Antarctica, $23 million for new research campaign

Antarctic research can count on funding of 23 million euros for 2025 , which will make possible the new Italian expedition to Antarctica, the 41st, starting in October . The decree funding the new year of the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA) for the understanding of major environmental and climate processes was signed by the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini.

" Italy has always been at the forefront of polar research , a leadership that we intend to consolidate and strengthen ," observes Bernini. "The missions in Antarctica ," the minister continues, "today represent a strategic scientific presence , especially in light of the challenges posed by climate change : what happens at the poles has direct and global effects. Science can and must offer concrete answers , and polar research is one of the most effective tools for understanding the transformations underway and identifying sustainable solutions . For this reason," he adds, "we are working to strengthen our commitment, renewing infrastructure, supporting new projects and ensuring adequate resources for a stable and qualified scientific presence." For Bernini, " international cooperation is essential to address these challenges: we are proud to participate in the most advanced research programs on the icy continent, in a shared effort that combines skills, technologies and vision. Antarctica," he concludes, "is not only a unique natural laboratory in the world, but also a testing ground for the future of our planet ." The themes of the new research campaign concern the analysis of the sensitivity of the Antarctic ice sheet to climate change. , the presence of microplastics and pollutants , and biodiversity , alongside studies on human adaptation to extreme environmental conditions and astronomical observations from the clearest sky in the world. Research is conducted at the Mario Zucchelli station in Terra Nova Bay, active during the Antarctic summer, and at the Italian-French Concordia station on the Antarctic plateau, which operates year-round and has just received €15 million in extraordinary maintenance funding from the Ministry of the Interior (MUR). Four million euros from the Fund for Construction and Research Infrastructure have also been allocated to the oceanographic vessel Laura Bassi, Italy's only icebreaker, managed by the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS). Established in 1985, the PNRA is coordinated and funded by the Ministry of the Interior and benefits from the support of the National Scientific Commission for the Antarctic (CSNA) for defining its scientific strategies and objectives. The activities are managed by the National Research Council, while the logistics are entrusted to ENEA.