Rosario Mosello | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) (original) (raw)
Papers by Rosario Mosello
Journal of Limnology, 2002
The paper summarises the contents of the present volume devoted to forest research in Italy, with... more The paper summarises the contents of the present volume devoted to forest research in Italy, within the National Programme for Forest Ecosystem Monitoring (CONECOFOR), part of the Level II forest monitoring, and other linked regional and provincial monitoring activities. The coordination of the project, through a National Focal Centre and a Task Force for the Integrated and Combined Evaluation of results, made up of the foremost Italian experts working in the field, is outlined. No clear signals of strong negative impacts emerge from the papers, although the results of several studies indicate nitrogen and ozone as possible causes of disturbances in a number of plots. The effects of the deposition of acidity are largely buffered by the nature of the soils, while nitrate is leached from the plots where runoff is analysed, indicating N saturation of soils. This paper describes the main activities of the Task Force as regards data validation and elaboration, aimed at providing reliable information leading to sustainable forest management in Italy as well as making a useful contribution to international activities in a Pan-European context.
The Colli Albani Volcano
A study on some physico-chemical and biological variables of water quality was conducted on a coa... more A study on some physico-chemical and biological variables of water quality was conducted on a coastal river in Ivory Coast. It's a first assessment on water quality state. Those coastal rivers actually play an important role in the physical, biological and hydrological exchange between lagoons and the sea. Unfortunately, they are not taken into account by the national monitoring for water quality (RNO-CI). The samples were collected along Boubo river body through three stations, in the south of Côte d'Ivoire, during two years. Results show sharp fluctuations of the concentration N-NO 3 nitrate, N-NH 4 + ammonium and chlorophyll a with more than 20% variation. However, small fluctuations were noted for temperature, pH and conductivity with 4-20%. Measures are generally inferior to the threshold for hazardous water class. But respective average concentrations of N-NO 3-, P-PO 4 3-, DCO and DBO 5 are above natural water threshold, representing 67% of the analyzed samples of P-PO 4 3and 100% of the other. These results show that the river is not exempt of pollution: 0.2 mg.L-1 of P-PO 4 3and 0.9 mg.L-1 of N-NO 3 are the limit of appropriate siege for the proliferation of invasive aquatic plants (IAP).
Journal of Limnology, 2007
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus, 2002
Here we present the chemical trends of seven high altitude lakes, analysed within the AL:PE and M... more Here we present the chemical trends of seven high altitude lakes, analysed within the AL:PE and MOLAR Projects of the EU (1999) and selected on the basis of the availability of complete and reliable data for the period 1984–1999. The lakes are representative of the Scandinavian Alps, the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, the Alps and the Pyrenees. Significant trends were
Mem. 1st. Ital. Idrobiol, 1979
Hydrobiologia, 2003
Sicilian reservoirs, a vital resource for this densely populated island, are undergoing increased... more Sicilian reservoirs, a vital resource for this densely populated island, are undergoing increased eutrophication processes, due to the lack of urban waste treatment plants and to intense agriculture. Massive blooms of toxic cyanobacteria represent one of the most obvious consequences, and can be dangerous for population health. The possibility of a fast, even if only short term, recovery of water quality through application of lime, was tested through analysis of ion dynamics in two reservoirs, to develop an 'emergency plan', to counteract cyanobacterial blooms and to decrease the risk for human health. The results indicate that these water bodies are suitable for lime treatments, even though the high content of sulphate and their managed hydrological cycles, have to be considered.
Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 2011
Richard A. Vollenweider (Zürich, 1922–Burlington, 2007) gained his Ph.D. in Biology from the Univ... more Richard A. Vollenweider (Zürich, 1922–Burlington, 2007) gained his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Zürich in 1951, and was appointed research assistant at the Institute of Hydrobiology in Kastanienbaum (Switzerland). His first contact with limnological research on the Italian lakes was at the Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Dott. Marco de Marchi in Verbania Pallanza (now the Institute of Ecosystem Study of the National Research Council), where he was awarded a study grant from 1954 to 1955, later being engaged there as a contract researcher from 1959 to 1966. During this time he worked on experimental and theoretical problems in the context of studies on Lake Maggiore and other Italian lakes, which resulted in one of the first synoptic description of the subalpine lakes. He also researched the serious industrial pollution of Lake Orta, describing its cause and effects in a detailed study. This memoir offers a short description of Vollenweider’s limnological research during these years, as we thought it fitting to pay tribute to the scientific work that Richard A. Vollenweider did in our country. During his stay at the Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia in Pallanza (1954–1955 and 1959–1966), Richard performed major research both in the field and in the laboratory (Figure 1). The high quality and number of his publications testify to his tireless activity; 11 of them were published in the Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Dott. Marco De Marchi (published under the title of Journal of Limnology since 1999). A glance at the variety of the problems tackled by Vollenweider may give an idea of his contribution to limnological research and to our knowledge of the northern Italian lakes in particular. One important aspect was the measurement of chemical variables in lake water, preceded by a thorough account of the analytic methods used in the laboratory of the Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia (Vollenweider, 1962). The results of this study permitted a first synoptic overview of the hydrochemistry of the insubrian lakes (Vollenweider, 1965), in relation to the geo-lithological characteristics of their watersheds. In addition, a number of chemical variables were used to identify the mixing depths of the deep subalpine lakes, in the study of the oligomixis characterising these environments (Vollenweider, 1964). In this connection, we should say that it was these studies that began the historical series of data on the hydrochemical and trophic evolution of these lakes. In fact, due to their location in a densely populated and industrialised area, these important water bodies have been differently affected by eutrophication since the 60s, arousing concern over the quality of their water in relation to their different uses, though there was a partial restoration of water quality in the 90s (e.g. de Bernardi and Nobili, 1989; Guilizzoni et al., 1992). This evolution was described in hundreds of papers which examined the causes and effects of the eutrophication in relation to the morphological and hydrological characteristics of the lakes and the impact of pollution (updated review in Salmaso and Mosello, 2010). Throughout, the data and ideas reported by Vollenweider were always of major importance.
