Ilaria Biagiotti
Technologist
Ancona
The UNDERSEA project’s main goals are to monitor, evaluate, and tackle the underwater noise pollution caused by human activities. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea recognizes underwater noise as an internationally significant pollutant, while the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires EU member states to monitor and mitigate it to achieve good environmental status in the sea. Marine pollution stems from various human activities like shipping, tourism, fishing, and resource exploitation. These sounds can harm marine life, and noise levels in EU waters, especially in the Adriatic Sea, have doubled between 2014 and 2019. Addressing and reducing marine noise pollution is a cross-border challenge, and UNDERSEA will build on the groundwork laid by the SOUNDSCAPE project, expanding the monitoring network to cover the entire Adriatic Sea. The project introduces crucial innovations to develop effective monitoring and comprehensive noise mapping, including studying small boats and fishing vessels, which are common but understudied in the Adriatic. The project introduces crucial innovations to develop effective monitoring and comprehensive noise mapping, including studying small boats and fishing vessels, which are common but understudied in the Adriatic. Fishing is a significant activity throughout the Adriatic Sea. However, so far, only AIS-equipped fishing boats have been considered as potential noise sources, excluding medium-small vessels typical of local fishing fleets. Additionally, noise modeling has relied on noise produced during navigation, while noise during fishing activities might differ. Dedicated experiments will assess noise levels directly at the source from different types of fishing vessels during various fishing activities. Satellite data will aid in mapping the geographic distribution of these vessels and small leisure boats, facilitating the development of tools for a comprehensive assessment of Adriatic noise. Small boats have never been evaluated in any European underwater noise study, offering new management tools for the sea, coastal environment, and shared natural resources. The project will also utilize data collected since 2020 by the MS_Conero fixed station developed by IRBIM for the SOUNDSCAPE project within the Adriatic monitoring network.
The project, coordinated by CNR under the guidance of the Marine Science Institute, involves the participation of 7 partners and 2 associated partners.
Project partners:
In addition to the participation of some associated partners such as:
Referent:
Programme: Interreg Italy-Croatia
Acronym: UNDERSEA
Duration: February 1, 2024 - July 30, 2026
Budget: 2.219.960,00 €
Contacts: iole.leonori@cnr.it
Areas of Research:
Technologist
Ancona
Technical Collaborator
Ancona
Associate with Collaboration Assignment
Ancona
Technologist
Ancona
Technical Collaborator
Ancona
Senior Researcher
Ancona
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Referent:
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