Based on Internet of Underwater Things technology (IoUT) for data transmission, the observatory includes five stations, one in the bay of Santa Teresa (green), two in the shellfish farming area (red) and two in the Regional Natural Park of Porto Venere (blue) (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Stations of the Smart Bay Santa Teresa underwater observatory and their connection with EU infrastructures (eLTER and JERICO).

The observatory is divided into three subsystems to ensure optimal data transmission management: Santa Teresa, Porto Venere and Tinetto. All subsystems are equipped with underwater acoustic modems (nodes) for data transmission, equipped with a temperature sensor and high-precision probes for acquiring physical and chemical parameters:

• N° 2 ProOceanus CO2-Pro CV sensor measuring the partial pressure of CO2 gas dissolved in water using infrared detection; this sensor is ideal for carbon capture storage monitoring and deep ocean CO2 fluxes;
• N° 4 YSI EXO 2 model multiparametric probes providing real-time data on water quality by measuring: temperatures, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and Chlorophyll;
• N° 5 Z-Pulse Doppler current meters, single-point current sensors, based on the backscatter acoustic Doppler principle, for measuring current speed and direction in the sea;
• N° 1 SeaBird SBE19plus V2 CTD multiparametric probe with oxygen sensors SBE43 and SBE63 and added Optode optical sensor for oxygen measurement, which will provide vertical profiles on the water column with measurements of temperatures, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and Chlorophyll. It is also used to calibrate sensors that remain fixed at sea. Optode is designed to measure absolute oxygen concentration and % saturation and is based on the ability of selected substances to act as dynamic fluorescence quenchers;
• N° 1 Noretk AWAC ADCP, measuring direction and speed current profiles along the water column;
• N° 2 Seabird SeaPhOx, SBE37-SMP- ODO multiparametric probes with SeaFET sensor for pH measurements, which will provide measurements on sea water temperatures, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and Chlorophyll;
• N° 1 GUARD-ONE, image acquiring autonomous system that will provide underwater images from the shellfish farming.

Santa Teresa system (Figure 2) is located within the Gulf of La Spezia, between 3 and 10 metres of depth. Comprising 10 data transmission nodes, it is the most complex system of the observatory and includes one station inside Santa Teresa Bay and two stations within the shellfish farming, inside the dam. All 10 nodes are equipped with a temperature sensor, six of of them are connected to high-precision probes for the acquisition of parameters such as temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll, turbidity, pH and current. One node is equipped with a pCO2 sensor. Specifically, the stations S6 and S10, S02 and S09 are located in the shellfish farming area, whereas S05 and S07 are deployed in Santa Teresa Bay. The probes acquire data once per hour and, thanks to the network of nodes, they are acoustically transmitted to the GSM modem (Gateway). The gateway receives the marine data through a hydrophone (S00, Figure 2) and it is kept in the Cooperativa di Mitilicoltori Associati (Mussel Farmers’ Cooperative).

Figure 2. Santa Teresa system: transmission nodes (10), high-precision probes (8) with related acquired parameters, and gateway with hydrophone.

The Porto Venere system (Figure 3), deployed between 2.5 and 7 metres of depth, consists of three data transmission nodes (P01-P03), each one equipped with a temperature sensor. Specifically, two nodes (P01 and P03) are equipped with high precision probes acquiring: temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll, turbidity and pH. Node P01 is located in the shellfish farming area towards Palmaria Island, whereas node P03, equipped with a current meter acquiring surface current speed and direction, is located at Porto Venere, near the gateway. The probes acquire data once per hour and, thanks to the network of nodes, they are acoustically transmitted to gateway (P00, Figure 3), kept in Porto Venere.

Figure 3. Porto Venere system: transmission nodes (3), high-precision probes (3) with related acquired parameters, and gateway with hydrophone.

The Tinetto system (Figure 4), deployed  between 8 and 22 metres of depth, represents the “blank” of the observatory, as it is located in the Porto Venere Regional Natural Park, outside the Gulf. This subsystem consists of two components: one on land, located on Tino island (fully protected site) and equipped with a gateway and hydrophone (T00), and the other one at sea, positioned on the buoy of the marine protected area (T01). T01 is equipped with high precision probes acquiring: temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll, turbidity, pH and pCO2. This system is also provided with a profiler (ADCP) measuring the speed and direction of the current through the water column. The probes acquire data once per hour and, thanks to the network of nodes, they are acoustically transmitted to gateway (T00, Figure 4), powered by a solar panel.

