{"title":"IT22 - Mar Piccolo of Taranto - Italy","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/","suffix":"ac3f674d-2922-47f6-b1d8-2c91daa81ce1"},"type":"site","created":"2013-05-21T11:10:15+02:00","changed":"2025-01-07T11:14:56+01:00","attributes":{"affiliation":{"networks":[{"network":{"name":"GERI","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"c3abdc60-49f1-49db-81fe-863b7dbb21d3"}},"siteCode":null,"verified":true},{"network":{"name":"ILTER","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"1aa7ccb2-a14b-43d6-90ac-5e0a6bc1d65b"}},"siteCode":null,"verified":true},{"network":{"name":"LTER Europe","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"4742ffca-65ac-4aae-815f-83738500a1fc"}},"siteCode":null,"verified":true},{"network":{"name":"LTER Italia (Italy)","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"7fef6b73-e5cb-4cd2-b438-ed32eb1504b3"}},"siteCode":"LTER_EU_IT_095","verified":true}],"projects":[{"label":"eLTER (H2020)","uri":"https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/654359"}]},"contact":{"siteManager":[{"type":"person","name":"Antonella Petrocelli","email":"antonella.petrocelli@irsa.cnr.it","orcid":" https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7556-9451 "},{"type":"person","name":"Ester Cecere","email":"ester.cecere@irsa.cnr.it","orcid":" https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9224-4437 "}],"operatingOrganisation":null,"metadataProvider":[{"type":"person","name":"Antonella Petrocelli","email":"antonella.petrocelli@irsa.cnr.it","orcid":" https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7556-9451 "},{"type":"person","name":"Ester Cecere","email":"ester.cecere@irsa.cnr.it","orcid":" https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9224-4437 "}],"fundingAgency":null,"siteUrl":[{"title":"Institute for Water Research - IRSA","value":"http:\/\/www.irsa.cnr.it\/index.php\/ita\/"},{"title":"LTER-Italy web site","value":"http:\/\/www.lteritalia.it\/node\/988"}]},"general":{"abstract":"The Mar Piccolo is an inner, semi-enclosed sea located on the North of the town of Taranto showing lagoon features. It has a surface area of 20.72 Km2 and is divided by two promontories of land into two smaller inlets, called the First and the Second Inlet, which have a maximum depth of 12 and 8 m, respectively. Two canals, Navigable Canal (width 58 m, depth 12 m) and Porta Napoli Channel (width 48 m, depth 2.5 m), the most important for the water exchange, put the Mar Piccolo in communication with the nearby Mar Grande basin. The scarce hydrodinamism and the reduced water exchange, mainly in the Second Inlet, with the nearby Mar Grande determine the stratification of the water, especially in summer.\r\nDue to the strong anthropogenic impact, most of hard substrata are artificial. Soft substrata are sandy near the shore and muddy in the central zone of both Inlets.\r\nIn the Mar Piccolo basin, tidal range is reduced, not exceeding 30-40 cm. Chemical-physical features of the basin, deeply studied in the last years, show a variable trend according to the seasons and to the Inlets. The two basins are characterized by different levels of confinement. Such a confinement is evident for chemichal-physical variables and let to immediately single out the two basins, as the variables values change moving from the First Inlet to the Second Inlet. Always along the same direction, besides the confinement, an evident increase of all the variables fluctuations is observable which points out a noticeable instability of the most confined basin.\r\nThe lagoon features of the Mar Piccolo are mainly due to the presence of 34 submarine freshwater springs (locally called \u0022Citri\u0022) of which 20 are in the First Inlet and 14 in the Second Inlet . The most important are \u201cGaleso\u201d (mean flow 600 L s-1) and \u201cCitrello\u201d (mean flow 350 L s-1) in the First Inlet and \u201cLe Copre\u201d (mean flow 80 L s-1) in the Second Inlet. The freshwater of the \u201cCitri\u201d has a uniform temperature of 18\u00b0C; therefore, they locally affect both the salinity and the temperature of seawater.\r\nMoreover, in the Mar Piccolo several small tributary rivers flow, of which the most important is \u201cGaleso\u201d (mean flow 50,000 m3day-1) in the First Inlet; other small rivers, less important because their flow is strongly affected by the seasons, are \u201cCervaro\u201d, \u201cRasca\u201d and \u201cRubafemmine\u201d in the Second Inlet. Salinity ranges from 34.3 to 37.7. Seawater temperature ranges from 7.1\u00b0C to 33.6\u00b0C.