The National Research Council's Gaia Blu vessel has arrived in Sardinia, off the northwest coast of the Gulf of Asinara: specialists on board will attempt to understand the factors driving waste accumulation in this area.

The Source2Sink campaign, promoted by researchers at the Oristano branch of the CNR Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts and Sustainability in Marine Environments, will be active until January 19th. The aim is to provide clear guidance for monitoring, prevention, and reduction of the impact of waste on ecosystems.

When it reaches the sea, waste like plastic fragments and persists for a long time. Therefore, it's important to understand the processes that govern the accumulation of these materials, such as currents and seabed morphology.

The team of oceanographers, geologists, and biologists, coordinated by the campaign's scientific director Andrea Cucco and mission leader Giovanni De Falco, will therefore carry out various analyses for this purpose.

First, the researchers will measure water characteristics such as temperature and salinity, and assess marine currents using both onboard instruments and surface buoys. They will then study deeper areas, analyzing the morphological structure of the seabed beyond 600 meters of the western Sardinian margin and the Castelsardo submarine canyon.

Additionally, researchers from the Cima Foundation (International Center for Environmental Monitoring) will also be on board, who will be responsible for spotting large cetaceans and other sensitive species.

(Unioneonline)

© Riproduzione riservata