Monitoraggio idrobiologico in un'area marina protetta: "Isole Ciclopi" (Sicilia orientale).

The Isole Ciclopi Protected Marine Area includes most of the telTitory of Acicastello, and is a gem in the heart of the Ionian coastal area of Sicily. The area covers a surface of 623 hectares, from Punta Aguzza to Capo Molini. In the frame of the Project Cluster lO funded by the Italian Ministry of Research a characteIization of the hydrological, chemico-physical and biological features of the Marine Protected Area "Isole Ciclopi" has been perfolTlled during an anuual monitoring (March 2003 - March 2004). The trends of the chimico-physical parameters of the water column exhibited a seasonal cycle with thenno-haline stratification (surface max -28,7 °C and -38.9) from spring to late autumn and homogeneity in \Vinter (temperature -14.2 °C and salinity -38.07). The concentratimI minima of the nutdent of N and P have been in spdng (1.36 f.lM and 0.16 f.lM, respectively). Higher values are found in the deep layers in winter (-6.80 ~IM of nitrogen and -0.65 f.lM of orthophosphates). During the seasonal cycle, average phytoplanktonic biomass showed rather low values (0.20tO.14 f.lg rl). Vertical profiles show a recurrent maximun between 35 and 50 m (Max 0.58 f.lg r' in March '03). The average phytoplankton density has been maintained over 150'10' cell r'. Spring blooms of diatoms and "other phyt0,plankton" c1asses took piace in zones A and C of the Protected Marine Area (max: 2·10 cell·r' in zone A; max: 192'10' cell r' over the DCM -10m in zone C). The phytoplankton has been sustained also in the summer months from the availability of nutrients, being not Iimited iu this season by thermocline development.