Project name: UNDERSEA – UNDerwatER Soundscape beyond Ais
Project Code: ITHR0200399
Funding: Interreg Italy-Croatia 2021-2027
Blue World Institute is a partner of the UNDERSEA project which is co-financed by the European Union through Italy-Croatia Cross-Border Cooperation Program. The project is a joint initiative of eight partners from Italy and Croatia.
The Adriatic Sea is the busiest area of the Mediterranean, with underwater noise doubling between 2014-2019. The increased noise from recreational boats, tourist boats and fishing vessels has a detrimental effect on marine life. Sound is a key component in the marine ecosystem and is used for communication and information gathering among marine fauna. Sound travels further in the water, so noise and activity in one area will affect a far larger range than the one that it was first created in, therefore increased anthropogenic noise poses a threat to the ecosystem.
The UNDERSEA project aims to build on knowledge of underwater noise pollution created in the Adriatic Sea and therefore set up cross border effective conservation methods for protection of marine fauna. UNDERSEA will build on the data collected in the SOUNDSCAPE project (2019-2021) by covering the entirety of the Adriatic Sea including a new MPA and Natura 2000 sites while also analysing anthropogenic noise during different seasons and periods of boat traffic. UNDERSEA aims to build international cooperation for conservation and mitigation efforts for maritime traffic in the Adriatic Sea, therefore protecting marine ecosystems in the future.
Project activities:
– Joint action for underwater sound monitoring network implementation covering whole Adriatic Sea
– Satellite analysis for detection of boats without AIS
– Small boat underwater noise characterization in order to determine their contribution to the overall noise
– Characterization of presence of relevant species by analysing acoustic recordings
– Undewater noise pollution maps and mitigation scenarios
Project partners:
1. National Research Council of Italy (CNR)- leading partner
2. Blue World Institute for Marine Research and Conservation (BWI)
3. Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (IOR)
4. Environmental Protection Agency of Friuli Venezia Giulia (ARPA FVG)
5. Cetacea Foundation (CF)
6. Apulian Regional Agency for Environmental Prevention and Protection (ARPA Puglia)
7. Public Institution for the Management of Protected Nature Areas of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County (PIDNC/DNZ)
8. Croatian Natural History Museum (CNHM)
Duration: 01/02/2024 – 31/07/2026
Project Budget: 2.219.960,00€ (ERDF 1.775.968 €)
Blue World Institute Budget: 310.050 € (ERDF 248.040 €)
