President's editorial

With the spirit that science has no boundaries and must be an instrument of brotherhood among peoples, in the context of the very serious international crisis of recent weeks, INGV has accepted the invitation of the Minister of University and Research, Maria Cristina Messa, regarding the actions in support of the Ukrainian scientific community. Therefore, it was decided to open the doors of the Institute to Ukrainian geoscience researchers, offering them scientific stays for the time necessary to meet the needs imposed by the ongoing war. The solidarity of the scientific community is strong and has also materialized with the open letter of Russian scientists, in clear contrast to the government line: a courageous and not obvious choice, aware of the risks also for one's own safety that it underlies. The hope is obviously that the war will end as soon as possible and that, in addition to ending this unprecedented violence, the threads of human and scientific collaborations between all the actors of this historical moment will be picked up.
INGV is always involved with the active volcanoes in the Congo and the Canary Islands, and in its laboratories the eruptions of the various Italian and non-Italian magmatic systems are simulated, as well as micro-earthquakes are reproduced which will allow us to better understand the physics of earthquakes. Research in the geothermal field also continues, to help find energy resources without climate-altering emissions.
The gas analysis activity in Vulcano remains intense: the successes of prevention are not celebrated as they should, but it is possible that the intervention of our geochemists, sounding the alarm of the strong emissions of CO2 and SO2 and which led the Municipality of Lipari to prohibit sleeping in the areas involved has saved human lives.
One of the sectors considered strategic, in the space sphere, is that of satellite remote sensing, through which it is possible to monitor the implementation of agreements such as the Paris one on temperature containment or on the monitoring of CO2 of anthropogenic origin. Satellites are now essential in providing information to understand the health of our planet, such as the earth's temperature, rising sea levels, the situation of forest covers and the melting of ice, probing the oceans, the atmosphere and the ice . We address these issues with Dr. Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programs at the Esrin Center in Frascati and our Guest of Honor.
For knowledge of the state of health of our planet, the X-Ray Diffractometry Laboratory of the Vesuvius Observatory is active in the INGV. It uses the diagnostic tools of modern medicine to "screen" the rocks that make up the Earth and obtain, from their analysis, all the mineralogical information we need: from the functioning of the magmatic systems to the reconstruction of the eruptive dynamics, for the study of hydrothermal alteration processes, and more.
In the context of volcanic phenomena, we will talk about crater lakes. Small or huge, with an iridescent color in all shades of turquoise, they are among the most fascinating phenomena of nature. Suggestive bodies of water that extend as far as the eye can see in vast depressions or that fill perfectly circular basins, on the hills or on the peaks of the highest volcanoes. But are they lakes exclusively of volcanic origin? They are dangerous? Questions that all visitors ask themselves and that have been answered by our volcanologists who have guided us in the discovery of the most famous crater lakes in the world.
Our monthly journey continues with the usual virtual tour of the INGV facilities. Among all, the Bologna Section carries out various activities, well representing the three souls of the Institute: the branch dedicated to the study of the environment, the one dedicated to earthquakes and the one focused on the study of volcanoes. In fact, the researchers who belong to it operate in the three Departments of the Institute and, thanks to the constant interaction between them, conduct multidisciplinary research and studies. In a few months, finally, the Bologna Section will move within the University of Bologna, with a view to a gradual and strong rooting of INGV in the university system to encourage the exchange of ideas, develop collaborations, share research and tutoring of students.
Tsunamis are a phenomenon that is analyzed with a multidisciplinary approach. The Italian coasts can be affected and we must be aware of it. The seismic events that hit western Liguria in 1887 had an estimated magnitude between 6.4 and 7.0: the main shock was felt throughout northern Italy, southern and central France, Switzerland and Tyrol. Just following the first shocks, a tidal wave occurred, and the waters in the port of Genoa retreated to the shoreline up to 10 meters. The same phenomenon, if not more impressive, also on the coasts of Imperia where the witnesses of the event reported having found numerous fish dead from long exposure to the air.
Our journey through the geosciences continues at the Milan Section of INGV, where multidisciplinary research is developed for multiparametric monitoring and fundamental databases of national seismicity are managed.
Here the innovative PDnet infrastructure was designed, installed in Lake Garda and capable of detecting any variations in seismicity, relating them to changes in other parameters, such as the conductivity of the water, for example.
Bringing young people closer to science and research to convey the importance of these issues, as growth factors for society, is one of our goals. In order to make the new generations aware of problems related to the dynamics of the Earth system, INGV organizes numerous activities dedicated to schools. Seminars and workshops, both face-to-face and online, represent a way of making students aware of the achievements of scientific research, right from childhood, so that the wonderful world of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) can see a large female participation, unfortunately still too low.
Our journey into the world of research ends here for this month.
Enjoy the reading!