Monitoring of climate change's effects on Emilia-Romagna transitional ecosystems by Università di Ferrara

The project aims to establish an affordable, easy-to-manage, real-time monitoring network to track the effects of climate change in the transitional aquatic ecosystems of Emilia-Romagna - areas such as the Goro lagoon, the Comacchio wetlands, and the Ravenna piallasse. Although extreme weather events and rising temperatures are widely recognized, long-term scientific data on how these changes affect transitional waters are still scarce, especially for key parameters like temperature and conductivity that drive anoxia, hypersalinity, and the spread of invasive species. To fill this critical information gap, the project plans to deploy a network of simple, robust sensors capable of providing continuous time series that can be accessed by fishers, aquaculture operators, environmental agencies, and researchers through a dedicated digital platform. Such data will support more effective management decisions and improve understanding of climate-related impacts on sensitive ecosystems. The main challenge is fouling, caused by high nutrient loads that lead to sediment deposition and the growth of sessile organisms on electrodes. This will be addressed by using minimal, low-maintenance sensors (a thermoprobe and a conductivity electrode) and defining site-specific maintenance schedules to reduce the need for specialized labor. The initiative includes potential partnerships with regional environmental agencies (ARPA Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia) and aquaculture cooperatives such as the Consorzio Unitario Novellame, whose members are increasingly affected by climate-driven disruptions and therefore highly interested in denser, real-time environmental monitoring.