications, which has promoted their integration in the Coastal Ocean Observing Systems worldwide, with more than half of the European sites located in the Mediterranean coastal areas. In this work, we present a review of existing HFR data multidisciplinary science-based applications in the Mediterranean Sea, primarily focused on meeting end-users and science-driven requirements, addressing regional challenges in three main topics: i) maritime safety; ii) extreme hazards; iii) environmental transport process. Additionally, the HFR observing and monitoring regional capabilities in the Mediterranean region required to underpin the underlying science and the further development of applications are also analyzed. The outcome of this assessment has allowed us to finally provide a set of recommendations for the future improvement prospects to maximize the contribution in extending the science-based HFR products into societal relevant downstream services to support the blue growth in the Mediterranean coastal areas, helping to meet the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the EU’s Green Deal goals.

The High Frequency coastal radar network in the Mediterranean: joint efforts towards a fully operational implementation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Lorente ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Environment ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Production Management ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mediterranean

<p>The Mediterranean Sea is considered a relevant geostrategic region and a prominent climate change hot spot. This semi-enclosed basin has been the subject of abundant studies due to its vulnerability to sea-level rise and other coastal hazards. With the steady advent of new technologies, a growing wealth of observational data are nowadays available to efficiently monitor the sea state and properly respond to socio-ecological challenges and stakeholder needs, thereby strengthening the community resilience at multiple scales.</p><p>Nowadays, High-Frequency radar (HFR) is a worldwide consolidated land-based remote sensing technology since it provides, concurrently and in near real time, fine-resolution maps of the surface circulation along with (increasingly) wave and wind information over broad coastal areas. HFR systems present a wide range of practical applications: maritime safety, oil spill emergencies, energy production, management of extreme coastal hazards. Consequently, they have become an essential component of coastal ocean observatories since they offer a unique dynamical framework that complement conventional in-situ observing platforms. Likewise, within the frame of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), HFR are valuable assets that play a key pivotal role in both the effective monitoring of coastal areas and the rigorous skill assessment of operational ocean forecasting systems.</p><p>The present work aims to show a panoramic overview not only of the current status of diverse Mediterranean HFR systems, but also of the coordinated joint efforts between many multi-disciplinary institutions to establish a permanent HFR monitoring network in the Mediterranean, aligned with European and global initiatives. In this context, it is worth highlighting that many of the Mediterranean HFR systems are already integrated into the European HFR Node, which acts as central focal point for data collection, homogenization, quality assurance and dissemination and promotes networking between EU infrastructures and the Global HFR network.</p><p>Furthermore, priority challenges tied to the implementation of a long-term, fully integrated, sustainable operational Mediterranean HFR network are described. This includes aspects related to the setting up of such a system within the broader framework of the European Ocean Observing System (EOOS), and a long-term financial support required to preserve the infrastructure core service already implemented. Apart from the technological challenges, the enhancing of the HFR data discovery and access, the boosting of the data usage as well as the research integration must be achieved by building synergies among academia, management agencies, state government offices, intermediate and end users. This would guarantee a coordinated development of tailored products that meet the societal needs and foster user uptake, serving the marine industry with dedicated smart innovative services, along with the promotion of strategic planning and informed decision-making in the marine environment.</p>

MAESTRALE: The Implementation of Blue Energy in the Mediterranean Sea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Abanades ◽  
Juan Pablo Torregrosa
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
National Level ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Deployment Strategy ◽  
Technological Transfer ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Blue Growth ◽  
The Mediterranean

The project Maestrale is an European Project funded by the Interreg MED programme (2016–2019) that aims at establishing the basis for a Maritime Energy Deployment Strategy in the Mediterranean Sea. The project is formed by a consortium with partners around the South of Europe with the objective of determining a suite of pilot zones, which will become the pillars of future developments for the implementation of Blue Energy projects in the Mediterranean Sea. The present article presents the tasks to be conducted for the study of the area in the Spanish Mediterranean Arc: • Identification of recommendations and regulations • A benchmark of the technologies installed worldwide will be carried out in order to identify their degree of adaptability to the conditions of the Med Area • The analysis of the available resource: wind, wave and tidal • The study of the area and its features: bathymetry, land cover, protected areas, etc. • The identification of the stakeholders, as the project intends to strengthen cooperation between public authorities, research bodies, businesses and the civil society • The formation of clusters with the stakeholders, either at the national or trans-national level, to increase connections in order to promote knowledge and technological transfer and generate the critical mass and environmental conditions needed to improve innovation capacities and competitiveness The main outcomes of the project are the support of the future blue energy policies and concrete strategies for blue growth and a suite of pilot projects that will serve the purpose of raising awareness among local stakeholders, facilitating social acceptance, decreasing uncertainty and increasing feasibility of concrete interventions.

