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Abstract: One of the obstacles to detecting regional trends in jellyfish populations is the lack of a defined baseline. In the Adriatic Sea, the jellyfish fauna (Scyphozoa and Ctenophora) is poorly studied compared to other taxa. Therefore, our goal was to collect and systematize all available data and provide a baseline for future studies. Here we present phenological data and relative abundances of jellyfish based on 2010–2019 scientific surveys and a “citizen science” sighting program along the eastern Adriatic. Inter-annual variability, seasonality and spatial distribution patterns of Scyphomedusae and Ctenophore species were described and compared with existing historical literature. Mass occurrences with a clear seasonal pattern and related to the geographical location were observed for meroplanktonic Scyphomedusae Aurelia solida, Rhizostoma pulmo, and to a lesser extent Chrysaora hysoscella, Cotylorhiza tuberculata and Discomedusa lobata. Holoplanktonic Pelagia noctiluca also formed large aggregations, which were seasonally less predictable and restricted to the central and southern Adriatic. Four species of Ctenophora produced blooms limited to a few areas: Bolinopsis vitrea, Leucothea multicornis, Cestum veneris and the non-native Mnemiopsis leidyi. However, differences between Adriatic subregions have become less pronounced since 2014. Our results suggest that gelatinous organisms are assuming an increasingly important role in the Adriatic ecosystem, which may alter the balance of the food web and lead to harmful and undesirable effects.
Keywords: jellyfish phenology, hydrobiology, long-term changes, Mediterranean Sea
Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 285; Downloads: 191
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Abstract: Abstract Although small in size, the Gulf of Trieste (GoT), a marginal coastal basin in the northern Adriatic Sea, is characterized by very complex dynamics and strong variability of its oceanographic conditions. In April–May 2012, a persistent, large-scale anticyclonic eddy was observed in the GoT. This event was captured by both High Frequency Radar (HFR) and Lagrangian drifter observations collected within the European MED TOSCA (Tracking Oil Spill and Coastal Awareness) project. The complexity of the system and the variety of forcing factors constitute major challenges from a numerical modeling perspective when it comes to simulating the observed features. In this study, we implemented a high-resolution hydrodynamic model in an attempt to reproduce and analyze the observed basin-wide eddy structure and determine its drivers. We adopted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model (MITgcm), tailored for the GoT, nested into a large-scale simulation of the Adriatic Sea and driven by a tidal model, measured river freshwater discharge data and surface atmospheric forcing. Numerical results were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated against HFR surface current maps, Lagrangian drifter trajectories and thermohaline data, showing good skills in reproducing the general circulation, but failing in accurately tracking the drifters. Model sensitivity to different forcing factors (wind, river and tides) was also assessed.
Keywords: Adriatic Sea, surface circulation, HF coastal radars, Lagrangian drifters, wind-driven currents, ocean circulation models
Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 282; Downloads: 204
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Abstract: Water scarcity is one of the greatest threats for human survival and quality of life, and this is increasingly contributing to the risk of human, animal and plant infections due to waterborne viruses. Viruses are transmitted through polluted water, where they can survive and cause infections even at low concentrations. Plant viruses from the genus Tobamovirus are highly mechanically transmissible, and cause considerable damage to important crops, such as tomato. The release of infective tobamoviruses into environmental waters has been reported, with the consequent risk for arid regions, where these waters are used for irrigation. Virus inactivation in water is thus very important and cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is emerging in this field as an efficient, safe, and sustainable alternative to classic waterborne virus inactivation methods. In the present study we evaluated CAP-mediated inactivation of pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) in water samples. PMMoV is a very resilient water-transmissible tobamovirus that can survive transit through the human digestive tract. The efficiency of PMMoV inactivation was characterized for infectivity and virion integrity, and at the genome level, using test plant infectivity assays, transmission electron microscopy, and molecular methods, respectively. Additionally, the safety of CAP treatment was determined by testing the cytotoxic and genotoxic properties of CAP-treated water on the HepG2 cell line. 5-min treatment with CAP was sufficient to inactivate PMMoV without introducing any cytotoxic or genotoxic effects in the in-vitro cell model system. These data on inactivation of such stable waterborne virus, PMMoV, will encourage further examination of CAP as an alternative for treatment of potable and irrigation waters, and even for other water sources, with emphasis on inactivation of various viruses including enteric viruses.
Keywords: enteric viruses, pepper mild mottle virus, virus inactivation, water decontamination, cold atmospheric plasma
Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 270; Downloads: 179
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Abstract: The global decline of brown algal forests along rocky coasts is causing an exceptional biodiversity loss. Regardless of conservation efforts, different techniques have been developed for large-scale restoration strategies in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study we tested ex situ pilot restoration of Gongolaria barbata (=Treptacantha barbata) for the first time in Slovenian coastal waters. Healthy apical fronds of the species were collected and the development of recruits on clay tiles was followed under laboratory conditions for 20 days. Despite the experimental difficulties experienced, especially due to the lack of antibiotics to prevent the growth of the biofilm, G. barbata recruits were outplanted in the sea on two concrete plates with 48 tiles each, protected by purpose-built cages to avoid grazing by herbivorous fish. The high survival rate of juveniles after four months in the field (89% of the tiles on the plate that was constantly protected) suggests that outplanting G. barbata is an operable approach for restoration efforts in the northern Adriatic Sea. Our first experiment in Slovenian coastal waters provides new information for the optimization of the best practices during the laboratory cultivation and addresses the early steps of restoration and introduction of young thalli in the natural environment.
Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 259; Downloads: 181
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Abstract: This study investigates the potential of ensemble forecasting using full realistic high-resolution nested atmosphere–ocean models for the prediction of meteotsunamis in Ciutadella (Menorca, Spain). The sensitivity of model results to the parameterizations of the atmospheric model is assessed considering the ten most significant recent meteotsunami events for which observations are available. Different schemes adapted to high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations were used for the representation of cumulus, microphysics, planetary boundary layer and longwave and shortwave radiations. Results indicate a large spread of the ensemble simulations in terms of the final magnitude of the meteotsunamis. While the modeling system is shown to be able to realistically trigger tsunamigenic atmospheric disturbances in more than 90% of the situations, the small-scale characteristics of these disturbances are significantly modified with the change of parameterizations, leading to significant differences in the magnitude of the simulated sea-level response. No preferred set of parameterizations can be identified that leads to either the largest or the most realistic magnitudes in the majority of situations. Instead, the performance of a given set of parameterizations is found to change with the meteotsunami event under consideration. Importantly, the observed magnitude of the extreme sea-level oscillations lies within the range of a nine-member ensemble in 70% of the cases. This ensemble approach would then allow to generate a realistic range of possibilities in the majority of events, thus improving the realism of meteotsunami predictions compared to single deterministic forecasts.
Keywords: meteotsunamis prediction, atmosphere, ocean modeling, ensemble forecasting, atmospheric model parameterizations
Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 258; Downloads: 182
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