On November 25, for the first time in the history of Italian Antarctic research, a mooring was deployed through a hole drilled in the pack ice. This unprecedented operation confirms Italy's ability to innovate and operate at the extreme limits of polar research. The success was made possible thanks to the perfect synergy of a highly qualified team.
The undertaking, led by CNR-ISP researcher Dr. P. Giordano and ENEA staff, with the support of special units of the Italian Armed Forces stationed at the Mario Zucchelli Station, was carried out as part of the PNRA PACE project (PI Prof. O. Mangoni, uninait). The launch of a mooring had never before been carried out directly on the Antarctic pack ice. The PACE mooring consists of a vertical structure anchored at a depth of 196 meters, equipped with various sampling and measuring instruments distributed along the water column. The equipment will operate autonomously and continuously for the next two months, recording oceanographic parameters and collecting samples of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and suspended particles. The mooring is scheduled to be recovered at the end of January with the support of UniParthenope researchers using the R/V Laura Bassi. The data collected will be essential for understanding the evolution of plankton communities and carbon fluxes during the start of the productive season and throughout the entire southern summer.