The GIIDA project aims to develop a digital infrastructure for the spatial information within CNR. It is foreseen to use semantic-oriented technologies to ease information modeling and connecting, according to international standards like the ISO/IEC 11179.Complex information management systems, like GIIDA, will take benefit from the use of terminological tools like thesauri that make available a reference lexicon for the indexing and retrieval of information.Within GIIDA the goal is to make available the EARTh thesaurus (Environmental Applications Reference Thesaurus), developed by the CNR-IIA-EKOLab.A web-based software, developed by the CNR-Water Research Institute (IRSA) was implemented to allow consultation and utilization of thesaurus through the web. This service is a useful tool to ensure interoperability between thesaurus and other systems of the indexing, with, the idea of cooperating to develop a comprehensive system of knowledge organization, that could be defined integrated, open, multi-functional and multilingual.Currently the system is available in multiple languages mode (Italian - English) and navigation can be done in the following ways: Alphabetical, Hierarchical and for Themes. A full search allows to find any term by searching for the whole term or a part of it and as well as allows to filter the results by themes.Within a collaborative initiative with the CNR-Institute of Applied Mathematics and Information Technology (IMATI) a SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) version of EARTh was developed. This will ensure the possibility to support the use of the thesaurus within the framework of the Semantic Web in order to be used in decentralized metadata applications.

The aim of the research is to provide an interdisciplinary approach, on the basis of geological,technological, energy demand and economical aspects, to optimize the exploitation of geothermal resourcesfor thermal use in industrial processes. Therefore, a conceptual model (Mo.nalis.a) that identifies the mostsuitable geothermal technology to satisfy the thermal industrial demands in four regions, located in south ofItaly, has been proposed. This is based on the interaction and integration of different actions able toassociate industrial thermal energy request with the local shallow/deeper geothermal resources. Theseones were mapped by a methodological approach able to synthesize the geological, hydrogeological andthermodynamic properties influencing the geoexchange potential of the subsoil. The comparisonbetween the obtained thematic (potential) maps and the possible final users distribution provides anoverview of the possible development of the geothermal solution in the investigated area. TheMo.nalis.a model should be used as a tool to define the distribution of heat demands in the referenceterritory and to find the most suitable local geothermal resource to satisfy the industrial thermal needs.

The task of the Authority in the food sector need to implement programmed adaptation actions to be taken to face thepossible adverse impacts of climate change through strategies based on community involvement. In addition, it isincreasingly necessary a way of action that could be called at regional level for the emerging need to create and promoteadaptation strategies able to overcome any local conflicts and to promote the adaptive capacity of the food sector as a whole.In this direction, and on the basis of the needs expressed by the Apulian Region, the CNR - Institute of Water Research andSYSMAN Projects & Services Srl have created a system of e-government for the food sector able to represent complexinformation arising from environmental variables in the form of synthetic indexes in order to promote a better understandingof the trends and changes in climate aspects facilitating the activities of PA . The system, tried by the dall'AssessoratoRegionale alle Risorse Agroalimentari e dall'Associazione regionale Consorzi di Difesa Puglia (ASSOCODIPUGLIA)concerning action to battle the spread of the Complesso del disseccamento rapido dell'Olivo (CoDiRO) caused by Xylellafastidiosa, has led to significant advantages: the greater sharing and usability of data (meteorological, agricultural, planthealth, land use, etc.), to the management of an operational workflow can enhance cooperation between institutions andstakeholders.

In recent years, the identification and monitoring of polluted sites have become very important due tothe widespread of contamination phenomena. The environmental assessment of contaminated sites iscomplex and difficult for the variety of the pollutants and for the physical and chemical heterogeneity ofpolluted sites. Some studies promote an integrated approach, which combines geophysical investigationwith geochemical analysis carried out on subsoil samples to quantitatively estimate the extent and thelevel of the contamination. In this work, a contaminated site located close to Taranto city, in the southof Apulia Region (Italy), has been investigated by chemical and geophysical surveys in order tocharacterize and evaluate the pollution which is occurring since years. Soil chemical analyses of texture,electrical conductivity, pH, organic carbon content, nitrogen, available phosphorous and carbonatecontent have been carried out to characterize soil properties of this site. Analytical investigations ofpollutants have been performed using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) andInductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to identify organic or inorganic compounds,respectively. Geophysical survey has been carried out to assess the geological features of the test siteand support the results of the physical and chemical soil analysis. Particularly, an Electrical ResistivityTomography (ERT) profile has been performed to visualize geo-lithological layers and hydrogeologicalproperties for evaluating the vulnerability of the area. Moreover six high resolution ERT and InducedPolarization (IP) profiles have been conducted close to the soil sampling points to image electricalstructures in the upper part of the soil, severely contaminated by inorganic and organic pollutants.Preliminary results highlight that this integrated approach can efficiently support soil contaminationassessment.

With the Counei! Direetive 91/676/EEC of 12 Deeember1991 coneerning the proteetion of waters against pollution eaused by nitrates from agrieultural sourees, the European Community has adopted measures to ensure that Member States have predisposed aetions for the proteetion of water qua/ity. Italy has comp/ied with the European direetive promulgating a legislative deeree (D.Lgs) n.152 in 1999 "Pravisions on the proteetion of waters against pollution and transposition of Direetive 91/271/EEC eoneerning the treatment urban wastewater and Direetive 91/676/EEC eoneerning the proteetion of waters against pollution eaused by nitrates fram agricultural sources". Subsequently, this deeree has been repealed and replaeed by D.Lgs.3 Aprii 2006, n.152. Apulia Region worked following the European and national direetions and has identified Vulnerable Zones to Nitrates (NVZ) from agricultural sourees (D.G.R.n.2036/2005). In 2011, it has been called to revise this areas designation and update it with the results of the monitoring aetivities condueted during the last four years (2008-2011) on the regional territory. In this work we propose the applieation of an integrated monitoring system of water resourees in Apulia land aimed to overhaul regional vulnerable areas to nitrates pollution (NVZ), caused by agricultural sources. Furthermore, the aetivities of identification and designation of the NVZ have allowed to identify suitable aetions aimed to optimize monitoring system of surfaee water and groundwater, and also to mitigate the pollution phenomenon by the reduction of nitrogen use in agriculture

Rapid, precise and quantitative assessment of soil quality is crucial for sustainable evaluation andmonitoring of the effects of management on soil resource under agricultural systems and for thecharacterization and monitoring of land degradation processes. Over the past three decades, Visible (VIS)and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have been shown to be an effective alternative to conventionallaboratory analysis, and can provide time and cost effective approaches for the prediction of several soilproperties related to soil quality indicators. For this study, VIS-NIR spectroscopic and chemometricanalysis were employed for the assessment of soil quality indicators in three degraded areas (two surveysites depleted in organic carbon and one polluted by organic and inorganic compounds) located inSouthern Italy (Apulia Region). The soil reflectance properties in the wavelengths range between350-2500 nm were measured in three experimental sites(fields) selected for the project, before and after arecovery treatment by using compost (organic fertilizer). The objectives was to evaluate the efficiency ofsoil VIS-NIR spectra for prediction of selected soil indicators closely related to soil quality inMediterranean areas, such as those investigated in this study, affected by land degradation processes(contamination and/or organic carbon impoverishment).

Land degradation processes like organic matter impoverishment, loss of biodiversity and contamination are among the main threats to soil quality. The use of organic amendments positively influences soil chemical reactions such as pollutant degradation, sorption, precipitation and complexation that play a key role in mitigation of environmental risks. The compost has been demonstrated be useful to assist natural soil remediation because enhances microbial activity, plant colonisation and development and thus promotes a restart nutrient cycling in degraded soils (Madejon et al., 2006).In this study an integrated approach, which combines chemical and microbiological investigation techniques, was developed in order to assess the soil quality restoration of a historically contaminated site after a compost treatment.

In this study, we report the adopted methodology which has allowed us to map surface water thermal anomalies and, consequently, to identify and locate coastal inflows in the Bari province coasts and Mar Piccolo sea (Taranto), the latter part of the National Priority List site identified by the National Program of Environmental Remediation and Restoration.

Il "Piano Nazionale Amianto - Linee di intervento per un'azione coordinata delle amministrazionistatali e territoriali" della Regione Puglia è fortemente orientato all'informatizzazione dellaconoscenza relativa agli ambiti conoscitivi e di gestione dell'intera filiera amianto dallalocalizzazione dei manufatti contenenti amianto sino al trattamento, rimozione e smaltimento nelsegno della razionalizzazione e della riduzione dei costi.In particolare il Piano Regionale Amianto Puglia, adottato con deliberazione di G.R. n.3064 del 27dicembre 2012, ha portato all'implementazione di sette banche dati riferite all'autonotifica da partedei proprietari degli immobili, alle segnalazione da parte di cittadini ed associazioni, allapresentazione telematica e sburocratizzata dei piani di lavoro, alla notifica di inizio lavori, allabanca dati delle aziende con informazioni sui principali requisiti e sui listini con la possibilità per iclienti utenti di ottenere il prezzo più vantaggioso e di rilasciare una recensione sui servizi resi.Le banche dati, realizzate con la logica relational model, georeferenziate, interoperabili, flessibili,normalizzate, rapide e semplici da interrogare, ben si prestano alla gestione integrata delleinformazioni favorendo agevoli e proficue interazioni tra le istituzioni impegnate sul territorio nelsettore dell'amianto tra cui Regione, Province e Comuni, ARPA, SPESAL, INAIL, Corpo Forestaledello Stato, Nucleo Operativo Ecologico dei Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, etc.Gli obiettivi della riduzione dei costi di bonifica e della semplificazione burocratica sono mirati alladrastica diminuzione degli smaltimenti abusivi, che costituiscono la principale criticità nel settoredella gestione del problema amianto costituendo un costo sanitario, ambientale ed economico ancheper la rimozione dei materiali abbandonati a cura delle Amministrazioni Comunali.La forte integrazione tra banche dati, l'interoperabilità con le altre banche dati di competenzaregionale e la possibilità di governare l'intero ciclo della gestione dell'amianto costituisce unimportante risultato atteso nel segno del coinvolgimento degli stakeholder, della economicità, dellasemplificazione amministrativa e della legalità.

