EMMA Project

Introduction
The EMMA project stems from the awareness that the Adriatic coastal area, and in particular the Central-Northern part of it, is subject to eutrophication and to anoxic events that have a large impact on society, both from an economic and social point of view, and specifically on the marine ecosystem (fishery), on tourism and on human health.
EMMA aims at creating a connection between environmental research, local authorities and socio-economic operators. It intends turn scientific knowledge into operational strategies able to prevent and reduce the causes of anoxic events.
To this purpose, the work programme of the project combines scientific research with strategic planning and an awareness raising campaign targeted to local, regional and inter-regional administrations, as well as towards citizens.

Objectives
The principal objective of the EMMA project is to apply the results of scientific research and to turn them into a strategy, concerted at local level, aimed at improving the environmental quality through the reduction of the impact (environmental and socio-economic) of seasonal hypoxic and anoxic events occurring in the coastal areas of the Northern Adriatic Sea.
In particular the project is aimed at:

• Transferring scientific and technological knowledge to local administrations and to socio-economic operators with the objective of setting specific measures and interventions able to counteract the causes of deterioration of the marine ecosystem
• Raise awareness on the need to use integrated environmental management systems, also in those local authorities which are not directly involved in the project
• Exchange experiences and promote the use of the model in other Italian and European areas

Actions

• Design, implementation and test of a monitoring system able to record the key parameters of the main processes leading to potential anoxia/hypoxia conditions in the bottom waters and sediments
• Design, implementation and test of a forecasting model able to anticipate the space-temporal evolution and the size of anoxic phenomena in the 72 hours after the emergence of the first anomalous signs. The system will assist institutions and socio-economic operators in the management of situations of environmental risk and will allow decision makers to define appropriate intervention strategies in order to mitigate the impacts of these events.
• Transfer of the scientific and technical knowledge to those operators that, at the end of the project, will be responsible of the management of the monitoring system, to local public authorities and to other local operators involved in territorial management.
• Dissemination of project results at national and European level, with the goal of favouring the adoption of the model by other regions in the Adriatic Sea as well as other European regions affected by similar environmental problems.
• Awareness raising campaign on the need to adopt strategies of integrated management of the coastal areas at local, regional and inter-regional level.