Author: Manuela Coci

Researchers from the CNR IRBIM in Ancona have documented a drastic mass mortality event of the wild mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) along the Conero Riviera.
The event follows the occurrence of prolonged marine heat waves, recorded by the buoys of the CNR IRBIM, with sea temperature peaks above 30 degrees Celsius and extensive mucilage phenomena.
The massive mortality of these mussels has caused deep concern among experts and the local population.
The CNR-IRBIM Marine Weather Observation Network, consisting of buoys and beacons in the Adriatic Sea, has made it possible to record the exceptionally high and prolonged water temperatures.
There is still no certain data on the extent of the phenomenon, but the event does not seem to be limited to the Ancona area alone and mass die-offs are reported in various areas of the Adriatic Sea, both in wild populations and farmed populations.
The disappearance of the mussel in the Monte Conero area represents a loss for the local gastronomy, with socio-economic and cultural implications, as mosciolo fishing is an integral part of local history and traditions.
At the same time, it also represents an alarming signal for the entire coastal ecosystem.
The mussel, in fact, plays a fundamental role in the purification of water and in the regulation of marine communities, and its disappearance could have significant repercussions on the biodiversity and functionality of coastal ecosystems.
The death of mussels in the Conero area is therefore a wake-up call that reminds us of the importance of protecting our marine environment, hence also the commitment of CNR IRBIM to support institutions and citizens to face the challenges posed by climate change and to ensure the sustainability of our marine resources.
The video, conceived by Ernesto Azzurro, Luca Bolognini and Gian Marco Luna, is available here.

On February 15, 2024, the meeting entitled “Gaia Blu: an infrastructure at the service of the marine scientific community” was held at the Marconi room of the CNR Centrale, dedicated entirely to the new research ship of the CNR. During the day there were numerous speeches to present in details the new outfitting of the ship, the on-board instrumentation, the first campaigns conducted in the Mediterranean, and also the research perspectives and management structure. The Director of the Department of Earth System Sciences and Technologies for the Environment (DSTTA), Fabio Trincardi, retraced the main stages of the preparation of the Gaia Blu ship, a real technological jewel, that once was the FALKOR vessel ship of the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI). The changes implemented make the Blue Gaia a ship suitable for operating in ocean waters. During the first “Jamme Gaia“ cruise, a survey comparable to one of about twenty years earlier was carried out by researchers and technologists of the Neapolitan CNR which will allow to evaluate the evolution of the instrumentation on a technological level and the evolution of the seabed under the pressure of natural processes, near the Gulf of Naples. While the campaign “PIONEER: Processes in the IONian Sea: Exploring, Experimenting, Researching” was dedicated to the Ionian Sea and allowed to test the on-board instrumentation; details of the numerous tests will soon be available on a page dedicated to the ship. Space was given to the problem of acquiring new instrumentation, and in particular of a Remotely Operated Vehicle- ROV, for which a careful evaluation is required; and on the importance, necessity, opportunity and also, of course, the complexity of third-party management of the ship The meeting was also an opportunity to explicitate the actual need to have other smaller ships to recreate the CNR’s naval fleet; the economic considerations and the comparison with otherEuropean Research Centers dedicated to the sea were punctually discussed by Andrea Miccoli, of CNR-IRBIM. Also for CNR-IRBIM, colleagues Andrea Berardinelli and Emilio Notti are involved in the activities of Gaia Blu. The speeches and participation in the day showed that all the researchers involved in the activities of the Gaia Blu ship have carried out a crucial service for the growth of the Institution with great generosity. Finally, it was announced that the selection of applications opened in December for the working groups had been concluded, with a total of 38 applications received and the formation of the following groups: 1. Management of the ship access process, 2. Logistics and Investments, 3. Data management, 4. Communication and outreach. Here you can download the program of the entire day.

The Department of Earth System Sciences and Environmental Technologies held its conference on December 12th, at the conference hall of CNR Headquarter. In the presence of over 300 researchers and as many colleagues present remotely, the Director Fabio Trincardi presented the missions and research lines of the various institutes affiliated to the Department, highlighting their scientific value and the strong impact they have, have had and, above all, must strongly maintain in the creation of scientific knowledge, in the transfer to civil society and in the impact on decision-making policies. The day was very intense: rich in scientific contents, reports and research results, accompanied by considerations on their economic value. There were also suggestions from experts on scientific hypotheses for the near future. For CNR-IRBIM, Enrico Arneri presented the National Program for Fishery Data Collection, which was created in response to a legislative requirement. He quantified its economic impact and suggested improvements. The discussion turned to the impact that the PNRR-National Recovery and Resilience Plan has had on the creation of new national centers, including the NBFC – National Biodiversity Future Centre, in which the CNR-IRBIM is involved as Spoke 2 leader, the Biodiversity Gateway, Itineris –the Italian Integrated Environmental Research Infrastructures System, for enhancing the research infrastructures. The session dedicated to the 10 Working Groups was highly dynamic, with brief presentations of the cross-cutting, multidisciplinary, and innovative research activities of the groups. Those groups were often created around urgent environmental issues, from drought to the carbon cycle, from paleoclimate to planetary geosciences. The CNR President, Prof. Maria Chiara Carrozza, then spoke about the CNR relaunch plan in terms of the ERC-European Research Council disciplinary sectors and about its perspectives. The “Project Coordination and International Dimension” and “Keynote” sessions were combined, with presentations from CNR researchers who have been involved in significant experiences abroad, foreign researchers who have been hosted by the CNR, and important cutting-edge research topics on Earth, Fire, Water and Climate. The day was closed by Director Trincardi, who defended the Department’s work, citing its scientific importance and the quality of its research, demonstrated by an extraordinarily rich day in terms of content. In-depth information, full program and materials on the dedicated page of the departmental conference.