Presso il panificio "da Teresa", sito in San Teramo in Colle (Bari), sono stati effettuati campionamenti indoor di PM2,5 (Silent Sequential Air Sampler, FAI Instruments) ed analisi dimensionale mediante un analizzatore ottico di particelle (OPC Monitor multichannel, FAI Instruments) dal 7 al 19 Aprile 2013. Sui campioni di PM2,5 sono state effettuate analisi chimiche per la determinazione di OC (carbonio organico), EC (carbonio elementare), LG (levoglucosano) Cl- (cloruri), NO2- (nitriti), NO3- (nitrati), SO42- (solfati), C2O42- (ossalati), Na+ (sodio), NH4+ (ammonio), K+ (potassio), Mg2+ (magnesio) e Ca2+ (calcio). Il campionamento durante l'arco della giornata ha avuto una durata minima di 4.30 ore e massima di 7 ore in modo da coprire le diverse attività lavorative svolte all'interno del panificio, dotato di due forni: uno a legna ed uno a gas. Le concentrazioni medie massime di OC (36.01 ?g/m3), EC (1.08 ?g/m3) e Levoglucosano (0.76??g/m3) si sono registrate nelle ore 3-9 dei vari giorni di campionamento, ovvero nelle ore di massima attività del panificio. Le particelle più fini, ovvero di dimensioni comprese tra 0.28 e 0.50 ?m, hanno rivelato una maggiore concentrazione durante le prime ore lavorative (3.40-7) ed hanno mostrato picchi più intensi in corrispondenza degli orari di accensione dei forni. Gli autori ringraziano la FAI Instruments per il supporto tecnico prestato ed il titolare del panificio "da Teresa".

Many studies demonstrate the impact of the temperature increase on cardiovascular diseases, highlighting how thisclimatic effect represents an important risk for human health."Internet Platform fOr Characterizing the PathologyResearch Atmospheric Technology in health Environment-IPPOCRATE" is an innovative alert system whose purposeis to assess climate risk through the use of an integrated system based on the use of data from meteorological stations inPuglia regional councillorship to the agrifood resources of associations of defence of Apuli a(ASSOCODIPUGLIA) andto dispatch the computed informations to the interested population, suggesting prevention and mitigation actions. Ehealthsystem IPPOCRATE uses mobile technologies and cloud to acquire and share information about different datachannels:"WeHeart", a collection of wearable devices used to monitor health and environment in which people live;Smart Application, the mobile application; Easy Box, a VoIP telephone device. These channels enable the systemIPPOCRATE to reach a large part of the population, including the elderly. IPPOCRATE is the first e-Health systemfocused on prevention of climatic risks.

In the last years, thermal images have made the detection of thermal anomalies possible. These images could represent an important tools to monitor legal or illegal outflows in coastal waters, especially in sites become contaminated and/or in sites with high naturalistic values. The objective of this study is to compare Landsat 8 Thermal Infrared Sensors (TIRS) band with TABI-320 processing both with a free and open source GIS and a remote sensing software finalized to the identification and mapping of water inflows along the coast and of submarine springs that reach the surface of Mar Piccolo sea of Taranto (Southern Italy). The approach with the TABI-320 sensors permitted detection of many other anomalies that cannot be seen with the Landsat 8 TIRS band with the same methodology, but the use of the last-one sensors is more suitable, simple and expeditious to map thermal values of the whole area. Methods, results, limits and potentialities of this approach are discussed.

Hydro-geological instability is an important problem for Italy due to damage to private properties and publicinfrastructure and to the considerable loss of life. Therefore it is important that a culture of prevention and predictionarises, based on identification of risk conditions and adoption of measures aimed to minimize environmental impacts. Itis not easy to define precursors and thresholds: this is the goal of project "Smart Multichannel Open Standard DataSystem Platform to Natural Risk Assessment-MODS". MODS is an innovative vigil and pre-alert system for hydrogeologicalwarning; applied for the first time in Apulia, it collects data from weather stations, processing them in orderto elaborate maps of territorial rain distribution. MODS is able to manage a huge quantity of data using a spatialdatawarehouse and the subsystem of Recording Weather Alert and Relevant Events - ReWARE. The application ofMODS allows continuous monitoring of the 94% of the Apulia region.

Il telerilevamento è sempre più utilizzato nel monitoraggio ambientale e le immagini acquisite da sensori aviotrasportati rappresentano al giorno d'oggi uno strumento capace di utilizzare un numero elevato di bande spettrali a differenti risoluzioni geometriche al fine di discriminare i fenomeni che interessano il territorio investigato. In tale contesto, gli studi correlati all'impiego della spettroscopia Vis-NIR hanno evidenziato le potenzialità di quest'ultima, in termini di rapidità ed economicità, nella restituzione di informazioni inerenti i principali processi di degradazione del suolo (e.g. contaminazione, desertificazione, ecc.). Infatti, nel corso degli ultimi due decenni, l'uso della spettroscopia (Vis-NIR) nella scienza del suolo è stato ampiamente finalizzato allo studio della composizione del suolo e caratterizzazione delle sue principali proprietà. Le attività presentate in questo lavoro sono state finalizzate a sviluppare protocolli innovativi per il data fusiondi dati iperspettrali acquisiti su un'area interessata da processi di degradazione (contaminazione) mediante tecniche di proximal e remote sensing. Nello specifico, sono state acquisite immagini da remoto con sensore iperspettrale aviotrasportato (CASI-1500) nel range 380-1050 nm su di un'area contaminata da composti organici (policlorobifenili) ed inorganici (metalli pesanti), localizzata nel Sud Italia. Al contempo, sono state condotte indagini spettroradiometriche in situ su campioni di suolo prelevati dal sito di indagine, mediante spettroradiometro portatile (ASD FieldSpec Pro FR 4) nel range 350-2500 nm. L'elaborazione dei dati iperspettrali, attraverso sperimentazione di tecniche di data fusion, ha mirato allo sviluppo di specifici algoritmi in grado di correlare l'informazione relativa al contenuto di alcuni contaminanti alle firme spettrali dei suoli con il fine ultimo di produrre mappe di contaminazione.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in soil quality definition. In fact, soil organic matter (SOM) decline is one of the most relevant land degradation processes [1]. Therefore, an innovative methodology able to monitoring this soil property, collecting data more rapidly and economically, is needed. In this regard, remote sensing technique can open new scenarios of research. In particular, few studies have shown the capability to accurately determine SOC contents from airborne-hyperspectral sensors [2], [3], [4]. With this work we demonstrate that is possible to evaluate the Soil Organic Carbon in a test site in Apulia Region, Italy, through hyperspectral measurements by the airborne sensor CASI 1500, achieving very promising results.

This study aims to identify asbestos-containing materials (ACM) through the use of innovative technology such as aerial hyperspectral sensors. The development of operational methodologies and ad hoc processing were also applied for the purpose of this study. The activity was part of the ICT Living Labs DroMEP project carried out by Water Research Institute of the National Research Council (IRSA-CNR) and Servizi di Informazione Territoriale S.r.l. (SIT Srl). This was funded by the Apulia Region to support the growth and development of specialized SMEs in offering digital content and services. Uncontrolled abandoned wastes pose a threat to the human health and ecosystem. The presence of harmful or dangerous substances released without any control can become a dangerous source of pollution. Many areas of the Apulia region generally, in southern Italy, are subjected to this type of phenomena because most often, these areas are not easily accessible to Authorities for the control and management of the territory. Land monitoring and characterization operations would be carried out in a very long time and would require significant financial resources and considerable effort if done by conventional methods. The project activities include the testing and integration of several technologies already available, but not engineered for specific purposes. The work has been focused on the development of a methodology with a defined and high reliability capable of identifying the presence of ACM in various piles of rubbish abandoned in agro-ecosystems. The developed methodology analyses the spectral behaviour of ACM highlighting and emphasizing certain features through the use of a procedure based on an if-then-else control structure. It also allows the selection of the most effective features to combine that significantly reduces the number of false positives.

A robust analytical method is presented for the direct determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in soil samples by thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The method is simple to perform (thermal desorption and analysis are performed in-line employing a limited amount of sample, 2mg) and eliminates the need for any solvent and time-consuming extraction. The analytical procedure was optimized using a soil sample spiked with Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260 and validated with a certified industrial soil sample for which the concentration of thirteen PCB congeners are known. Limits of detection were sensitive to matrix effects and varied substantially among analytes. The matrix effect resulted in a reduction of the limits of detection by 1.5-10 times. However, it was found that the matrix effect is not due to ion suppression but to the increase of the noise of selected ion monitoring (SIM) traces, indicating that no limitation exists with using a single surrogate standard. By employing a 13C-labelled PCB internal standard, limits of detection in the range of 0.8 to 10 mu gg(-1) of soil were obtained. The obtained experimental results demonstrated that the proposed analytical method can be conveniently applied for screening a large number of heavily contaminated soil samples thus avoiding the employment of harmful solvents and time-consuming extraction procedures.

