Technological Innovation to Better Understand the Fate of CO₂ Dissolution in Marine Environment: The Case of Multiparametric Observatory of Panarea (Aeolian Arc)

Here we discuss the development of IPANEMA project “PAnarea Natural laboratory of ECCSEL and MArine observatory”. This project aims, through technological innovation, at identifying the most appropriate techniques and methodologies for monitoring, protection and management of the marine ecosystem in the hydrothermal systems. This is strongly correlated to the national decarbonisation needs and to the international research initiatives. A seafloor observatory was installed in the hydrothermal system offshore Panarea island (area with naturally high CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>), implementing multidisciplinary sensors (chemical-physical, oceanographic and geophysical) for the acquisition of measurements in continuous mode. The system consists of a Pole beacon anchored to the bottom on a mooring post and connected via umbilical cable and via acoustic modem to the seafloor observatory. The module provides the opportunity to better study dissolved carbon dioxide diffuses passively into sea waters and causes not only an increase in the partial pressure of the CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> but also a reduction in seawater pH, through the monitoring system in near real-time. Between the cabled real-time system and short-term research carried out currently; an objective should be to achieve a 10-year time span of operation. This would provide long-term environmental monitoring but also make a major contribution to science. Monitoring, obtaining time series data, is essential to understand oceanic processes from the surface to the oceanic sub-bottom.