Any solid material, manufactured or transformed by man, abandoned or lost in the marine and coastal environment, or which reaches the sea in any way, is defined as marine waste. Italy, with Legislative Decree no. 190/2010 transposing the Framework Directive on the Strategy for the Marine Environment, has been carrying out an intense monitoring program of marine waste since 2015, including beached waste. Twice a year, in spring and autumn, the coastal Regional Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPA) carry out solid waste monitoring in the sample areas of 69 reference beaches along the national coast. To evaluate the degree of beach cleanliness based on the density of waste in the monitored sample areas, the Clean Coast Index (CCI), an indicator developed and applied internationally, was calculated.

In 2024, the CCI was calculated for 66 beaches in spring and 69 in autumn. In spring, 80% of the beaches monitored were clean or very clean, compared to 8% dirty or very dirty. In autumn, 81% of beaches were clean or very clean, while 9% were dirty or very dirty. The rest of the beaches were quite clean. Compared to the previous year, the percentage of clean or very clean beaches increased in autumn (77% in 2023), while in spring it remained almost unchanged. In both spring and autumn there was a decrease in dirty and very dirty beaches, from 12% to 8% and from 12% to 9%, respectively.

Physical loss defines the seabed surface lost due to permanent changes to the substrate and/or morphology of the seabed induced by anthropogenic activities and/or works, such as coastal defense works, port infrastructures, wind farms, cables and pipelines, etc. It helps to define the level of integrity of the seabed (Descriptor 6), as defined pursuant to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC (MSFD) and Decision 2017/848/EC.

The "physical loss" indicator measures the extent and impact of the different types of works and/or activities on the seabed in total and by type of habitat. These data allow us to populate Criterion D6C1 (total physical loss) and Criterion D6C4 physical loss by habitat types ( Broad Habitat Types ), sensu MSFD.

In Italian seas the physical loss has values ​​between 19-34 km ², detected in the Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean Sea MRU and in the Adriatic Sea MRU, respectively 19.9 km ² and 34 km ² in extension, and approximately 51 km ² observed in the MRU western Mediterranean Sea.

Eutrophication is a process caused by the enrichment of nutrients, in particular nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, which determines an increase in primary production and algal biomass with consequent alteration of benthic communities and, in general, a decrease in water quality. The release of nitrogen and phosphorus into the marine and coastal environment can derive from diffuse sources (river loads, main collectors of agricultural activities and civil discharges) and from point sources (discharges deriving from wastewater treatment plants, industrial and deriving from aquaculture activities). 
The assessment of eutrophication of marine waters according to the Marine Strategy is carried out every six years using a combination of information on nutrient levels (concentrations in the marine environment), the primary effects of nutrient enrichment (chlorophyll 'a' concentration as an indicator of algal biomass) and the secondary effects of nutrient enrichment (impacts on organisms caused by hypoxia and/or anoxia phenomena in bottom waters) that are ecologically relevant.

The most recent assessment transmitted by Italy to the European Commission (October 2024) refers to the six-year period 2016-2021 and highlighted the achievement of Good Environmental Status. The analysis of 2022 monitoring data confirms this indication.

Upwelling is a physical phenomenon due to the action of wind and currents which can generate a rising current, oriented offshore and orthogonal to the coast. 
This phenomenon has a notable impact on the local fish fauna and is therefore of great interest. The identification of the most favorable areas for the generation of this phenomenon was carried out using the wind speed and direction data provided by the National Mareographic Network (RMN) managed by ISPRA. These appropriately processed data allow us to identify the coastal areas that are most likely to be more exposed to the upwelling phenomenon such as, for example, the Carloforte area in Sardinia which is confirmed to be among the most favorable to the generation of this variable.

The monitoring envisaged by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC for Descriptor 7 takes into consideration the significant and permanent alterations of the hydrographic conditions due to coastal and marine infrastructures subject to national EIA, built or in the process of being designed/built since 2012. Currently the reference indicator for the D7C1 is related to the extension of coastal marine water bodies of each Sub-Region, defined pursuant to the Directive 2000/60/EC, which presents impacts due to permanent changes in hydrological conditions attributable to the presence of new infrastructures built starting from 2012 and subject to national EIA. The objective for this indicator is not to exceed 5% of the extent of coastal marine water bodies. In 2024 the goal was achieved.