Drones of various shapes, sizes, and functionalities have emerged over the past few decades, and their civilian applications are becoming increasingly appealing. Flexible, low-cost, and high-resolution remote sensing systems that use drones as platforms are important for filling data gaps and supplementing the capabilities of crewed/manned aircraft and satellite remote sensing systems. The benefits of drone remote sensing include low material and operational costs, flexible control of spatial and temporal resolution, high-intensity data collection, and the absence of risk to crews. Here, we refer to this growing remote sensing initiative as drone remote sensing and explain its unique advantages in monitoring and environmental protection research and practices: in this case study we report the application of a drone to land monitoring aimed at identifying the presence of asbestos in friable matrix in piles of waste abandoned in inaccessible areas like ephemeral watershed of the typical karst landscape of Apulia and other protected areas.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous and persistent organic pollutants generated exclusively from human sources and found in the environment as several congeners (e.g. Apirolio, produced in Italy and used for electrical transformers). To evaluate the ability of the natural microbial community of historically PCB-contaminated soil to transform or degrade PCBs after fresh contamination through the addition of Apirolio, a microcosm experiment was conducted in a greenhouse for approximately 8 months. Compost and Medicago sativa (alfalfa) were additionally used in the microcosms to stimulate microbial PCB degradation. Chemical analyses were performed to evaluate PCB concentrations in the soil and plant tissue. Changes in the microbial community under the different experimental conditions were evaluated in terms of total abundance, viability, diversity, and activity. Interestingly, the addition of Apirolio did not negatively affect themicrobial community but did stimulate the degradation of the freshly added PCBs. The plant and compost copresence did not substantially increase PCB degradation, but it increased the microbial abundance and activity and the occurrence of ?-Proteobacteria and fungi.

According to Italian Ministerial Decree No. 185 of 12 June 2003, water is considered suitable for irrigation if levels of fecal bacteria (i.e., Escherichia coli and Salmonella) are within certain parameters. The detection of other microorganisms is not required. The aim of this study is to determine the bacteriological quality of groundwater used for irrigation and the occurrence of enteric viruses (Norovirus, Enterovirus, Rotavirus, Hepatovirus A), and to compare the presence of viruses with the fecal bacteria indicators. A total of 182 wells was analyzed. Widespread fecal contamination of Apulian aquifers was detected (141 wells; 77.5%) by the presence of fecal bacteria (i.e., E. coli, Salmonella, total coliforms, and enterococci). Considering bacteria included in Ministerial Decree No. 185, the water from 35 (19.2%) wells was unsuitable for irrigation purposes. Among 147 wells with water considered suitable, Norovirus, Rotavirus, and Enterovirus were detected in 23 (15.6%) wells. No Hepatovirus A was isolated. Consequently, 58 wells (31.9%) posed a potential infectious risk for irrigation use. This study revealed the inadequacy of fecal bacteria indicators to predict the occurrence of viruses in groundwater and it is the first in Italy to describe the presence of human rotaviruses in well water used for irrigation.

An environmentally friendly proceduresuitable to restore a protected area was evaluated atlaboratory scale. Soil contaminated by high molecularweight (C>10) aliphatic hydrocarbons and by chromiumwas withdrawn from the study site and a qualitativestudy of soil hydrocarbon components was first performedin order to assess the potential source ofcontamination. To this aim, a number of characteristicdiagnostic ratios of hydrocarbon components werederived by processing chromatographic data, and wereused as indicators for distinguishing anthropogenic fromnatural hydrocarbons. Then, the efficiency of landfarmingfor soil remediation was tested by comparingthe effect of a few selected amendments and by monitoring the fate of chromium. Soil microbialabundance and activity were also evaluated. Resultsshowed that soil hydrocarbons were mainly of anthropogenicorigin and land treatment allowed effectivedegradation by native microbial populations even in theabsence of amendments. The investigated procedureshad no effect on the mobilisation of chromium thatremained in its stable form of Cr(III). Conventional landtreatment may therefore be an effective and safeprocedure for the removal of hydrocarbons even in thepresence of chromium, and may be applied to areaswhere low-impact procedures are strictly required.

Gasification represents a viable solution for the treatment of biomass aiming at producing asyngas with an overall conversion efficiency reaching the 75% level. Apart the syngas, the processproduces solid residuals (ashes and unburned carbon-char) as well as heavy hydrocarbons (tars)that must be separated from the main gas flow. Here we present the outcomes of a gasificationtreatment conducted on poplar biomass samples collected from a multi contaminated area ofSouthern Italy restored by plant assisted bioremediation (PABR) aiming at reducing heavy metal(HM) and PCB contents in the contaminated soil. Pruning residues were collected from the poplartreated area located close to Taranto city. HM and PCB analyses were carried out to evaluate theoverall content of these contaminants in the biomass. This preliminary evaluation is necessary forassessing the quality of the biomass and estimating the ensuing pollution in comparison with noncontaminatedbiomass. In fact, at the moment, the PABR residuals are classified by the Italianlegislation as wastes and not as biomass usable for energy purposes when they are produced incontaminated areas. Our aim is to indicate the specific additional treatments possibly requiredfor trapping HMs and PCBs in ashes, thus demonstrating that the PABR biomass gasification isnot more pollutant than non-contaminated biomass.The gasification process was carried out in a lab-scale gasifier system, designed at the Faculty ofCivil and Industrial Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome. Moreover, we investigated thecatalytic effect (and its related impact) associated to the presence of HMs in the biomass as wellas the distribution of the HMs and PCBs among the ashes, filters and tars.

Nowadays due to the worldwide increase of environmental contaminations, the characterization of polluted sites has become very important. In light of this/As a consequence, the development of new methodologies, able to quickly and cheaply evaluate contamination is an arduous challenge but necessary. The use of geophysical techniques combined with the direct measurement techniques (such as groundwater and soil analysis) can be useful adopted as an integrated approach for a rapid pollution detection and assessment. In this work, a PCB historically contaminated area located close to Taranto city (Southern Italy) was investigated by chemical pollutant analyses and geophysical surveys in order to characterize and evaluate the pollution, which is occurring since years. Particularly, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) profiles were carried out close to the soil sampling points to image electrical structures in the upper part of the soil, severely contaminated by organic pollutants. The obtained results evidenced that geophysical surveys can efficiently support soil contamination assessment in an area of Southern Italy severally affected by high recalcitrant organic contaminants (PCB).

In this study, we report the adopted methodology used in GRASS, a free open-source GIS software, which has allowed us to map surface water thermal anomalies and, consequently, to identify and locate coastal inflows in the Mar Piccolo sea (Taranto) part of the National Priority List site identified by the National Program of Environmental Remediation and Restoration. An ongoing work, where to apply the same procedure, is being carried out on Bari province coast and effimeral streams.

Greenhouse farming, where energy consumptions are mainly related to the greenhouses heating, is one of the sectors consuming the most energyin the agricultural industry. High costs and the uncertain availability of fossil fuels constrain the use of heating applications. Among possible solutions, the utilization of renewable heating systems such as geothermal energy through ground-source heat pump systems (GSHPs) at competitive prices has to be taken in consideration. The competitiveness of these systems depends mainly on the characteristics of the end-users, i.e., the annual heatingloads. Few studies focusing on the potential of using these systems start with an analysis of the thermal requirements and end with a cost evaluation in tune with local assets, geo-climatic conditions, and landscape protection.This paper analyzes the greenhouse crop industry in the Apulia region in southern Italy, as a potential end-user of GSHP systems. Data collected from an area mainly devoted to greenhouse crop production have been used to (a) describe greenhouse farms, (b) define the heating requirements of a greenhouse model representative of the most used typology in the investigated area, and (c) examine the economic viability of greenhouseheating with GSHP systems. Both vertical and horizontal ground heat exchanger (GHE) configurations are compared with conventional fossil-fuel heating systems.In all scenarios considered, the observed payback periods appear reasonable and worthy of consideration.The results suggest that these technologies can fully satisfy the winter heating requirements in a costeffective way and they can support the planning ofmeasures aimed to improve the sector competitiveness.

Multivariate statistical techniques, including discriminant function analysis (DFA), cluster analysis (CA),principal component analysis (PCA), absolute principal component score (APCS), and radial basis function neural network(RBF-NN), were applied to a data set formed by 905 samples and 15 parameters, including pH, electrical conductivity(EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen (O2), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Cl-,NO3-, SO42-, HCO3, and vital organism at 22°C and 36°C, of groundwater samples collected in the Apulia region (southernItaly). Among all collected samples, only samples showing values for all parameters were used to compose the data set onwhich the multivariate statistical techniques were applied. PCA and APCS allowed us to identify, for each province as wellas the sites diverging from the main cluster, the pollution sources pressuring the sampling sites investigated: they wereidentified as fertilizer applications, the use of unpurified irrigation water, marine water intrusion, and calcareous characteristicsof the soil. We found that the groundwater pollution sources pressuring the sites were similar among the five Apulianprovinces (Foggia, Bari, Brindisi, Lecce, and Taranto). Moreover, for each province, marine water intrusion showedthe highest contribution. The application of DFA to the data set allowed us to obtain good results in discriminating amongfour provinces, with the exception of Taranto. The model also gave good performance results in forecasting. However,RBF-NN provided more accurate results than DFA and confirmed that EC had the greatest relative importance. This isprobably due to the different salinity among the sites (Na+ also showed good discriminant importance). In fact, with PCAand APCS, it was possible to observe that EC, together with Na+, Cl-, and TDS, was the parameter that most often showedhigh loading values, and the scattered samples with these loading values were collected at sites in which marine waterintrusion had been hypothesized. The results obtained by multivariate statistical methods can be useful both in guidingstakeholders and in providing a valid tool to authorities for assessing and managing groundwater resources.

