(7 November, 2016) A piece of Italy in the heart of Central America. The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Unimore) will send a team of researchers and specialists to Costa Rica to take part in a scientific expedition that will take them to the research station “Italy-Costa Rica” situated in the Karen Mogensen forests, in the Nicoya Peninsula. A study on the tropical fauna aimed at investigating the effects of climate change on biodiversity is currently underway. The team – which includes Professor Dario Sonetti, former Unimore professor and expedition coordinator, doctors Matteo Dal Zotto, Maurizio Carnevali and Giuseppe Romeo, Department of Life Sciences fellows and Luca Lombroso, one the first meteorologists certified in Italy from the “Enzo Ferrari” Engineering Department (DIEF) – will depart on Wednesday, November 9. The aim of the expedition the classification of the Reserve and collecting biological data. In practice, they identify some species that can act as a bio-indicator as part of a larger plan which will lead to the complete mapping of the protected area’s biodiversity. The meteorological data is collected by a weather station and a webcam that once installed will send data to the Geophysical Observatory weather network of the “Enzo Ferrari” Department of Engineering at Unimore. During the expedition, new contacts and meetings with the National Meteorology Institute of Costa Rica are expected. The Institute is interested in collaborating in collecting meteorological data in the Reserve and visiting other biological research and meteorological stations. (Red)
