The Marine Sciences Research Institute (ISMAR) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) conducts research in polar, oceanic and Mediterranean regions, focusing on the following themes: > the evolution of oceans and their continental margins, studying submarine volcanoes, faults and slides and their potential impacts onshore > the influence of climate change on oceanic circulation, acidification, bio-geochemical cycles and marine productivity > submarine habitats and ecology, and the increasing pollution of coastal and deep-sea environments > the evolution of fish stocks with a view to keeping commercial fishing within sustainable limits and improving mariculture and aquaculture practices > natural and anthropogenic factors impacting economically and socially on coastal systems from pre-history to the industrial epoch.