Invited Speakers

Maurizio Ribera d'Alcala' received his basic training at the University of Napoli in Physical Chemistry focusing his Laurea Thesis on a numerical model of water-hydrocarbons interaction in water solutions. Afterward he joined as young fellow the Marine Ecology group of Stazione Zoologica 'A. Dohrn' in Napoli, with the aim of integrating marine chemistry in the group. Since then he became more and more involved in themes related to Biogeochemistry and Biological Oceanography of temperate seas. He took part in several international programs on the Mediterranean Oceanography carried out from the early nineties to present.

His main research interests are past and present biogeochemistry of Mediterranean sea and physical-biological coupling in pelagic ecosystems, to assess role of the former in shaping the dynamics of plankton communities and, eventually, in their evolution.

Maurizio Ribera d'Alcala' is currently Director of Research at Stazione Zoologica 'A. Dohrn' and Head of the Laboratory of Biological Oceanography. Since 1996 he is also adjoint professor of Biological Oceanography at the University 'Parthenope' in Naples.

Abstract

EXPLOITING REMOTE SENSING TO BETTER CONSTRAIN MEDITERRANEAN BIOGEOCHEMICAL DYNAMICS
Maurizio Ribera d'Alcala', Laboratory of Biological Oceanography, Stazione Zoologica 'A. Dohrn', Napoli, Italy - maurizio@szn.it

A typical false-color imagery of chlorophyll a climatology in the tiny (less than 1% of the global ocean surface) Mediterranean Sea shows a wide range of values over relatively small spatial scales. In addition, the low concentrations really reach extreme low values if a thorough analysis of the seemingly peculiar optical properties of the basin water is carried out. On the other hand geological records suggest that Mediterranean sea underwent drastic changes in its trophic regime on multimillennial time scales. This may be not surprising if one considers that the Mediterranean is a marginal basin. But, the dynamics producing shifts in the biogeochemical functioning of the basin on different temporal and spatial scales is still elusive. A better understanding of the interacting processes is of great importance because of the intense economic and social activities taking place in the basin and along its coasts and may also be relevant to monitor the impact of climate change on marine environment.

During the last decade several studies contributed to a better tuning of remote observations of the basin which improved our understanding of the Mediterranean regimes. Those will be analyzed in some detail as a background for the discussing the open questions on Mediterranean biogeochemistry and its possible insights on the response of semi-enclosed basins to climate change.