Figure 4. Tinetto system: transmission node (1), high-precision probes (3) with related acquired parameters and gateway with hydrophone.

Smart Bay Santa Teresa underwater observatory is part of European research infrastructures and networks. Specifically, all the observatory’s systems are included among the services of the EMBRC (European Marine Biological Resource Centre) infrastructure, which is present in the area with the ENEA Marine Environment Research Centre in Santa Teresa. The Porto Venere and Tinetto systems are part of the Eastern Ligurian Sea site of the eLTER network, and the Tinetto system alone will contribute to the JERICO infrastructure, together with the smart observatory developed by the CNR (SmartOb) as part of the PNRR ITINERIS “Empowering Italy’s Environmental Future” project. All acquired data are available on data centres with CC-BY licence according to EU Policy on Open Data.

The data acquired through Smart Bay Santa Teresa underwater observatory are analytically validated. Seawater samples are collected monthly through campaigns conducted by ENEA and carbonate systems, oxygen, chlorophyll and nutrients are analysed via instrumentation empowered through EMBRC-UP and ITINERIS PNRR programmes.

Smart Bay Santa Teresa underwater observatory represent a centre of excellence for marine environmental monitoring in the Mediterranean. Thanks to its integration into the European research networks EMBRC, eLTER and JERICO, the data collected contributes to our understanding of climate change and the protection of marine biodiversity, providing valuable information for the sustainable management of marine resources.

Observatory’s data in the form of tables and graphs, are available at the following sections:

Tables

Temperature

Chlorophyll

Turbidity

Credits: Smart Bay Underwater Observatory management and drawings: Andrea Bordone (ENEA)

Realised in the unique setting of the Scuola di Mare in the heart of the Bay of Lerici, the project alternates thematic workshops, sensorial explorations, boat tours, moments of dialogue, listening and conviviality, as well as role-playing and meditation sessions, between sky, earth and sea; an immersive experience in the sign of a regenerative approach to the man-nature relationship that values the respectful use of resources as an act of care and a renewed ethics of inhabiting the world oriented towards sustainability.

The project is conceived and organised within Smart Bay Santa Teresa, the first Italian cooperative platform aiming at building a Nature – human ecosystem model to contrast the effects of climate, promoted by ENEA in collaboration with Scuola di Mare Santa Teresa, CNR, INGV, the Municipality of Lerici and Cooperativa Mitilicoltori Associati.

MIMESIS is part of the Biodiversity Gateway of the National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC) and realised in collaboration with the theatre company Dynamis, the LTER Network – a national network for long-term ecological research – and the European Institute of Positive Psychology (IEPP).

Teaching staff includes terrestrial and marine ecologists, psychologists, philosophers, theatre teachers, role-playing experts and sea practitioners, a multidisciplinary team with proven experience from research institutions, training organisations and nationally accredited associations.

To register for the course, you must fill in the online form available at the following link no later than 31st of July 2025. The outcome of the selection will be communicated by email by the Scuola di Mare by 10th of August 2025, together with instructions for the payment of the participation fee.

Information at a glance: Check-in: on Thursday 28 from 18:30 – Check-out: on Sunday 31 from 16:00, Participation fee: € 300 (including membership fee, meals and lodging), Location: Scuola di Mare, Baia di S. Teresa – Lerici (SP), Via Santa Teresa scn 19032 Lerici (SP), Registration: Online form to be submitted by 1 July 2025, Full course description and programme, For further information: info@scuoladimare.com; Tel.: +39 348 8183008, Scuola di Mare website

]]> https://smartbaysteresa.com/en/the-oyster-project-2024-mussels-and-oysters-for-bay-regeneration/ Thu, 08 Aug 2024 14:45:09 +0000 https://smartbaysteresa.com/?p=2083 From June to early August 2024, Smart Bay S. Teresa hosted the children and teens from WWF Travels campus, organized by Verdeacqua and Scuola di Mare, who spent 7 weeks to discovering the underwater wonders of the bay.

