The daily newspaper of Bologna, il Resto del Carlino, one of the oldest and widely circulated in Italy, made drilling for offshore freshened groundwater (OFG) the hot topic of discussion in its Chronicle section this month. Angelo Camerlenghi, Research Director at the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS, and part of the Project team for RESources in Coastal groundwater Under hydroclimatic Extremes (RESCUE), funded by Water 4 All and co-funded by the European Union, provided the interview.
Above: Left, Angelo Camerlenghi of OGS, who is also the OGS contact for the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), which is the operator of the drilling project Expedition 501 New England Shelf Hydrogeology, off the northeastern coast of the United States (right, photo by @Ecord_Iodp3_Nsf)
Written by Francesca Delvecchio, the article ‘Sotto il mare Adriatico c’è acqua dolce. Dall’Isola delle Rose ai pozzi Agip di Venezia: cosa sappiamo finora/ Under the Adriatic Sea there is fresh water. From the Isola delle Rose to the Agip wells in Venice: what we know so far’[1] published on 13 October 2025, features an in-depth discussion with Professor Camerlenghi on the search for offshore freshened groundwater (OWF) across the world with a particular focus on the area under the Upper Adriatic Sea, in the context of cliamte change and the scarcity of water, as well as how to manage this resource in a responsible and sustainable way.
Above: Expedition 501 New England Shelf Hydrogeology (Photo by @Ecord_Iodp3_Nsf)
Prof Camerlenghi was also featured on 1 October in a news segment on Telegiornale Regionale (TGR) Veneto, a regional news programme aired by Italian state broadcaster Rai 3. You can watch the clip here at minute 13.20.
The objective of RESCUE is to build knowledge of deep-coastal and offshore low salinity aquifers in European coastal areas, to evaluate novel water resources and to help secure a steady supply of water to both population and industry in times of hydroclimatic extremes.
The 36-month long Project, which began in March 2024, is led by the University of Trieste (UNITS), and as well as OGS, includes partners Ruden AS, University of Derby (UoD) and University of Malta (UM).
[1] Delvecchio, F. (2025, October 13). Sotto il mare Adriatico c’è acqua dolce. Dall’Isola delle Rose ai pozzi Agip di Venezia: cosa sappiamo finora. Cronaca. Il Resto del Carlino. Sotto il mare Adriatico c’è acqua dolce. Dall’Isola delle Rose ai pozzi Agip di Venezia: cosa sappiamo finora