La Regione Puglia ha introdotto importantiinnovazioni tecnologiche, organizzative e gestionali finalizzate alcontrollo ed alla tutela del territorio e dell'ambiente basatesull 'applicazione di metodologie di prevenzione più efficacimiranti alla scoperta di illeciti nonché all'individuazione certadei responsabili. Il modello implementato, ed in fase di ulterioreintegrazione, prevede un rapporto sinergico tra le Forzedell 'Ordine impegnate nel settore ambientale e le risorse umanefortemente professionalizzate nei comparti della sicurezza,dell'amministrazione e della ricerca ed ha già permesso diottenere risultati significativi sia sul piano numerico (numero disequestri, numero di arresti, imposte evase recuperate) che suquello qualitativo (offrendo alla magistratura ed alleamministrazioni dossier completi e più accurate valutazioniambientali).

Starting from the literature concerning applications of Data Mining (DM) for the integrated managementof environmental information, in the present work an application path referred to the smart use of spatial data is tracedto encourage the adoption of sustainable practices in agriculture, overcoming the limitations to the productivityrelated to biological agriculture. In particular, this work focuses its attention on the class of DM algorithms called "supervisedalgorithms" addressed to the clustering of the cultivated area of farms, illustrating its potentiality to definethe typical decision making of management and planning of interventions. This approach is particularly significant forthe integrated management of regionalized and environmental data to the topographical and soil features of the areathat we want to model and to the physical-chemical nature of soil, to the kind of cultivation used, to the availabilityand quality of the water, as well as economic and socio-economic aspects.

Il rischio idrogeologico è uno dei più importanti problemi del nostro Paese, per gli innumerevolidanni materiali e la perdita di vite umane. Il progetto "Smart Multichannel Open Standard DataSystem Platform for Natural Risk Assessment-MODS" nato dalla collaborazione di una rete di 3aziende del settore ICT (Sysman Progetti & Servizi,SIT Servizi di Informazione territoriale eIngloba360),del CNR-IRSA, dell'Assessorato alle Risorse Agroalimentari della Regione Puglia,dell'Associazione dei Consorzi di Difesa della Puglia e della Protezione Civile, intende fornire dellerisposte concrete per la gestione del rischio in situazione di emergenza. È stato creato un sistemainnovativo, denominato MODS, di veglia e di allerta per il monitoraggio del rischio idrogeologico.Il sistema utilizza parametri ed algoritmi per la definizione delle soglie territoriali; la creazione diun DWH-S (Scientific Data Ware House), un database di grandi dimensioni in grado dimemorizzare un elevato numero di dati eterogenei provenienti da fonti diverse, in MODSprovenienti dalle reti di monitoraggio in remoto di ASSOCODIPUGLIA e della Protezione Civile,oltre ai dati provenienti dagli strumenti mobili interattivi. Lo sviluppo del DWH-S seguel'architettura guida del SOARESTful con interfaccia webservice per la connessione da diversi tipidi canale, creando tra le diverse agenzie gli interscambi di dati e la loro aggregazione; lo sviluppo diuna soluzione di Smart Monitoring WebGIS finalizzata al Supporto alle Decisioni e alla fruizione didati e mappe geo referenziate ed interattive per l'analisi del territorio e degli eventi oggetto dimonitoraggio;(la gestione in modo interoperabile di una quantità enorme di dati basati su un datawarehouse con un sottosistema di Recording Weather Alert and Relevant Events-ReWARE,permettendo l'analisi in real time delle situazioni che si verificano sul territorio; lo sviluppo diapplicazioni per dispositivi mobili, smartphone e tablet, per effettuare sul campo misurazionitelematiche in real-time dei livelli idrometrici (geo riferiti e corredati di documentazionefotografica) e il loro invio alla centrale operativa visualizzabile attraverso un sistema informativogeografico.

La conoscenza della quantità di carbonio organico nel suolo (SOM - Soil Organic Matter) puòessere di notevole aiuto nel pianificare le attività per la gestione sostenibile dei sistemi agricolifinalizzate sia all'aumento della produttività sia alla riduzione del rischio di degrado ambientale(processi di desertificazione). Negli ultimi anni pertanto, sono state messe a punto diversemetodologie per il monitoraggio di questo parametro. Tra queste la spettroscopia nel visibile evicino infrarosso, a scala di laboratorio, di campo e da remoto, si è rivelata uno strumentoparticolarmente efficace anche in relazione alle analisi chimiche tradizionali.In questo lavoro, tramite acquisizioni iperspettrali da aereo effettuate con il sensore CASI 1500, èstata valutata l'efficacia del telerilevamento nel monitoraggio del SOM. A tal fine due sorvoli hannopermesso di ottenere immagini pre e post trattamento di un sito degradato (con ridotto contenuto diSOM) in provincia di Taranto, arricchito in sostanza organica (spandimento di compost).Contestualmente ai sorvoli, sono state effettuate misure radiometriche al terreno e sono statiprelevati campioni di suolo successivamente analizzati in laboratorio per il contenuto in SOM.Dalla correlazione tra le analisi chimiche, la radiometria di campo e la classificazione delleimmagini è stata prodotta una mappa tematica che rappresenta la distribuzione della concentrazionedi SOM nel sito di indagine. I risultati preliminari sono incoraggianti e mostrano una rispostasignificativa dello metodologia utilizzata nel rilevare carbonio organico nel suolo, suggerendo chele tecniche di telerilevamento possono rappresentare uno strumento e adeguato per il monitoraggiodel SOM rapido ed efficace su scala locale.

L'Unione Europea ha da tempo proposto un quadro giuridico volto a controllare tutto il ciclo deirifiuti, dalla produzione allo smaltimento, ponendo l'accento sul recupero e il riciclaggio. Nelcontempo la Comunità Europea ha istituito un quadro per l'elaborazione di statistiche comunitariesulla produzione, il recupero e lo smaltimento dei rifiuti.La Regione Puglia, raccoglie mensilmente i dati relativi alla gestione comunale dei rifiuti dell'interoterritorio regionale, ai fini della valutazione del raggiungimento degli obiettivi di raccolta erecupero dei rifiuti solidi urbani e della costruzione della base informativa di riferimento per ladeterminazione dell'aliquota del tributo speciale per il deposito in discarica.Sulla base dei dati già disponibili del Servizio Ciclo Rifiuti e Bonifica della Regione Puglia relativialle quantità totale dei rifiuti e dei rifiuti differenziati1 e dei dati, in reperimento a cura dellaRegione Puglia in attuazione alle disposizioni ministeriali2, relativi ai diversi sistemi di gestione deirifiuti urbani adottati dai singoli Comuni, lo studio in itinere si propone, attraverso la lorovettorializzazione, la loro integrazione e messa a sistema, di leggere spazialmente l'andamento delsistema di gestione di rifiuti, la risposta delle Amministrazioni comunali alle direttive di settore ealle iniziative regionali e il comportamento dei cittadini in relazione alla problematica del ciclo deirifiuti.

The assessment of aquifer vulnerability to agricultural nitrates pollution plays a particularly important role for waterresource management and territorial planning. As well know, nitrates are a major cause of pollution affecting surfacewater bodies and groundwater. The European Directive 91/676/EC (groundwaters protection against contaminationcaused by nitrates from agricultural sources), provides a guidance with the actions/measures to be put in place to reducecontamination caused by inadequate management of manure and/or for the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers. In thepresent work, the data obtained from the activities of apulian groundwater monitoring, conducted by the WaterResearch Institute of the Italian National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), in collaboration with the "Associazione deiConsorzi di Difesa della Puglia" (ASSOCODIPUGLIA), were used to achieve, through modeling approach, a timelyassessment of the potential risk of nitrate pollution on regional scale. In particular, the integration of appropriateinvestigative models, such as DRASTIC to assess the vulnerability of aquifers and, the IPNOA index to estimate thehazard ratios caused by contamination due to agricultural activities, is efficient in mapping the potential risk ofcontamination from nitrates.

E' stato sviluppato uno strumento che integra geodatabase e WebGIS open source in grado dipermettere l'autonotifica della presenza di amianto sul territorio pugliese ottemperando agliobblighi di legge previsti dalla normativa nazionale L.257/92 e s.m.i. e dal D.M. 18.03.2003. n. 101del Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare, recante il Regolamento per larealizzazione di una mappatura delle zone del territorio nazionale interessate dalla presenza diamianto, che definisce gli strumenti per la realizzazione della mappatura comprendendol'implementazione di specifiche banche dati. Tra le attività previste dal Piano Regionale vi è quelladi censimento che dovrà essere opportunamente integrata attivando percorsi di autonotifica e dimonitoraggio sociale che consentono una rilevazione efficace e poco onerosa sull'intero territorioregionale, completando le informazioni con elementi che non è stato possibile cogliere attraverso lamappatura iperspettrale eseguita da piattaforma aerea nel 2005 per problemi legati alla risoluzionegeometrica o alla disposizione dei materiali contenenti amianto (es. canne fumarie vasche, cisterne,navi, treni e tutto ciò che non è visibile dall'esterno). I siti non censiti attraverso percorsi diautonotifica potranno essere oggetto di segnalazioni effettuate con le modalità del monitoraggiosociale e/o dalle Polizie Municipali e Provinciali e dalle Forze dell'Ordine; la mancatacomunicazione di autonotifica comporterà l'applicazione di una sanzione, a carico dei soggettiproprietari pubblici e privati inadempienti, che sarà disciplinata della stessa legge di approvazionedel Piano Regionale Amianto. I siti in tal modo censiti saranno successivamente oggetto dicontrollo dalle ASL territorialmente competenti, finalizzati alla verifica dello stato di conservazionee della eventuale dispersione di fibre. L'integrazione degli strumenti informatici e l'interoperabilitàcon le altre banche dati di competenza regionale consentirà di monitorare efficacemente i percorsidi trattamento, rimozione e smaltimento.

