Ship Alliance, after having completed the first phase of scientific research in the Fram Strait and having skirted the southern limit of the ice of the polar cap, with a north-east direction it passed the 80th parallel, reaching the Norske Banken, an area north of the Svalbard Islands where nautical chart data is very sparse or non-existent.
Today, when the polar ice cap is halved compared to thirty years ago - in fact, it has gone from 7 million km2 to 3,5 today - the study of ice and the drift of the Arctic ice cap, the opening of new maritime spaces, with consequent aspects related to navigation safety, are further areas of interest of the High North (HN) research program.
During the Arctic summer, characterized by 24 hours of light, the polar ice pack north of Svalbard is contracting, with a large area of the Arctic Ocean gradually becoming explorable for a few weeks. This area, however, remains characterized by a remarkable variability of meteorological conditions, with thick banks of fog and sudden changes during the day, which hide the ice from view and also complicate tracking with navigation radar. These factors make navigation particularly complex and insidious: the commander, frigate captain Manuel Fantinati and all the ship's officers, in accordance with the Polar Code, are educated, trained and have the necessary skills both for the safe conduct of navigation in polar waters and for the management of safety aspects and emergencies.
The daily planning of the navigation and the consequent research activities took place by exploiting the acquisitions of the COSMO-SkyMed sun-synchronous polar orbit satellite radars, in the stringent partnership with the e-Geos provider developed in recent years, with which the Hydrographic Institute of Marina (IIM) collaborates within the ARNACOSKY project (ARctic NAvigation with COsmo SKYmed).
During the campaign, through the planning of satellite acquisitions in time windows dedicated to the research, it was possible to sample and parameterize blocks of ice in situ (so-called ground truth). The post-analysis work therefore allowed the calibration of the satellite data which, in a future development of the databases, will be able to generate technologically cutting-edge systems capable of accurately estimating the changes in the physical parameters directly remotely, without the need to operate in situ.
Along the Norske Banken, near the ice line, all the other transversal hydro-oceanographic activities continued with Multi-Beam Eco Sounder (MBES) surveys and bottom sampling. In consideration of the particular meteorological conditions - with constant high pressure, absence of wave motion, and southerly winds which kept the ice line compact - the explorations continued in a large stretch of waters which opened in a northerly direction, overcoming the 82nd parallel. The activities conducted at these latitudes, in addition to providing scientific data of the highest value in unexplored areas, also represented an absolute record for the crew, being the first time that a Unit flying the Navy flag reached such a high latitude.
Also in this edition of HN, the IIM acted as an active promoter, acting both as a facilitator in the construction of virtuous networks with the scientific and academic world and as an incubator of strategic sectoral knowledge in an area extremely rich in peculiarities such as the Arctic . This active posture is also in line with the program Ocean Science Decade for Sustainable Development, 2021-2030 which has its key principles in the 3 pillars of exploration, environment and education. Precisely in the field of 'education', HN supported the research activities of 2 young students who won the "The Polar Initiative" tender of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, in a new collaboration promoted between the Foundation and the Navy. In particular, a on board the Alliance, Dr. Florian Heinze of Stockholm University contributed to the bathymetric mappings which in the coming months will be shared with the Norwegian hydrographic service - corresponding to the cartographic authority responsible for the Arctic area of interest - and will be included in the next edition of the map IBCAO GEBCO (International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean – General Bathymetric Charts of the Ocean); Dr. Matteo Monzali, PHD of the Bicocca University of Milan, was involved in satellite remote sensing activities in the evaluation of snow and ice conditions, in relation to climate change.
The activities of HN24 - the eighth campaign of the program - had a considerable scientific depth, with a mapped area equal to over 5.200 square kilometers - approximately the surface of Liguria -, 9 sediment intakes on seabeds even of the order of 3.000 meters and 45 measurements of the characteristic parameters of the water column.
With the traditional logistical stop in Tromso Nave Alliance has completed the executive phase, which will be followed as per practice by the equally important and crucial phase of post processing compared to the amount of data and sampling collected. On the occasion of its departure from the port on 10 August, the ship hosted the visit of the Undersecretary of State for Defense with responsibility for the Navy, the Hon. Matteo Perego from Cremnago who, accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Enrico Credendino, greeted the crew, underlining how “the Arctic region is characterized by a growing fragility determined by the dynamic, yet worrying, changes that affect its climatological aspects and, consequently, the related repercussions, in progress and potential, on the geopolitical, geostrategic and economic-financial level of global scope . In this framework, the important activities of the High North24 maritime research and experimentation program make it possible to measure, monitor and evaluate these changes in the region". On this occasion, Admiral Credendino wanted to thank the crew, stating: "you must be proud of what has been done in an area of growing strategic interest for the Armed Force and the country".
