Antarctica: PNRA's 42nd Research Campaign Kicks Off as Mario Zucchelli Station Opens

The 42nd Antarctic Research Expedition is officially underway. This year, it will engage a total of 185 experts—including researchers and technical support staff from research institutions and universities, in a wide-ranging program of studies spanning climate science, geophysics, marine biology, atmospheric sciences, and the effects of extreme environments on the human body. Scientific operations will take place at the Mario Zucchelli coastal station, the joint Italian-French Concordia Station, and aboard the icebreaker Laura Bassi.

A team of 23 technicians has already restored operations at the Mario Zucchelli Station, which had been closed since last February, and is currently checking sea ice conditions to set up the runway for upcoming flights. A total of 24 scientific activities, comprising research projects, permanent observatories, and international collaborations, will take place across the Zucchelli and Concordia bases.

Over a period of roughly two months, 5 national and 2 international research projects dedicated to studying geophysics and oceanography in the Ross Sea will be carried out aboard the icebreaker Laura Bassi. Having set sail in mid-October from the port of Civitavecchia, the vessel is currently en route to New Zealand.

Italian Antarctic missions are conducted under the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA), funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR). Scientific coordination is managed by the National Research Council (CNR), logistics planning and organization at Antarctic bases by ENEA, and technical and scientific management of the icebreaker Laura Bassi by OGS.