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The Oceans Surrounding Maiori, Italy

The Oceans Surrounding The Italian Village Of Maiori

Today’s article shall discuss the oceans surrounding the town of Maiori, Italy. Maiori is a small town along the Amalfi coastline, in the province of Salerno. It is famous for its large lemon production, as well as its incredibly old chapels. It is an inexpensive resort town & has been since the roman times. 2 anonymous sponsors decided to graciously donate us money in order to go to Maiori & conduct various experiments. During the 5th of September, we will publish an article on the various experiments we conducted & research data we collected. These articles will be published under our newest newsletter, which is named “The Persaud Catalogue: Scientific Journal of Marine Biology”. This will be the first publication under that newsletter. Maiori is also wonderfully inexpensive so this makes it a day trip destination. It is also possible one of the best places to go marine-creature watching in the province of Salerno. It has a rich history that ties in to a twin town that is nearby, known as Minori. Maiori has the longest stretch of unbroken coastline along the entire Amalfi coast, which makes it a prime location for both coastal & marine life. Maiori is also famous for their delightful various scuba diving tours. The town currently has a bustling coastline in that many marine creatures will choose to live along it. Maiori is located along the Mediterranean sea as well, which means it may have some endemic marine Flora & Fauna. Since it is in the Mediterranean, this also unfortunately means that it will have a higher oceanic population rate then say outside of the Mediterranean. Thankfully, Maiori beach is a very clean beach & litter is not very commonly found there. Maiori is also not a port, so this helps to lower the pollution rate. Maiori somewhat very safe for swimmers, the only unsafe factor is the unfortunate jellyfish invasion. Currently, there is an invasion of Rhizostoma Pulmo (Frilly-Mouthed Jellyfish) along Maiori Beach. They reproduce very quickly so it is incredibly difficult to eradicate them. Our previous article published on the 10th of this month discussed this jellyfish in it’s entirety. If you would like to learn more about that jellyfish & what to do in the case it stings you, please use our navigational feature located at the top of our website to find it. It is titled “The Frilly-Mouthed Jellyfish Of Maiori, Italy”. In this article we will discuss the salinity, tides, temperatures, marine geography, & basic information of the oceans surrounding Maiori, the most prominent ecosystems of the oceans surrounding Maiori, the documented marine flora & fauna of Maiori, & finally, How the oceanic resources of Maiori have been utilized & how it had effected the oceanic environment. With that being said, let us delve into the oceans surrounding the town of lemons.


The Salinity, Tides, Temperatures, Marine Geography, & Basic Information Of The Oceans Surrounding Maiori

Since Maiori is located in the Mediterranean Sea, it would have a higher salinity then say in the Indian Ocean. This is mainly due to the Atlantic being the ocean filtering into the Mediterranean. The Atlantic is the ocean with the highest salinity as of 2023. The actual salinity of Maiori has not been measured officially.

Salt deposits / Brine Pools may be more common around the island due to the higher salinity. They are most certainly salt deposits around the town as it has the salinity of the Mediterranean is extremely high. The salinity levels of the Mediterranean sea at any given time are between 38 parts per thousand & 40 parts per thousand. Salinity is measured in 1,000 grams of water. For every 1000 grams of water there will be a certain number of grams that are pure salt. This is how salinity or saline level is measured. There are also no on going factors that would lead the salinity level being altered. Additionally, there are no salt-water rivers nearby. The tide charts for Maiori can be found on a multitude of websites, however these sites are the easiest to navigate: https://www.tide-forecast.com, https://www.tidetime.org, https://www.tideschart.com, & finally https://surf-reports.com. The tide seems to never reach over 1.24 meters (4.068241 feet). Maiori beaches do not have riptides of any kind, meaning that it is safe for swimmers. The oceanic temperature of Maiori beach is also found on a plethora of websites, however the easiest to navigate is https://seatemperature.net. The average annual oceanic temperature of Maiori Beach is 66° Fahrenheit (18.8889° Celsius). beach is generally safe for swimmers, however there is a jellyfish invasion, the jellyfish species is Rhizostoma Pulmo. This makes it dangerous as this jellyfish can & will sting you if provoked. They are rather large & easy to spot so this makes the chance of being stung less. The pollution rate is minimal as Maiori is not as high in tourism as say Naples or Rome. Also, littering is considered a taboo in Maiori so oftentimes people will not litter. The deepest oceanic point within 5 Nautical / Marine miles (5.7539 miles or 9.26 kilometers) of Maiori is 2,343.5 feet (714.2988 meters) deep. There is only 1 beach in Maiori, & that is Maiori Beach. Maiori beach is the largest beach in the Amalfi coast & it is currently the longest piece of unbroken coastline along the Amalfi coast. There are no oceanic mounds close by Maiori & the oceanic floor that is not along the coast is very flat aside from small rock formations. Maiori’s ocean floor is mainly composed of rock & compressed sand. There is coral along the coast however it is sparse throughout this area. As of 2023 there are no known marine protected areas that are in or close by Maiori.


The Most Prominent Marine Ecosystems Of The Oceans Surrounding Maiori


Seagrass Meadows

Seagrass meadows are semi-common along the Maiori Coastline. The most common seagrass species around the coastline of Maiori is Posidonia Oceanica. It is endemic to the Mediterranean. Seagrass meadows usually serve as a fish nursery, a hunting ground, & as shelter. More shall be discussed about Posidonia Oceanica in the section below titled “The Documented Marine Flora Of Maiori, Italy” Seagrass meadows are most commonly found along the coastline, however they can be found most anywhere. Most creatures that are found in this area are small & migratory. These types ecosystems in abundance in Maiori, Italy.