La Pubblica Amministrazione è fortemente impegnata in azioni di adattamento "programmato"messe in atto per contrastare gli impatti negativi dei cambiamenti climatici attraverso un'azioneintegrata basata sul coordinamento e sul coinvolgimento della collettività. L'importanza di intervenirea livello regionale deriva dalla necessità di articolare strategie di adattamento complessive chesuperino eventuali conflitti locali promuovendo un generale aumento della capacità adattiva delsistema nel suo complesso. In tale direzione, sulla base di un fabbisogno espresso dalla RegionePuglia, il CNR - Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque e la SYSMAN Progetti & Servizi S.r.l. hannorealizzato in co-progettazione un sistema di e-government specifico per il settore agroalimentare ingrado di rappresentare al meglio le informazioni complesse derivanti dalla variabili ambientali efavorire la gestione delle pratiche agricole. Il sistema, sperimentato dall'Assessorato regionale edall'Associazione regionale consorzi di difesa Puglia (ASSOCODIPUGLIA), ha portato una seriedi vantaggi in termini di risultati, dalla maggior condivisione e fruibilità delle informazioni legatealla complessa conoscenza del settore (dati meteorologici, di produzione agricola, fitopatologici,uso del suolo, ecc.), fino alla gestione di un workflow operativo customizzato e on-demand in gradodi accrescere la comunicazione e la cooperazione tra Enti e stakeholders.

This work shows the results of a research project "Monitoraggio continuo per le Acque reflue Urbane ed Industriali per l'ecoindustria" (MAUI). Innovative methods for real-time monitoring of urban and industrial wastewater, along with new data management techniques, have been applied to manage the data acquired by a vapour phase e-nose system. The system is based on a semiconductor sensor array, which was used to get real-time monitoring data, tested at labour scale on synthetic solutions for setting it. Actually the system is installed on the wastewater treatment plant of Vimercate (Milan, Italy) for a real time detection and early warning of anomalous influent composition.

This study represents the first investigation of microbiological groundwater pollution as a function of aquifer type and season for the Apulia region of southern Italy. Two hundred and seven wells were randomly selected from those monitored by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection for emergency use. Both compulsory (Escherichia coli, Total Coliform, and Enterococci) and optional (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., Heterotrophic Plate Count at 37 and 22 degrees C) microbiological parameters were assessed regularly at these wells. Groundwater from only 18 of the 207 (8.7 %) wells was potable; these all draw from karst-fissured aquifers. The remaining 189 wells draw from karst-fissured (66.1 %) or porous (33.9 %) aquifers. Of these, 82 (43.4 %) tested negative for Salmonella spp. and P. aeruginosa, while 107 (56.6 %) tested positive for P. aeruginosa (75.7 %), Salmonella spp. (10.3 %), or for both Salmonella spp. and P. aeruginosa (14 %). A logistic regression model shows that the probability of potable groundwater depends on both season and aquifer type. Typically, water samples were more likely to be potable in autumn-winter than in spring-summer periods (odds ratio, OR = 2.1; 95 % confidence interval, 95 % CI = 1.6-2.7) and from karst-fissured rather than porous aquifers (OR = 5.8; 95 % CI = 4.4-7.8). Optional parameters only showed a seasonal pattern (OR = 2.6; 95 % CI = 1.7-3.9). Clearly, further investigation of groundwater microbiological aspects should be carried out to identify the risks of fecal contamination and to establish appropriate protection methods, which take into account the hydrogeological and climatic characteristics of this region.

Research Institute, Rome, ItalySoil quality is defined as the capacity of a soil to function as a vital system, within natural or managed ecosystemboundaries, sustain plant and animal health and productivity, maintain or enhance air and water environmentquality and support human health and habitation. Soil organisms are extremely diverse and contribute to a widerange of ecosystem services that are essential to the sustainable functioning of natural and managed ecosystems.In particular, microbial communities provide several ecosystem services, which ensure soil quality and fertility. Infact, they adapt promptly to environmental changes by varying their activity and by increasing the reproduction ofpopulations that have favourable skills.The structure (e.g. cell abundance) and functioning (e.g. viability and activity) of natural microbial communitiesand changes in them under different environmental conditions can be considered useful indicators of soil qualitystate.In this work we studied the quality state of three different soils, located in Taranto Province (Southern Italy),affected by land degradation processes, such as organic matter depletion, desertification and contamination (PCBand metals). Moreover, compost, produced from selected organic waste, was added to the soils studied in order toimprove their quality state.Soil samples were collected before and after compost addition and both microbial and chemical analyses were performedin order to evaluate the soil quality state at each site at different times. For this purpose, the microbiologicalindicators evaluated were bacterial abundance (DAPI counts), cell viability (Live/Dead method), dehydrogenaseactivity (DHA) and soil respiration. At the same time, the main physico-chemical soil characteristics (organiccarbon, available phosphorous, total nitrogen, carbonate and water content, texture and pH) were also measured.Moreover, in the contaminated soil samples PCB and inorganic (e.g. Pb, Se, Sn, Zn) contaminants were analysedrespectively by GC-MS and ICP-MS.The overall results showed that the bacterial structure and functioning were affected in different ways by theorganic carbon availability and quality, and contaminant occurrence (organic or inorganic compounds). Thecompost treatment contributed to improve soil fertility and to increase cell number and activity after 7 months inthe two low organic carbon content soils. At the polluted site a general increase in bacterial activity after compostaddition was also observed and this might be related to a decrease in inorganic and organic contamination levels.

Mo.nalis.a is a conceptual model aimed atidentifying the most suitable local geothermal sourcesto match the nearest industrial thermal needs. The methodologicalapproach proposed is based on investigatingindustrial thermal processes and then identifying suitablegeothermal solution plants that match these thermalrequirements. The model was tested in Apulia (southernItaly) as a case study for assessing how the methodologycould contribute to reducing the use of conventionalenergy resources for the industrial heat supply sector.The medium thermal needs in Apulia are always higherthan 60 °C, and the main strategic industrial processesdiscussed into this work are Bpasta and flour production^Bwastewater treatment/sludge digestion^ and Bswimmingpool management^. In order to match these industrialthermal demands, the most suitable proposed plant isthe ground water heat pump system, limited to the first100 m, the depth involved in the heat exchange throughvertical probes of model. Finally,Mo.nalis.a identifies theApulian areas with a possible development of these threeactivities using geothermal resource: the Foggia province,Murge and Salento sectors.

La ricerca condotta nell'ambito del progetto Drones for Monitoring and Environmental Protection(DroMEP) ha previsto la definizione di una metodologia smart e la sperimentazione prototipale ditecnologie e protocolli operativi necessari ad individuare e monitorare, sia dal punto di vistaqualitativo che quantitativo, le discariche abusive e gli abbandoni incontrollati di rifiuti,evidenziando l'eventuale presenza di rifiuti speciali pericolosi, focalizzando l'attenzionesull'amianto in matrice friabile.Tale obiettivo è stato perseguito mediante la messa a punto, l'integrazione e l'impiego di tecnologieinnovative di rilevamento per l'acquisizione dei dati: sono stati eseguiti, di fatto, rilievi a mezzo divelivoli a pilotaggio remoto (Droni) muniti di sensori multispettrale, infrarosso e termico, rilievi incampo mediante Videocar attrezzate, rilievi aerei mediante sensori fotogrammetrico, iperspettrale etermico e acquisizioni spettroradiometriche in situ per la calibrazione degli algoritmi dicaratterizzazione dei materiali ed infine acquisizioni in campo da parte dei cittadini mediante appper smartphone, appositamente sviluppata.Il progetto ha previsto anche la realizzazione di una piattaforma informatizzata e interoperabile perla gestione e la condivisione integrata di diversi dati territoriali, finalizzata alle attività diconsultazione e monitoraggio dei siti interessati dalla presenza di qualsiasi tipo di rifiuto,individuati mediante le campagne di acquisizione e segnalazione in campo, ai fini di una loro piùapprofondita caratterizzazione.L'esperienza ha consentito, dunque, la messa a punto di una metodologia di monitoraggiosistematico e ripetibile utile per la valutazione della qualità ambientale dei territori e della possibilepresenza di rischi concreti per i cittadini. Le informazioni acquisite, restituite in forma rielaborata,rappresentano un ottimo strumento per Amministratori e Decisori ai fini della valutazione di azionia carattere ambientale da mettere in campo per una programmazione sostenibile.

This work shows the results of a research project "Monitoraggio continuo per le Acque reflue Urbane ed Industriali perl'ecoindustria" (MAUI). Innovative methods for real-time monitoring of urban and industrial wastewater, along with new datamanagement techniques, have been applied to manage the data acquired by a vapour phase e-nose system. The system is based on asemiconductor sensor array, which was used to get real-time monitoring data, tested at labour scale on synthetic solutions for setting it.Actually the system is installed on the wastewater treatment plant of Vimercate (Milan, Italy) for a real time detection and earlywarning of anomalous influent composition.

