Activities
OCTOBER 11th 2024: UNVERSITY OF MILANO-BICOCCA
Planet Week 2024
As part of Planet Week, a special day titled “Che clima che fa!” was held in the lab, featuring experiments that demonstrated how the climate functions and discussions on climate change. The session, led by Professor Daniela Basso along with a team of researchers and PhD students from the University of Milano-Bicocca, engaged a group of 8th-grade students. Their enthusiasm and curiosity made the day highly interactive and enjoyable, with students showing great interest and passion for this crucial topic.
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2024: HCMR, CRETE
Second Series of OACIS Experiments: Comparative Analysis of Commercial and Pure Slurry in Microcosms
The second series of experiments within the OACIS (Ocean Acidification and Climate Impact Study) project has successfully concluded, focusing on shorter, more targeted experiments conducted in microcosms. These experiments aimed to investigate the differences between commercial slurry and pure slurry under controlled conditions.
By utilizing microcosms—small, simplified ecosystems that replicate real-world marine environments—researchers were able to closely monitor the reactions and behavior of both types of slurry when exposed to environmental stressors. The comparative analysis of the two slurry treatments is critical for understanding how different formulations interact with marine systems, especially in the context of ocean acidification and potential climate mitigation strategies.
Led by Prof. Daniela Basso from the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy) and coordinated by Dr. Paraskevi Pitta of HCMR (Greece), the international research team was also composed by Eleonora Kratter Thaler and Selene Varliero from Politecnico di Milano, Pietro Bazzicaluppo from the University of Milano-Bicocca and Mena Romano of HCMR.
These experiments represent a key step in advancing the OACIS project’s mission to explore solutions for marine ecosystem resilience and the global climate challenge. Further detailed results and insights will be made available as the research progresses.
MARCH-MAY 2024: PORTO MIRABELLO, LA SPEZIA
Assessing the impact of Limenet Buffered Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement on marine biota
In 2024, two experiments were conducted at Porto Mirabello in La Spezia to assess the impact of Limenet technology on both planktonic and benthic communities. The experiments used mesocosms within a controlled greenhouse environment to simulate different concentrations of treated water. Each mesocosm held 1000 liters of seawater and was equipped with sensors to monitor key environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, and salinity. This setup allowed researchers to closely observe how various levels of Limenet-treated water affect marine ecosystems.
The team consisted of Professor Daniela Basso, Sara Groppelli, and Davide Calvi (University of Milano-Bicocca) for the biological aspect, Stefano Cappello (Limenet) for the logistical and organizational aspects, and Piero Macchi (Politecnico di Milano) and Federico Comazzi (Limenet) for the chemistry aspect.
This research marks the first step in understanding the balance between this new OAE technology and the health of marine ecosystems.
Stay tuned for updates on our results and for the next experiments!
JUNE 2023: HCMR, CRETE
Ocean liming in an oligotrophic sea
In the framework of the facility call "AlkalOcean: Is Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement an option for atmospheric CO2 reduction in the ultra-oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean? A mesocosm experimental approach" (funded by the AQUACOSM- plus Transnational Access (TA) program and by the OACIS initiative of Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco) the Ocean liming in an oligotrophic sea experiments took place.
In the context of OAE research, the OLIGOS (Ocean Liming in an OLIGOtrophic Sea) mesocosm experiment took place at the CRETACOSMOS facilities in Heraklion, on the northern coast of Crete, Greece. The experimental design includes 9 mesocosm tanks of about 3 m3 each, for testing the response of the natural eastern Mediterranean waters to two different treatments of Ca(OH)2 slurry (High and Low concentrations). The research investigates the response of the most relevant components at the basis of the trophic web, playing also a primary role in marine carbonate equilibria: DOM, plankton, with particular interest in calcareous primary producers (coccolithophores) and benthic calcareous primary producers (maerl collected from a local bed).
The OLIGOS experiment is performed by an international team led by Prof. Daniela Basso from the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy), and coordinated by Dr. Paraskevi Pitta, HCMR (Greece). The research team is composed of scientists from seven different countries, including three Italian Institutions (University of Milano-Bicocca, Politecnico di Milano and CNR-IBF in Pisa), the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Crete, Greece, the Marine Research Centre at the University of Vigo (CIM-Uvigo, Spain), the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - CSIC (Barcelona, Spain), CONICET-CESIMAR (Argentina), the Norwegian University for Science ad Technology - NTNU (Trondheim, Norway), MARBEC (Montpellier, France) and the University of Zagreb (Croatia).
Stay tuned for updates on our AlkalOcean-OLIGOS experiment!
OCTOBER 2022: CIM, VIGO
Impact of ocean liming on calcareous primary producers
In October 2022, an experiment to assess the effect of alkalinisation on the plankton community and calcareous algae (maerl) was conducted in the frame of the AQUACOSM-plus Transnational Access (TA) program. This experiment, named OLCAPP, was conducted at the Marine Research Centre at the University of Vigo (CIM-Uvigo). OLCAPP was led by Prof. Daniela Basso, from the University of Milano-Bicocca, in collaboration with three other researchers of her team, including Politecnico di Milano and CNR-IBF in Pisa (all of them funded by the TA program) and another 4 local researchers from the Marine Research Centre at the University of Vigo (CIM-Uvigo).
