Considera l’armadillo di martedì 25/11/2025

·27 min·2 clips

Professor Alessia Tricomi reveals why whale signals have disappeared from the Ionian coast, pointing to airgun prospecting near Egypt.

The episode begins with host Cecilia Di Lieto noting the International Day for the Elimination of Violence on Women and mentioning an exhibition on armadillos at the Insubrico Civic Museum of Natural History. She introduces Professor Alessia Tricomi, a physicist leading the Vongola project. Tricomi explains that Vongola started in July 2024 and involves the University of Catania, the University of the Mediterranean of Reggio Calabria, and other institutions. The project uses two main technologies: Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), which transforms underwater optical fibers into thousands of microphones, and artificial intelligence to analyze video data of fish species. Three monitoring stations are located in the Strait of Messina, the port of Catania, and the Plein Mirio marine protected area in Syracuse. Data collection began in summer 2024. Early results show an absence of whale signals in the Ionian coast, possibly due to airgun prospecting near Egypt. The project also monitors shrimp sounds and has found a significant presence of vermicanae, an invasive species, in the Strait of Messina. Tricomi discusses how underwater sound travels over 80 kilometers, as demonstrated by recording a controlled World War II bomb explosion from Catania. She contrasts natural sea sounds, like those from dolphins and shrimp, with human-made noise pollution, emphasizing that maritime traffic is the primary source. The episode touches on European directives for acoustic pollution and the project's role in compliance monitoring. A listener suggests a book linking black feminism and marine mammals, connecting to the opening theme of violence. The host concludes by mentioning a radio transfer to Corvetto and a Guardian article about Arctic traffic noise.

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