Search results for " Central Mediterranean"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
La crisi dei migranti nel Mediterraneo Centrale: le operazioni Search and Rescue non sono un fattore di attrazione
2021
We present a synthesis of some results of our research on the migrant crisis along the Central Mediterranean Route. In the uncertain North-African geopolitical scenario, characterized by Libya’s instability, our results show that, contrary to common beliefs, the search and rescue operations (SARs) at sea are not a pull factor and do not contribute to increase the probability of dying at sea: SARs save the lives of migrants. The migrant flow originates from the structural conditions of the sending countries and is facilitated by the criminal networks, whose activity needs to be contrasted.
Silene crassiuscula (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from Sicily
2015
Silene crassiuscula,, a new species of S. sect. Dipterosperma, is described and illustrated from North-Western Sicily. It is an annual halophyte with succulent growing on carbonatic or calcarenitic rocks of coastal stands. From the morphological point of view , S. crassiuscula appears to be similar to the species belonging to the S. colorata group especially to S. nummica, from Sardinia, from which it differs in several features chiefly regarding the habit, leaves, inflorescences, floral pieces and seed micro-morphology. An analytical key of the taxa belonging to this section is also provided.
Nuovi dati biologici e geonemici su Lehmannia melitensis (Lessona & Pollonera, 1882) e Ambigolimax valentianus (A. Férussac, 1823) (Gastropoda: Limac…
2018
Nuovi dati biologici e geonemici sono riportati per Lehmannia melitensis (Lessona & Pollonera, 1882) e Ambigolimax valentianus (A. Férussac, 1823). In particolare, vengono fornite nuove località siciliane di L. melitensis mentre A. valentianus viene segnalato per la prima volta nelle isole italiane di Sardegna, Sicilia e Pantelleria e nell’isola maltese di Gozo. Le due specie, a volte simili nella morfologia esterna, si distinguono con certezza solo attraverso l’esame degli organi genitali. New records from Sicily are provided for Lehmannia melitensis (Lessona & Pollonera, 1882). Ambigolimax valentianus (A. Férussac, 1823) is recorded for the first time from the italian islands of S…
Recognition of water masses according to geochemical signatures in the Central Mediterranean sea: Y/Ho ratio and rare earth element behaviour
2007
This study reports the results of geochemical investigations carried out in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea) during the oceanographic cruise BANSIC 2000, focusing on the area around the Pantelleria Island. We evaluate the interface processes between dissolved phase and suspended particulate matter in the water columns on the basis of Y/Ho ratio and rare earth elements and yttrium distributions that are suitable to trace the occurrence of different water layers in Central Mediterranean Area. The main source of trace elements to the sea water system was recognized in the atmospheric fallout, while different scavenging mechanisms among Y and rare earth elements occur. Cation ex…
YTTRIUM AND REE SIGNATURE RECOGNIZED IN CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA (ODP SITE 963) DURING THE MIS 6 – MIS 5 TRANSITION
2010
The Mediterranean Sea acts as a miniature ocean with the development of its own conveyor belt. It constitutes an ideal location to study and forecast how the marine environment responds to rapid climatic change. Here we present a palaeoenvironmental study carried out on the sediments of ODP Site 963, recovered in the Sicily Channel, the sill which divides the western from the eastern Mediterranean basin. We focused on the transition between the penultimate glacial (MIS 6) and the last interglacial (MIS 5), between approximately 130 and 115 kyr BP. A novel approach is proposed, taking into account centennial-scale geochemical data on major elements, selected trace elements, and yttrium and R…
An integrated approach to investigate the seismotectonics of northern Sicily and southern Tyrrhenian
2009
Abstract This paper deals with a comparison among recent structure and seismicity in the hinge zone between northern Sicily and southern Tyrrhenian, corresponding to both emerged and submerged northern portion of the Maghrebian chain. This hinge zone is part of a wider W–E trending right-lateral shear zone, mainly characterized by both a synthetic NW-SE/W–E oriented, and antithetic left-lateral N–S/NE-SW fault systems, which has been affecting the tectonic edifice, since the Pliocene. The inland structures have been mapped using aerial-photo interpretation, geological mapping and mesostructural analysis to reconstruct the stress regime in the study area. On the contrary, the offshore struct…
Hinterland-Verging Thrusting in the Northern Sicily Continental Margin: Evidences for a Late Collisional Stage of the Sicilian Fold and Thrust Belt?
2018
The Sicilian Fold and Thrust Belt developed during Neogene-Quaternary times characterized by main African-wards tectonic transport direction. Recent investigations highlighted extensive hinterland-verging tectonic structures active during late Pliocene-Pleistocene time suggesting a late collisional stage of the Sicilian Fold and Thrust Belt that could be a precursor of a change in the subduction polarity in the central belt of Mediterranean.
Larval fish assemblages in the central Mediterranean Sea: spatio spatio-temporal dynamics and biological effect on early life stage of Sardinella aur…
Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy and Chronostratigraphy of ODP Hole 964D (eastern Mediterranean Sea)
2008
Quantitative analyses of calcareous nannofossil were carried out on sediments from ODP Hole 964D succession, recovered in the Ionian Sea, Eastern Mediterranean. Results show that the sedimentary sequence, spanning from about 3.5 Ma (Early Pliocene) to the Present, has been investigated through an average sampling resolution of less than 30 kyr. The detailed subdivision into 11 biozones makes it possible to recognize chronostratigraphic the boundaries in the Early Pliocene-Middle Pleistocene interval. Finally, two sedimentary gaps, lasting at least 340 kyr and 120 kyr respectively, have been recognized between the Zanclean and Piacenzian and in the lower part of the Early Pleistocene. SHORT …
Unlocking human trafficking and smuggling/trade networks between Libya and Italy
2016
The essay deals with the flux of migrants from Libya to Italy as put forward and organized by a network of criminal organizations. Their modus operandi is analyzed.