Right in the center of the Gulf of Trieste, the yellow Paloma station buoy rises 9 meters high, encompassed by miles of deep blue sea and eternal azure skies. This part of the Mediterranean is under-sampled with regards to air-sea exchanges of CO2 and related acidification - therefore measuring greenhouse gas emissions here is of utter importance.
The FOS PALOMA (Piattaforma Avanzata LabOratorio Mare Adriatico) makes continuous and discrete measurements of the carbonate chemistry and complementary variables in the Gulf of Trieste in the northern Mediterranean Sea. The station is run by the CNR-ISMAR (National Research Council of Italy - Marine Sciences Institute), and Dr. Anna Luchetta is PI for the carbon measurements while Dr.Carolina Cantoni is the operational manager for the station. Physical and biogeochemical measurements was initiated at the station in 2008, and in 2012, the station was upgraded with new sensors for temperature and pCO2 measurements.
Coastal station in the centre of the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea), Lat 45.6204 N and Long 13.5658, located on a 25 m deep seafloor at 8 nm from land. Affected by meteorological conditions leading to large variations of both air and sea surface temperature and to dense water formation during severe winters. Area characterized by intense air sea CO2 fluxes and high p.p. Marine waters receive the inflow of several rivers, transporting high alkalinity and nutrients to the sea.
