Field trip to Panarea Island as part of the scientific diving project

15 Students from several study courses from TU BAF took part in the scientific field camp at Panarea island from September 3 to September 18. It was a joint project with INGV from Palermo (Dr. Franko Italioano and his team) and the Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Dr. Jens Heinicke). Main goals of the field trip where to practise submarine skills such as surveying, mapping, measuring gas vents with respect to gas amounts and their variation over time, as well as taking water and gas samples for chemical characterization. Most of the students performed two dives a day. The rest of the time was spent with pre and post diving preparations of equipment and expriments such as performing gas and water determination in our field lab.

Panarea is one of the vulcanos in the arc of the Eolian islands (Lipari, Panarea, Salina, Stromboli, Vulcano). Only the Stromboli id be definition an active volcano (with more or less continous lava emmisions. However, the others show "activities" in terms of emmiting gas and fluids. The "active" part of the Panarea volcano is submarine accessible for scuba diving only in depths from 10 to 50 meters. Fumaroles and hot water outlets can be found in an area of about 1 km². A very recent outbreak with higly increased gas emmisions happend in autumn 2002. Since this time more submarine gas venting activity is experienced until 2006. While lava emmissions from Stromboli can be seen from distance and if one moves as close as 400 m to the active crater region (see video ....) Panarea releases the same amount of gases in average but not as easily to be seen (see submarine video of point 21.... or gas discharge unit.... or gas sampling....)