In 2005 Apulia Region approved the first Nitrates Action Plan (D.G.R. n° 2036) proposing the designation of regional NitratesVulnerable Zones (NVZs) caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, as required by the European Directive "91/676/CEE" and theNational one's (D.Lgs 152/06). These polluted areas were confirmed in 2010 (D.G.R. n. 1317). Successively, in 2012, all the Italianregions have been called to update Nitrates Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) designation. Therefore, a detailed study has been carried outin order to investigate what has been change during the last four-year period (2008-2011) in which an elaborate regional waterresources monitoring has been conducted.Data analyses and elaboration of all available monitoring results allowed to: (i) identify the main pollution sources emerging in theregion, (ii) analyze the influence of previous policy actions evaluating their efficiency on the regional land, and last (iii) draft newsuitable policies aimed to reduce the actual nitrates pollution evidenced during the last examined four years. In particular, it wasfound that a positive effect of the previous policy actions occurred in the reduction of some of the regional NVZs and, at the sametime, new opportune mitigation strategies to control and manage nitrates pollution in the updated NVZs have been identified andproposed to improve regional environmental sustainability.

Legionellae are opportunistic bacteria that cause various conditions after exposure to contaminated aerosols,ranging from a serious type of pneumonia to a mild case of an influenza-like illness. Despite the risks of exposure, little is known about the occurrence of Legionella in natural environments and, even though studies have shown that there is a potential risk of transmission via inhalation, it does not have to be detected in groundwater that is used for irrigation. The culture methods traditionally used to detect Legionella have several limits that can be partly solved by applying molecular techniques.Samples from 177 wells in Apulia, Southern Italy, were collected twice, in winter and in summer, and ana- lyzed. When compared with the guidelines, 145 (81.9%) of the sampled wells were suitable for irrigation use. The culture-based method highlighted the presence of different species and serogroups of Legionella in 31 (21.2%) of the 145 wells that were shown to be suitable for irrigation use.A greater number of wells returned positive results for Legionella in summer than in winter (p = 0.023), and the median concentrations were mostly higher in summer (500 CFU/L) than in winter (300 CFU/L). The median temperature in the Legionella positive well waters was significantly higher than that in the negative ones, both in winter and in summer (p < 0.001).Using molecular techniques, Legionella non-pneumophila was found in 37 of the 114 wells earlier detected as suitable for irrigation use but negative for Legionella by the culture-based methods. The distribution of Legionella differ significantly in porous aquifers compared to the karst-fissured ones both with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) (p=0.0004) and viable cells by propidium monoazide (PMA-qPCR) (p=0.0000). Legionella concentrations were weakly correlated with temperature of water both with qPCR (?=0.47, p = 0.0033) and PMA-qPCR (? = 0.41, p = 0.0126).Our data suggest that water that aerosolizes when sprinkled on plants represents a potential source of Legionellosis, with a higher risk from exposure in summer. On a practical level, this finding is important for workers (farmers and gardeners) who are in contact with waters used for irrigation.

In the frame of the project EDOC@WORK3.0, Education and Work on Cloud, a monitoring plan has been carried out in the highly industrialized town of Taranto (one of the most polluted sites of Italy) in order to investigate contemporary indoor and outdoor concentrations of NO2 and SO2 by passive sampling devises (Radiello). Simultaneously indoor and outdoor samplings of NO2 and SO2 were performed from 2nd November 2015 to 2nd December 2015 in nine sites scattered in the investigated area at different quotes and distances from the industrial complex. Our findings show substantial differences between the spatial distributions of the two pollutants and support the hypothesis of two different prevalent sources for NO2 and SO2. In particular, we find diffusive sources of NO2 linked mainly to the vehicular traffic and secondarily to industrial sources. In contrast, SO2 was mainly associated to industrial sources present in the area, representing also a proxy of the mixture of air contaminants associated to industrial processes. Our hypothesis is also confirmed by analysis of data measured by ARPA air quality monitoring stations. Comparison between indoor and outdoor concentrations confirms that outdoor pollutants infiltrate to indoor environments, moreover it highlights potential NO2 indoor sources basically linked to cooking activities, representing adverse health effects for population risk categories such as children or cooks. Considering that urban people spend a lot of their time in indoors, attention should be paid both to outdoor pollutant sources and to indoor sources. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

A preliminary ecological characterisation of an open quarry that had been used for the disposal of pharmaceutical wastes from a factory producing antibiotics was performed. Pharmaceutical wastes and groundwater samples were collected and analysed in order to assess both the bacterial community structure and functioning, and the contamination by organic compounds, including antibiotics. Bacterial abundance measured using the epifluorescence direct count method, cell viability measured by using two fluorescent dyes, species diversity measured by assessing the bacterial community structure using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and soil microbial activity based on dehydrogenase activity were used as microbiological indicators to evaluate the 'quality state' of the area studied. The overall results show that groundwater has a low-quality state in terms of bacterial viability, activity and diversity, associated with trace contamination by antibiotics and chlorinated volatile organics.

Phytoremediation comprises a set of technologies (e.g. plant assisted bioremediation,phytoextraction, phytostabilisation) based on some specific plant capabilities directlyor indirectly promoting contaminant removal. Bioremediation of contaminated sites isin line with environmental sustainability and with so called Green Remediation. Itmeans "the practice of considering all environmental effects of remedy implementationand incorporating options to maximize the net environmental benefit of cleanup actions".Phytoremediation or more properly plant assisted bioremediation provides arelatively low cost, environment friendly treatment for many multi contaminated areas.In this work, the results of the first 14th months of poplarassisted bioremediationof a historically PCB contaminated area in Southern Italy is reported. The Monviso clone was selected forits tested capability to promote hexachlorocyclohexane degradation in another CNR field study. The areainvestigated has been used for several decades as an unsupervised waste disposal tip and it is contaminatedas well as PCBs by heavy metals. Six hundred poplar cuttings (Monviso clone) were planted in anarea of 785 m2 previously fertilized with compost. After 14 months, of plant cuttings, soils, roots andleaves of selected target trees were analysed in order to identify PCBs and heavy metals contamination(HM). Chemical investigations were conducted before and after poplar planting using GC-MS and ICP-MSinstruments, respectively. At the same time, the abundance, cell viability and dehydro-genase activity(DHA) of the autochthonous microbial community were assessed to investigate micro-organisms' role inthe reclamation processes. The comparison of the initial chemical analysis of the contaminated area withthose performed 14 months after the poplar cutting planting, makes it possible to show:- a general decrease in most of PCB congeners in all soil samples analysed and in no case was the legallimit (60 ppb) exceeded. Trace concentrations of PCBs were found in roots and leaves (their amountwas always below the legal limits).- HMs, which were initially found as widespread contaminants and at concentrations generally higherthan the legal limits, had by 14 months after the poplar-cuttings planting drastically, decreased at allthe sampling points. Zn, Cd, Se and Sn were detected in leaf and root samples of the target tree investigated.The HM plant bioconcentration factor (BAF, considering roots and leaves) and translocationfactor (TF) suggest that poplars are also able to partially phytoextract and phyto-stabilise HMs.Microbial results show a significant improvement in microbial activity. In fact microbial DHA increasedin all samples analysed 14 months after the poplar-cuttings planting, although it maintained differentvalues at the different sampling points. Overall experimental results suggest an improvement insoil quality in terms of decreasing of P

Plant-based clean up technologies are gaining popularity as sustainable solutions to contaminated soil remediation. In particular, plant-assisted bioremediation or phyto-assisted bioremediaton exploits the synergistic action between plant root system and natural microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) to remove, convert or contain toxic substances in soil and water. It relies on the use of a selected appropriate plant for stimulating in the rhizosphere (e.g. through root exudates production, oxygen transport) the biodegradation activity of natural soil microorganisms. In this context, a poplar-assisted bioremediation strategy has been applying for three years to a multi-contaminated (PCBs and heavy metals) area in Southern Italy using a specific poplar clone (Monviso). It was chosen thanks to its capabilities previous tested for promoting hexachlorocyclohexane degradation. At selected times (0, 420, 900 days) PCB and heavy metal (HMs: V, Cr, Sn, Pb) concentrations were assessed on soil samples at different depths and distance from tree trunks inside some contaminated plots. Similarly, microbial analyses were performed on soil samples to assess total microbial abundance, cell viability, dehydrogenase activity and the phylogenetic composition of the autochthonous microbial community. Three years after the poplar planting a significant decrease in PCB and HMs concentrations was observed. Currently, the values of all PCBs detected are under the Italian legislation limits in the plots investigated. The microbiological analysis show an overall improvement in soil quality in terms of an increase in microbial abundance, cell viability and organic carbon content in the rhizosphere soil samples. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis of the microbial community showed a higher percentage of Bacteria in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil. In particular, a significant increase in Actinobacteria and Alpha-Gamma-Proteobacteria, which include several speciesable to degrade PCBs, was observed. Overall results show that the poplar-assisted bioremediation strategy was able to promote both the persistent organic contaminant degradation and the phytostabilization of the inorganic ones.

A plant-assisted bioremediation strategy was applied in an area located in Southern Italy, close to the city of Taranto, historically contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals. A specific poplar clone (Monviso) was selected for its ability to promote organic pollutant degradation in the rhizosphere, as demonstrated elsewhere. Chemical and microbiological analyses were performed at the time of poplar planting in selected plots at different distances from the trunk (0.25-1m) and at different soil depths (0-20 and 20-40cm), at day 420. A significant decrease in PCB congeners and a reduction in all heavy metals was observed where the poplar trees were present. No evidence of PCB and heavy metal reduction was observed in the non poplar-vegetated soil. Microbial analyses (dehydrogenase activity, cell viability, microbial abundance) of the autochthonous microbial community showed an improvement in soil quality. In particular, microbial activity generally increased in the poplar-rhizosphere and a positive effect was observed in some cases at up to 1m distance from the trunk and up to 40cm depth. The Monviso clone was effective in promoting both a general decrease in contaminant occurrence and an increase in microbial activity in the chronically polluted area a little more than one year after planting.