These young citizens contributed to the regeneration of S. Teresa Bay by actively taking part to The Oyster Project, under the guidance of Sofia Lorenzini (a master’s student at the University of Milan Bicocca and ENEA) who introduced them to the importance of ‘regeneration’ actions of a ‘stressed’ marine environment such as the bay. Sofia, together with educators from Verdeacqua and Scuola di Mare, guided the children and teens in the creation of natural structures (pillows) made of hemp nets (provided by Reeco) filled with shells of the concave oyster (Magallana gigas), locally grown by the Cooperative of Associated Mussel Farmers. These pillows were then placed on the bottom of the bay by the young citizens during snorkeling activities, thus making three-dimensional substrates available for the colonization of benthic organisms (mollusks, worms, bryozoans, algae,..).

This ‘citizen’s science’ project-  carried out by Smart Bay S. Teresa for three years- is relevant for three main reasons: 1) Implementing the ecosystem services provided by marine ecosystems for the bay by favoring their regeneration; 2) Adopting ‘circular’ solutions with the reuse of waste from shellfish farming and the textile industry, reducing disposal costs, CO2 emissions associated with disposal, and employing waste shells in their natural environment, the sea; 3) Making citizens and producers active actors of a major changing process, with Nature regeneration as key factor for sustainability in marine environment. Last but not least, The Oyster Project is part of a much broader regenerative pathway that will affects the entire Gulf and involving, in the long run, the knowledge, protection and restoration of flat oyster ‘beds’ (Ostrea edulis), a native species present in the Gulf since the late 1800s but highly threaten by direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts.

Among the different species of oysters, Ostrea edulis, known as the flat oyster (Figure 1), is a native species of Europe originally building extensive beds along the continent coastline and playing a crucial role in the economies of coastal populations and in maintaining the richness of marine ecosystems. Nowadays, the species is highly endangered and at risk of extinction according to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Northeast Atlantic (OSPAR). Thus, actions aimed a its restoration and repopulation are becoming a priority.

Figure 1. Ostrea edulis shells

The flat oyster in the Gulf of La Spezia has been reported from late 1800s, however, strong direct anthropogenic impacts, such as coastal urbanization, the development of military and commercial harbor, the subsequent pollution of water and seabed, together with indirect impacts, such as the loss of marine habitats, substrate depletion and modification, altered sedimentation rates, and climate change, have all severely threaten O. edulis local population. Nonetheless, O. edulis is still present in some areas of the Gulf of La Spezia, including harbor sites, where can be found growing on ropes, submerged metal objects (chains, anchors), piers and artificial structures. The changes of the seafloor (i.e., muddy bottoms) are such that the flat oyster is not able to settle and grow forming ‘oyster beds’, but the persistence of the species despite the impacts is a sign of the resilience of the local population.

Within the context of PNRR RAISE project (Ecosystem of Innovation for Liguria Region, National Program for Research and Resilience), an activity on the regeneration of port areas through circular approaches and nature-based solutions (NBS) has been designed by ENEA, together with the Cooperativa di Mitilicoltori Associati, IMC Foundation and the PhD program in Marine Sciences and Management at the University of Milano Bicocca. This activity will aim at regenerating St. Teresa Bay through ecosystem restoration, including O. edulis beds.

Launched during the Oyster Fest held May 10-12 in La Spezia, the activity will be carried out by two PhD and a master students (University of Milan Bicocca and the University of Bologna). At present, structures for catching the oyster larvae – consisting on ‘Chinese hats’ (Figure 2A) and oyster shells positioned in nets made of natural fibers such as hemp (Figure 2B)(provided by Reeco) – are in preparation. They will be positioned in 3 sites within the Gulf and monitored over 12 months to check the settlement and the growth of oysters.

A                                                                         B

Figure 2. Larvae catchers- Chinese hat (A) and hemp nets with oyster shells (B)

In addition, growth and metabolic measurements (respiration and calcification) of individuals of O. edulis characterizing the resident population of the Gulf (Figure 3) will be performed in order to monitor their health status through time. The biological measurements will be coupled with environmental monitoring – through Smart Bay S. Teresa empowered observatory – that will include high resolution physico chemical data acquisition and transmission from seven stations and that will be fully deployed in the coming months (funding: PNRR-RI EMBRC-UP).

