The Climate Change Tower Integrated Project (CCT-IP) represents the guide lines of the italian research in the arctic and aims to study the interaction between all the components of the climate system in the Arctic. The Amundsen-Nobile Climate Change Tower (CCT) is the key infrastructure of the project, and provides continuous acquisition of the atmospheric parameters at different heights as well as at the interface between the surface and the atmosphere. Surface-atmosphere interface data include heat-flux between soil and snow and into the soil, soil temperature and snow skin temperature. 30 minutes average (μ) and standard deviation (σ) will be available for the download. Data at resolution of 1 minute are available for online visualization and downloadable under request. Partly funded by Arctic PASSION project (agreement number 101003472).

DOC fractionation: dynamic of POPs and trace metals Arctic DOC (ArcticDOC) The sampling design is projected to cover almost five sampling points in the Kongsfjorden. The sampling of surface water (approximately 100 liters for each sampling point) and sediment are aimed at the determination of persistent and emerging contaminants: POPs PFAS, CUPs, PPCPs, endocrine disruptors such as nonylphenols and bisphenol A. At the same time, with tangential-flow ultrafiltration, dissolved organic matter (DOM) will be characterized according to size fractions (colloidal and truly dissolved) and the distribution of contaminants associated to these fractions will be evaluated.

ISotopic and physical-chemical MOnitoring of GLACial drainages and sea water in the Ny-Ålesund area (Svalbard) The dataset includes vertical profiles of physical-chemical performed on-site in different sites along the fjord in Kongsfjorden.

Aerosol particles that can aid the formation of ice crystals in clouds are known as ice nucleating particles (INPs). These particles play a critical role in Arctic cloud formation and regional climate. However, it remains challenging for global climate models (GCMs) to well represent Arctic INPs. To understand the biases in the GCMs, we compare simulated results from a GCM with long-term meteorological, aerosol, and INP measurements at one surface station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. We find that the simulated aerosol properties are biased from the observations within one order of magnitude, due to uncertainties in modeling physical and chemical aerosol processes. Using soil samples collected from Ny-Ålesund, we derived a new fit that relates local HLD with INP concentrations. This fit shows strong ice nucleating ability at warm temperatures, indicating the presence of organic matter in local HLD. Incorporating the new fit for local HLD INPs along with parameterizations representing INPs from other terrestrial and marine sources, our model reproduces measured INP concentrations reasonably well. Our comparison highlights the importance of local HLD to the Arctic INP population. Our findings emphasize the need for long-term Arctic measurements and better representation of HLD in GCMs to improve the understanding in Arctic INP properties and their role in Arctic cloud formation.

The AUXMON (AUXiliary MONitoring) project aims at providing a continuous monitoring of auxiliary variables useful to support investigation of night-sky brightness. Sky-Quality Meters (SQM) sensors are one of the core infrastructure of the project. They are low-cost sensors for measuring night sky brightness.

This dataset comprises measurements from moored Acustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), collected by the S1 Mooring, which is managed by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council (CNR) and National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS). The data was gathered on the Fram Strait south of the Spitsbergen in an open-sea area strongly influenced by both the interaction between Atlantic (northward-moving) and Arctic (southward-moving) waters as well as by the presence and winter formation of sea ice and atmospheric forcing. The easternmost part of the Fram Strait, relatively warm and salty Atlantic waters flow, bringing heat to the Arctic region and contributing to the Atlantification phenomenon. The processes responsible of the inter-annual and seasonal variability of the deep current flow in this open sea region are still unknown and also what the implications are related to ongoing climate change and in particular to the progressive decrease of sea ice cover in the winter period. To understand these dynamics, a deep-water oceanographic S1 Mooring was anchored at about 1040 meters depth, since June 2014. The dataset is also part of the SIOS-Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, developed to observe the impacts of climate change, including the rapid loss of sea ice cover, the retreat of local glaciers, and the Atlantification of Arctic seas. The ADCP mounted at 420 m measure: sea-water currents intensity and direction along the water column. The acquisition of this time series data is still ongoing and will continue, bolstered by the inclusion of this infrastructure within the framework of the Italian PNRR project ITINERIS. This ensures sustained data collection and further enhances our understanding of the observed environmental changes.

Snow sampling every week near Gruvebadet (Svalbard)

This dataset comprises measurements from a moored thermistor, collected by the Krossfjord Italian Mooring (KIM), which is managed by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council (CNR). The data was gathered in the Krossfjord, Svalbard Island, since September 2020. This dataset is also part of the SIOS-Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, developed to observe the impacts of climate change, including the rapid loss of sea ice cover, the retreat of local glaciers, and the Atlantification of Arctic seas. Mesured properties: seawater temperature. The acquisition of this time series data is still ongoing and will continue, bolstered by the inclusion of this infrastructure within the framework of the Italian PNRR project ITINERIS. This ensures sustained data collection and further enhances our understanding of the observed environmental changes.

The Climate Change Tower Integrated Project (CCT-IP) reflects the priorities of Italian Arctic research and aims to investigate the interactions among all components of the Arctic climate system. The Amundsen-Nobile Climate Change Tower (CCT) serves as the project’s central infrastructure, providing continuous measurements of atmospheric parameters at multiple heights and at the critical interface between the surface and the atmosphere. A SPN1 net radiometer, installed at a height of 33 m in 2023, is used to measure the radiation partition between incoming direct and diffuse irradiance. Previously, in 2009, a combination of sensors—including a CNR1 net radiometer at 33 m and CM11 and CG4 sensors at 25 m—was deployed for the same purpose. Radiation data are processed to provide 30-minute averages (μ) and standard deviations (σ), along with derived products such as total net radiation and an indication of sun presence. These data will be available for download. Additionally, 1-minute resolution data are available for download upon request.

Snow sampling every year at the Kongsvegen glacier, in Svalbard