“Gaia Blu”, the oceanographic vessel of the National Research Council (CNR), left the port of Bari, Italy, last October 29th to start the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and Water Column Observatory – Southern Adriatic 2024 (EMSO SA 2024) campaign.

The primary goal of the campaign, underway until 6 November 2024, is to support the long-term monitoring of ocean processes and climate change in the Southern Adriatic Sea, using the European research infrastructure EMSO ERIC under whose umbrella a series of underwater observation platforms equipped with sensors for the continuous collection of physical and bio-geochemical data are coordinated.

Logistical maintenance work will also be carried out at the South Adriatic Pit Observatory (E2M3A), in particular with regard to anchoring of the submarine observation platforms and retrieving data and samples already obtained. In addition, new hydrological surveys using CTD probes and detailed analysis of the water column will be carried out on site.

The Southern Adriatic Sea Observatory Structure, composed of the E2M3A site (managed by OGS) and the BB and FF sites (managed by CNR-ISP), allows long-term and real-time ocean monitoring. The E2M3A site, in particular, collects an almost uninterrupted series of data since 2006, fundamental to understand the time scales, climate processes and ocean interconnections.

Collaborations and Projects

In addition to the activities related to EMSO, the campaign will contribute to important projects such as Life Dream, NBFC and the implementation of EMSO Physical Access, further enriching the collected data. Stay tuned for updates on ongoing operations!

 

Mission coordination

The EMSO SA 2024 campaign is coordinated by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the CNR (CNR-ISP) under the leadership of Stefano Miserocchi, and involves the Experimental Geophysical Observatory (OGS), the Institute of Marine Sciences of the CNR (CNR-ISMAR) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), UK. The participation of CNR-ISP in EMSO-ERIC is supported by the activities of the Italian Joint Research Unit of the consortium.

For further information on the projects:

ISP: https://www.isp.cnr.it/index.php/it/ricerca/altre-attivita/mare-adriatico

OGS: https://www.ogs.it/en/european-multidisciplinary-seafloor-and-water-column-observatory-emso-eric

Life Dream: https://www.life-dream.eu/

NBFC: https://www.nbfc.it/en

 

Press release published by CNR is available here