scholarly journals The Mediterranean Sea system: a review and an introduction to the special issue

Ocean Science ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 789-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Tanhua ◽  
D. Hainbucher ◽  
K. Schroeder ◽  
V. Cardin ◽  
M. Álvarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Ocean Science ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Biogeochemical Parameters

Abstract. The Mediterranean Sea is a semi-enclosed sea characterized by high salinities, temperatures and densities. The net evaporation exceeds the precipitation, driving an anti-estuarine circulation through the Strait of Gibraltar, contributing to very low nutrient concentrations. The Mediterranean Sea has an active overturning circulation, one shallow cell that communicates directly with the Atlantic Ocean, and two deep overturning cells, one in each of the two main basins. It is surrounded by populated areas and is thus sensitive to anthropogenic forcing. Several dramatic changes in the oceanographic and biogeochemical conditions have been observed during the past several decades, emphasizing the need to better monitor and understand the changing conditions and their drivers. During 2011 three oceanographic cruises were conducted in a coordinated fashion in order to produce baseline data of important physical and biogeochemical parameters that can be compared to historic data and be used as reference for future observational campaigns. In this article we provide information on the Mediterranean Sea oceanographic situation, and present a short review that will serve as background information for the special issue in Ocean Science on "Physical, chemical and biological oceanography of the Mediterranean Sea". An important contribution of this article is the set of figures showing the large-scale distributions of physical and chemical properties along the full length of the Mediterranean Sea.

Polycyclic Aromatic and Aliphatic Hydrocarbons in two Egyptian Coastal Areas along the Mediterranean Sea

2017 ◽  
Vol 06 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Attia Shreadah ◽  
Amany El Sikaily ◽  
Nehad M Abd El Moneam ◽  
Nabila E Abd El Maguid ◽  
Marwa Gaber Zaki
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Aliphatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
The Mediterranean

Environmental Quality of Coastal Areas in the Mediterranean Sea and Potential Risks to Human Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 103-143
Author(s):  
Marion Pillet ◽  
Michel Marengo ◽  
Sylvie Gobert ◽  
Pierre Lejeune ◽  
Michèle Leduc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
The Mediterranean

Spatial and seasonal distribution of ascidians in a semi-enclosed basin of the Mediterranean Sea

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 1053-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Mastrototaro ◽  
G. D'Onghia ◽  
A. Tursi
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Ciona Intestinalis ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Artificial Substrates ◽  
Larval Recruitment ◽  
Styela Plicata ◽  
Mar Piccolo Of Taranto ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Shallow Water Species

A total of 25 species of ascidians were collected in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto, a semi-enclosed Mediterranean basin. Three are non-indigenous for the Mediterranean Sea: Microcosmus squamiger, Polyandrocarpa zorritensis and Distaplia bermudensis. The substrate features, season and depth affect the distribution of ascidians in the study area. Some species, such as Pyura dura and Pyura microcosmus, were found only on artificial substrates, while Ascidiella aspersa was almost exclusively recovered on natural bottoms. Seasonal variation in the ascidian distribution and abundance seems to be due mainly to their biological cycles, larval recruitment and adaptation. During the autumn and winter the most abundant species were Clavelina phlegraea and Ciona intestinalis, while A.aspersa was particularly abundant during spring. Depth and more directly light intensity play an important role in ascidian distribution. In the upper few metres the shallow-water species Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was abundant due to its photopositive larvae. Even though the distribution and abundance changed significantly between substrates, seasons and depths, the most abundant species in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto were Clavelina phlegraea, Ciona intestinalis and Styela plicata all of which are able to tolerate the variations in environmental conditions, low rate of water renewal and continuous silting of this semi-enclosed sea. Assuming the role that the above mentioned species have as marine pollution indicators and the abundance recorded for some of them, a high degree of environmental stress can be confirmed for the Mar Piccolo of Taranto. A comparative list of the ascidians recorded in this and previous studies is also reported.

scholarly journals Spring distribution of shelled pteropods across the Mediterranean Sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Johnson ◽  
Clara Manno ◽  
Patrizia Ziveri
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Saturation State ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time ◽  
Natural Laboratory

