Abstract
The MABEL seafloor observatory was deployed at the site in Weddell Sea
(Antarctica). The selected site was located at approx 1874 m water
depth, 60 miles offshore Neumayer German Station.
For the first time in the world a deep sea multidisciplinary
observatory has been installed and successfully operated in polar
waters.
In the case of Polar Regions, the peculiar advantages of the seafloor
observatory approach are even more emphasized, considering the hostile
environment and logistic difficulties as well as the perspective of
studies in these areas. In particular, Antarctica is scientifically
considered of strategic importance for the comprehension of a lot of
phenomena.
Monitoring the geophysical and environmental parameters of the Weddell
Sea shall greatly contribute to the understanding of the tectonics of
the basin and of surrounding plates. The scientific mission in the
Weddell Sea represents a first step towards the creation of the first
Antarctic network of multidisciplinary seafloor observatories. The controlled deposition procedure of MABEL and of future observatories
or instruments may lead to the exploitation of array techniques, for
example, for submarine seismic
networks. The coverage of areas with regularly-spaced observation
points allows the application of most of on- land techniques to marine
environments. It also allows the extension of research to other areas
of interest of the Italian Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in
Antartide (PNRA), without the limitations usually imposed by
traditional methods.
Purpose
The acquisition of time series data through MABEL has the following
aims.
Seismology: to study the signal/noise ratio recorded by the benthic
observatory and compare it with that of other land-based Antarctic
stations; to characterise local seismicity; to contribute to the study
of high energy events, terrestrial tides and free oscillations on a
global scale.
Oceanography: to characterise the benthic stratum through the
integration of physical parameters (temperature, salinity and optical
properties). The deployment of MABEL in a continental sea allows the
study of all phenomena affected by seasonal changes: the melting and
formation of ice produces cyclical variations in the circulation of
water masses and also affects their chemico-physical parameters.