Since 2015, Italy, in implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC), has implemented an extensive marine litter monitoring program, including microlitter present in the surface layer of the water column. The activity is conducted by the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA), with the coordination of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE). Microwaste, particles of anthropic origin smaller than 5 mm, derive from both primary sources (industrial pellets, cosmetic microgranules, abrasives) and secondary sources (fragmentation of macrowaste). Their composition, quantity and distribution constitute a key parameter for assessing the good environmental status of marine waters. The processing of data collected from 2015 to 2024 highlights a stable median density of 0.04 microparticles/m² (approximately 40,000 microparticles/km²), with interannual and spatial variations linked to the different hydrodynamic conditions and anthropic pressures of the Italian marine subregions. In 2024 there is an increase in concentrations in the Adriatic Sea and a decrease in the Ionian Sea and the western Mediterranean. At Mediterranean level, the Barcelona Convention has defined a threshold value of 0.000845 microparticles/m² (845 microparticles/km²) for achieving good environmental status: the values ​​found in Italian seas, although stable in recent years, are still significantly higher.

Progress towards achieving the good environmental status of marine waters depends on a series of key factors regulated in Directive 2008/56/EC (MSFD) and implemented in Italy through Legislative Decree 190/2010 (and subsequent amendments). One of the main factors is linked to contamination in waters and organisms and to the progressive elimination of pollution, ensuring that the presence of contaminants does not generate significant impacts or risks for the marine environment. Descriptor 8 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC specifically requires the assessment of the presence of chemical contaminants (D8-C1) and their effects (D8-C2). This is accompanied by Descriptor 9 which provides for the evaluation of the level of contaminants in the edible tissues of fishery products compared to the limits established by Regulation (EU) 2023/915. In 2024, monitoring of the Marine Reporting Unit (MRU) West Mediterranean Sea (MWE). The data collected comes from the specific monitoring carried out by ISPRA and from the institutional monitoring of the experimental zooprophylactic institutes. The definitive evaluation, in relation to the judgement Good Environmental Status (GES), will be processed as soon as all the data produced by the regional agencies are available. With the data available to date, bioaccumulation has a problem linked to exceeding the regulated value of mercury, however from a health point of view a positive opinion is confirmed. This result is in line with what has already been highlighted in past years. For the sediment matrix there is a criticality linked to the presence of TBT and some metals.

The tide is a periodic phenomenon of rising and falling of the sea surface due to the gravitational attraction exerted by the Moon, the Sun and other celestial bodies on the masses of water present on Earth and secondarily also due to meteorological disturbances. Data from the National Mareographic Network (ISPRA) were used to characterize the amplitude of the astronomical component of the tide signal along the Italian coasts. As is well known, the astronomical tide presents profound differences in the different Italian seas, reaching its maximum excursion in the Northern Adriatic and in the Venice Lagoon, being also strongly influenced by the configuration of the basin.

The Marine Strategy (Directive 2008/56/EC) represents an important governance tool for the sea system, promoting the adoption of strategies aimed at safeguarding the marine ecosystem aimed at achieving Good Environmental Status. Good Environmental Status is assessed on the basis of 11 qualitative descriptors and, among these, Descriptor 10 provides that the properties and quantities of marine waste do not cause damage to the coastal and marine environment. Since 2015, Italy has been implementing an extensive monitoring program for marine litter, including beached macro-litter. In 2024, the median of total marine waste stranded on Italian coasts was equal to 252 waste per 100 m, a value similar to that of the previous year (250 waste per 100 m). This is a density that confirms the decreasing trend of beached waste since monitoring was carried out, although still significantly higher than the threshold value of 20 waste per 100 m, established at European level as a requirement for achieving Good Environmental Status. As in previous years, single-use plastics are the most common beached waste, representing approximately 28% of the total, followed by smoking-related waste (mainly cigarette butts), equal to 9% of the waste recorded along the Italian coasts.

