Environment: Liguria, underwater laboratory to monitor the sea and test new technologies

A hi-tech laboratory 10 meters below sea level in the Gulf of Poets (La Spezia), equipped with a digital camera, sensors for monitoring environmental parameters (temperature, salinity and current speed) and special cages for studying the degradation of plastics and the absorption of polluting substances in the marine environment.

It’s the innovative submarine observatory installed by the Ligurian District of Marine Technologies (DLTM), in collaboration with ENEA, CNR, INGV, Hydrographic Institute of the Navy, Municipality of Lerici and Cooperative Mitilicoltori Associati, as part of the project LabMare, funded by the Liguria Region[1].

The wired connection of the infrastructure will also allow real-time use of the acquired geophysical and oceanographic images and data.

In addition to environmental monitoring, also aimed at studying the effects of climate change, the infrastructure can be used by research institutions and companies as an actual experimentation laboratory to test cutting-edge technologies and innovative underwater sensors.

Created thanks to the sharing of human resources, infrastructures and equipment of all the research bodies involved, the laboratory, located in the bay of Santa Teresa in front of the homonymous ENEA Center, is part of the same scientific project as the deep submarine observatory installed last year about 600 m deep off the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area.

For more information please contact

Federica Pannacciulli, ENEA – Santa Teresa Research Center – Head Laboratory Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, federica.pannacciulli@enea.it

Tiziana Ciuffardi, ENEA – Laboratory Biodiversity and Ecosystem services, tiziana.ciuffardi@enea.it

For the news on the deep underwater observatory off the coast of the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area:  https://www.enea.it/it/Stampa/news/ambiente-nasce-il-primo-osservatorio-sottomarino-in-profondita-della-liguria

[1] Risorse PAR-FSC 2007-2013 “Fondo per lo sviluppo e la coesione”