Environmental changes in the Arctic: an Italian perspective

Global warming affects the Arctic two/four times faster than any other region of the planet. The components of the climate system strongly react to changes with an immediate impact on the environment and on the whole living system. As a consequence of the increasing concern, in the last two decades the research in the Arctic has rapidly grown, with the aim to better understand processes and amplification mechanisms as well as to assess consequences at mid-latitudes and on the rest of the planet. Italian scientists have provided a relevant contribution to the Arctic science with a wide range of research activities conducted so far, not only at Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard Islands), where the Italian National Research Council (CNR) manages the "Dirigibile Italia Arctic Station", but also at Thule (Greenland) and on the surrounding seas, and in the Arctic Ocean. The strategic objectives of the wide range of activities developed since 2008 aim to reinforce the flagship sites (super-sites) as key components of an integrated pan-Arctic observing network, where it is possible to study the complex dimensions of the Arctic regional climate system and to fully develop multidisciplinary research activities in a framework of international cooperation. This special issue presents a collection of reports on recent scientific achievements and provides the state-of-the-art and future perspectives of Italian research in the Arctic.