The Tuscan Archipelago Living Lab focuses on advancing research around ocean observations of habitat-forming macroalgal forests and seagrasses. Our work is conducted in one of the largest marine parks in Europe, the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in recognition of its unique environments and the large diversity of marine and terrestrial life it hosts.
Our key objectives in the Tuscan Archipelago Living Lab are to:
- identify thresholds and tipping points* in the macroalgae and seagrass habitats,
- develop early warning indicators,
- quantify the cumulative effects of multiple stressors in these ecosystems.
The Tuscan Archipelago includes seven islands that are managed differently with respect to human activities, with restrictions ranging from fully protected islands with limited human access and no extractive activities to fully open islands. This Living Lab thus provides a unique natural laboratory to test and validate innovative observing platforms and EOV indicators, especially regarding seagrass and habitat-forming macroalgae, along gradients of anthropogenic pressure.
The TA Living Lab is closely collaborating with the Atlantic Living Lab [link] and the Baltic Sea Living Lab [link].
Main EOVs studied in the Living Lab:
(Click on the EOV name to access the corresponding GOOS EOV Specification Sheet if available)
Macroalgae canopy cover and composition
Seagrass cover and composition
Photo: Littoral zone on the Elba Island in the Tuscan Archipelago. Source: Maurizio Abbiateci; https://www.flickr.com/photos/abbiateci64/5574227027/; CC BY 2.0.
