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Conversi Alessandra

Conversi Alessandra

Senior Scientist, CNR-ISMAR, Lerici, Italy

Ph.D. in Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California in San Diego, USA, 1992.
Master of Science in Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA, 1987.
Laurea Cum Laude in Biological Sciences, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy, 1983.

POSITIONS POST LAUREA
Senior Researcher, CNR ISMAR, La Spezia, Italy, 2007-present.
Visiting Scientist, Plymouth University, UK, 2008-2017.
Marie Curie experienced Fellow, SAHFOS, Plymouth, UK, 2012-2014.
Branch Director - CNR ISMAR, Lesina, Italy 2003-2005.
Researcher, CNR ISMAR, Lesina, 2001-2005, then at CNR ISMAR La Spezia.
Researcher, ENEA S. Teresa, La Spezia, Italy, 1997-1999.
Research Assistant Professor, 1993-1996, Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA, and then Adjunct Research Professor to 2001.
Dean John Knauss Sea Grant Marine Policy Fellow, at the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Oceanography, Washington, DC, USA, 1992.
California Sea Grant Trainee Fellow, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1986-1991.
Fulbright Scholar, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1985.

IN EVIDENCE
- Co-Chair, Ocean Science Meeting (OSM) 2020: "For a Resilient Planet", San Diego, CA, USA, 16–21 February 2020 (https://www2.agu.org/ocean-sciences-meeting/). OSM is the flagship conference for the ocean sciences, co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS).
- Vice-Chair, OSM 2018 , 11-16 February 2018, Portland, Oregon, USA.
- Lead Guest Editor, Theme Issue “Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers and impacts”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 2015.
- Keynote Speaker, 50th European Marine Biology Symposium, Helgoland, Germany, 21-25 September 2015.
- Marie Curie experienced Fellow, SAHFOS, Plymouth, UK, 2012-2014.
- Branch Director, National Research Council (CNR), ISMAR, Branch of Coastal and Lagoon Ecosystems, Lesina, Italy, 2003–2005.
- Dean John Knauss Sea Grant Marine Policy Fellow, National Science Foundation, USA, 1992.
- Fulbright Scholar, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, USA, 1985.

ADDRESS
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Institute of Marine Science, Branch Lerici
Forte S.Teresa 19032, Pozzuolo di Lerici - Lerici (SP), Italy

CONTACT
Phone +39 0187 1788915

INTERESTS

I have worked for more than 20 years in the field of climate and global change impacts on marine populations (especially zooplankton), including interdisciplinary connections between biological oceanography, physical oceanography, and climatology. In particular, my research deals with retrospective analyses (decadal scale), and climate oscillations and zooplankton variability. Recently I have focused on marine regime shifts. These abrupt changes involve entire ecosystems, often modifying ecosystem services and carrying high societal impacts. Given the current global change scenarios, it is likely that there will be more abrupt shifts in the coming decades, thus there is need to foresee and adapt-to them. I am currently interested in linking shifts in marine ecosystems and societies, and climate change science to policy actions. Additional interests include coastal management, social-ecological relationships, marine environment and climate change advocacy.

ACTIVITY
  • Co-Chair, Ocean Science Meeting 2020, 16–21 February 2020, San Diego, CA, USA
  • Vice-Chair, 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting, 11-16 February 2018, Portland, Oregon, USA.
  • Professional Societies: Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA); American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO); Italian Association of Oceanology and Limnology (AIOL, Associazione Italiana di Oceanologia e Limnologia)
  • Expert Reviewer for IPCC: IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR1.5), 2017. Synthesis Report of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), 2014.
  • Selected Projects: SYNRESH (Synchronous Marine Regime Shifts), 2012-2014. BIOFUN (BIOdiversity and ecosystem FUNctioning in contrasting southern European deep-sea environments: from viruses to megafauna), 2007-2010. VECTOR (Vulnerability of coasts and marine ecosystems to climate change, and their role in Mediterranean carbon cycles), 2006-2009. SINAPSI (Seasonal, INterannual and decAdal variability of the atmosPhere, oceanS and related marIne ecosystems), 2003-04. U.S. GLOBEC: North Atlantic intercomparisons of interannual patterns in zooplankton species, in relation to climatic changes, 1996 – 2000.
  • Ocean Literacy and Outreach: “Mare Pulito” (Clean Sea) Project, with Junior High School students and the environmental organization Legambiente (https://www.worldoceansday.org/events-2018/marepulito-cleansea), 2018.
  • Invited Member of Expert Evaluator Panel for the Committee for the Evaluation of Italian Research in Universities and Government Institutions (CIVR, Comitato di Indirizzo per la Valutazione della Ricerca; VTR 2001-2003).
  • Invited Panel Member for reviewing projects for the European Science Foundation and the European Community. Served / serves as a project reviewer for the National Science Foundation (USA), the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP, USA), INTAS, International Association for the promotion of co-operation with scientists from the New Independent States of the former Soviet Stat Union (EU), Black Sea ERANET.
  • Lead Guest Editor, Theme Issue “Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers and impacts”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 2015, http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/370/1659.toc.
  • Keynote Speaker, 50th European Marine Biology Symposium, Helgoland, Germany, 21-25 September 2015. Topic: Marine regime shifts around the world: non-linear responses to increasing challenges.
  • Member of the Editorial Board of Advances in Oceanography and Limnology, 2009-2015. Member of the Editorial Board Progress in Aqua Farming and Marine Biology, 2020- Co-Tutor, PhD students: University of Ancona (Italy), University of Plymouth (UK).
  • Co-Tutor, Laurea, Master of Research, Master of Science students: University of Genova (Italy), University of Milano (Italy), University of Plymouth (UK).
PUBLICATIONS

