Testing Innovative Monitoring Solutions in Mar Piccolo, Taranto

In September 2025, the MDM Team conducted two intensive and rewarding days of activities in Mar Piccolo, Taranto, in collaboration with colleagues from the CNR Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque (IRSA).

Mar Piccolo, a semi-enclosed Mediterranean coastal basin, is an ecosystem under significant environmental stress due to limited water exchange and long-term contamination, making it an ideal and challenging site for testing innovative monitoring solutions.

• Day 1 focused on the technical groundwork: the team set up and calibrated devices and vehicles, tested fixed monitoring nodes, and configured systems in a controlled aquatic environment to ensure optimal performance before field deployment.
• Day 2 combined knowledge sharing with field validation. Following a training session and tutorial at the IRSA Center, the team moved to the Galeso River estuary, where the demonstration was successfully carried out and valuable environmental data were collected to support ongoing project activities.

These two days strengthened collaboration among partners, provided hands-on experience with advanced monitoring technologies, and generated key insights for the sustainable management of Mar Piccolo.