Search results for "mediterranean sea."
showing 10 items of 830 documents
What are the effects of sea warming on the fishing industry?
2019
The paper analyses the impact of Mediterranean Sea warming on some species of small pelagic fish (pesce azzurro) in the Italian fishing industry. In particular, through a time series regression model, the research examines the productivity trend in physical terms of target species of small pelagic fish from 1950 to 2016, considering the Mediterranean Sea Surface Temperatures Anomalies as an indicator of sea warming, and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation index and the North Atlantic Oscillation index as proxies of climatic variability. The research results show an evident link between the reduction of fish availability and sea warming, with potential repercussions on the incomes of the e…
Estrazione e raffinazione dello zolfo e paesaggio nella Sicilia romana tra IV e VI d.C.
2016
Sulphur was important in several fields: military, tanning, wool’s disinfection and many other activities. Nevertheless, the largest quantity of sulphur was used in agriculture, particularly in viticulture as it was used to combat fungal diseases especially in wine production areas. Sicily, and in particular the area surrounding Agrigento, was the main site of sulphur extraction. This built strong relationships with Rome and other agricultural centres in the Mediterranean Sea. Very important among the historical sources and the archaeological evidence are the so called Tabulae sulphuris, concerning the sulphur exploitation at the Agrigento’s area. Recent finds and studies gave a new chronol…
Coccolithophora and geochemistry of sapropel S1 in ODP Hole 160-964B
2011
The cyclic development of anoxic conditions in the eastern Mediterranean deep sea waters is one of the most fascinating research topics in paleoceanographic studies. In combination with bottom water stagnation, enhanced primary production is a common explanation for the deposition of organic-rich layers (sapropels). This is supported by extensive evidence from both geochemical and micropaleontological studies. The correspondence of recent sapropel layers with peaks of the lower photic zone coccolithophore species Florisphaera profunda has been interpreted as a proxy for the development of a deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), due to the pycnocline/nutricline shallowing into the lower part of th…
Mediterranean Diplodus annularis (Teleostei: Sparidae) and its brain parasite: Unforeseen outcome
2005
Patterns of parasite load and aggregation of the bird trematode Cardiocephaloides longicollis in its main intermediate host in the Mediterranean, the annular sea bream, Diplodus annularis, were studied in a large sample collected off Valencia (Spain) and are discussed within the context of the parasite induced host mortality hypothesis. The metacercariae were located within large composite cysts of host origin in the ventricles of the optic lobes of the cerebrum. A weak immunological response was detected in older fish, which was significantly associated with the total parasite load. Although the mean abundance of C. longicollis showed a tendency to increase with host size, the infection le…
Measurement of the group velocity of light in sea water at the ANTARES site
2012
The group velocity of light has been measured at eight different wavelengths between 385 nm and 532 nm in the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of about 2.2 km with the ANTARES optical beacon systems. A parametrisation of the dependence of the refractive index on wavelength based on the salinity, pressure and temperature of the sea water at the ANTARES site is in good agreement with these measurements.
A member of the Tlr family is involved in dsRNA innate immune response in Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin
2015
Abstract The innate immune response involves proteins such as the membrane receptors of the Toll-like family (TLRs), which trigger different intracellular signalling pathways that are dependent on specific stimulating molecules. In sea urchins, TLR proteins are encoded by members of a large multigenic family composed of 60–250 genes in different species. Here, we report a newly identified mRNA sequence encoding a TLR protein (referred to as Pl-Tlr) isolated from Paracentrotus lividus immune cells. The partial protein sequence contained the conserved Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain, the transmembrane domain and part of the leucine repeats. Phylogenetic analysis of the Pl-Tlr protein was acco…
Local validation of MODIS sensor sea surface temperature on western Mediterranean shallow waters
2014
The sea surface temperature (SST) estimated from MODIS Aqua products (daytime and nighttime 11 μm and night 4 μm) has been correlated with field data taken at three depths (15, 50, 100 cm) in a Western Mediterranean coastal area. The comparison has allowed us to analyze the uncertainty in the estimation of this parameter in coastal waters using low spatial resolution satellite images. The results show that the daytime SST_11 μm product obtains fittest statistical values: RMSE (root mean square error) and r2 (Pearson’s correlation coefficient) of 1°C and 0.96, respectively, for 50 cm depth.
Competition among introduced and indigenous submerged macrophytes in a southern mediterranean shallow system
2011
In Termini Imerese H. stipulacea has been recorded inside artificial basins, located near the harbour, built arranging breakwater barriers along the coast in order to protect the coastal road. From July until the beginning of November the seagrass formed beds with cover values ranging from 70% to 80%, and it was in contact either with the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson (cover values of 20-25%) or the green alga Caulerpa prolifera (Forsskål) Lamouroux (cover values of 10-15%). H. stipulacea in good health conditions showed a clear competition strategy with C. nodosa as proved by registered cover values. But during natural denudations occurring in winter, C. racemosa var. cylindr…
Individual variation of persistent organic pollutants in relation to stable isotope ratios, sex, reproductive phase and oxidative status in Scopoli's…
2017
Abstract: Little is known about the accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and its consequences for seabirds in the Mediterranean basin. We characterised the plasma contaminant profile (polychlorinated biphenyls ΣPCBs; organochlorine pesticides ΣOCPs; polybrominated diphenyl ethers ΣPBDEs) of a population of the seabird Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) that breeds in the southern Mediterranean (Linosa Island) and investigated (i) whether sex, stable isotope ratios (related to diet), reproductive phase (early incubation vs. late breeding season) and body mass explained variation in contaminant burden and (ii) whether they predict health-related variables. The predomi…
An additional record of Kyphosus vaigiensis (QuoyGaimard, 1825) (Osteichthyes, Kyphosidae) from Sicily clarifies the confused situation of the Medite…
2015
The lowfin chub, Kyphosus vaigiensis, is reported for the first time off Favignana Island, Sicily, central Mediterranean Sea. The specimen was identified on the basis of morphometric and meristic characters as well as mitochondrial DNA sequences (COI and 16S-rDNA). Two, perhaps three, Kyphosus species - K. bigibbus, K. sectatrix and K. vaigiensis - have been occasionally recorded in the Mediterranean. These species occur both in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions but it is likely they entered the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. However, it is unclear whether they have established reproductive native populations in the Mediterranean.