The microbial functioning in the biogeochemical fluxes of the Adriatic Sea

In the framework of PERSEUS project, WP1, task 1.3.3: Adriatic and Ionian Sea experiments (ADREX), a multidisciplinary oceanographic cruise was conducted from 5/02/2014 to 21/02/2014 in the Ionian and Adriatic Seas. The ADREX will focus on the role of the Adriatic-Ionian system in transmitting the human made pressures in the eastern Mediterranean through the Adriatic Dense Water (AdDW) formation and spreading. Circulatory dynamics of South Adriatic and Ionian Sea are further linked by the Bimodal Oscillating System (BiOS) with a decadal time scale according to the thermohaline properties of the deep water formed in the Adriatic. The thermohaline properties of the AdDW determine the North Ionian Gyre circulation, influencing the natural variability of region. The scientific objective of U.O. IAMC -CNR, Messina was to study the efficiency of C transfer through the microbial compartment in the Adriatic Sea (ADR) and Ionian Sea and to improve knowledge about the ecological implications of the dense water formation on the microbial biogeochemistry.