Plant-assisted bioremediation, the use of plants to promote the extraction, the sequester or detoxification of pollutants through biological processes is a green, effective, in situ, non intrusive, low cost, aesthetically pleasing and, socially accepted technology to remediate contaminated soil. Potential for plant-assisted bioremediation depends upon the interactions among, soil, contaminants, microorganisms (bacteria and microfungi) and plants occurring in the rhizosphere where, the release of root exudates and oxygen with circadian rhythm can stimulate the biodegradation activity of natural soil microorganisms. This technology has been applying for three years to a multi-contaminated (PCBs and heavy metals) area in Southern Italy using as plant a selected poplar clone (Monviso).

La gestione dell'Anagrafe dei siti da bonificare dopo 13 anni di utilizzo ha determinato stimoli diriflessione ed elementi d'innovazione che opportunamente implementati possono fornireinteressanti risposte nella gestione di problematiche ambientali e territoriali.La specifica esperienza, in itinere, è legata all'implementazione di moduli aggiuntivi rispettoall'architettura dell'Anagrafe dei siti da bonificare, definita da ISPRA (allora APAT) e condivisa inConferenza Stato-Regioni. Tale applicazione sperimentale mira all'implementazione di nuoverelazioni tra le informazioni presenti, il potenziamento delle funzioni di interoperabilità, sino allosviluppo di nuove forme di interazione tra le Amministrazioni coinvolte nelle procedure di gestionee controllo dei siti da bonificare (Regione, Province, Comuni, Forze dell'Ordine, etc.) coinvolgendoanche imprese e cittadini. Il contenuto nell'Anagrafe esprime informazioni particolarmente utili perla valutazione della qualità ambientale dei contesti territoriali, anche ai fini dell'analisi delle fonti dicontaminazione e dello studio dei possibili effetti sinergici.In tale contesto, ad esempio, la disponibilità di informazioni riferite alle destinazione finale deirifiuti speciali provenienti da interventi di bonifica consente possibili integrazioni con il SISTRI(Sistema di controllo della tracciabilità dei rifiuti) di prossimo avvio ed incroci con i fenomeni dismaltimento illecito, anche al fine di orientare efficacemente azioni di controllo del territorio nelsegno della prevenzione e della deterrenza.L'attivazione di percorsi di collaborazione inter-istituzionale e di gestione ed alimentazionecollaborativa delle informazioni risulta funzionale alla corresponsabilizzazione ed alla ricostruzionesia delle filiere amministrative/procedurali che della gestione informativa utili per la produzione dioutputs per ulteriori processi di pianificazione progettazione e programmazione territoriale

In the framework of VIGOR Project, a national project coordinated by the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (CNR-IGG) and sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE), dedicated to the evaluation of geothermal potential in the regions of the Convergence Objective in Italy (Puglia, Calabria, Campania and Sicily), is expected to evaluate the ability of the territory to heat exchange with the ground for air conditioning of buildings. To identify the conditions for the development of low enthalpy geothermal systems collected and organized on a regional scale geological and stratigraphic data useful for the preparation of a specific thematic mapping, able to represent in a synergistic and simplified way the physical parameters (geological, lithostratigraphic, hydrogeological, thermodynamic) that most influence the subsoil behavior for thermal exchange. The litho-stratigraphic and hydrogeological database created for every region led to the production of different cartographic thematic maps, such as the thermal conductivity (lithological and stratigraphical), the surface geothermal flux, the average annual temperature of air, the climate zoning, the areas of hydrogeological restrictions. To obtain a single representation of the geo-exchange potential of the region, the different thematic maps described must be combined together by means of an algorithm, defined on the basis of the SINTACS methodology. The purpose is to weigh the contributions of the involved parameters and to produce a preliminary synthesis map able to identify the territorial use of geothermal heat pump systems, based on the geological characteristics and in agreement with the existing regulatory constraints.

Advances in remote sensing technology are now providing tools to support geospatial mapping of the soil properties for the application to the management of agriculture and the environment. In this paper results of visible and near IR spectral reflectance are presented and discussed. A supportable evaluation of organic matter in the soil is the absence of a specific signature, this concept arose out of the widely shared observation of scientific community in this concern. The obtained results show that a morphologic approach based on an experimental distance model is an appropriate and efficient method to deal with this matter © 2014 IEEE.

In Italy the water collected is distributed through the aqueducts, composed by a collection and a treatment systems for thepotabilization. Apulia belongs to the Southern Apennines District. This paper describes a research activity on the territory of theTaranto province to identify the water supply trough the analysis of the main sources, distribution channels and different endusers;to analyze the potential sources of drinking water pollution [1, 2, 3]; the monitoring of the main tanks of drinking waterdistribution in Taranto. It permit to identify the situation of Taranto drinking water and to evaluate new kind of source of water.

Il perseguimento degli obiettivi di governance ambientale, realizzata attraverso il dominio cognitivodelle risorse informative disponibili, sia per finalità gestionali interne che per la partecipazioneconsapevole e democratica del pubblico al decision making ambientale, ha trovato applicazionenegli obiettivi dell'Ente Parco Nazionale del Gargano attraverso l'implementazione di un sistemainformativo territoriale fruibile anche attraverso WEB-GIS.La pervasività dell'informazione ambientale, territoriale, sociale ed economica, assume particolarerilevanza nelle aree protette richiedendo specifiche strategie di gestione dell'informazione che sibasano sull'innovazione e sulla conoscenza, per interpretare i fenomeni ambientali e le lorocomplessità, per scandire i flussi, per atomizzare le più piccole trasformazioni, certi della possibilitàd'analisi integrata dei dati, che costituisce il vero valore aggiunto e d'efficienza dei dominiinformativi. La soluzione tecnologica implementata che ha previsto l'impiego di numerosi elementiinformativi ha fatto ricorso anche ad informazioni di nuova acquisizione (come ad esempio lamappatura dei castagneti) oggetto di un tipo di "governo" particolarmente scrupoloso sia in terminigestionali che pianificatori.Con la realizzazione di questo sistema è possibile ora utilizzare una serie di strumenti innovativi peril territorio che vanno dalla maggiore condivisione delle informazioni all'analisi delle situazioni didegrado ambientale, dalla possibilità di georiferire con una semplicità unica dati di ogni genere eformato, alla condivisione delle informazioni in banche dati SQL.Il risultato finale è quello di dar vita ad una nuova generazione di funzioni ed ambiti applicativipermettendo di integrare al meglio le informazioni con un'accelerazione del processo innovativo,consentendo una più rapida diffusione di conoscenza codificata e di idee, rendendo il processoamministrativo più efficiente e coerente con l'interpretazione della stessa conoscenza.

La possibilità di rendere fruibili i dati gestiti dalla P.A. in formato aperto (c.d. Open Data)rappresenta una significativa opportunità per la comunità provinciale sia in termini di trasparenzaove se ne renda facilitato l'accesso, sia per lo sviluppo di attività correlabili all'uso gratuito diinformazioni certificate nel governo delle comunità locali, in ambito imprenditoriale e nel mondodella ricerca.Tra le informazioni prodotte dalla P.A., i dati territoriali nei vari formati digitali rappresentano unacomponente infrastrutturale strategica per l'implementazione dell'Agenda Digitale italiana ed unacomponente informativa indispensabile per la realizzazione di servizi innovativi nel contesto delle"Smart Cities" e "Smart Communities" ove i dati territoriali coniugano un nuovo paradigma dellacomunità digitale e per il sostegno alla ricerca ed alla innovazione.Nel corso degli ultimi anni, l'Unione Europea attraverso la direttiva INSPIRE (INfrastructure forSPatial InfoRmation in Europe 2007) e lo Stato italiano a partire dal D.Lgs n. 82/2005 (Codicedell'Amministrazione Digitale), hanno emanato specifiche norme che, mirano a costruire soluzioniaperte per l'interscambio e l'interoperabilità dei dati e per la loro disponibilità, accessibilità,fruibilità e riusabilità.La Provincia BAT, nell'ambito del "Piano Territoriale di Coordinamento Provinciale (PTCP)" haconseguito un rilevante patrimonio di Open Data a valenza territoriale (vedi "Quadro SinotticoPTCP") e implementato servizi di e-govemment ad essi correlati che si rivelano particolarmenteutili alla Pubblica Amministrazione in particolar modo in questo momento di transizione verso unadimensione digitale del governo delle comunità locali caratterizzato da accesso libero e riutilizzodei dati e dei servizi al cittadino attraverso la rete.A tal proposito è stata sviluppata un'architettura che integra Strumenti Tecnologici GIS e OpenData in grado di supportare il pianificatore nella valutazione della vincolistica, delle prescrizioni,degli indirizzi presenti sul territorio provinciale, attraverso strumenti che contestualizzano il datogeografico del PTCP in uno scenario di banche dati regionali. L'integrazione degli strumentiinformatici e l'interoperabilità con altri Open Data di competenza Regionale consentirà dimonitorare efficacemente i percorsi di formazione della pianificazione comunale.

