Mario Zucchelli Station, IT

Mario Zucchelli is one of the two Italian stations in Antarctica. Located on the coast of the Ross Sea, is open only during Australian summer, from half of October till half February.

Mario Zucchelli Station (MZS) is owned by ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) and operated by CNR, Italy.

It is situated in Terra Nova Bay along the coast of northern Terra Victoria, 15 m above sea level, and only open during the summer season. MZS has access to the sea and the small inlets allow unloading and loading of materials according to the season. In addition to laboratories equipped for chemical, biological, geological, and electronic analysis, MZS also has a computer room and an aquarium.

Observatories: MZS has an astronomical observatory and other permanent observatories to study terrestrial magnetism, the ionosphere, seismic movements, tides, geodetic references, and meteorological variables.

Contribution to POLARIN key research challenges:1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Contact:Vito Vitale v.vitale[at]isac.cnr.it,

Website address: www.pnra.aq/stazione-mario-zucchelli

Location

MZS is located in the Ross Sea area, in the Victoria Land, at the foot of small range called Northern Foothills. MZS is a costal station built on a granite promontory overlooking the Gerlache Inlet, within the wider Terra Nova Bay.

Facilities

The station is built right on the shore, on a granite rocky peninsula with a north-south orientation. The area assigned to the buildings provides easy access from/to the sea from both east and west. The small inlet on the east shore is particularly suited for unloading cargo at the beginning of the season, when the sea is totally covered with ice. The fast-ice in Tethys Bay is used at the beginning of the season as an aircraft landing place. The main facilities are runways, helipads, plants (power production, incinerator, waste water treatment, desalinator, liquefier), fuel storage and acquarium.

Area under roof: 7500 (m2), Area scientific laboratories 2400 (m2)

Type of scientific laboratories: Astrophysics, Biology, Chemistry, Climate, Geodesy, Geology, Geomagnetism, Geophysics, Glaciology, Gravimetric, Ionosphere, Scientific diving, Seismology. conference room , logistic area, number of beds 124, laundry facilities, number of staff on station (peak/summer season) 80, number of scientists on station (peak/summer season) 40.

Services offered�

Access to the site, lab space and possibilities to move around the station with vehicles following well-defined safety procedures. Possibility to cooperate with long-term observation activities as well as ongoing projects. Mechanical workshop, carpentry, electronic lab, storage space communication services.

What is included in the Access

Unit of access: User/day

Modalities of access offered: In-person access, remote access

The cost indicated is all-inclusive (use of all facilities and any needs during the field campaign) starting from the Antarctic Hub of Christchurch (NZ) and return. Alternatively, the hub could be Australia (Hobart). The typical duration of work is 15 days. We expect that proposals could include in general 2 pax. TA will be included in the annual plan for the Italian activity in Antarctica and will be equal to any other research activity in terms of access to infrastructures and logistical support.

Availability for access in the 2024 call
1st November 2025 – 31th January 2026. There is a some flexibility around the limit, it can be discussed depending on the definitive plan for austral campaign.

Time frame for access preparations

Annual plan for science activities is defined during spring. Process involve scientific (CNR) and logistic (ENEA) operators. The final plan is approved typically in May, beginning June by the National Antarctic Commission for Antarctica (CSNA). To better secure resources for POLARIN, CNR will operate to obtain yet in the previous fall an approval that all resources offered in the TA call will be at disposal during thespring discussion. So the spring disccxussion will be devoted to define the details of project participation: number of researchers, period in Antarctica, how to reach and return from Antarctica, special requests/use of base facilities, amount of transported material.
Deadline to receive all information for this detailed plan, can be fixed to end of April. Meanwhile the period May-July can be the timeframe to define all the logistic details, integrating the TA project in the frame of the whole planned science activity.

Permits, licenses and training

Depending on research activities should be carried out, request for Ethical of Environmental impact declarations can be requested to researchers by PNRA. In any case PNRA will manage the interaction with AT and/or SCAR offices devoted to check that planned activities are respectful of the environmental and ethical rules for Antarctica.�

Medical guidelines

Medical health check is a pre-requisite. Italian Antarctic Program accept as valid:
– Certification on health status provided by another Antarctic program.
– Medical certification/clearance provided by researchers. In this case a specific list of required documentation will be provided by the PNRA medical officer. List being based on the standard PNRA protocol for access to Mario Zucchelli station.
– Personal information, as well as logistical details are requested and manage only after Medical health check is positive.
– Participants will receive from PNRA all dress and material necessary to operate in Antarctica. This material will be than recovered by PNRA at the end of the Expedition.