scholarly journals ANTARES and KM3NeT: The Latest Results of the Neutrino Telescopes in the Mediterranean

Universe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Sanguineti ◽  
on behalf of ANTARES and KMthreeNeT collaborations
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Neutrino Telescope ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Neutrino Telescopes ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
Unique Method ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Weakly Interacting Particles ◽  
The Universe

The measurement of cosmic neutrinos is a new and unique method to observe the Universe. Neutrinos are chargeless, weakly-interacting particles that can provide information about the interior of an astrophysical object for cosmological distances. Indeed, they are a complementary probe with respect to other messengers such as multi-wavelength light and charged cosmic rays, allowing the observation of the far Universe and providing information on the production mechanism. Here, the neutrino telescopes in the Mediterranean Sea that are operating or in progress will be reviewed. The ANTARES (Astronomy with a Neutrino Telescope and Abyss environmental RESearch) detector is the largest neutrino telescope currently in operation in the Mediterranean Sea and the first operating in sea water. Some of the ANTARES results will be summarized, including diffuse, point-like, and multi-messenger source searches. Finally, the future km 3 -scale telescope KM3NeT (Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope) will be described focusing on the expected performances and sensitivities.

scholarly journals Latest results of the ANTARES neutrino telescope

2019 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 01022
Author(s):  
Juan-de-Dios Zornoza
Keyword(s):  
Angular Resolution ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Transient Phenomena ◽  
New Era ◽  
Neutrino Telescopes ◽  
Key Points ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Neutrino Astronomy ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Universe

Neutrino astronomy is in an exciting moment. The discovery of a cosmic flux of high energy neutrinos by IceCube heralds a new era in which neutrinos have finally joined the multi-messenger study of the Universe. This new important window complements more “traditional” probes (as cosmic rays or photons), given the particular combination of characteristics of neutrinos (neutral, stable and weakly interacting). The ANTARES detector, built in the Mediterranean Sea, has succeeded in two key points. First, it has shown the feasibility of the technique of underwater neutrino telescopes, which offers important advantages in terms of performance (better angular resolution, better visibility of the Galaxy if built in the Northern Hemisphere). This has paved the way for the next step, KM3NeT, already in construction. Second, the physics harvest of ANTARES is very rich, including many results that show the particular advantages of being in the Mediterranean, as mentioned above. The analyses performed include the search for point-like sources, diffuse fluxes, transient phenomena, dark matter, etc. In this talk we will review this long list of achievements.

A warmer Mediterranean region at the Miocene to Pliocene transition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iuliana Vasiliev ◽  
Daniela Boehn ◽  
Darja Volkovskaja ◽  
Clemens Schmitt ◽  
Konstantina Agiadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Organic Biomarkers ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
D Values

<p>Between 5.97-5.33 Ma several kilometre-thick evaporite units were deposited in the Mediterranean Basin during the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). The MSC reflects a period featured by a negative hydrological budget, with a net evaporative loss of water exceeding precipitation and riverine runoff. The contemporary changes in continental and marine circum-Mediterranean temperature are, however, poorly constrained. Here we reconstruct continental mean annual temperatures (MAT) using branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) biomarkers for the time period corresponding to MSC Stage 3 (5.55-5.33 Ma). Additionally, for the same time interval, we estimate sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of the Mediterranean Sea using isoprenoidal GDGTs based TEX<sub>86</sub> proxy. The excellently preserved organic biomarkers were extracted from outcrops and DSDP cores spread over a large part of the onland (Malaga, Sicily, Cyprus) and offshore (holes 124 and 134 from the Balearic abyssal plane and hole 374 from the Ionian Basin) Mediterranean Basin domain. The calculated MATs for the 5.55 to 5.33 Ma interval show values around 16 to 18 ºC for the Malaga, Sicily and Cyprus outcrops. The MAT values calculated for DSDP Leg 13 holes 124, 134 and Leg 42A hole 374 are lower, around 11 to 13 ºC.</p><p>For samples where the branched and isoprenoid tetraether (BIT) index was lower than the 0.4 we could calculate TEX<sub>86</sub> derived SSTs averaging around 27 ºC for all sampled locations. Where available (i.e. Sicily), we compared the TEX<sub>86</sub> derived SSTs with alkenone based, U<sup>k</sup><sub>37</sub> derived SST estimates from the same samples. The TEX<sub>86</sub> derived SST values are slightly higher than the U<sup>k</sup><sub>37</sub> derived SST of 20 to 28 ºC. For the Mediterranean region, values between 19 and 27 ºC of the U<sup>k</sup><sub>37</sub> derived SSTs were calculated for the interval between the 8.0 and 6.4 Ma (Tzanova et al., 2015), close to our calculations for Sicily section (20 to 28 ºC). Independent of common pitfalls that may arise in using molecular biomarkers as temperature proxies, both SST estimates independently hint towards much warmer Mediterranean Sea water during the latest phase (Stage 3) of the MSC. These elevated temperatures coincide with higher δD values measured on alkenones and long chain n-alkanes (both records indicating for more arid and/or warmer conditions than today between 5.55 and 5.33 Ma). We therefore conclude that the climate between 5.55 to 5.33 Ma was warmer than present-day conditions, recorded both in the Mediterranean Sea and the land surrounding it.</p>

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal variability of alkalinity in the Mediterranean Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1647-1658 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Cossarini ◽  
P. Lazzari ◽  
C. Solidoro
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Surface Flux ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variability ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. The paper provides a basin-scale assessment of the spatiotemporal distribution of alkalinity in the Mediterranean Sea. The assessment is made by integrating the available observations into a 3-D transport–biogeochemical model. The results indicate the presence of complex spatial patterns: a marked west-to-east surface gradient of alkalinity is coupled to secondary negative gradients: (1) from marginal seas (Adriatic and Aegean Sea) to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and (2) from north to south in the western region. The west–east gradient is related to the mixing of Atlantic water entering from the Strait of Gibraltar with the high-alkaline water of the eastern sub-basins, which is correlated to the positive surface flux of evaporation minus precipitation. The north-to-south gradients are related to the terrestrial input and to the input of the Black Sea water through the Dardanelles. In the surface layers, alkalinity has a relevant seasonal cycle (up to 40 μmol kg−1) that is driven by physical processes (seasonal cycle of evaporation and vertical mixing) and, to a minor extent, by biological processes. A comparison of alkalinity vs. salinity indicates that different regions present different relationships: in regions of freshwater influence, the two quantities are negatively correlated due to riverine alkalinity input, whereas they are positively correlated in open sea areas of the Mediterranean Sea.

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