Croatian-Italian Sea Flower Meadow Research Project Launching

 A Croatian-Italian sea flower meadow research project is set to launch, exploring the rich fauna that lives under the surface of the shared Adriatic Sea.

As Morski writes, as part of the wider “Brigantine” project, autonomous vessels will monitor the distribution and ecological condition of “meadows of sea flowers”, announced today from the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb.

Autonomous vessels will film below the surface of the Adriatic Sea, photographing and recording data on meadows of sea flowers living down below.

Their sensors measure various parameters such as the water temperature, salinity and the presence of potentially dangerous substances that may pose harm to the marine meadows. This enables scientists to obtain information in a precise and quick manner that would otherwise be difficult to access and to act to prevent damage occurring before it does.

Beautiful underwater “meadows” are exceptionally sensitive to changes, pollution and human activities, so their monitoring has become extremely important over more recent years. These researches will be the focus of the multidisciplinary team gathered for this Croatian-Italian sea flower meadow research project.

The collected data will enrich the databases (data-hub) used for modelling the distribution of algae and marine flowering plants, all with the aim of simplifying monitoring activities for more efficient local management of ecosystem resources,” said the project manager for Croatia, Mirta Smodlaka Tanković from the Centre for Marine Research in Rovinj of the RBI.

“The autonomous vessels used will allow us to collect data from areas that would otherwise be difficult to access in real time. They’ll also enable us to collect more information in a much shorter time. That way, in the future, more rapid reactions to possible threats will be possible,” she added.

The “Brigantine” project started in June 2024 and is being financed by the European Union through the cross-border cooperation programme Interreg Italy – Croatia. This commendable Croatian-Italian research project has brought together experts from various scientific fields. Those experts include biologists, engineers, oceanographers and others.

The Croatian-Italian sea flower meadow research project team was created through cooperation between the University of Udine, which is the project holder, the Polytechnic University of Marche from Ancona, the Corila Consortium for the coordination of research activities related to the lagoon system from Venice, the Ruđer Bošković Institute and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Shipbuilding of the University of Zagreb.

This Croatian-Italian sea flower meadow research project, which will last for thirty months, carries a total value of 1,716,687 euros. It is being directly co-financed by the EU through the ERDF and the Interreg cross-border cooperation programme Italy – Croatia