by InTrieste
Italy’s research vessel Laura Bassi has departed from Trieste on August 27 for a nearly three-week oceanographic campaign across the Mediterranean, with planned stops in the Gulf of Trieste and the Aeolian Islands, before arriving in Milazzo on September 15. The campaign is coordinated by the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS).
The mission has dual objectives: to advance research in strategically important marine areas and to test new oceanographic instruments. Much of the work is conducted within the framework of ITINERIS, a national initiative funded under Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which aims to create a hub for access to data, services, and facilities for interdisciplinary studies of the atmosphere, marine environments, terrestrial biosphere, and geosphere.
In the Gulf of Trieste, the vessel will carry out geological sampling and geophysical surveys as part of the SABMAR project, which focuses on mapping sedimentary formations in the coastal and marine environment between Monfalcone and Lignano. The initiative is intended to support the sustainable management and protection of the regional coastline. The project is led at OGS by senior researcher Martina Busetti and funded by the Geological Service of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.
The vessel will then operate near the Aeolian Islands, around Panarea and Basiluzzo. “We will deploy the Hugin autonomous underwater vehicle, which can operate at depths of up to 3,000 meters,” said Daniela Accettella of the OGS Naval Infrastructure Management Center, who leads the mission. “It will collect geophysical, geochemical, and seafloor morphology data. Sediment samples and acoustic data will also be gathered by OGS personnel based in Milazzo.”
During transit through the Adriatic and Ionian seas, the team will also calibrate instruments, collect data, and conduct acoustic monitoring to study sounds produced by marine mammals. The data will be shared openly via the ITINERIS platform. “This campaign is an important step for testing new technologies that will allow real-time, open access to scientific data in the future,” Accettella added.
Following a brief stop in Milazzo and a partial rotation of the scientific team, the vessel will continue the second phase of the EMSO-SA2025-LB campaign in the southern Adriatic. This phase will focus on scientific research and maintenance of oceanographic moorings, which are underwater installations equipped with sensors for long-term environmental monitoring.
Vanessa Cardin, an OGS oceanographer responsible for the EMSO-ERIC site in the southern Adriatic, explained that the campaign will operate in coordination with a European network of multidisciplinary seafloor and water column observatories. “Measurements will be conducted near fixed stations alongside the Ocean Glider autonomous vehicle and Argo floats, which provide a reference for intercalibration and ensure consistent observations. This multidisciplinary approach integrates physical, biogeochemical, and ecological data, enhancing data quality and scientific understanding,” she said.
The vessel is expected to return to Trieste on September 15. Preparations will then begin for the upcoming Antarctic campaign, scheduled to depart from Trieste on October 4.
