Master student:

- Dr. Leonardo Laiolo, Marine Science Group (MSG), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna (UNIBO)

Supervisors:

- Dr. Stefano Goffredo (MSG, UNIBO)

- Prof. Zvy Dubinsky, the Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS), Bar-Ilan University (BIU)

- Dr. David Iluz (FLS, BIU)

- Dr. Luca Palmeri, Environmental Systems Analysis Lab (LASA), University of Padova (UNIPD)

- Dr. Alberto Barausse (LASA, UNIPD)

At the present time Eilat (Israele) and Aqaba (Giordania) are popular resort destinations, which depend on marine biodiversity and coral reefs.

Environmental factors could threaten this important source of revenue: the water quality has decreased in recent years, because of human activity and industrial pollution in the coastal zones surrounding the Gulf. It’s possible that global climate change may also be a causal factor.

During the project "Protecting the Gulf of Aqaba from Anthropogenic and Natural Stress" (January 2007 - December 2009), supported by the program “The NATO Science for Peace and Security Program (SPS)”, scientists from Jordan, Israel and Turkey have collected each month for three years the necessary parameters for the research.

These data will be used to develop a model to check the present situation and the future trends of water quality in the Gulf of Aqaba: this will be the thesis of Leonardo Laiolo. The model could give notice of deterioration of the waters in front of Aqaba and Eilat. The model will be useful for future predictions on the environmental conditions in the Gulf and eventual corrective actions to protect the Gulf.

UPDATES: