Descrizione del progetto
Sorgenti sottomarine in ambienti carsici
Lo scarico delle acque sotterranee sottomarine immette sostanze nutritive nelle aree costiere, influendo sui sistemi ecologici. Nei contesti carsici, gli scarichi delle acque sotterranee sottomarine derivano dalle sorgenti sottomarine, che sono difficili da localizzare ma che possono essere individuate attraverso le variazioni della superficie marina in aree molto poco profonde. Il progetto KARST, finanziato dall’UE, individuerà e caratterizzerà la distribuzione delle sorgenti sottomarine e la loro influenza sugli ecosistemi negli ambienti carsici. In aree costiere di profondità inferiore a 5 metri, velivoli telecomandati acquisiranno immagini e contemporaneamente metteranno in relazione gli habitat biologici alle anomalie della superficie marina in materia di sorgenti sottomarine. Un sistema geoelettrico di nuova concezione sarà abbinato a tecniche per immagini a fasci multipli al fine di esaminare il comportamento fisico della colonna d’acqua e la distribuzione della fanerogama intorno alle sorgenti situate più in profondità.
Obiettivo
Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is the flow of fresh or recirculated groundwater into the ocean. This process introduces substantial amounts of nutrients to coastal areas, which significantly influences ecological systems. In karstic settings SGD dominantly occurs from submarine springs that manifest as point source discharge sites. Their identification generally relies on sea-surface changes (e.g. visual sea-surface anomalies or changes in sea-surface temperature) and is therefore confined to shallow areas with high discharge rates. As a result the distribution of offshore freshwater springs in karstic environments, which is crucial for determining the architecture and dissemination of offshore groundwater systems, is usually poorly constrained. Similarly, the negative effects of groundwater springs on seagrass diversity and biomass have been investigated at individual springs but have not been characterised over larger areas. This proposal focuses on the identification, characterisation and distribution of submarine springs and their influence on local ecosystems in karstic environments. KARST will make use of state of the art geophysical and remote sensing techniques for optimal imaging at various depths. In the shallow coastal areas (<~5 m), unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with multispectral and thermal infrared cameras will be used to simultaneously image and correlate biological habitats and sea-surface anomalies related to submarine springs. In deeper areas, a newly developed geoelectric system from the University of Kiel in combination with multibeam water column imaging techniques will provide insight into the physical behaviour of the water column as well as salinity and seagrass distribution around springs. All techniques will be guided by biological sampling and flow rate measurements, which will not only help to determine the ecological effects of SGD but will also provide valuable knowledge on the architecture of karstic groundwater systems.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmarine biology
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsoptical sensors
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringremote sensing
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticsautonomous robotsdrones
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF-EF-RI - RI – Reintegration panelCoordinatore
2080 MSIDA
Malta