Alessandra Conversi

SELECTED PAPERS

Beaugrand, Conversi, Atkinson, et al 2019. Prediction of unprecedented biological shifts in the global ocean, Nature Climate Change Nature Climate Change 9: 237–243. DOI: 10.1038/s41558-019-0420-1

Press Releases related to the article by Beaugrand, Conversi et al (2019):

Luca Stirnimann, Alessandra Conversi, Simone Marini, 2019.  Detection of regime shifts in the environment: testing “STARS” using synthetic and observed time series, ICES Journal of Marine Science, fsz148, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz148

Corgnati, L.; Marini, S.; Mazzei, L.; Ottaviani, E.; Aliani, S.; Conversi, A.; Griffa, A. Looking inside the Ocean: Toward an Autonomous Imaging System for Monitoring Gelatinous Zooplankton. Sensors 2016, 16, 2124. Open access: http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/16/12/2124.

Papworth DJ, Marini S, Conversi A (2016). A Novel, Unbiased Analysis Approach for Investigating Population Dynamics: A Case Study on Calanus finmarchicus and Its Decline in the North Sea. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0158230. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158230. Open access: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0158230.

Press Releases related to the article by Papworth DJ, Marini S, Conversi A (2016):

Möllmann C, C. Folke, M. Edwards, and A Conversi, 2015. Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers, and impacts. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 370: 20130260. Theme Issue Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers, and impacts, edited by A. Conversi, C. Möllmann, C. Folke and M. Edwards, ISSN 0962-8436. Open access: http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/370/1659/20130260.

Beaugrand G, A. Conversi, S. Chiba, M. Edwards, e al, 2015. Synchronous marine pelagic regime shifts in the Northern Hemisphere. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 370: 20130272. Theme Issue Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers, and impacts, edited by A. Conversi, C. Möllmann, C. Folke and M. Edwards, ISSN 0962-8436, http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0272.

Conversi A, V Dakos, A Gårdmark, et al  S Ling, C Folke, P Mumby, C Greene, M Edwards, T Blenckner, M Casini, A Pershing, C Möllmann, 2015. A holistic view of marine regime shifts. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 370: 20130279. Theme Issue Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers, and impacts, edited by A. Conversi, C. Möllmann, C. Folke and M. Edwards, ISSN 0962-8436, http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0279.

Press Releases related to the works by Conversi and co-authors in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (2015), Theme Issue - Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers, and impacts:

Wall-Palmer, D., C.W. Smart, M.B. Hart, M.J. Leng. A. Conversi, et al., 2014. Late Pleistocene pteropods, heteropods and planktonic foraminifera from the Caribbean Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. Micropaleontology 60(6): 557-578.

Baldrighi E, Lavaleye M, Aliani S, Conversi A, Manini E, 2014. Large Spatial Scale Variability in Bathyal Macrobenthos Abundance, Biomass, a- and b- Diversity along the Mediterranean Continental Margin. PLoS ONE 9(9): e107261. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0107261. Open access: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0107261

Greene CH , E Meyer-Gutbrod, BC Monger, LP McGarry, AJ Pershing, IM Belkin, PS Fratantoni, DG Mountain, RS Pickart, A Proshutinsky, R Ji, JJ Bisagni, SMA Hakkinen, DB Haidvogel, J Wang, E Head, P Smith, PC Reid, A Conversi (2013). Remote climate forcing of decadal-scale regime shifts in Northwest Atlantic shelf ecosystems. Limnol. Oceanogr 58(3), 803-816, DOI: 10.4319/lo.2013.58.3.0803

Mackas, D.L, W. Greve, M. Edwards, S. Chiba, K. Tadokoro, D. Eloire, M.G. Mazzocchi, S. Batten, A.J. Richardson, C. Johnson, E. Head, A. Conversi, T. Peluso,  (2012). Changing zooplankton seasonality in a changing ocean: Comparing time series of zooplankton phenologyProgress in Oceanography 97-100: 31-62. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2011.11.005

Berline, L., Siokou-Frangou, I., Marasović, I., Vidjak, O., Puelles, M.L.F., Mazzocchi, M.G., Assimakopoulou, G., Zervoudaki, S., Umani, S.F., Conversi, A., Garcia-Comas, C., Ibanez, F., Gasparini, S., Stemmann, L., Gorsky, G. (2012). Intercomparison of six Mediterranean zooplankton time seriesProgress in Oceanography 97-100: 76-91. doi: 10.1016/j.pocean.2011.11.011

Rees, S., Fletcher, S., Glegg, G., Marshall, C., Rodwell, L., Jefferson, R., Campbell, M., Langmead, O., Ashley, M., Bloomfield, H., Brutto, D., Colenutt, A., Conversi, A., Earll, B., Hamid, I. A., Hattam, C., Ingram, S., McKinley, E., Mee, L., Oates, J., Peckett, F., Portus, J., Reed, M., Rogers, S., Saunders, J., Scales, K. & Wynn, R., 2013. Priority questions to shape the marine and coastal policy research agenda in the United Kingdom. Marine Policy 38: 531?537.

