Search results for " MEDITERRANEAN SEA"

Pincìpi e naufragi: alcune critiche alla nuova filosofia per il diritto internazionale di Ronald Dworkin e il caso emblematico delle politiche in att…

2022

This contribution critically analyzes Ronald Dworkin's New Philosophy for International Law, by underlying how, his theory of law as interpretation, if transposed to the level of the relations between states, more clearly shows some weaknesses which are mainly connected with the ideality of its fundamental assumptions. After having introduced the fundamental aspects of Dworkin's reflection on international law, the specific contents of the particular principles - of mitigation and salience - that Dworkin places at the basis of his vision of international law are critically analyzed in the face of the prerogatives of contemporary national sovereignty and in relation to the structural limits …

Evenness, biodiversity, and ecosystem function of intertidal communities along the Italian coasts: Experimental short-term response to ambient and ex…

2023

Biodiversity can promote ecosystem functioning in both terrestrial and marine environments, emphasizing the neces- sity ofbiodiversity conservation in order to preserve critical ecosystem functions and associated services. However, the role of biodiversity in buffering ecosystem functioning under extreme events caused by climate change remains a major scientific issue, especially for intertidal systems experiencing stressors from both terrestrial and marine drivers. We performed a regional-scale field experiment along the Italian coast to investigate the response of unmanipulated intertidal communities (by using a natural biodiversity gradient) to low tide aerial exposure to both ambient an…

Nitrogen stable isotopes as tracers of biodeposition from a tuna farm in the Western Mediterranean

2007

Sea level rise in the Mediterranean Sea: High resolution constraints from vermetid reefs

2009

The Mediterranean Sea (MS), is extremely sensitive to rising sea-levels (SL) as attested by drowned archeological remains from the Roman Period [2]. Due to the absence of coral reefs, evidence for recent and Holocene SL change has so far mainly been restricted to coastal cores [1] archeological remains [2] and submerged speleothem deposits. Vermetid reefs are an extremely sensitive high resolution carbonate archive [3,4] and they are mainly formed in the lower intertidal zone by gregarious and sessile gastropods belonging to the genus Dendropoma (family Vermetidae). Since their interval of growth is restricted to the tidal zone, they can be used as precise SL proxies (about ±0.1 m in low ra…

Temporal dynamic of biofilms enhances the settlement of the central-Mediterranean reef-builder Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi, 1859).

2021

Abstract Research on marine invertebrate settlement provides baseline knowledge for restoration technique implementation, especially for biogenic engineers with limited dispersion ability. Previously, we determined that the maturity of a biofilm strongly enhances the settlement of the vermetid reef-builder Dendropoma cristatum. To elucidate settlement-related biofilm features, here we analyse the structure and composition of marine biofilms over time, through microscopic observations, eukaryotic and prokaryotic fingerprinting analyses and 16S rDNA Illumina sequencing. The vermetid settlement temporal increase matched with the higher biofilm coverage on the substratum and the reduction of th…

Metallic nanoparticle enrichment at low temperature, shallow CO2 seeps in Southern Italy

2012

We report on metal enrichment along a natural pH gradient owing to increased CO2 degassing at cold, shallow seeps of Vulcano Island in the Mediterranean Sea, off Sicily. We assessed composition of unfiltered and filtered seawater (<100 nm) along acidic zones ranging between ambient and pH 5, and showed that most seep derived elements are present as nanoclusters which then aggregate into larger colloids while mixing with ambient seawater along a pH gradient. Size and elemental composition of such naturally occurring nanoparticles assessed by modern characterisation methods were in good agreement with the results from conventional analytical methods. We provide analytical evidence for the pre…

HIGH-RESOLUTION PALAEONVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTION OF ODP HOLE 963D (SICILY CHANNEL) DURING THE LAST DEGLACIATION BASED ON CALCAREOUS NANNOFOSSILS

2004

Abstract A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 963D (Sicily Channel) has been obtained on the basis of quantitative abundance fluctuations in the calcareous nannofossil assemblages. The studied hole is characterized by a very high sedimentary resolution and covers the last ca. 20 kyr. A new palaeoclimatic curve, based on the Gephyrocapsa muellerae/Upper Photic Zone (UPZ) group ratio, permitted the detection of the rapid climatic fluctuations that characterized the last deglaciation. Cold water masses occupied the Sicily Channel during the glacial period and the Younger Dryas, whereas they were generally warm during the Bolling–Allerod and the Holocene. An…

Growth and reproduction data of Plesionika narval (Decapoda, Caridea, Pandalidae) off the Island of Ustica (southern Tyrrhenian Sea)

2011

[We here report some data on the biology and population structure of Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787) captured along the coast of the island of Ustica in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Specimens were collected monthly from January to October 2000 using commercial traps at depths ranging from 15 to 100 metres. The carapace length (CL) of females ranged between 7.0 and 26.0 mm, and between 7.0 and 17.0 mm for males. Three modes were identified in the cumulative frequency distribution for females but only two for males. In females, the third modal value was observed only at the deeper sample sites. The Von Bertalanffy growth parameters and performance index p were K = 0.65 y–1, CL∞ = 27.4 mm …

An updated checklist of Recent ostracods (Crustacea: Ostracoda) from inland waters of Sicily and adjacent small islands with notes on their distribut…

2020

Because of its position in the middle of the Mediterranea Sea and a complex geological history that has promoted repeated waves of biological colonization, Sicily (Southern Italy) is of particular interest from a biogeographical perspective. A number of previous investigations, dating back as far as the end of the 19th century, have contributed to gather information about the occurrence of Recent non-marine ostracods in Sicily, making this region one of the most intensively studied areas of the Central Mediterranean. Published data on ostracod distributions have been integrated through an extensive field survey on mainland Sicily and surrounding small islands and archipelagos. Altogether, 2…

Boat traffic in Lampedusa waters (Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea) and its relation to the coastal distribution of common bottlenose dolphin (Tur…

2010

The volume of boat traffic and its potential connection to the coastal distribution of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was evaluated off Lampedusa Island (Strait of Sicily). From July to September 2006 daily surveys were carried out at eight sites along the coast, three times a day, to assess the number, type, and size of boats moving, fishing, or stationed in Lampedusa waters. The study area was divided into four geographic areas: northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast. Data were analyzed to determine the difference in the number of boats among the areas, sampling months, and times of day. The presence of dolphins was monitored by standardized land-based observat…