The quality of bathing water is essential for the protection of the health of citizens and plays an important role also in terms of the protection of the natural environment and the economic aspects in the tourism sector. For this reason, specific monitoring is carried out throughout the bathing season. With regard to the bathing season 2024, more than 31,600 samples of seawater and lake were collected and analyzed on a total of over 5,000 km of bathing coast. At municipal level the km of coast are divided into more or less extensive bathing waters, for a total of 5,506 bathing waters. The results of the analysis, in addition to guaranteeing the absence of hygienic health risks during the season, have also allowed to classify the waters. The classification was made using the results of the monitoring carried out during the 2024 bathing season and those of the previous three seasons (2023-2022-2021). At the national level, most of the waters are excellent in the classroom (91%), however, however, there are still critical issues due to the presence of water in the low class (1.1%) and not classifiable (1.1%), for which it is not possible to make a quality judgment because most are newly identified and have not completed the 4-year cycle of monitoring, necessary for classification. Even at the regional level, the percentage of water in the excellent and good classes is the highest.

Ostreopsis cf. ovate it is a potentially toxic Bentonic microalga, now present in most of the Italian coastal regions with blooms that can give rise to human intoxication phenomena and toxic effects on benting marine organisms (states of suffering or mortality). The continuous expansion along the Italian coasts of Ostreopsis cf. ovate , of its blooms and the health, environmental and economic problems associated with it, has led to establish a microalga surveillance monitoring program since 2007. This activity has been carried out annually in the summer season by the regional environment agencies (ARPA). The data provided so far by the ARPA, collected and processed by Ispra have clarified the distribution and performance of the blooms at national and regional level. To date, the microalga has been found at least once in the monitoring campaigns carried out so far in 12 coastal regions out of 15. In 2024, the Ostreopsis CF. Ovata is present in 11 coastal regions or in 147/196 stations (75%), while it is absent in all samples taken along the Coste of Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Molise and Veneto.

In the assessment of the ecological quality of coastal marine environments within the framework of the European Directive 2000/60/EC (implemented through Legislative Decree 152/2006 and subsequent amendments), reference is made to the Biological Quality Element (BQE) Macroalgae. In Italy, as stipulated by Ministerial Decree 260/2010, this BQE is assessed using the CARLIT index (Cartography of littoral and upper-sublittoral benthic communities, or, in short, CARtography of LITtoral), which contributes to the classification of the ecological status of marine-coastal water bodies. For the period 2019–2021, over 80% of analyzed stations met the quality standard (at least "good").

The MaQI (Macrophyte Quality Index) (Sfriso et al., 2014), formally adopted by Italy for the classification of the ecological status of transitional environments under Directive 2000/60/EC, integrates the two biological quality elements: macroalgae and aquatic phanerogams. The MaQI responds to anthropogenic pressures affecting transitional areas and describes the ecological quality status in five classes: high, good, moderate, poor, and bad.

The current monitoring programs in Italian transitional waters provide for two semi-annual samplings within one year of each three-year period. Since 2014, three sampling campaigns have been carried out in almost all regions. In the 2020-2022 three-year period, the MaQI index was applied to 91 Italian transitional water bodies across seven regions. Of these, 23.1% were classified as having a "high" ecological status, 23.1% as "good," 22.0% as "moderate," 28.5% as "poor," and 3.3% as "bad." Nationally, for the regions where data is available (7 out of 9), 46.2% of transitional water bodies met the quality target ("good" or "high").

