Study of climate change, protection of marine ecosystems and mitigation of natural risks are the main objectives of the deep submarine Observatory "Levante Canyon Mooring", created by DLTM and set up in the eastern Ligurian Sea off the coast of Cinque Terre last 23 September, thanks to the collaboration of the Ligurian District of Marine Technologies (DLTM) with the national research bodies associated with the District (CNR, ENEA, INGV) and with the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy.
This type of infrastructure constitutes an advanced multidisciplinary submarine observatory, present in the Mediterranean and worldwide, but up to now absent in the Eastern Ligurian Sea.
Specifically, the Levante Canyon Mooring observatory consists of an instrumented chain dedicated to geophysical and oceanographic monitoring in the deep sea of parameters such as salinity, temperature, turbidity and current speed for the study of the bottom and the water column.
The installation was made possible thanks to the support of CNR technicians via the oceanographic vessel Dallaporta, allowing the observatory to be positioned approximately 6.5 nautical miles off the coast of the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area, where the depth reaches 600 m. This stretch of sea constitutes an exclusive marine observation point, not only because it is located within the Pelagos Sanctuary, an area with a high concentration of cetaceans, but also due to the presence of a submarine canyon which, due to the strong bottom currents and the significant contribution of sediments and organic substances, creates an environment favorable to the development and growth of valuable ecosystems such as deep corals. A joint ENEA and IIM study in 2014 in fact highlighted, with the support of a ROV (remotely operated submarine), the presence of live white corals at a depth of about 570 m. These organisms give rise to deep ecosystems with high biodiversity but suffer a strong impact caused by trawling; they must therefore be preserved and are of considerable scientific interest.
The observatory was created by the DLTM with the co-financing of the Liguria Region (resources PAR-FSC 2007-2013 "Fund for development and cohesion" for the construction of the Polo DLTM laboratories) and thanks to the sharing of human resources, infrastructure and equipment by all the public research bodies involved, coordinated by the DLTM. This multidisciplinary monitoring system therefore represents the first step towards a wider system of acquisition and processing of geophysical and oceanographic data of our sea.
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