Journal of Limnology, 2008
A Working Group on Quality Assurance/Quality Control of analyses in laboratories active in the ch... more A Working Group on Quality Assurance/Quality Control of analyses in laboratories active in the chemical analysis of atmospheric deposition and soil water has been created within the framework of the Integrated Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (UN-ECE/ICP Forests) and the EU/Forest Focus Programme (Regulation 2152/2003). This paper is a follow up to an earlier paper dealing with the validation of chemical analyses, in which validation techniques (ion balance, comparison between measured and calculated conductivity, Na/Cl ratio and relationship between different forms of N) were tested on a set of real analysis data obtained from different laboratories. This paper focuses on the validation of chemical analysis of samples containing high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations (> 5 mg C L-1), where the ion balance criterion fails because of the presence of weak organic acids. About 6000 chemical analyses of bulk open field, throughfall and stemflow samples, which contained complete sets of all ion concentrations, conductivity and DOC, produced in 8 different laboratories, were used to calculate empirical relationships between DOC and the difference between the sum of cations and the sum of anions, with the aim to evaluate a formal charge per mg of organic C. Regression coefficients were obtained for data from each laboratory, as well as for all the data combined. The coefficients were further tested using an independent set of data from each country. The differences between the individual laboratory and the overall regression coefficients are discussed. The results are also considered in the light of formal charge values for DOC/TOC obtained in studies on freshwater. The formal DOC charge proved to be useful for estimating the contribution of organic acids in the ion balance test, thus considerably improving the applicability of the ion balance as a validation criterion for samples with high DOC values.
INTRODUCTION 2 1.1. Aims 3 2. DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES FOR DEPOSITION MEASUREMENTS IN ICP FORESTS ... more INTRODUCTION 2 1.1. Aims 3 2. DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES FOR DEPOSITION MEASUREMENTS IN ICP FORESTS 4 2.1. Definition of the Data Quality Objectives 2.2. Data Quality Objectives for the second WRT 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORKING RING TEST 3.1. The water samples 3.2. Preparation of the samples 3.3. Homogeneity of the samples after filtration 3.4. Stability of the samples 3.5. Dispatch of the samples 4. METHODS 4.1. Presentation of the results and numerical calculation 4.1.1. Graphical presentation of the results 4.1.2. The Youden plot 4.1.3. Detection of outliers, and the z score 4.1.4. Estimation of the detection and quantification limits for analytical methods ... 4.2. Validation of the results for major ions 4.2.1. The ionic balance 4.2.2. Comparison between measured and calculated conductivity 5. LABORATORIES PARTICIPATING IN THE WORKING RING TEST 6. RESULTS 6.1. Analytical methods used 6.2. Chemical characteristics of the samples 6.3. Overall performance of the laboratories 6.4
Journal of Limnology, 2021
Since 2010, work has been underway to curate and catalogue the historical documentation archive o... more Since 2010, work has been underway to curate and catalogue the historical documentation archive of the Verbania Pallanza section of the CNR Institute for Research on Waters, located on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the Italian Lake District. This laboratory was established during the first decade of the 1900s with the work of Marco De Marchi, and research activities intensified from 1938 onwards with the foundation of the Italian Institute of Hydrobiology. The curation of the archives dating from these earliest times to the present has been done with professional archivist technicians from the Archival Superintendence and in collaboration with researchers from the Institute. The archived documents include those from the first phase of the organization of the Institute, as well as those derived from scientific and administrative activities and exchanges with the Ministry of Education. The documents also cover activities at a second section of the Institute, located in an ancient his...
SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010, Oct 1, 1978
Journal of Limnology, 2002
The paper summarises the contents of the present volume devoted to forest research in Italy, with... more The paper summarises the contents of the present volume devoted to forest research in Italy, within the National Programme for Forest Ecosystem Monitoring (CONECOFOR), part of the Level II forest monitoring, and other linked regional and provincial monitoring activities. The coordination of the project, through a National Focal Centre and a Task Force for the Integrated and Combined Evaluation of results, made up of the foremost Italian experts working in the field, is outlined. No clear signals of strong negative impacts emerge from the papers, although the results of several studies indicate nitrogen and ozone as possible causes of disturbances in a number of plots. The effects of the deposition of acidity are largely buffered by the nature of the soils, while nitrate is leached from the plots where runoff is analysed, indicating N saturation of soils. This paper describes the main activities of the Task Force as regards data validation and elaboration, aimed at providing reliable information leading to sustainable forest management in Italy as well as making a useful contribution to international activities in a Pan-European context.
The Colli Albani Volcano
A study on some physico-chemical and biological variables of water quality was conducted on a coa... more A study on some physico-chemical and biological variables of water quality was conducted on a coastal river in Ivory Coast. It's a first assessment on water quality state. Those coastal rivers actually play an important role in the physical, biological and hydrological exchange between lagoons and the sea. Unfortunately, they are not taken into account by the national monitoring for water quality (RNO-CI). The samples were collected along Boubo river body through three stations, in the south of Côte d'Ivoire, during two years. Results show sharp fluctuations of the concentration N-NO 3 nitrate, N-NH 4 + ammonium and chlorophyll a with more than 20% variation. However, small fluctuations were noted for temperature, pH and conductivity with 4-20%. Measures are generally inferior to the threshold for hazardous water class. But respective average concentrations of N-NO 3-, P-PO 4 3-, DCO and DBO 5 are above natural water threshold, representing 67% of the analyzed samples of P-PO 4 3and 100% of the other. These results show that the river is not exempt of pollution: 0.2 mg.L-1 of P-PO 4 3and 0.9 mg.L-1 of N-NO 3 are the limit of appropriate siege for the proliferation of invasive aquatic plants (IAP).
Journal of Limnology, 2007
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus, 2002
Here we present the chemical trends of seven high altitude lakes, analysed within the AL:PE and M... more Here we present the chemical trends of seven high altitude lakes, analysed within the AL:PE and MOLAR Projects of the EU (1999) and selected on the basis of the availability of complete and reliable data for the period 1984–1999. The lakes are representative of the Scandinavian Alps, the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, the Alps and the Pyrenees. Significant trends were
Mem. 1st. Ital. Idrobiol, 1979
Hydrobiologia, 2003
Sicilian reservoirs, a vital resource for this densely populated island, are undergoing increased... more Sicilian reservoirs, a vital resource for this densely populated island, are undergoing increased eutrophication processes, due to the lack of urban waste treatment plants and to intense agriculture. Massive blooms of toxic cyanobacteria represent one of the most obvious consequences, and can be dangerous for population health. The possibility of a fast, even if only short term, recovery of water quality through application of lime, was tested through analysis of ion dynamics in two reservoirs, to develop an 'emergency plan', to counteract cyanobacterial blooms and to decrease the risk for human health. The results indicate that these water bodies are suitable for lime treatments, even though the high content of sulphate and their managed hydrological cycles, have to be considered.
Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 2011
Richard A. Vollenweider (Zürich, 1922–Burlington, 2007) gained his Ph.D. in Biology from the Univ... more Richard A. Vollenweider (Zürich, 1922–Burlington, 2007) gained his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Zürich in 1951, and was appointed research assistant at the Institute of Hydrobiology in Kastanienbaum (Switzerland). His first contact with limnological research on the Italian lakes was at the Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Dott. Marco de Marchi in Verbania Pallanza (now the Institute of Ecosystem Study of the National Research Council), where he was awarded a study grant from 1954 to 1955, later being engaged there as a contract researcher from 1959 to 1966. During this time he worked on experimental and theoretical problems in the context of studies on Lake Maggiore and other Italian lakes, which resulted in one of the first synoptic description of the subalpine lakes. He also researched the serious industrial pollution of Lake Orta, describing its cause and effects in a detailed study. This memoir offers a short description of Vollenweider’s limnological research during these years, as we thought it fitting to pay tribute to the scientific work that Richard A. Vollenweider did in our country. During his stay at the Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia in Pallanza (1954–1955 and 1959–1966), Richard performed major research both in the field and in the laboratory (Figure 1). The high quality and number of his publications testify to his tireless activity; 11 of them were published in the Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Dott. Marco De Marchi (published under the title of Journal of Limnology since 1999). A glance at the variety of the problems tackled by Vollenweider may give an idea of his contribution to limnological research and to our knowledge of the northern Italian lakes in particular. One important aspect was the measurement of chemical variables in lake water, preceded by a thorough account of the analytic methods used in the laboratory of the Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia (Vollenweider, 1962). The results of this study permitted a first synoptic overview of the hydrochemistry of the insubrian lakes (Vollenweider, 1965), in relation to the geo-lithological characteristics of their watersheds. In addition, a number of chemical variables were used to identify the mixing depths of the deep subalpine lakes, in the study of the oligomixis characterising these environments (Vollenweider, 1964). In this connection, we should say that it was these studies that began the historical series of data on the hydrochemical and trophic evolution of these lakes. In fact, due to their location in a densely populated and industrialised area, these important water bodies have been differently affected by eutrophication since the 60s, arousing concern over the quality of their water in relation to their different uses, though there was a partial restoration of water quality in the 90s (e.g. de Bernardi and Nobili, 1989; Guilizzoni et al., 1992). This evolution was described in hundreds of papers which examined the causes and effects of the eutrophication in relation to the morphological and hydrological characteristics of the lakes and the impact of pollution (updated review in Salmaso and Mosello, 2010). Throughout, the data and ideas reported by Vollenweider were always of major importance.
