Limno Consulting is a small business operating under a recently introduced, legally lean fiscal regime in Italy.  Much of Limno Consulting's expertise lies in the professional and academic experience of its founder and sole proprietor, Dr. Paola Lombardo.

SelfPortrait-1Dr. Lombardo holds a PhD in Biological Sciences / Aquatic Ecology from Kent State University (Kent, Ohio) and a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of L'Aquila (L'Aquila, Italy).  The more recent doctorate in Environmental Sciences was carried out with the research group of Prof. Bruno Cicolani, currently at the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of L'Aquila.  Dr. G. Dennis Cooke, Professor Emeritus at Kent State University and first author of the world renowned handbook on the Restoration and Management of Lakes and Reservoirs, served as academic advisor and mentor for Dr. Lombardo's graduate studies at Kent State, which also include an earlier MS degree in Biological Sciences / Aquatic Ecology.  Before endeavoring in graduate studies in the United States, Dr. Lombardo received her Baccalaureate degree, also in Biological Sciences / Aquatic Ecology, from the La Sapienza State University of Rome, Italy.

In addition to her primary activities at Limno Consulting, Dr. Lombardo is also an adjunct researcher and lecturer at the University of L'Aquila, collaborating with Prof. Cicolani's lab and lecturing in ad hoc courses within the international upper-level undergraduate/MS curriculum in Environmental Biology.  Research at the University of L'Aquila focuses on shallow-water biological limnology indirectly or directly applicable to practical and applied problematics, such as interspecific interactions in macrophyte-based littoral food webs and their positive effects on macrophyte well-being and, ultimately, on water clarity.

PlanorbisInCultureMuch of such a line of research focuses on freshwater gastropods and their ability to enhance macrophyte well-being even in eutrophic habitats.  Long-term snail cultures are maintained at Limno Consulting to provide material for experimental research.  Recent research interests at Prof. Cicolani's Ecology Lab also include the development of macroinvertebrate-based environmental indices applicable to water quality monitoring within the context of the EU's Water Framework Directive (WFD).

Dr. Lombardo's previous consulting experience includes tenures at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (Norsk Institutt for VAnnforskning, or NIVA) in Oslo, and, before that, at the Water Group of ENSR Corporation of Westford, Massachusetts, later merged with other consulting firms.

Collaboration with NIVA scientists and consultants is still very active.  Emphasis is on applicative projects, with a focus on macrophyte ecology.  Projects span from macrophyte surveys to the development of macrophyte-based environmental indices for application to the WFD.  A recent collaborative project has focused on the patterns and mechanisms of the mass invasion of the aggressive nonnative macrophyte Elodea canadensis in a large lowland lake in southeastern Norway.  Previous experience at ENSR also focused on macrophytes and secondarily on macroinvertebrates.  Funding for nonacademic projects comes mainly from municipalities, lake associations, national agencies, and the European Union.

ElodeaCanadensis-5Details on academic and consulting projects can be seen under the Projects or Research tabs above.

Dr. Lombardo's early work experience came mainly as a teaching and research assistant at Kent State University and with internships at private consulting firms and public institutions.

Much of Dr. Lombardo's academic and consulting activity is frequently presented at international Conferences and/or published in international, peer-reviewed journals.  For a list of Dr. Lombardo's Conference presentations and scientific publications please click on the Publications tab above.  Dr. Lombardo also has been serving as a peer reviewer (on a volunteering basis) for several scientific journals since 2002, and is an Editorial Board member for the recently established International Journal of Environ-mental Monitoring and Analysis and an Advisory Board member for Folia Malacologica, the journal of the Polish Malacological Society.  Continued education is integrated with participation to selected workshops, such as the workshop on nitrogen in aquatic environments associated with the 2009 Annual NALMS Symposium in Hartford, CT.

Dr. Lombardo is a member of the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) and the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO, formerly known as the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography) since 1991, and served as co-chair for the special session on "Macrophyte-Centered Biotic Interactions in Aquatic Habitats" at the 3rd International ASLO Meeting in Nice, France.  Dr. Lombardo has recently become a member of the International Society of Limnology (SIL), and plans to propose and (co)organize one or two sessions on macrophyte ecology at the next SIL International Conference to be held in Turin, Italy, in summer 2016.  Dr. Lombardo is also a lifetime member of the Alumni Association of Kent State University and supports the nonprofit Nature Association of Cascina Bellezza, which manages the EU-protected 1800-ha area of the Poirino-Favari ponds near Turin (northwestern Italy), home of an endemic, endangered amphibian species.

 

Dr. Lombardo's professional profile by keyword (research & consulting):

  • limnology (emphasis on lake and pond ecosystems)
  • lake management and rehabilitation
  • eutrophication and (lake) trophic state
  • water quality
  • littoral―pelagic interactions
  • watershed―lake interactions
  • macrophytes
  • macrophyte―phytoplankton interactions
  • macroinvertebrates (emphasis on lacustrine gastropods)
  • macrophyte―gastropod interactions
  • ecological communities
  • interspecific interactions
  • alien/invasive species in inland waters (emphasis on plants and gastropods)
  • bioindicators
  • environmental monitoring and assessment

Dr. Lombardo can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the general This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. address.

Limno Consulting di Paola Lombardo

Via Bedollo 303, I-00124 Rome, Italy • +39 331 296-0797
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  • www.limnoconsulting.com
VAT ID: IT 11812851001 • PEC This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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