Hydro-geological instability represents a problem of considerable importance for our country, given the extensive damage caused to property and, most importantly, for the loss of many human lives. Continued occurrences of these events suggest us about the need to enforce risk management policy related to the prediction of the event and the mitigation of his effects. Consequently, a basic approach focused on damage repairing and on the provision of benefits, has to be overcome toward a culture of prevention and prediction, spread out at various levels, based on the identification of risk conditions and on the adoption of measures aimed to minimize environmental impacts. For the prevention, problem resolution is not easy to define the precursors and thresholds. To this scope it is focused the project «Smart Multichannel Open Standard Data System Platform to Natural Risk Assessment-MODS» with a collaboration between three companies, Sysman, Servizi di Informazione Territoriale S.r.l. and Ingloba360 srl, the National Research Council - Institute of Water Research and the Department of Agriculture with the Associazione dei Consorzi di Difesa della Puglia (ASSOCODIPUGLIA, Consortium Association of Apulia protection). In the project, there is the direct involvement of Civil Protection. This collaboration has created an innovative vigil and pre-alert system as regards hydro-geological danger. System is able to manage in an interoperable way a huge quantity of data based on a data warehouse with a subsystem of Recording Weather Alert and Relevant Events - ReWARE. The application of this system allows a continuous monitoring with an automatic upgrade in real time, it is constituted by a telemetry network with coverage rising of the 94% of the Apulia region. At the same time it creates a vigil on the level of criticality much more efficient of the currently systems operating on the territory with a more sudden intervention not only in the areas constantly monitored, but through the new mobile network it is possible also a sudden intervention or a predictive analysis. The system, that is applied for the first time, fully automated, permitted to collect the date directly from the station, to process them, elaborate the status, identified the result on the regional territory using the GIS technology, and create a series of map that identified the status of the territory © 2014 IEEE.

In this paper, the results obtained from multivariate statistical techniques such as PCA (Principal component analysis) and LDA (Linear discriminant analysis) applied to a wide soil data set are presented. The results have been compared with those obtained on a groundwater data set, whose samples were collected together with soil ones, within the project "Improvement of the Regional Agro-meteorological Monitoring Network (2004-2007)". LDA, applied to soil data, has allowed to distinguish the geographical origin of the sample from either one of the two macroaeras: Bari and Foggia provinces vs Brindisi, Lecce e Taranto provinces, with a percentage of correct prediction in cross validation of 87%. In the case of the groundwater data set, the best classification was obtained when the samples were grouped into three macroareas: Foggia province, Bari province and Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto provinces, by reaching a percentage of correct predictions in cross validation of 84%. The obtained information can be very useful in supporting soil and water resource management, such as the reduction of water consumption and the reduction of energy and chemical (nutrients and pesticides) inputs in agriculture.

Soil pollution is one of the most soil relevant threats recognized in the world. Contamination affects soil qualityand soil capacity to react against several land degradation processes (erosion, organic depletion, desertification,etc.). The identification of opportune strategies to hinder pollution is a fundamental requirement to restore soilquality. In particular, large attentions have got the techniques, which promote the decontamination, and at thesame time, improve fertility allowing a new use of a soil restored.In this work we present a preliminary study to assess the use of compost (an organic fertilizer produced througha process of transformation and controlled stabilization of selected organic waste at the source) in remediating aheavily polluted soil in southern Italy. The study site is located in Taranto city (Apulia Region) and is contaminatedpredominantly by heavy metals and lightly by organic toxic compounds such us polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).An exhaustive chemical characterization has been carried out on soil samples and then, a treatment with compostwas applied on the study site. Successively, two data acquisition campaigns have been realized (after 4 and 7months by compost treatment, respectively).Soil chemical analyses of texture, electrical conductivity, pH, organic carbon content, total nitrogen, availablephosphorous, carbonate and water content have been carried out to investigate soil properties.In the polluted site chemical analyses of characterization showed low content of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous)and high level of carbonate. Heavy metals screenings, carried out through ICP-MS equipment, evidenceda massive contamination by Be, Se, Sn, Pb, Cr, Zn, while GC-MS investigations revealed a lower pollution byPCBs.The results of the monitoring campaigns showed a consistent reduction of the heavy metals concentrations: ahigher decrease is observed after 7 months by compost treatment. At the same time, a considerable increase oforganic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus is also registered.The overall results suggest that the use of compost contributed to improve soil physico-chemical properties andpromote a relevant decrease of pollution suggesting that a process of soil quality restoration is performing.

L'intero territorio è stato coinvolto ed è coinvolto - in modo più o meno diretto e continuativo - dafenomeni di antropizzazione e rinaturalizzazione che ne hanno caratterizzato e modificatol'ambiente nel corso del tempo.Nella comprensione, investigazione e valutazione di dinamiche territoriali, con i relativi impattiambientali, la cartografia e le immagini satellitari, in serie storiche, possono rilevarsi strumento utiledi analisi, costituendo all'occorrenza un punto di osservazione privilegiato per comprenderel'evoluzione dello stato territoriale ed ambientale di determinate porzioni di territorio: analizzare lecarte tematiche di ieri, giustapporle a quelle di oggi, correlare i risultati dell'overlay mapping conulteriori dati a disposizione per comprendere e spiegare quanto è accaduto e quanto oggi cicirconda, rappresenta il punto di partenza per l'attuazione di futuri Piani di Gestione del territoriosempre più sostenibili.Il dato di partenza che muove l'esperienza in itinere è l'evidenza che in un recente passato, tra glianni '80 fine anni '90, in stato di emergenza rifiuti, prima che la creazione degli Ambiti TerritorialiOttimali (ATO) per la gestione dell'intero ciclo dei rifiuti assicurasse la presenza di impianti per iltrattamento e lo smaltimento degli stessi, il territorio regionale pugliese è stato caratterizzato da unproliferare di discariche d'emergenza, autorizzate ex art. 12 del DPR 915/82 e art. 13 del D.Lgs.22/97, sprovviste delle necessarie misure di sicurezza impiantistiche e costruttive.Al fine di comprendere l'entità del fenomeno, non sempre documentato, e di ricostruire un quadroconoscitivo esaustivo del territorio regionale si applicheranno, testandole e comparandole, tecnicheevolute di elaborazione d'immagini per identificare le differenze territoriali, avvenute nel tempo, ingrado di fornire indicazioni volte all'individuazione, il più accurata possibile, delle discaricherealizzate in regime d'emergenza nonché delle possibili modificazioni relative all'uso del suolo neiterritori circostanti.

Land degradation processes like organic matter impoverishment and contamination are growing increasingly allover the world due to a non-rational and often sustainable spread of human activities on the territory. Consequentlythe need to characterize and monitor degraded sites is becoming very important, with the aim to hinder such mainthreats, which could compromise drastically, soil quality.Visible and infrared spectroscopy is a well-known technique/tool to study soil properties. Vis-NIR spectralreflectance, in fact, can be used to characterize spatial and temporal variation in soil constituents (Brown et al.,2006; Viscarra Rossel et al., 2006), and potentially its surface structure (Chappell et al., 2006, 2007). It is a rapid,non-destructive, reproducible and cost-effective analytical method to analyse soil properties and therefore, it canbe a useful method to study land degradation phenomena.In this work, we present the results of proximal sensing investigations of three degraded sites (one affected byorganic and inorganic contamination and two affected by soil organic matter decline) situated southern Italyclose to Taranto city (in Apulia Region). A portable spectroradiometer (ASD-FieldSpec) was used to measure thereflectance properties in the spectral range between 350-2500 nm of the soil, in the selected sites, before and aftera recovery treatment by using compost (organic fertilizer). For each measurement point the soil was sampled inorder to perform chemical analyses to evaluate soil quality status.Three in-situ campaigns have been carried out (September 2012, June 2013, and September 2013), collectingabout 20 soil samples for each site and for each campaign.Chemical and spectral analyses have been focused on investigating soil organic carbon, carbonate content, textureand, in the case of polluted site, heavy metals and organic toxic compounds.Statistical analyses have been carried out to test a prediction model of different soil quality indicators based on thespectral signatures behaviour of each sample ranging.

Il decreto legislativo del 18 febbraio 2005, n. 59 che recepisce in Italia la Direttiva 96/61/CE, notaanche come Direttiva IPPC (Integrated Prevention Pollution Control) stabilisce, ai fini del rilasciodell'Autorizzazione Integrata Ambientale (AIA), la necessità di realizzare azioni tese a ridurrel'impatto degli allevamenti tra cui la definizione delle Migliori Tecniche Disponibili (BAT - BestAvailable Techniques) che comprendono: miglioramenti nutrizionali degli allevamenti, redazionedei Piani di Utilizzazione Agronomica (PUA) in relazione alle caratteristiche territoriali, gestionedei reflui zootecnici, etc.Nell'ambito del progetto "Programma integrato per la prevenzione e la riduzionedell'inquinamento da nitrati di allevamenti avicoli" - a cura di Regione Puglia (Assessorato allaQualità dell'Ambiente), IRSA-CNR e UNIBA (DETO) - è stato messo a punto, con strumenti opensource,un WebGIS finalizzato a supportare lo sviluppo di modelli di bilancio dell'azoto (e diconseguenza dei nitrati) in relazione alla presenza di allevamenti avicoli sul territorio della RegionePuglia. Nello specifico, attraverso tale sistema informatico è resa possibile la visualizzazione econsultazione immediata della mappa delle aree del territorio regionale idonee allo spandimento deireflui zootecnici e dei singoli differenti layer informativi utilizzati per l'identificazione della stessa.La realizzazione del WebGis, così come strutturato, a cura dell'IRSA-CNR, rappresenta un nuovosistema metodologico/informativo in grado di supportare il mondo agricolo e zootecnico nelleattività di pianificazione degli interventi di spandimento finalizzate a promuovere la riduzione degliimpatti ambientali imputabili ai reflui zootecnici di origine avicola sul territorio regionale.Nell'ambito del webgis sviluppato è inoltre possibile aggiornare i livelli informativi esistenti edaggiungerne ulteriori che descrivono e dettagliano in continuo l'area regionale relativamente aicarichi da nitrati imputabili ad allevamenti di tipo avicolo; di conseguenza, l'informazione puntualeed aggiornata delle aree idonee allo spandimento acquisibile dalle aziende agrarie per mezzo delWebGIS rappresenta un utile strumento di conoscenza per promuovere la chiusura del ciclo deireflui anche attraverso una gestione consortile degli stessi.