Coastal marine waters are “surface waters located inside an imaginary line, every point of which is one nautical mile seaward from the nearest point of the baseline used to determine the limit of territorial waters, and which may extend up to the outer limit of transitional waters” (Paragraph 1 of Article 74 of Legislative Decree 152/2006). The legislation (Legislative Decree 152/2006) mandates the achievement of a “good” status of water bodies (chemical + ecological) by the dates set by current legislation; failure to achieve environmental objectives results in the implementation of remediation measures. Based on the analysis of data reported by the Districts in the 3rd Reporting to the European Commission for the 2016–2021 six-year period (3rd RBMP), the chemical status of Italian coastal marine waters appears heterogeneous. This heterogeneity is evident both in terms of the number of water bodies identified per district and their classification. The Eastern Alps and Po River Districts have all water bodies in a “not good” chemical status, while in Sicily and the Southern Apennines District, over 60% of the water bodies are in a “not good” status. The Northern Apennines, Central Apennines, and Sardinia Districts, instead, register more than 50%, more than 90%, and more than 80%, respectively, in a “good” chemical status. At the national level, 51% of coastal marine water bodies are in good chemical status. Comparing the 2nd and 3rd RBMPs, in the 2nd RBMP, water bodies with unknown chemical status amounted to 26% (147 out of 561), whereas in the 3rd RBMP, only one water body has an unknown status. Generally, water bodies in good chemical status are comparable between the two RBMPs—52% and 51%, respectively—while water bodies in not good chemical status increased in the 3rd RBMP (49%).

Coastal marine waters are defined as “surface waters situated inside an imaginary line one nautical mile away, at every point, on the outer side from the nearest point of the baseline used to define the territorial sea limit, and potentially extending to the outer boundary of transitional waters.” The legislation (Legislative Decree 152/2006) mandates achieving "good" status (ecological + chemical) for water bodies by the deadlines set by current regulations; failure to meet environmental goals entails remediation measures. Based on the analysis of data reported by Districts in the 3rd Reporting to the European Commission for the six-year period 2016–2021 (3rd WMP), the ecological status of Italian coastal marine waters is heterogeneous. This heterogeneity is expressed in both the number of water bodies identified per district and their ecological classification. The Eastern Alps, Northern Apennines, Central Apennines, Sicily, and Sardinia Districts show a percentage of water bodies in good and high ecological status greater than or equal to 70%. Specifically, in the Sardinia District, more than 40% of water bodies are in high status. Nationally, more than 60% of water bodies (261 out of 394 total) are in good and high ecological status. Comparing data from the 2nd WMP and the 3rd WMP shows that in the 2nd WMP, 27% of water bodies had unknown ecological status (149 out of 561 total), while in the 3rd WMP, only one water body is in unknown ecological status. In general terms, the proportion of water bodies in good and high ecological status increased from 55% in the 2nd WMP to 66% in the 3rd WMP.

In the assessment of the ecological quality of coastal marine environments within the framework of the European Directive 2000/60/EC (transposed by Legislative Decree 152/2006 and subsequent amendments), reference is made to the Biological Quality Element (BQE) Angiosperms. This BQE in Italy, as provided for by the Ministry of the Environment Decree 260/2010, is evaluated through the PREI (Posidonia Rapid Easy Index). In this context, in fact, the meadows of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile take on considerable importance in assessing the ecological quality of coastal marine environments, given their wide distribution and sensitivity to sources of disturbance of anthropogenic origin. The classification of this BQE is carried out where, for reasons of geographical distribution, the meadow is present, i.e., in the Tyrrhenian regions and in Apulia. The data analyzed show that more than 80% of the meadows are in "good" or "high" status.

The "chlorophyll" parameter is the only direct indicator of phytoplankton biomass available and has taken on the role of a metric for classifying ecological status according to the Biological Quality Element (BQE) – Phytoplankton in coastal waters (Ministerial Decree 260/2010). Chlorophyll is particularly sensitive to changes in trophic levels determined by nutrient (N and P) inputs from catchment basins flowing into the coastal area.
In 2020, high status was recorded in 71.4% of cases, good status in 12.3%, and sufficient status in 16.2%. A general improvement in status was observed in Campania and Marche, while Emilia-Romagna and Sardinia saw a worsening. Marche, Liguria, and Abruzzo maintained all stations at high status.

