Integrated environmental characterization of the contaminated marine coastal area of Taranto, Ionian Sea (southern Italy)

The Project RITMARE (la Ricerca ITaliana per il MARE—Italian Research for the sea) is one of the national research programs funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. RITMARE (2012–2016), coordinated by the National Research Council (CNR), and has involved an integrated effort of most of the scientific community working on marine and maritime issues. Within the project, different marine study areas of strategic importance for the Mediterranean were identified: among these, the coastal area of Taranto (Ionian Sea, southern Italy) was chosen for the presence of large industrial settlements and their impact on the marine environment.