The tool is developed within the framework of the IMPACT project which aims to support plans of transboundary actions for the protection of the MPAs, while at the same time allowing the development of ports.
This web geographic information system (GIS) is organised as datasets related to:
- transport of marine currents between ports and MPAs, based on oceanographic measurements from coastal radars and drifters;
- ecological retention properties of MPAs, obtained with ecological surveys and numerical models; and
- distributions of contaminants, based on historical data and dedicated measurements.
Questions this practice may help answer:
- What are the vulnerabilities of marine protected areas related to the pressure brought on by port proximity?
Implementation Context:
The tool is developed within the framework of the IMPACT project.
Aspects / Objectives:
The WebGIS produces maps featuring signalling indexes to estimate, over time, the vulnerability of the different MPAs to the pressures brought on by port proximity.
Method:
Most of the information and data, acquired by partners during the project, are processed and stored in digital format. They are then structured in geospatial dataset, by making them accessible through a webGIS platform.
The webGIS allows their visualisation, interrogation and geospatial analysis on behalf of stakeholders, both manually and using IT tools for spatial management and planning.
Main Outputs / Results:
Geospatial dataset in the webGIS of IMPACT are related to:
- surface marine currents based on oceanographic measures from coastal radar and drifters;
- monthly average of three-dimensional currents simulated through hydrodynamic models;
- maps of oceanographic distance and retention rates obtained from models of larval dispersion;
- biological indices for organisms like Pachygrapsus marmoratus and Paramuricea clavata, and estimates of self-sustainability (indices of self-persistence) of the populations in the marine protected areas;
- concentrations of chemical contaminants in several marine matrices, based both on historical data and on those collected during the campaigns financed by the project.
Transferability:
The methodology used to create this tool can be applied by planners in other countries and sea regions.
Responsible Entity:
IMPACT project
Funding Source:
The tool is developed within the framework of the IMPACT project sponsored by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Italy - France (Maritime).
Contact person:
CNR – ISMAR
Marcello Magaldi
Forte Santa Teresa, 19032 Pozzuolo di Lerici
+39 01871788914
info
impact-maritime.eu (info[at]impact-maritime[dot]eu)