Greene CH, BC Monger, LP McGarry, MD Connelly, NR Schnepf, AJ Pershing, IM Belkin, PS Fratantoni, DG Mountain, RS Pickart, A Proshutinsky, R Ji, JJ Bisagni, C Chen, SMA Hakkinen, DB Haidvogel, J Wang, E Head, P Smith, A Conversi (MERCINA Working Group), 2012. Recent Arctic Climate Change and its Remote Forcing of Northwest Atlantic Shelf Ecosystems. Oceanography 25(3):208?213,
http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2012.64.

Socal G, F. Acri, M. Bastianini, F. Bernardi Aubry, F. Bianchi, E. Camatti, A. Conversi, A. De Lazzari, A. Pugnetti, 2011. “The study and the impact of plankton communities over the northern Adriatic pelagic ecosystem”. in: Marine Research at CNR. Edited by E. Brugnoli, G Cavarretta, S. Mazzola, F. Trincardi, M. Ravaioli, R. Santoleri. Vol. DTA/06-2011, pp. 141-151.

Pugnetti A, M. Bastianini, F. Bernardi Aubry, E. Camatti, A. Conversi, G. Socal and M. Ravaioli, 2011. Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) in the marine coastal environment: basic concepts and keystones from the plankton communities. in: Marine Research at CNR. Edited by E. Brugnoli, G Cavarretta, S. Mazzola, F. Trincardi, M. Ravaioli, R. Santoleri. Vol. DTA/06-2011, pp. 903-913.

Moellmann C, A Conversi and M Edwards (2011). "Comparative analysis of European wide marine ecosystem shifts: a large-scale approach for developing the basis for ecosystem-based management". Biol. Lett. 00, 1–3, doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.1213. (January 26, 2011).

Conversi A, S. Fonda-Umani, T. Peluso, J. C. Molinero, A. Santojanni, M. Edwards (2010). “The Mediterranean Sea Regime shift at the end of the 1980s, and intriguing parallelisms with other European basins”. PLoS ONE 5(5): e10633. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010633.

Relevance:

Reid, P., U Bathmann, SD. Batten, RE Brainard, PH Burkill, F Carlotti, S Chiba, A. Conversi et al (2010). “A global Continuous Plankton Recorder programme” in Proceedings of OceanObs’09: Sustained Ocean Observations and Information for Society (Vol. 2), Venice, Italy, 21-25 September 2009, Hall, J., Harrison D.E. & Stammer, D., Eds., ESA Publication WPP-306. OceanObs’09 Community White Paper. Download

Conversi A., T. Peluso, S. Fonda-Umani (2009) “The Gulf of Trieste: a changing ecosystem”. J.Geophys. Res., 114, C03S90, doi:10.1029/2008JC004763. 
Fonda Umani S., e A. Conversi, (2008). "Possible climate impacts on the northern Adriatic pelagic ecosystem". In: Climate warming and changes in Mediterranean marine biogeography. CIESM Workshop Series 35: 59-64.

Greene C., A. Pershing, A. Conversi et al. (2003).  “Trans-Atlantic responses of Calanus finmarchicus populations to basin-scale forcing associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation”. Progress in Oceanography, 58 (2-4): 301-312.

Drinkwater K., A. Belgrano, A. Borja, A. Conversi, C. Greene, G. Ottersen, A. Pershing (2003).  “The response of marine ecosystems to climate variability associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation”.  In:  The North Atlantic Oscillation: climatic significance and environmental impact, edited by J. Hurrell, Y. Kushnir, G. Ottersen, and M. Visbeck, American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, Geophysical Monograph Series, Vol. 134, pp. 211-234.

Ibanez F. and A. Conversi (2002).  “Prediction of missing values and detection of ‘exceptional events:’ a single algorithm”.  Ecological Modelling, 154:9-23.

Licandro P., A. Conversi, F. Ibanez and J. Jossi (2001).  “Time series analysis of interrupted long-term data set (1961-1991) of zooplankton abundance in the Gulf of Maine (northern Atlantic, USA)”. Oceanologica Acta, 24 (5): 453-466.

Conversi A., S. Piontkovski and S. Hameed (2001). “Seasonal and interannual dynamics of Calanus finmarchicus in the Gulf of Maine (Northeastern US shelf) with reference to the North Atlantic Oscillation”. Deep Sea Research, 48 (1-3): 519-539.

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