Abstract. Shelled pteropods represent an excellent sentinel for indicating exposure to ocean acidification (OA). Here, for the first time, we characterise spring pteropod distribution throughout the Mediterranean Sea, a region that has been identified as a climate change hot-spot. The presence of a west–east natural biogeochemical gradient makes this region a natural laboratory to investigate how the variability in environmental parameters may affect pteropod distribution. Results show that pteropod abundance is significantly higher in the eastern Mediterranean Sea where there is a higher aragonite saturation state (Ωar), showing that distribution is positively correlated with Ωar. We also observed a resilience of pteropods to higher temperatures and low nutrient conditions, including phosphorous limitation. The higher abundance of pteropods in ultra-oligotrophic conditions (eastern Mediterranean Sea) suggests that this organism can play an important role as the prime calcifying zooplankton within specific oligotrophic regions.

scholarly journals Interpreting elevated space-borne HCHO columns over the Mediterranean Sea using the OMI sensor

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 12787-12798 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sabolis ◽  
N. Meskhidze ◽  
G. Curci ◽  
P. I. Palmer ◽  
B. Gantt
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Urban Atmosphere ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Vertical Column ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Formaldehyde (HCHO) is an oxidation product of a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and important atmospheric constituent found in both the polluted urban atmosphere and remote background sites. In this study, remotely sensed data of HCHO vertical column densities are analyzed over the Mediterranean Sea using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Data analysis indicates a marked seasonal cycle with a summer maximum and winter minimum confined to the marine environment during a three year period (2005–2007) examined. A possible retrieval artifact associated with Saharan dust transport over the region is explored by changing intensity of Saharan dust sources in GEOS-Chem following the recommendation of Generoso et al. (2008). Recalculated air mass factors (AMF), based on the new values of aerosol loadings, lead to a reduction of the summertime "hot spot" in OMI retrieval of HCHO vertical columns over the Mediterranean Sea; however, even after the correction, enhanced values are still present in this region. To explain these values, marine biogenic sources of VOCs are examined. Calculations indicate that emission of phytoplankton-produced isoprene is not likely to explain the enhanced HCHO vertical columns over the Mediterranean Sea. Model simulations in conjunction with measurements studies may be required to fully explore the complex mechanism of HCHO formation over the Mediterranean and its implications for the air quality in the region.

scholarly journals Is coccolithophore distribution in the Mediterranean Sea related to seawater carbonate chemistry?

Ocean Science ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Oviedo ◽  
P. Ziveri ◽  
M. Álvarez ◽  
T. Tanhua
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Carbonate Chemistry ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Seasurface Temperature ◽  
Seawater Carbonate Chemistry ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Phytoplankton Group

Abstract. The Mediterranean Sea is considered a "hot spot" for climate change, being characterized by oligotrophic to ultra-oligotrophic waters and rapidly increasing seasurface temperature and changing carbonate chemistry. Coccolithophores are considered a dominant phytoplankton group in these waters. As marine calcifying organisms they are expected to respond to the ongoing changes in seawater carbonate chemistry. We provide here a description of the springtime coccolithophore distribution in the Mediterranean Sea and relate this to a broad set of in situ-measured environmental variables. Samples were taken during the R/V Meteor (M84/3) oceanographic cruise in April 2011, between 0 and 100 m water depth from 28 stations. Total diatom and silicoflagellate cell concentrations are also presented. Our results highlight the importance of seawater carbonate chemistry, especially [CO32−] but also [PO43−] in unraveling the distribution of heterococcolithophores, the most abundant coccolithophore life phase. Holo- and heterococcolithophores respond differently to environmental factors. For instance, changes in heterococcolithophore assemblages were best linked to the combination of [CO32−], pH, and salinity (ρ = 0.57), although salinity might be not functionally related to coccolithophore assemblage distribution. Holococcolithophores, on the other hand, showed higher abundances and species diversity in oligotrophic areas (best fit, ρ = 0.32 for nutrients), thriving in nutrient-depleted waters. Clustering of heterococcolithophores revealed three groups of species sharing more than 65% similarities. These clusters could be assigned to the eastern and western basins and deeper layers (below 50 m), respectively. In addition, the species Gephyrocapsa oceanica, G. muellerae, and Emiliania huxleyi morphotype B/C are spatially distributed together and trace the influx of Atlantic waters into the Mediterranean Sea. The results of the present work emphasize the importance of considering holo- and heterococcolithophores separately when analyzing changes in species assemblages and diversity. Our findings suggest that coccolithophores are a main phytoplankton group in the entire Mediterranean Sea and can dominate over siliceous phytoplankton. They have life stages that are expected to respond differently to the variability in seawater carbonate chemistry and nutrient concentrations.

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