Search results for "Mediterranean Sea."
showing 10 items of 830 documents
Assessment of Renewable Sources for the Energy Consumption in Malta in the Mediterranean Sea
2016
The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the energy production in the Maltese islands, focusing on the employment of renewable energies in order to increase their energy independence. The main renewable source here proposed is wave energy: thanks to a strategic position, Malta will be able to produce electrical energy using an innovative type of Wave Energy Converter (WEC) based on the prototype of a linear generator realized by University of Palermo. The use of this new technology will be able to cut down the electrical energy production from traditional power plants and, consequently, the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Wave energy source and off-shore photovoltaic (PV) technology are…
Evaluation of the optimal renewable electricity mix for Lampedusa island: The adoption of a technical and economical methodology
2020
Abstract Worldwide, the majority of small islands not connected to the main grid is still dependent on fossil fuels. From an economic and environmental point of view, this condition is no more sustainable given the high costs for electricity generation and the high level of pollutant emissions. Furthermore, the dependence on fossil fuel represents a risk for the security of the supply of several small developing Countries since they are obliged to import those resources from foreign Countries. The introduction of renewable energy sources in small islands represents a valid solution to solve these problems. In this context, the paper investigates the case of Lampedusa, a small Italian island…
264 a.C. Lo spazio conteso tra Roma e Cartagine
2018
Separated by an arm of the sea but brought closer by intense diplomatic relations, Rome, the city made up of a heterogeneous mix of peoples, and Carthage, founded by the Phoenicians, found themselves facing each other on the Strait of Messina. What was at stake was dominance over Sicily. The article traces the stages of the conquest of the island from 264 BC to 210 BC.
Genomic analysis and lineage identification of SARS-CoV-2 strains isolated from migrants travelling through the Libyan route
2021
Many African countries, representing the origin of the majority of refugees, asylum-seekers, and other migrants, toward regions bordering on the Mediterranean area, are experiencing sustained local transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Sicily is one of the main entry gates of migrants crossing into Europe. We conducted a pilot study, based on the full-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 strains isolated from migrants coming to Sicily by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, with the aim to investigate the viral genome polymorphism and to describe their genetic variations and the phylogenetic relationships. On June 21, a nongovernmental organization vessel rescu…
Submarine groundwater discharge investigations in Sicilian and Brazilian coastal waters using an underwater gamma-ray spectrometer
2006
Abstract Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in coastal zones was monitored using in situ underwater gamma-ray spectrometry of radon decay products ( 214 Bi). Several sites were visited during the IAEA'2002 expedition to south-eastern Sicily, where SGD variations were observed in the Donnalucata boat basin. The continuous monitoring carried out for 3 days at the site closest to the coast revealed an anticorrelation dependence of 222 Rn concentration with tide and salinity. The 222 Rn activity concentrations in seawater varied from 2.3 kBq m −3 (during high tides) to 4.8 kBq m −3 (during low tides). In situ gamma-ray spectrometric measurements were also carried out during the IAEA–UNESCO'2…
Heart beat rate adaptations to varying salinity of two intertidal Mediterranean bivalves: The invasiveBrachidontes pharaonisand the nativeMytilaster …
2011
Abstract Changes in heart beat rates (HBR) of Brachidontes pharaonis (an invasive Lessepsian species) and Mytilaster minimus (a native Mediterranean species) in response to changes in salinity values from brackish (20) to extreme hyper-saline (75) were investigated both in situ and in the laboratory. The two species displayed different responses to varying salinity, with clear differences in HBR observed between groups investigated at different salinities and between groups originating from different environments. The native species, adapted to narrow salinity changes as those observed in the superficial waters of the Mediterranean Sea, showed signs of stress at salinities slightly above 37…
Evidence of the Zanclean megaflood in the eastern Mediterranean Basin
2018
A. Micallef et. al.
Sulfur cycling and methanogenesis primarily drive microbial colonization of the highly sulfidic Urania deep hypersaline basin
2009
Urania basin in the deep Mediterranean Sea houses a lake that is >100 m deep, devoid of oxygen, 6 times more saline than seawater, and has very high levels of methane and particularly sulfide (up to 16 mM), making it among the most sulfidic water bodies on Earth. Along the depth profile there are 2 chemoclines, a steep one with the overlying oxic seawater, and another between anoxic brines of different density, where gradients of salinity, electron donors and acceptors occur. To identify and differentiate the microbes and processes contributing to the turnover of organic matter and sulfide along the water column, these chemoclines were sampled at a high resolution. Bacterial cell numbers…
Physiological stress indicators in the plasma of Scyliorhinus canicula captured by botto trawling at two depths.
2022
The quantification of capture-related physiological stress is an important factor when assessing the potential for post-release survival in sharks that are incidentally captured. In the absence of these biological data and when the post-release fate is unknown, effective management plans cannot be formulated and may lead to highly susceptible shark populations being overfished. Here, we measured the levels of lactate, glucose, alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), Ca2+, Na+ K+,Cl - Mg 2+ and Pi in the plasma of mature and immature lesser spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula, herein dogfish) which were incidentally captured at two depths (shallow: 50-200 m, an…
Submerged speleothems and sea level reconstructions: a global overview and new results from the Mediterranean Sea
2021
This study presents a global overview of the submerged speleothems used to reconstruct paleo sea levels and reports new results from two stalactites collected in the Mediterranean Sea. Coastal cave deposits significantly contributed to the understanding of global and regional sea-level variations during the Middle and Late Quaternary. The studied speleothems cover the last 1.4 Myr and focused mainly on Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 1, 2, 3, 5.1, 5.3, 5.5, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.5. The results indicate that submerged speleothems represent extraordinary archives that can provide detailed information on former sea-level changes. The two stalactites collected in the central Mediterranean Sea, at Fa…