Since 1998, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technology, Energy and the Environment) has been carrying on researches to develop a plant based greenhouse facility for producing plant fresh food at the Italian bases of TNB (Terra Nova Bay) and Dome C (Concordia base) in Antarctica. Accordingly, at the base TNB “Mario Zucchelli” was installed a sustainable closed greenhouse facility PULSA (Plant-based Unit for Life Support in Antarctica). PULSA has been in operation during four campaigns in Antarctica. 1) A complete automatic hydroponics system for plant cultivation in artificial environmental (C.H.G.S., Closed Hydroponic Greenhouse System); 2. A closed module PULSA Unit. A prototype greenhouse module has been conceived and designed as a transportable unit made of a standard container, dimensions of 6055 (l)*2435(w)*2585(h) mm. The installed microclimate conditioning unit included an air heater of about 6.0 kW which can also act as inside air cooling as well as dehumidifier for removing the internal humidity (up to 2.5 kg/h of water) by forcing the air into a drying service. An air ventilation device composed of two fans each of 400 W and air capacity exchanging of 1200 m3/h was also installed to keep necessary air exchange and CO2 concentration. 3) A treating and recycling wastes unit for the purification of water and for the recycling of residual biomass wastes from the hydroponic cycles, 4) A complete automated and remote-controlling system for the germination and the production of the plantlets (Box-Nursery); 5) A simulator for the growth and the yield production of lettuce (SLS) in function of the temperature and the light applied to the crops. Other prototypes still under developing are: a) the multilevel hydroponics design; b) the solar photovoltaic system of 1.1 kWp, to optimize the yield and the autonomy of the enclosed growing volume using artificial and/or Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as light sources for plant crop growth. Considerations and comments are reported on the on-going challenge to use PULSA as scientific platform for implementing activities of research and demonstration on plant growth technologies for Space.

The project aims to determine the mass balance components in the Dome C drainage area and to study and monitor local glaciers in Victoria Land. The goal is to define the mass balance of the ice cap through the analysis of its altimetric variation with satellite systems and through the determination of the values of the positive (snow accumulation) and negative (flow of glaciers to the anchor line) components of the balance mass. Trought the study of the snow cores (collected as part of the ITASE project (XVII/XVIII expedition)), was determined the annual stratigraphy and evaluated the snow accumulation, the isotopic temperature and the chemical composition of the snow cores. Moreover analysis of geophysical data (GPR, GPS, RES, spectroradiometry) and remote sensing data were carried out for the study of the variability of snow accumulation, of the dynamics of the ice cap and of the flow of glaciers to the anchor line.

The project aims to estimate the current mass balance of glaciers and in particular of the Antarctic ice sheet by studying the space-time variations of the balance of snow accumulation through the integration of meteo-climatic and glaciological data. Analysis of weather-climatic and snow measurements collected by AWS stations (Dome C, C3, High Priestley, Talos Dome and a Nansen Ice Sheet) using sensors for measuring snow transport and measuring poles. Snow radar data collection of the Dumont d’Urville-Dome C traverse. Analysis of the chemical and isotopic composition of the collected snow samples. Analysis of satellite data to define the path of the Talos Dome-Dome C-Vostok-Dome B-Dome A crosspiece. High resolution chemical / isotopic analyzes (samples in trenches) for the study of post-depositional diffusion / re-emission processes that occur in the part of the snow closest to the surface. Study of the spatial variability of the snow accumulation at the TD site and along the ITASE traverse. Continuation of the analysis of the samples and geophysical data collected in the previous ITASE traverses.

Monitoring the ionosphere is an essential part of the “Space Weather”, a research field that deals with the study of phenomena involving the Sun, the solar wind, the magnetosphere, the ionosphere and the thermosphere. The polar regions are a natural laboratory for the research in this field and the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) currently manages, among others, an ionospheric observatory at Concordia Station. The observatory hosts 4 GNSS ionospheric scintillation and TEC monitor (GISTM) receivers which collect real-time data 24/7; the first one (DMC0S) was installed in 2009, followed by DMC1S in 2010, DMC2S in 2013 and DMC0P in 2017. To monitor such transient effects as ionospheric scintillations, the receivers sample the signals of different GNSS constellations in both amplitude and phase, with a frequency of at least 50Hz. The raw data are collected and processed at Concordia by dedicated software and transmitted in Italy, where the INGV-eSWua system provides near real-time ionospheric scintillation data and products (amplitude scintillation index, phase scintillation index, Total Electron Content, scintillation maps, etc.) harmonized among different instruments and accessible in a standardized and interoperable distribution format.

The project aims to estimate the current mass balance of glaciers and in particular of the Antarctic ice sheet by studying the space-time variations of the balance of snow accumulation through the integration of meteo-climatic and glaciological data. Analysis of weather-climatic and snow measurements collected by AWS stations (Dome C, C3, High Priestley, Talos Dome and a Nansen Ice Sheet) using sensors for measuring snow transport and measuring poles. Snow radar data collection of the Dumont d’Urville-Dome C traverse. Analysis of the chemical and isotopic composition of the collected snow samples. Analysis of satellite data to define the path of the Talos Dome-Dome C-Vostok-Dome B-Dome A crosspiece. High resolution chemical / isotopic analyzes (samples in trenches) for the study of post-depositional diffusion / re-emission processes that occur in the part of the snow closest to the surface. Study of the spatial variability of the snow accumulation at the TD site and along the ITASE traverse. Continuation of the analysis of the samples and geophysical data collected in the previous ITASE traverses.

The geomagnetic observatory DMC has been installed during the 2003-2005 Campaigns. The regular operation of the observatory consists of unmanned, continuous measurement of the variations of the geomagnetic field. Also, absolute magnetic field measurements are manually taken during the whole year. The recorded data are: - 1 sec measurements of the variations of the three geomagnetic field components - 1 min averages of the variations of the three geomagnetic field components - 5 sec measurements of the geomagnetic field scalar intensity - 1 min averages of the geomagnetic field scalar intensity - absolute measurements. All the automatic recordings are delivered in almost real-time to the INTERMAGNET data bank. All the automatic recordings are delivered in real-time to the INGV data portal.