Abstract
Since 1997, CNR-ISMAR has been collecting monthly hydrochemical and phytoplankton data in the northern and central basins of the Lagoon of Venice. The data have been part of the International Long-Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) database since 2007, helping to fill a gap in lagoon environmental studies. Analysing our time series (1998-2017), we were able to observe a rise in water temperature due to climate trends, a reduction in trophic status mainly due to the lower input of inorganic dissolved nitrogen nutrients and an increase in transparency and dissolved oxygen related to the increased biomass of macrophytes (macroalgae and seagrasses). Finally, a reduction in phytoplankton biomass and an accompanying increase in seagrass and macroalgal cover were observed. Present and future studies will help to evaluate the ways in which the Lagoon of Venice ecosystem responds to anthropogenic pressures and global climate change.
Highlights
Until about 20 years ago, budgetary constraints and a short-term approach to management led to an emphasis on research and monitoring projects of short duration, with results that were of immediate use in decision-making processes
Given that in most academic institutions the professional advancement of researchers was dependent on their publication records, investigators tended to avoid long-term commitments to data collection that had no obvious goals in terms of testable hypotheses and subsequent papers to be published in primary journals (Wolfe et al 1987)
The aim of this paper is to document the analysis of some of the vast amount of hydrological and biological data collected on transparency, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, inorganic dissolved nutrients and chlorophyll a in the framework of Long-Term Ecosystem Research (LTER)-Italy
Summary
Until about 20 years ago, budgetary constraints and a short-term approach to management led to an emphasis on research and monitoring projects of short duration, with results that were of immediate use in decision-making processes. Given that in most academic institutions the professional advancement of researchers was (and is) dependent on their publication records, investigators tended to avoid long-term commitments to data collection that had no obvious goals in terms of testable hypotheses and subsequent papers to be published in primary journals (Wolfe et al 1987). For these reasons, there was a shortage of monitoring and research programmes that entailed sampling from the same sites over long periods in accordance with comparable analytical methods. In the last few decades, the importance of maintaining long-term data series and the challenges this involves have been addressed with the creation of Long-Term
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
