Caterina Lanfredi

Tethys Research Institute

The Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) initiative was launched by the Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 2016, as a response to a conservation crisis in the protection of marine mammals and wider global ocean biodiversity. IMMAs identify discrete portions of habitat that are impo...

Whale sharks are known to aggregate in coastal areas. In the South Ari Marine Protected Area (Maldives) a aggregation, mostly represented by young males with a high level of residency, has been described in the literature. Despite the worldwide interest in the natural resources of the Maldives, this population is increasingly subjected to anthropog...

Sperm whale trumpets are sounds only occasionally documented, with a well recognisable and stereotyped acoustic arrangement. This study investigated the acoustic features of the trumpets and the context in which these sounds were recorded, using acoustic data collected over 22 years, in the Pelagos Sanctuary area (North-Western Mediterranean Sea)....

Risso’s Dolphin Grampus griseus Mediterranean subpopulation has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2020. Grampus griseus Mediterranean subpopulation is listed as Endangered under criteria A2bc. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/16378423/190737150

With the approaching end of the productive lives of offshore oil and gas platforms, the issue about decommissioning and what to do with existing structures arises. In this regard, this study aims to test solutions, at a preliminary level, for the eco-sustainable reuse of platforms at the end of their extraction phase. In particular, mineral accreti...

Marine mammals are under growing pressure as anthropogenic use of the ocean increases. Ship-strikes of large whales and loud underwater sound sources including airguns for marine geophysical prospecting and naval mid-frequency sonar are criticized for their possible negative effects on marine mammals. Competent authorities regularly require the imp...

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are usually observed in coastal areas throughout the highly productive tropical and subtropical regions. Whale sharks are filter feeders, feeding mainly on plankton, therefore their occurrence in these regions is tightly connected to seasonal increases in productivity. The Indo-Pacific sub-population in the last 75 ye...

A new process to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, by combining commercial industrial technologies with ocean liming and CO2 storage, is presented. The process aims to overcome the limiting factors of other negative emission technologies (cost and energy requirements, potential competition for land and freshwater) while simultaneousl...

The potential effects of the ocean renewable energy sector on marine organisms have been comprehensively discussed and include effects on nearshore intertidal and benthic habitats, fish, fish habitats, large marine vertebrates (sea birds, marine mammals and large fish), oceanographic and coastal processes. However, due to the novelty of wave and ti...

The opportunity to co-locate wind and wave energy exploitation is analysed in the Italian seas grounding on the rationale that benefits are greater when un-correlated resources are combined. The study shows that, although waves and winds are generally strongly correlated, in some conditions their correlation is lower and the combined energy harvest...

The Pelagos Sanctuary (NW Mediterranean) is known as a crucial summer feeding ground for fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Although several studies investigated the species’ habitat uses, most of them refer to short-time periods and rely only on presence data, without taking behaviour into account to discriminate foraging animals. Aiming to inves...

Tethys Research Institute’s long-term project operates in the Western part of the Pelagos Sanctuary (Ligurian Sea) since 1990, monitoring an area of approximately 24,000 km2. Between 1990 and 2017, a total of 67 sightings of bottlenose dolphin were recorded, mostly occurring at depths of 200-280 m and at a distance of 2-7 nautical miles from the co...

The Pelagos Sanctuary, a key area for Mediterranean cetaceans, constitutes an important feeding ground for fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). The knowledge about the species’ critical habitats is still poor, although essential elements for a sound management exist. Mediterranean fin whales feed at depth, however, studies based on passive tracking...

The paper describes the energy and environmental evaluation of a new patented process for the storage of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) in glass capsules on the deep seabed. This technology is proposed as a safe option to store CO2 captured from flue gas of industrial processes and power plants, as well as directly from the atmosphere, in order to ove...

Marine mammals are in many situations one of the most studied component of marine ecosystems. Their habitat requirements may be used to detect and describe the impacts of changes in the environmental conditions or in the human-induced pressures affecting the area where they live. The aim of this study is to investigate the distribution patterns of...

Cuvier’s beaked whale presence has been associated worldwide with continental slope and submarine canyons areas. In the Mediterranean Sea, a hot spot of the species presence has been identified in the Genoa Canyon area, located in the Gulf of Genova (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean Sea). Within the framework of the NATO Marine Mammal Risk Mitigation...

This paper provides a summary of 25 years of research on Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) in the western Ligurian Sea. Seasonal variations in abundance, distribution and habitat use were observed. Photographic mark-recapture methods provided a population size estimate for the period from 1998 to 2012, of about 100 individuals (95% CI of 60?220 in...

Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris G. Cuvier, 1823) is the only beaked whale species commonly found in the Mediterranean Sea. Until recently, species presence in this area was only inferred from stranding events. Dedicated cetacean surveys have increased our knowledge of the distribution of Cuvier's beaked whales, even though many areas sti...

