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SNAPSHOT, Synoptic Assessment of Human Pressures on key Mediterranean Hot Spots
The main goal of the SNAPSHOT project, funded by the Department of Earth System Sciences and Environmental Technologies (CNR), is to evaluate the effects of the lockdown due to COVID19 pandemic on the coastal marine ecosystem.
SNAPSHOT and the Arno River
La!DOM has been involved in the project for its knowledge of the dynamics of dissolved organic matter, a parameter that can be strongly influenced by the reduction of tourists and by the stop of the productive activities during the lockdown.
La!DOM is engaged in sampling cruises in the Arno River, in its estuary and in the coastal area near to its mouth. The main goal of these cruises is to assess any change in water quality and in the functioning of the coastal marine ecosystem at the end of the 3-months lockdown and after the reopening of the productive activities.
The phases of the project
Nunzia is collecting the sample from the Arno River
The Arno in the time of the Coronavirus
Of great interest for the SNAPSHOT project is the Arno River, where we collected data on a weekly basis in 2014 and 2015. These recently published data allowed us to study the seasonal dynamics of the DOM in the river. On April 24th 2020, during the lockdown, we have started again to collect samples twice a week.
Simona and Giovanni working with the samples from the Arno river estuary
First sampling campaigns, a snapshot of the river mouth at the end of the lockdown
The first two sampling campaigns were carried out in May and June 2020, thanks to the logistical support of the Interuniversity Center of Marine Biology (CIBM) of Livorno.
We collected 10 samples in the surface layer, following the salinity gradient (S = 2-38), 5 samples in the deep layer, following the oxygen gradient (O2= 103-48 % ) and 15 surface samples in the coastal area affected by the river mouth.
Simona and Giovanni working with the samples from the Arno river estuary
The third and fourth campaigns, what happened to the coastal waters?
The third and fourth sampling campaigns took place in September and December 2020.
Preliminary results indicate a reduction in the concentration of DOC in all the samples in May and an increase in the following campaigns. We are awaiting for the latest results in order to confirm the impact of the lockdown on the water quality of the Arno River and its estuary.
Stefano struggling with the organization of campaigns between weather conditions and shipments of samples (credits Mauro Boni).
Waiting for the last cruise...
The latest SNAPSHOT cruise will take place in May, one year after the first one. Initially, the goal was to assess whether there had been any changes in the quality of coastal waters one year after the end of the lockdown. Unfortunately, the current situation is far from normal and we are evaluating the possibility of extending the duration of the project.
Stefano struggling with the organization of campaigns between weather conditions and shipments of samples (credits Mauro Boni).
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