About the project

In a global scenario that is rapidly evolving because of climatic, economic and societal changes, marine coastal ecosystems play a fundamental role. In fact, the coastal zone hosts a large share of population (28% in Italy) with densities more than twice as high as the average. In spite of this level of anthropogenic pressure, they are crucial not only in assuring human well-being and in preserving biodiversity, but also because of the wide range of ecosystem services they provide, among which carbon sequestration and stocking are certainly the most relevant. This project aims at assessing blue carbon sequestration by the Italian Posidonia oceanica meadows, which can be regarded as the most important coastal marine ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea.

The first phase of the project has been aimed at retrieving and sharing relevant information, including not only what each partner already had at its disposal, but also what could be acquired through web portals (e.g Emodnet), scientific and grey literature. This has also included existing models that, when possible, have been adapted, recalibrated and tested on the basis of retrieved or newly acquired data. In fact, the main goal of the analysis of the existing information has been to define where field activities could better contribute to shape a broader picture of the processes to be studied. For instance, regions where data are scanty have been spotted, or sites where interactions between terrestrial and marine ecosystems were particularly tight.

In a second phase, once improved data sets have been available, a thorough biophysical and economic assessment of carbon sequestration and stocking has been carried out, leading to spatially explicit estimates over the whole Italian coastal zone. This process has been supported by mathematical models already developed by the partners and by other model, developed and improved where possible thanks to the newly acquired data. Machine Learning techniques played a pivotal role in our modeling, although other approaches have also been tested.

The final phase of the project has been devoted to planning dissemination, not only by means of scientific papers, but also through a this web site and through any interaction with a wide range of stakeholders in the framework of the so called third mission activities (e.g. seminars, short videos, round tables). As carbon sequestration and stocking are relevant to policy makers, policy briefs will be also issued to promote the outcomes of the project in the most effective way.

The partnership includes three Research Units with specific experience in Posidonia oceanica research and a strong background in marine ecology, modelling, and environmental accounting. With the only exception of some field activities, all the partners acted in close collaboration throughout the duration of the project, sharing data, methods and results.

The Research Units included:

• University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', prof. Michele Scardi (Principal Investigator) and dr. Chiara Roncato
• University of Naples 'Parthenope', prof. Pier Paolo Franzese, prof. Elvira Buonocore, dr. Umberto Grande
• University of Tuscia, dr. Simone Bonamano