Cuvier's beaked whale presence has been associated worldwide with continental slope and submarine canyons areas. In the Mediterranean Sea, a hot spot of the species presence has been identified in the Genoa Canyon area, located in the Gulf of Genova (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean Sea). Within the framework of the NATO Marine Mammal Risk Mitigation...

The wind energy industry is growing worldwide. Recently, a number of physical and numerical modeling studies have been carried out in Europe to implement the offshore wind turbine technology, as well as the wind resource. Accordingly, the consideration of the possible environmental impacts of this technology on the marine environment, already affec...

In Europe, wave energy developments are increasing in both number and size. Even though, most wave devices are still at the prototype development stage, an increasing number are now approaching sufficient levels of development where more advanced projects are already operative, in particular in North Europe. Accordingly, there is a growing need to...

Resource diversity is considered the key to manage the intrinsic variability of renewable energy sources and to lower their system integration costs. The expected development of Marine Renewable Energy Installations is likely to result in further transformation of coastal sea areas, already heavily impacted. In this perspective, the combination of...

Several threats are known to affect cetacean species and their habitats in the Mediterranean sea, most of them being related to human activities. To enforce effective mitigation actions, extensive knowledge of cetacean ecology is required. In this study a 23-year sighting series (1990-2012) of sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), Risso’s dolphin (...

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires the assessment of the environmental status in relation to human pressures. In this study the biodiversity of the cetacean community is proposed as MSFD descriptor of the environmental status and its link with anthropogenic pressures is investigated. Functional groups are generally favoured ove...

Recently has been suggested by some authors that resource diversity may be used to manage the variability of renewable power and lower the system integration costs of renewables. The key benefit, deriving from the diversification of the mix of renewable technologies, lies in the possibility of reducing the variability of the produced power. As MREI...

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (Directive, 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008) establishes a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy. The MSFD overall objective is to achieve the “Good Environmental Status” (GES) in the marine environment, by the year 2020, based on 1...

In this analysis two case studies are investigated using a spatial planning approach. The first case study concerns the western portion of the Baltic Sea, where many offshore wind farms are already installed and many projects are in construction or in the planning stage. The second case study concerns the coast off Northern California where both wi...

The effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals have receive considerable attention from scientists, regulators and industry. To manage the impact that acoustic energy may have on the marine mammals a quantification of the risks is needed. Since these species are so diffuse a critical step forward the developing of risk assessment tools is the...

In this analysis two Danish case studies are investigated using a spatial planning approach. The first case study concerns the area on the west coast of Denmark that has been elected as test site by the Danish Wave Energy Center (DanWEC), a foundation constituted by local authorities, Aalborg University supported by the national wave energy industr...

Habitat use of seven different species of cetaceans inhabiting the Pelagos Sanctuary was studied using 18-year summer shipboard surveys data, in an area of approximately 25,000 km2. 2940 sightings were collected: 1996 striped dolphins, 626 fin whales, 120 Risso’s dolphins, 114 sperm whales, 27 common bottlenose dolphins, 25 long-finned pilot whales...

From 13 March to 09 April 2012 Germany conducted a fisheries survey on board RV Polarstern in the Scotia Sea (Elephant Island - South Shetland Island - Joinville Island area) under the auspices of CCAMLR. During this expedition, ANT-XXVIII/4, an opportunistic marine mammal survey was carried out. Data were collected for 26 days along the externally...

Coastlines have particularly valuable renewable energy resources in the form of tides, currents, waves and offshore wind. Due to the environmental sensitivity of coastal environments, the selection of the most adequate location for these systems is a critical factor. Multicriteria analysis allows to consider a wide variety of key characteristics th...

The exploitation of renewable energy resources is fast becoming a key objective in many countries. Countries with coastlines have particularly valuable renewable energy resources in the form of tides, currents, waves and offshore wind. Due to the visual impact of siting large numbers of energy generating devices (eg. wind turbines) in terrestrial l...

The stomach contents of 5 bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, stranded along Tuscany coast, within the Pelagos Sanctuary for marine mammals, were examined to investigate diet. This analysis about food web is part of a wider project called Governance and Integrated Observation of Marine Natural Habitat (GIONHA). The identification of food items...

Noise effects on marine ecosystems are an increasing concern to the public, research organizations and environmental management agencies. Recent observations of marine mammal strandings coincident with loud, anthropogenic sounds have focused attention on the potential impact of such sounds on sensitive species and populations. The sound sources tha...

To manage the impact that acoustic energy may have on the marine environment a quantification of the risks is needed. That means improved understanding of the species basic biology, their habitat requirements and preferences, together width a exhaustive knowledge of sound sources acoustic propagation rules in the marine environment to better define...

The aim of this study was to assess if sea surface temperature does affect cetacean distribution in the western Ligurian Sea. Relationships with temperature were investigated for: striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Remotely sensed sea surface temperature (SST) data we...

The aim of this study was to assess if sea surface temperature does affect cetacean distribution in the western Ligurian Sea. Relationships with temperature were investigated for: striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Remotely sensed sea surface temperature (SST) data we...