GIS-based integration of marine data for assessment and management of a highly anthropized coastal area

Monitoring coastal marine environments by evaluating and comparing their chemical, physical, biological, and anthropogenic components is essential for ecological assessment and socio-economic development. In this study, we conducted an integrated multivariate analysis to assess the descriptors of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive at a regional scale in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), with a specific focus on the densely populated coastal zone of the Campania region. Physical, chemical, and biological data were collected and analyzed in 22 sampling sites during three oceanographic surveys in the Gulf of Gaeta (GoG), Naples (GoN), and Salerno (GoS) in autumn 2020. Our results indicated that these three gulfs were distinct overall, with GoN being more divergent and heterogeneous than GoG and GoS. The marine area studied in the GoN had more favorable hydrographic and trophic conditions and food web characteristics, except for the mesozooplankton biomass, and was closer to socio-economic factors compared to the GoS and GoG. Our analysis helped us find the key ecological features that define different sub-regions and connect them to social and economic factors, including human activities. We highlighted the relevance of primary and secondary variables in terms of the comprehensive ecological assessment of a marine area and its impact on specific socio-economic activities. These findings support the need to describe and integrate multiple descriptors at the spatial scale.