The island of Panarea is a natural laboratory characterized by numerous and diverse submerged hydrothermal emissions of CO2 and other gases and hot waters of volcanic origin, including a recently described site with more than 200 chimneys. This provides the unique opportunity to study gas migration in different geological settings, assess the impact of CO2 increase on marine ecosystems and improve CO2 monitoring techniques.Due to the unique characteristics of the Panarea Volcanic System, the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) funded the establishment of a permanent laboratory on the island, the Panarea ECCSEL NatLab-Italy, which has been providing logistical and scientific support to researchers using the site since June 27, 2015. This laboratory, managed by OGS (National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics), is one of the Italian components of ECCSEL, the “European Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Laboratory Infrastructure”, an European initiative aiming to create a network of top-quality research laboratories devoted to developing CO2 capture and storage (CCS) techniques and combating global climate change, enabling low to zero CO2 emissions from industry and power generation. It is equipped with scientific instrumentations for high-level integrated multidisciplinary studies in physical, chemical, biological, and geological sciences. From the beginning of 2020, thanks to the PON IPANEMA infrastructure project, the laboratory is being implemented with new and highly technological instrumentations for laboratory analysis, sample collections and in situ experiments.Moreover, three types of highly innovative instruments, extremely versatile and functional for multidisciplinary research, are also available for integrated and high-tech monitoring of gas emissions: an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) for water and sediment characterization; a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) for background inspection and analysis, including sampling; a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), or drone, for the characterization of the coastal area and of surface gas emissions.
Panarea ECCSEL NatLab-Italy: A unique natural laboratory for research on climate change and CO2 geological storage
Damiano Spagnuolo;Michela D'Alessandro;Giuseppe De Rosa;Valentina Esposito;Marco Graziano;Valentina Volpi;Cinzia De Vittor
2023-01-01
Abstract
The island of Panarea is a natural laboratory characterized by numerous and diverse submerged hydrothermal emissions of CO2 and other gases and hot waters of volcanic origin, including a recently described site with more than 200 chimneys. This provides the unique opportunity to study gas migration in different geological settings, assess the impact of CO2 increase on marine ecosystems and improve CO2 monitoring techniques.Due to the unique characteristics of the Panarea Volcanic System, the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) funded the establishment of a permanent laboratory on the island, the Panarea ECCSEL NatLab-Italy, which has been providing logistical and scientific support to researchers using the site since June 27, 2015. This laboratory, managed by OGS (National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics), is one of the Italian components of ECCSEL, the “European Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Laboratory Infrastructure”, an European initiative aiming to create a network of top-quality research laboratories devoted to developing CO2 capture and storage (CCS) techniques and combating global climate change, enabling low to zero CO2 emissions from industry and power generation. It is equipped with scientific instrumentations for high-level integrated multidisciplinary studies in physical, chemical, biological, and geological sciences. From the beginning of 2020, thanks to the PON IPANEMA infrastructure project, the laboratory is being implemented with new and highly technological instrumentations for laboratory analysis, sample collections and in situ experiments.Moreover, three types of highly innovative instruments, extremely versatile and functional for multidisciplinary research, are also available for integrated and high-tech monitoring of gas emissions: an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) for water and sediment characterization; a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) for background inspection and analysis, including sampling; a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), or drone, for the characterization of the coastal area and of surface gas emissions.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