The ecological classification index of the Biological Quality Element "benthic macroinvertebrates," M-AMBI (Multimetric-AZTI Marine Biotic Index), allows a synecological evaluation of the ecosystem under analysis. It is based on the analysis of the structure of benthic macroinvertebrate communities, considering the ecological value of macrozoobenthic species in soft sediments. Species are divided into five ecological groups (first-order opportunistic, second-order opportunistic, tolerant, sensitive/tolerant, and sensitive) based on their sensitivity to gradients of environmental stress. The index describes the quality status of the Biological Quality Element "benthic macroinvertebrates" in five classes: High, Good, Moderate, Poor, and Bad.

Overall, no critical situations were identified for the period 2017–2022 in the coastal regions where data are available. The analysis indicates that 74% of monitoring stations are in High or Good status, while 1% of stations are in Bad status.

The ecological classification index of the Biological Quality Element "macroinvertebrates" for coastal lagoons, M-AMBI (Multivariate-Azti Marine Biotic Index), is based on the analysis of the structure of the macrozoobenthic community in soft sediments. It takes into account species tolerance/sensitivity, community diversity, and species richness. The M-AMBI index responds to anthropogenic pressures affecting transitional areas and describes the ecological quality status in five classes: High, Good, Moderate, Poor, and Bad.

Currently operational monitoring programs in Italian transitional waters include annual sampling on a three-year cycle: as of now, three sampling campaigns have been conducted in almost all regions since 2014. In the 2020-2022 three-year period, of the 92 transitional water bodies where the M-AMBI index was applied, 14.1% are in "High" ecological status, 32.6% in "Good," 21.7% in "Moderate," 16.3% in "Poor," and 15.2% in "Bad." Nationally, for the regions with available data (6 out of 9), 46.7% of transitional water bodies have achieved the quality goal of "Good" or "High."

The legislation (Legislative Decree 152/2006) mandates achieving good status of water bodies (chemical + ecological) by the deadlines established by the current legislation. The analysis of chemical status shows heterogeneous values among the districts, with 100% of water bodies in good status only for the Central Apennines and 52% for Sardinia. In all other districts, the percentage of water bodies in good status never exceeds 50% and ranges from 3% in the Eastern Alps to 40% in the Northern Apennines.

A comparison between the status in the 2nd Water Management Plan (WMP) cycle and that in the 3rd cycle shows maintenance of good chemical status for 100% of the water bodies in the Central Apennines, an improvement for those in the Northern Apennines (from 30% to 40%), Sardinia (from 12% to 52%), and Sicily (from 11% to 17%), and a worsening for the water bodies in the Eastern Alps District (from 51% to 3%), Po River (from 65% to 23%), and Southern Apennines (from 18% to 11%).

At the national level, the number of water bodies in good status is 56 out of 172 (33%) in the 2nd WMP cycle, while in the 3rd cycle it is 42 out of 146 (29%).

Transitional waters are defined in Legislative Decree 152/2006 as "surface water bodies near a river mouth, partially saline due to their proximity to coastal waters but significantly influenced by freshwater flows." This definition encompasses coastal lagoons and coastal ponds subject to ecological classification. Italian transitional environments are exposed to numerous pressure factors, often leading to degradation of ecological conditions in these fragile ecosystems. The ecological status analysis shows heterogeneous values, both in the number of Water Bodies (WB) and in the distribution across quality classes, with a prevalence of sufficient and poor statuses in all Districts. Comparing the status of the 2nd Water Management Plan (WMP) cycle with that of the 3rd cycle, it is observed that for all hydrographic districts, ecological status remains predominantly sufficient and poor. However, there is an increase in the percentage of water bodies in good status in the Eastern Alps District (from 7% to 11%), Northern Apennines District (from 10% to 20%), Southern Apennines District (from 0% to 6%), and Sardinia District (from 0% to 26%). National analysis of ecological status shows that the number of water bodies in good or high status increased from 9 out of 172 (5%) in the 2nd WMP cycle to 22 out of 146 (15%) in the 3rd cycle.