\r\nSince the Mar Piccolo is an enclosed and therefore sheltered basin, it has been using for human activities for a long time. Indeed, it houses the biggest mussel farm in Italy with plants widely distributed in both the Inlets, which has a production of about 30,000 tons year-1 and employs about 800 people. Until few years ago, the most important Italian Navy base was located in the First Inlet of which only the dry-docks are still present. In addition, a small fishing fleet, of about 300 boats, is present in the First Inlet. The water-scooping machine of the steel industry catches seawater from the basin for the cooling plants. Moreover, the Mar Piccolo is subject to agricultural pollution because the irrigating waters of the surrounding fields flow into the basin by both the rivers and the submarine freshwater springs. \r\nUp to 2000, also 14 urban sewage outfalls flowed into the basin coming from some small cities near Taranto. Starting from this year, the outfalls of 11 of these were closed since their seawage pipes were connected to Bellavista depuration plant flowing outside the Mar Grande basin; currently, only 5 seawage outfalls (1 in the First Inlet and 4 in the Second Inlet) till flow into the basin. Therefore, the discharging of waste waters in the basin has noticeably been reduced.","citation":null,"relatedIdentifiers":null,"status":{"label":"Operational","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/elter_cl\/10772"},"yearEstablished":1914,"yearClosed":null,"relatedSites":null,"siteName":"IT22 - Mar Piccolo of Taranto","shortName":"Mar Piccolo","siteType":"not applicable","protectionLevel":[{"label":"Category V \u2013 Protected Landscape\/Seascape\/Area","uri":"http:\/\/dd.eionet.europa.eu\/vocabularyconcept\/cdda\/IucnCategoryValue\/V"}],"landUse":[{"label":"aquaculture and fishing","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/1_4_AquacultureAndFishing"},{"label":"commercial services","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/3_1_CommercialServices"},{"label":"cultural entertainment and recreational services","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/3_4_CulturalEntertainmentAndRecreationalServices"},{"label":"heavy end product industry","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/2_2_HeavyEndProductIndustry"},{"label":"other uses","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/6_5_AreasWithoutAnySpecifiedPlannedUse"},{"label":"primary production","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/1_PrimaryProduction"},{"label":"secondary production","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/2_SecondaryProduction"},{"label":"tertiary production","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/3_TertiaryProduction"},{"label":"transitional areas","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/6_1_TransitionalAreas"},{"label":"transport networks logistics and utilities","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/4_TransportNetworksLogisticsAndUtilities"},{"label":"utilities","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/4_3_Utilities"},{"label":"water and sewage infrastructure","uri":"https:\/\/inspire.ec.europa.eu\/codelist\/HILUCSValue\/4_3_2_WaterAndSewageInfrastructure"}],"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/photos\/Mar%2520Piccolo%2520stations.jpg","alt":"The Mar Piccolo of Taranto from the satellite, with indication of sampling stations"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/photos\/Controluce.jpg","alt":"Coast of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto with drifting seaweeds "},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/photos\/Mitilicoltori.jpg","alt":"Mussel farmers at work in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/photos\/Sciorinatura.jpg","alt":"Farmed mussels in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto, hanging on \u0022stenditoi\u0022, i.e. metallic poles useful for \u0022sciorinatura\u0022, i.e. a short period of emersion to allow the drying of epibionts  "},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/photos\/Secca.jpg","alt":"Shoal in the Second Inlet of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/photos\/Peschereccio.jpg","alt":"Fishing vessel in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto"}]},"environmentalCharacteristics":{"airTemperature":{"yearlyAverage":11.44,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"\u00b0C","referencePeriod":null},"precipitation":{"yearlyAverage":409,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"mm","referencePeriod":null},"biogeographicalRegion":"mediterranean","biome":"coastal","ecosystemType":[{"label":"Coastal","uri":null}],"eunisHabitat":[{"label":"Habitat complexes (X)","uri":null},{"label":"Saline coastal lagoons (X02)","uri":null}],"landforms":[{"label":"Lagoon","uri":null}],"geoBonBiome":["Coastal"],"geology":null,"hydrology":"Presence of 34 submarine freshwater springs. Small tributary rivers. ","soils":null,"vegetation":"Attached and unattached macroalgae; seagrasses Cymodocea nodosa, Ruppia cirrhosa"},"geographic":{"boundaries":"POLYGON ((17.232313156128 40.494220475396, 17.2265625 40.476921221636, 17.28964805603 40.464384637281, 17.322692871094 40.473003790433, 17.331619262695 40.496570218694, 17.298831939697 40.50407579181, 17.273941040039 40.490630430907, 17.27334022522 40.483188636155, 17.269906997681 40.481034278412, 17.266473770142 40.492066471751, 17.269477844238 40.498789345137, 17.259349822998 40.503488429419, 17.232313156128 40.494220475396))","coordinates":"POINT (17.2818 40.4817)","country":["Italy"],"elevation":{"avg":null,"min":0,"max":-12,"unit":"msl"},"size":{"value":2072,"unit":"ha"},"relatedLocations":[{"title":"Mar Piccolo of Taranto","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"b69ffba9-325d-40e8-89f3-02f8d9f51ee1"},"changed":"2024-05-07T14:22:57+0200"},{"title":"Scaletta","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"6aeec624-cae9-4808-b16b-30e629a72f22"},"changed":"2025-07-15T11:40:14+0200"},{"title":"Idrovora","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"83479e5b-8f93-4227-989d-e052c6cd2716"},"changed":"2025-07-15T14:09:54+0200"},{"title":"Galeso","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"91d13bf5-803f-4cb6-97d5-3a0386146d28"},"changed":"2025-07-15T14:18:53+0200"},{"title":"San Pietro","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"ce060a9a-9d88-4d6b-a5ca-52eddfcf75f4"},"changed":"2025-07-15T14:20:30+0200"},{"title":"Battendieri","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"1b264ee0-20f6-4ac3-9d53-5abd6ddc64ed"},"changed":"2025-07-15T14:24:30+0200"},{"title":"Cimino","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"cf25da84-1fc5-41f7-9882-50aae5dc981a"},"changed":"2025-07-15T14:28:14+0200"},{"title":"Buoy1_MP","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"fdb62dff-1485-4024-a445-0dccc18cb0a8"},"changed":"2025-07-15T15:55:24+0200"},{"title":"MPI","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"18a48228-0a62-42b5-b633-570910a8e779"},"changed":"2025-09-30T13:28:39+0200"},{"title":"MPII","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/locations\/","suffix":"c0c94ed4-597a-44ba-9560-471f1ff98450"},"changed":"2025-09-30T13:27:43+0200"}]},"focusDesignScale":{"experiments":{"design":"partly experimentation","scale":"plot scale"},"observations":{"design":"mainly observation","scale":"plot without link to explicit catchment"},"observedProperties":[{"label":"algae species abundance","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/10338"},{"label":"algae species presence","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/10343"},{"label":"animal species abundance","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/10336"},{"label":"animal species presence","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22059"},{"label":"benthic invertebrates abundance","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22027"},{"label":"benthic invertebrates presence","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/10123"},{"label":"biological diversity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/21391"},{"label":"biological parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20940"},{"label":"ecosystem parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20939"},{"label":"floristic composition","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22121"},{"label":"floristic diversity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22122"},{"label":"plant cover","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22188"},{"label":"water parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20945"},{"label":"water temperature","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22313"}]},"infrastructure":{"accessibleAllYear":true,"accessType":"boat","allPartsAccessible":false,"maintenanceInterval":90,"permanentPowerSupply":false,"operation":{"permanent":false,"notes":"Four stations are seasonally monitored collecting phyto- and zoobenthos samples, as well as the main environmental variables (temperature, salinity, ph, O2). Moreover temperature sensors are immersed for continuous measurements . Starting from winter 2016, an additional station was monitored, since the presence of an alien species of macroalga and the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa were here detected.","siteVisitInterval":90},"notes":"There are no built infrastructures in the Mar Piccolo, neither permanent measurements equipments (i.e. buoys) only mobile equipments brought during sampling operations. Permanent little data logger are submersed for continuous temperature measurements","collection":[{"label":"Boat","uri":null},{"label":"No data transmission from site","uri":null},{"label":"No lodging possible","uri":null},{"label":"No tower on site","uri":null},{"label":"No within site data transmission","uri":null},{"label":"Other data services","uri":null},{"label":"Structured