The Pianosa_LAB: An integrated research project to assess the carbon balance of Pianosa island

Major efforts have been made over the last decade to investigate and quantify gas exchange between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. Such exchange is, in fact, of special relevance as it is known to exert a major control on the global carbon (C) cycle. The Pianosa_LAB is a research project started in the 2000 in collaboration with the National Research Council, several Universities and the authorities of the National Tuscan Archipelago Park, to understand and quantify the C cycle in a confined ecosystem such as that of the island of Pianosa, by conventional and innovative research approaches. The island of Pianosa is especially suited for this type of investigation due to its special topography. The island is completely flat emerging only approximately of 15 m out of the sea surface. In addition, there are no anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases on the island that may interfere with the proposed measurements, that provide useful information to quantify interactions and feedbacks between climate and local terrestrial ecosystem. The island of Pianosa is an excellent good analogue for a typical Mediterranean ecosystem where the natural vegetation is currently colonising the abandoned agricultural land and undergoing a process of re-naturalization. Furthermore, the Pianosa_LAB is attempting to integrate other activities, beside C cycle research, within the local context of a protected area thus creating synergies between science, environmental protection and the society. Here we present the main characteristic in terms of climate, geology, soil, vegetation and land-use of the island as well as its history, and describe the structure and objectives of the Pianosa_LAB project.