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The OGS Bacterial Hunters of the Adriatic Sea

Published on 30/03/2020 (last modified 11/04/2020)

On the Science page, in the column “Oltre il giardino -Beyond the Garden” of the daily newspaper Il Piccolo di Trieste today, we meet the researcher Mauro Celussi of the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics – OGS who tells to the readers about his "hunt for bacteria" in the deepest seas and in the Adriatic and he tells about his involvement in the ADSWIM project.

The OGS is a public research Institute active in the field of pure and applied research on Earth and Marine Sciences (Oceanography, Geophysics, Seismology) with a focus on research infrastructure development and management to safeguard environment and natural resources and to prevent geological, environmental and climatic risks.

Mauro Celussi is the OGS’s project coordinator for AdSWiM. Graduated in Natural Sciences, he obtained his PhD in Siena in Polar Sciences and today he is a fixed term researcher of the OGS, specialised in the field of microbial ecology. This research activity focuses on the synecological and physiological study of planktonic Bacteria and Archaea in the North Adriatic coastal and paralic systems, in particular on the role played by these organisms in organic matter production, utilization and degradation.

 

Mauro explains: "The microbial ecology studies the microbes in the environment and their interactions with each other. Microbes are the tiniest creatures on Earth, yet despite their small size, they have a huge impact on us and on our environment. The study of these bizarre and diverse creatures that are everywhere yet nowhere to be seen is fascinating and a pursuit that appeals to the curiosity and playfulness in us."

Mauro adds: “I examine the behaviour of bacteria in the sea," and he continues:”In the AdSWiM project we are testing the Adriatic Sea ecosystem by focusing on the water quality in relation to the provision of touristic recreational ecosystem services.”

The aim of the project is to evaluate urban wastewater improvement systems. "In this context, my activity is to evaluate the effect of new technologies on the efficiency of the release of pathogens into the sea, that is, how much the new systems can reduce the charge of pathogenic microorganisms," explains Mauro.

Mauro is also a member of the Italian Association of Oceanology and Limnology (AIOL) that encourages, through scientific contacts, the collaboration between scholars of different disciplines related to Oceanology and Limnology in order to contribute to the progress of these sciences.