file","uri":null}],"data":{"policy":{"url":null,"rights":["The data provider must be offered co-authorship for publications using this dataset at least within the metadata description"],"notes":null}}},"relatedResources":[{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"65ab2d44-4781-42e6-afac-04535718abeb"},"title":"Mar Piccolo of Taranto phytobenthos biomass 2011-2019","changed":"2020-10-28T08:44:06+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/activity\/","suffix":"99eae40c-c82f-4eeb-a35e-bf1b185f1748"},"title":"Study of the composition, structure and abundance of the ichthyofauna in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto ","changed":"2020-03-20T09:27:31+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"55ac1754-c208-4c67-a467-546478941305"},"title":"Composition, structure and abundance of the ichthyofauna in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto 2007-2009","changed":"2020-05-04T10:09:35+02:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/activity\/","suffix":"b32f3149-3fd2-4c6b-bd81-372b54435ac6"},"title":"Study of the macrophytobenthos in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto ","changed":"2020-04-09T14:36:51+02:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/activity\/","suffix":"65090039-20c0-452f-9b1a-925789a6edb2"},"title":"Assessment of the benthic macro invertebrate community in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto","changed":"2020-03-20T09:40:58+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"e543268f-d940-458f-afce-04a985c3901d"},"title":"Benthic macro invertebrate community in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto 2002-2004","changed":"2020-03-20T11:55:40+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"fb075992-c0d5-4446-9a88-f706dfdafd6c"},"title":"Mar Piccolo of Taranto phytobenthos 1987-1988","changed":"2021-03-17T13:23:56+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"ced7a93d-14e6-4bc9-9c82-4a87f5fe74aa"},"title":"Mar Piccolo of Taranto phytobenthos 2001","changed":"2020-04-09T15:02:41+02:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"6da8fa71-ad92-4d6c-be1d-ed8c8f87f921"},"title":"Mar Piccolo of Taranto phytobenthic biomass 2007-2008","changed":"2020-10-28T08:43:32+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"c881d0cb-1d19-43f9-ae37-d8aa68979683"},"title":"Mar Piccolo of Taranto phytobenthic biomass 1989-1990","changed":"2020-10-28T08:42:48+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"74fc75f9-9bea-4cf4-90f5-c59b05480a87"},"title":"Mar Piccolo of Taranto phytobenthos 1920-1959","changed":"2021-03-17T13:22:56+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/activity\/","suffix":"d4224cb1-b59d-44ec-804b-e2ada4712248"},"title":"Biometric measurements and condition index in mussels from the Mar Piccolo of Taranto","changed":"2021-07-21T11:41:30+02:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"3f8fd685-8b04-42a3-abe2-4cf853effa05"},"title":"Biometric variables in mussels from the Mar Piccolo of Taranto 2004-2020","changed":"2021-07-21T11:41:52+02:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/activity\/","suffix":"5c95de14-8830-444d-92aa-de286281c8ab"},"title":"Escherichia coli, coliforms and Vibrio abundance from water, sediments and mussels in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto","changed":"2020-10-28T09:43:56+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"b7dfe900-9592-4154-9458-d99510b8e066"},"title":"Abundance of E. coli, coliforms and Vibrio in water, sediments and mussels from the Mar Piccolo of Taranto 2007-2009","changed":"2021-03-17T13:09:21+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/activity\/","suffix":"16366648-6649-43b5-9e9b-9a504acffcfd"},"title":"Study of the plankton cyst bank in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto","changed":"2021-01-15T11:54:13+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"ef0f3bbc-3344-4a79-b1f2-aa8574c53f35"},"title":"Biodiversity of plankton cysts from the Mar Piccolo of Taranto 2010-2014","changed":"2021-03-17T13:12:04+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/activity\/","suffix":"8786fc6d-5d70-495c-b901-42f480182845"},"title":"Study of non-indigenous (alien) species in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto","changed":"2021-01-28T17:06:42+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"3dd86b6f-818d-4c1f-a54e-10e79021cbd5"},"title":"Alien species of invertebrates in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto","changed":"2021-03-17T13:10:18+01:00"},{"id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/dataset\/","suffix":"f695be22-af2e-4e6f-a2c2-f4816a0e45cd"},"title":"Density of Undaria pinnatifida in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto: 2000-2002; 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