The research missions for the Sea Care project are resuming

The research missions for the Sea Care project have resumed in August 2025. The project is a collaboration between the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) and the Italian Navy. Recently renewed for another three years, the project focuses on monitoring seas and oceans to assess the presence of anthropogenic contaminants and their potential impact on human health.

Towards the Arctic aboard the "Alliance" oceanographic vessel

This year, ISS researchers have pushed north to the 82nd parallel, venturing into the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean. Aboard the Italian Navy's oceanographic vessel "Alliance," which operates under NATO, they are tracing the path of ocean currents that travel from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Pole.

Departing from Tromsø in early August, the researchers have already traveled over 1,300 km, reaching the Svalbard Islands and collecting seawater samples between the 75th and 78th parallels. The samples are being collected at various depths and will be analyzed to measure chemical and biological contamination.

The mission isn't just about collection: aboard the ship, researchers are also busy preparing and preserving the samples to ensure they can be properly analyzed upon their return to Italy, which is scheduled for the second half of September.