INGV at the center of international polar research for the study of atmospheric and geospatial dynamics
It officially started on January 1, 2025 AGATA - Antarctic Geospace and Atmosphere reseArch, the new Scientific Research Program of the SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research). For the first time a SCAR program is coordinated by an Italian: Lucilla Alfonsi, first researcher of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). This important recognition marks a turning point for the Italian and international scientific community, confirming Italy's role in the study of the polar regions.
AGATA aims to revolutionize the understanding of the polar atmosphere and geospace through an interdisciplinary approach. The program represents an unprecedented effort to investigate the critical role of the poles in Sun-Earth interactions, with the aim of improving atmospheric modeling and optimizing fundamental services such as monitoring of the space weather and the security of satellite and terrestrial communications.
“The polar regions represent extraordinary natural laboratories for understanding the dynamics of the atmosphere and space. With AGATA we want to build an international network that promotes collaboration between scientific communities and ensures the sharing of data, instruments and expertise,” said Lucilla Alfonsi, coordinator of the program.
Thanks to the support of SCAR, AGATA involves scientific institutions from several countries, ensuring the integration of the infrastructures already present in the Arctic and Antarctic and the carrying out of new measurement campaigns of atmospheric, ionospheric and magnetospheric parameters from the ground and from satellite. One of the key objectives is to train a new generation of polar scientists through workshops and international schools for students and young researchers. This will be possible also thanks to the support of the Arctic Research Program (PRA) and the recognition received from the International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV).
The program will culminate in 2032, the year of the inauguration of the next International Polar Year (2032-2033), with researchers trained through AGATA as protagonists of new scientific challenges.
With AGATA, Italy, thanks to INGV, consolidates its position in the international panorama of polar research, contributing to answer fundamental questions on atmospheric and space processes and providing essential tools to face the global challenges of the future.
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Photo - Lucilla Alfonsi, coordinator of the SCAR program and first researcher at INGV
