The Italian facility "Mario Zucchelli" in Antarctica is experiencing difficulties. The sea ice has receded so much that the region where the Hercules C-130 transporting people and cargo regularly lands is no longer viable. For the first time, the ice thickness has reduced to roughly 120 centimeters, compared to an average of around 2 meters. It is difficult to function in these circumstances, and the Italians were forced to seek hospitality at the American facility of McMurdo, which is 350 kilometers away. About eighty researchers from the CNR and ENEA operate in the scientific station situated along the coast of northern Victoria Land, between the mouths of the Campbell and Drygalski glaciers. The labs are equipped for chemical, biological, and geological analyses, and there is also an aquarium at the station. Data acquired from an astronomical observatory and other permanent observatories are made accessible to the scientific community for the study of terrestrial magnetism, the ionosphere, seismic motions, tides, geodetic references, and meteorological variables. The issue now is not only the thickness of the sea ice, but also its dramatic drop in area, which has fallen by 3% since 2017. The root of this phenomena, according to the Italian base's climatologists, is protracted periods of intense wind and abnormal heat waves, which are becoming more common. And they cause the poles to warm quicker than the rest of the earth
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