Figure 3. Individuals of Ostrea edulis population positioned in the ‘oyster lantern’ used for oyster rearing

Written by: Erica Gabrielli and Sofia Lorenzini

Figura 1. Ellisolandia elongata and Mytilus galloprovincialis. Picture: S. Scarpa.

The coralline algae is wide spread in S. Teresa bay, growing on the artificial reef, on the floating pontoon and on natural rocks. Being one of the dominant marine ecosystems of the tidal belt (0-50 cm), therefore in direct contact with the atmosphere, it provides important ecosystem services, including biodiversity promotion and climate regulation. But how much and how does this ecosystem contribute to the absorption and storage of CO2 helping us in the fight against climate change? Smart Bay S. Teresa, in collaboration with the Zoological Station of Naples (F. Ragazzola) and the University of Turin (M. Battuello) is carrying out a pilot study to quantify the metabolic responses (respiration, photosynthesis and calcification) of the ecosystem to E. elongata in environment (figure 2 A,B) to ultimately quantify the capacity of storage of CO2 from the fringe present in the bay.

Figure 2. In situ metabolism study chamber (CISME) during experiments in Santa Teresa Bay. A. Positioning of the ‘brain’ of CISME on the pier; B. ‘Head’ and incubation chamber at the bottom of the bay (1 m) during the measurement phases. Photo: S. Scarpa.

The project, a bachelor thesis by Sara Scarpa (University of Turin), is currently in progress and will allow to obtain preliminary and innovative in situ data on the metabolism of the ecosystem, thanks to the use of CISME owned by ENEA. These preliminary data are necessary for the launch of the long-term monitoring of E. elongata ecosystem to climate change mitigation in S. Teresa Bay.

News by: S. Scarpa, S. Lorenzini, E. Gabrielli

Sailing&Research4Seas is an example of common project linking sport- sailing- with research and technology with the overall aim to implement the acquisition of physics chemical data in the ocean across the world. Based on the collaboration between the sailor Giovanni Soldini and his Orca srl and Smart Bay S. Teresa, the high-tech core of the project is the multi-parametric monitoring system OceanPack – RACE, produced by subCtech. The system is installed on the trimaran Maserati Multi70, lead by Giovanni Soldini, and it acquires physics chemical data such as temperature, salinity, oxygen and pCO₂ (sampling depth: 1 m) along the route. Acquired data are validated and analyzed by Smart Bay Santa Teresa research institutes performing the data quality check by using in situ high resolution instruments and Smart Bay S. Teresa underwater monitoring network and analytic measurements.

S&R4Seas ultimate objectives are data sharing within the scientific community and the dissemination of the status of the occurring ocean change to the general public. Ocean protection starts from its monitoring and only the cooperation among sectors will allow to acquire BIG data and thus identifying sustainable solutions for the ocean and our future.

Figure. Intensity maps of temperature (°C), salinity (PSU) and CO₂ concentration (ppm) acquired along Maserati Multi70 route in June 2022. Sampling depth: 1m, number of measurement stations: 95970; sampling rate in operating conditions: 1 data every 10 s.

The marine science community is engaged in the exploration and monitoring of biodiversity dynamics, with a special interest for understanding the ecosystem functioning and for tracking the growing anthropogenic impacts. The accurate monitoring of marine ecosystems requires the development of innovative and effective technological solutions to allow the remote and continuous collection of data. To achieve this goal, novel technologies for the continuous monitoring of natural ecosystems are urgently needed and video-based observations are increasingly being considered among the most promising tools for a non-invasive environmental monitoring. Within this context, the GUARD1intelligent imaging device (European Patent EP 2863257 B1[1]) has been specifically conceived for long-term deployments as equipment of mobile platforms (e.g. AUV, USV, Argo Float, drifter buoys) as well as stand-alone and wired observatories (e.g. oceanographic moorings, landers, cabled observatories). The system has been developed in cooperation with OnAIR srl software company expert in AI-based solutions and co-owner, together with CNR, of the European Patent EP 2863257 B1 on which the GUARD1 imaging device is based and OEngeenirieng srl, licensed developer of the hardware components of the imaging device GUARD1.