Principal Investigator

Dr. Elisa Soana 

Researcher

She carries out her research in the field of biogeochemistry of inland and transitional waters with a particular focus on the impacts of anthropogenic pressures and climate change on aquatic ecosystem metabolism and functioning. Main research themes:

• basin scale dynamics of nutrients causing eutrophication, genesis, transport and transformations of nutrient loads along the terrestrial-freshwater-estuarine continuum in agricultural watersheds;

• regulation of biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems and agroecosystems, with a particular focus to the self-depuration capacity and the use of aquatic vegetation as a nature-based solution to control eutrophication and nitrate contamination.

Unit leader

Dr. Chiara Sbarbati

Researcher

She carries out her research in the field of hydrology. She has focused her research on the characterisation and monitoring of polluted aquifers integrating groundwater flow and transport modelling at different scales, seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers and the use of environmental isotopes applied to hydrological and environmental issues.

Unit leader

Dr. Nicolò Colombani

Researcher

He carries out his research in a multidisciplinary approach between hydrology, geochemistry and ecology. His research has focused on the characterisation and monitoring of contaminated sites using several techniques, the modelling of groundwater flow and solute transport, and the management and protection of water resources in coastal plains through the understanding of salinisation processes and the correct calculation of the water balance to face environmental problems induced by intense anthropogenic activities.

She carries out her research in the field of aquatic ecology focusing on the cumulative effects of climate change on the benthic nitrogen cycling in freshwater and transitional ecosystems and the timing and magnitude of nutrient export from watersheds.

He carries out his research on monitoring and assessing environmental components, the drivers of major, minor, and trace element concentrations in diverse groundwater, lake, surface waters, and rain in different ecosystems, biogeochemical gradients in soils and shallow aquifers. Furthermore, he is interested in conserving and monitoring biodiversity including ecosystem management, awareness on environmental pollution and social vulnerability assessment.

He carries out his research in the field of hydrology. His research activity has focused on the development of flow and transport numerical models of coastal plains at different scales, with a particular interest in characterizing salinization dynamics and surface-subsurface systems interactions.

He carries out his research in the field of biogeochemistry, focusing on the role of aquatic vegetation in nitrogen removal processes, with particular reference to denitrification. He is interested in studying the balance between dissimilatory and assimilatory processes and the environmental conditions controlling the GHG emissions.

She carries out her research into the sustainability of agricultural systems by applying the Life Cycle Assessment methodology and, thanks to her role as a graduate agricultural technician, through scientific and professional collaboration with local farms.