Journal of Limnology, 2008
A Working Group on Quality Assurance/Quality Control of analyses in laboratories active in the ch... more A Working Group on Quality Assurance/Quality Control of analyses in laboratories active in the chemical analysis of atmospheric deposition and soil water has been created within the framework of the Integrated Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (UN-ECE/ICP Forests) and the EU/Forest Focus Programme (Regulation 2152/2003). This paper is a follow up to an earlier paper dealing with the validation of chemical analyses, in which validation techniques (ion balance, comparison between measured and calculated conductivity, Na/Cl ratio and relationship between different forms of N) were tested on a set of real analysis data obtained from different laboratories. This paper focuses on the validation of chemical analysis of samples containing high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations (> 5 mg C L-1), where the ion balance criterion fails because of the presence of weak organic acids. About 6000 chemical analyses of bulk open field, throughfall and stemflow samples, which contained complete sets of all ion concentrations, conductivity and DOC, produced in 8 different laboratories, were used to calculate empirical relationships between DOC and the difference between the sum of cations and the sum of anions, with the aim to evaluate a formal charge per mg of organic C. Regression coefficients were obtained for data from each laboratory, as well as for all the data combined. The coefficients were further tested using an independent set of data from each country. The differences between the individual laboratory and the overall regression coefficients are discussed. The results are also considered in the light of formal charge values for DOC/TOC obtained in studies on freshwater. The formal DOC charge proved to be useful for estimating the contribution of organic acids in the ion balance test, thus considerably improving the applicability of the ion balance as a validation criterion for samples with high DOC values.
INTRODUCTION 2 1.1. Aims 3 2. DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES FOR DEPOSITION MEASUREMENTS IN ICP FORESTS ... more INTRODUCTION 2 1.1. Aims 3 2. DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES FOR DEPOSITION MEASUREMENTS IN ICP FORESTS 4 2.1. Definition of the Data Quality Objectives 2.2. Data Quality Objectives for the second WRT 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORKING RING TEST 3.1. The water samples 3.2. Preparation of the samples 3.3. Homogeneity of the samples after filtration 3.4. Stability of the samples 3.5. Dispatch of the samples 4. METHODS 4.1. Presentation of the results and numerical calculation 4.1.1. Graphical presentation of the results 4.1.2. The Youden plot 4.1.3. Detection of outliers, and the z score 4.1.4. Estimation of the detection and quantification limits for analytical methods ... 4.2. Validation of the results for major ions 4.2.1. The ionic balance 4.2.2. Comparison between measured and calculated conductivity 5. LABORATORIES PARTICIPATING IN THE WORKING RING TEST 6. RESULTS 6.1. Analytical methods used 6.2. Chemical characteristics of the samples 6.3. Overall performance of the laboratories 6.4
Journal of Limnology, 2021
Since 2010, work has been underway to curate and catalogue the historical documentation archive o... more Since 2010, work has been underway to curate and catalogue the historical documentation archive of the Verbania Pallanza section of the CNR Institute for Research on Waters, located on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the Italian Lake District. This laboratory was established during the first decade of the 1900s with the work of Marco De Marchi, and research activities intensified from 1938 onwards with the foundation of the Italian Institute of Hydrobiology. The curation of the archives dating from these earliest times to the present has been done with professional archivist technicians from the Archival Superintendence and in collaboration with researchers from the Institute. The archived documents include those from the first phase of the organization of the Institute, as well as those derived from scientific and administrative activities and exchanges with the Ministry of Education. The documents also cover activities at a second section of the Institute, located in an ancient his...
SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010, Oct 1, 1978