Articles | Volume 21, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1967-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1967-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
15 Sep 2025
Technical note |
| 15 Sep 2025
| 15 Sep 2025
Technical note: Mapping benthic marine habitats featuring coralligenous bioconstructions: a new approach to support geobiological research
Giuseppe Maruca
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Rocco Dominici
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Gianpietro Imbrogno
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Giovanni Vespasiano
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Carmine Apollaro
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Francesco Perri
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Fabio Bruno
Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Antonio Lagudi
Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Umberto Severino
Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
Valentina A. Bracchi
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
Daniela Basso
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
Emilio Cellini
Regional Agency for the Environment (ARPACAL), Regional Marine Strategy Centre (CRSM), 8890 Crotone, Italy
Fabrizio Mauri
Regional Agency for the Environment (ARPACAL), Regional Marine Strategy Centre (CRSM), 8890 Crotone, Italy
Antonietta Rosso
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95129 Catania, Italy
Rossana Sanfilippo
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95129 Catania, Italy
Adriano Guido
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
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Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLVIII-2-W10-2025, 63–69, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-2-W10-2025-63-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-2-W10-2025-63-2025, 2025
Chiara Santinelli, Silvia Valsecchi, Simona Retelletti Brogi, Giancarlo Bachi, Giovanni Checcucci, Mirco Guerrazzi, Elisa Camatti, Stefano Caserini, Arianna Azzellino, and Daniela Basso
Biogeosciences, 21, 5131–5141, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5131-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5131-2024, 2024
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Ocean liming is a technique proposed to mitigate ocean acidification. Every action we take has an impact on the environment and the effects on the invisible world are often overlooked. With this study, we show that lime addition impacts the dynamics of dissolved organic matter, one of the largest reservoirs of carbon on Earth, representing the main source of energy for marine microbes. Further studies to assess the impacts on marine ecosystems are therefore crucial before taking any action.
Mara Cipriani, Carmine Apollaro, Daniela Basso, Pietro Bazzicalupo, Marco Bertolino, Valentina Alice Bracchi, Fabio Bruno, Gabriele Costa, Rocco Dominici, Alessandro Gallo, Maurizio Muzzupappa, Antonietta Rosso, Rossana Sanfilippo, Francesco Sciuto, Giovanni Vespasiano, and Adriano Guido
Biogeosciences, 21, 49–72, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-49-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-49-2024, 2024
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Who constructs the build-ups of the Mediterranean Sea? What is the role of skeletal and soft-bodied organisms in these bioconstructions? Do bacteria play a role in their formation? In this research, for the first time, the coralligenous of the Mediterranean shelf is studied from a geobiological point of view with an interdisciplinary biological and geological approach, highlighting important biotic relationships that can be used in interpreting the fossil build-up systems.
Li-Qing Jiang, Adam V. Subhas, Daniela Basso, Katja Fennel, and Jean-Pierre Gattuso
State Planet, 2-oae2023, 13, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-2-oae2023-13-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-2-oae2023-13-2023, 2023
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This paper provides comprehensive guidelines for ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) researchers on archiving their metadata and data. It includes data standards for various OAE studies and a universal metadata template. Controlled vocabularies for terms like alkalinization methods are included. These guidelines also apply to ocean acidification data.
Ulf Riebesell, Daniela Basso, Sonja Geilert, Andrew W. Dale, and Matthias Kreuzburg
State Planet, 2-oae2023, 6, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-2-oae2023-6-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-2-oae2023-6-2023, 2023
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Mesocosm experiments represent a highly valuable tool in determining the safe operating space of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) applications. By combining realism and biological complexity with controllability and replication, they provide an ideal OAE test bed and a critical stepping stone towards field applications. Mesocosm approaches can also be helpful in testing the efficacy, efficiency and permanence of OAE applications.
Valentina Beccari, Ahuva Almogi-Labin, Daniela Basso, Giuliana Panieri, Yizhaq Makovsky, Irka Hajdas, and Silvia Spezzaferri
J. Micropalaeontol., 42, 13–29, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-13-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-13-2023, 2023
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Planktonic gastropods (pteropods and heteropods) have been investigated in cores collected in the eastern Mediterranean along the Israeli coast in coral, pockmark, and channel areas. The sediment spans the last 5300 years. Our study reveals that neglecting the smaller fraction (> 63 µm) may result in a misinterpretation of the palaeoceanography. The presence of tropical and subtropical species reveals that the eastern Mediterranean acted as a refugium for these organisms.
Robin Fentimen, Eline Feenstra, Andres Rüggeberg, Efraim Hall, Valentin Rime, Torsten Vennemann, Irka Hajdas, Antonietta Rosso, David Van Rooij, Thierry Adatte, Hendrik Vogel, Norbert Frank, and Anneleen Foubert
Clim. Past, 18, 1915–1945, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1915-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1915-2022, 2022
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The investigation of a 9 m long sediment core recovered at ca. 300 m water depth demonstrates that cold-water coral mound build-up within the East Melilla Coral Province (southeastern Alboran Sea) took place during both interglacial and glacial periods. Based on the combination of different analytical methods (e.g. radiometric dating, micropaleontology), we propose that corals never thrived but rather developed under stressful environmental conditions.
Giulia Piazza, Valentina A. Bracchi, Antonio Langone, Agostino N. Meroni, and Daniela Basso
Biogeosciences, 19, 1047–1065, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1047-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1047-2022, 2022
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The coralline alga Lithothamnion corallioides is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and NE Atlantic Ocean, where it constitutes rhodolith beds, which are diversity-rich ecosystems on the seabed. The boron incorporated in the calcified thallus of coralline algae (B/Ca) can be used to trace past changes in seawater carbonate and pH. This paper suggests a non-negligible effect of algal growth rate on B/Ca, recommending caution in adopting this proxy for paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
Valentina Alice Bracchi, Giulia Piazza, and Daniela Basso
Biogeosciences, 18, 6061–6076, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6061-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6061-2021, 2021
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Ultrastructures of Lithothamnion corallioides, a crustose coralline alga collected from the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea at different depths, show high-Mg-calcite cell walls formed by crystals with a specific shape and orientation that are unaffected by different environmental conditions of the living sites. This suggests that the biomineralization process is biologically controlled in coralline algae and can have interesting applications in paleontology.
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Short summary
This study shows a new method for mapping coralligenous bioconstructions using high-resolution acoustic data. The protocol integrates bathymetry, backscatter, and geomorphological indices, providing detailed information on the spatial and volumetric distribution of benthic habitats. This approach offers valuable insights for monitoring and conserving Mediterranean ecosystems, with potential applications in understanding habitat structure and guiding future conservation actions.
This study shows a new method for mapping coralligenous bioconstructions using high-resolution...