Tidal / Coastal Areas

Tidal areas are the areas closest to the coastline, of the beaches. These areas will usually hold rock pools in which small crustaceans will live. Oftentimes, there will not be very many life forms along the beach. Creatures such as crabs or molluscs may be found either on the beach or in small rock formations on the beach. These areas are constantly changing as in these areas waves will disrupt the ecosystem. The ecosystem also depends on whether it is high or low tide. Often, if it is high tide then more species will be entering & exiting the ecosystem. If it is low tide then more species will be staying in one area in the ecosystem.


Fringing Coral Reefs

There aren’t exactly proven to be coral reefs specifically along Maiori. In the nearby town of Torrel de Greco, coral is found in abundance. However Torrel del Greco is 41.2 kilometers away. The existence of coral reefs in Maiori has yet to be proven or disproven.


The Most Prominent Documented Marine Flora Of Maiori, Italy

The extent of the oceanic flora is very limited in Maiori. The only documented species of seagrass in Maiori is Posidonia Oceanica (Neptune Grass / Mediterranean Tapeweed). Posidonia Oceanica is a species of seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean. This species of seagrass will produce a fruit that often washes up on Maiori beaches. This fruit is often known as the “Olive of the Sea”. They usually will only grow in large patches, & it is rare to find a small patch of this species. Their fruits are also known as Neptune balls & will often wash up along the coastline. They often plague the beaches & make for a strange sight to see. This species is undoubtedly the most important one to not only Maiori, but to Italy as a whole. The interesting thing about this species is that it is able to absorb carbon dioxide in huge droves. This species is able to soak up 15 more times carbon dioxide then a similar sized piece of the Amazon Rainforest in South America. Their fruits are also important as they are basically just dense balls of dead Neptune grass leaves. These dense balls are able to trap plastics within them & then carry these plastics to the shoreline where people are able to discard of them. These species is not threatened with extinction as of 2023. Posidonia Oceanica is usually bright green, however it may turn brown as it ages. It usually grows between 7.87402 inches (20.0000108 centimeters) & 15.748 inches (39.99992 centimeters) tall. It also grows usually to be 10 millimeters (0.393701 inches or 1 centimeter) wide. Other then this species, there are practically no other seagrass species found along the coastline of Maiori.


The Most Prominent Documented Marine Fauna Of Maiori, Italy

Maiori has an eclectic array of oceanic species, mainly due to its position in the Mediterranean. Marine fauna are extremely attracted to west Italy due to its propitious location. Not only that, but this region has an extremely high density of seagrass. This high volume of seagrass means that most marine herbivores have an abundance of food. This in turn attracts many marine herbivores. Also Maiori has an extremely low pollution rate so this provides a clean oceanic environment. Additionally, littering is extremely looked down upon in Italy, so much so that if one is caught littering they may be fined between 30€ & 150€. This high fine discourages most people from littering, which keeps the oceanic environment & coastal environment clean. Also, it is important to note that most creatures are not found here full time, & will often migrate throughout Italian waters or the Mediterranean. They will often do this seasonally or annually for either feeding purposes or birthing purposes. This makes it so that seasonally, some ecosystems will not have many creatures as it should. There are no known endemic species to specifically Maiori, Italy. For the purposes of this article I will not be including wading birds, such as flamingos which are found in Maiori, Italy. We will also not be including micro-organisms or tunicates. Also, for clarification purposes, these are all creatures found within 10 nautical miles (11.5078 miles or 18.52 kilometers) from Maiori, Italy. With that being said, the following is a list of the most prominent marine species found around Maiori, Campania, Italy: Rhizostoma Pulmo (Frilly Mouthed Jellyfish), Balaenoptera Physalus (Fin Whale), Ziphius Cavirostris (Cuiver’s Beaked Whale), Physeter Macroephalus (Sperm Whale), Globiphala Melas (Long-finned pilot whale), Pseudorca Crassidens (False Killer whale), Grampus Griseus (Risso’s dolphin), Steno Bredanensis (Rough-toothed dolphin), Tursoips Truncatus (Common Bottle-nosed dolphin), Stenella Coeruleoalba (Striped dolphin), Delphinus Delphis (Short-Beaked common dolphin), Orcinus Orca (Orca / Killer Whale), Muraena Helena (Mediterranean Moray Eel), Anguilla Anguilla (European Eel), Gobius Fallax (Sarato’s Goby), Gobius Cruentatus (Red-mouthed Goby), Gobius Cobitis (Giant Goby), Gobius Incognitus (Incognito Goby), Diphodus Annularis (Annualar Seabream), Diphodus Vulgaris (Common Two-banded sea-bream), Lichia Amia (Leerfish), Chromis Chromis (Mediterranean Damselfish), Parablennius Pilicornis (Ringneck Blenny), Tripterygion Tripteronotum (Red-black triplefin), Thalassoma Pavo (Ornate Wrasse), Coris Julius (Mediterranean Rainbow Wrasse), Symphodus Cinereus (Grey wrasse), Symphodus Tinca (East Atlantic Peacock Wrasse), Serranus Scriba (Painted Comber), Serranus Cambrilla (Comber), & finally Scorpaena Porcus (Black Scorpionfish).


How The Oceanic Resources Of Maiori Have Been Utilized & How It Has Effected The Oceanic Environment

The most common way the oceanic resources of Maiori have been utilized is through fishing & tourism. Maiori has an abundance of fish so it is a hotspot for mainly non-commercial fishing. This effects the populations of various fish species. This also could cause various food chain issues, which could result in an environmental crisis similar to the crown of thorns crisis on the island of Tutuila, American Samoa. Oftentimes, tourists will also use the beaches for their various purposes. This however, doesn’t necessarily damage the marine environment. There is also a port located in the Maiori Harbour, so this causes boat fuels to be released into the water. This makes the water become toxic to the fish & then the fish will die if to much boat run-off is released.


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