News
PILOT mooring in the Ionian abyss
20th October 2026
Project in brief
When dense water sinks into the Mediterranean abyss, where does it go next? AURORA (Abyssal Upwelling Revealing overturning Ocean ciRculAtion: a multi-scale, process-based, integrated approach) follows this largely unknown return journey in the Ionian Sea, where distinct water masses meet above a seafloor carved by slopes, trenches and deep plains.
Deep-Argo floats, long-endurance gliders, deep moorings and research cruises will observe the basin from seabed to surface, measuring the turbulence and biogeochemical signals that help reveal where abyssal water rises. AURORA will map the three-dimensional extent of these upwelling regions, identify the physical processes that drive them and test how accurately numerical models reproduce them.
In doing so, it will bring a missing part of Mediterranean overturning circulation into view—and show how the deep sea exchanges heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients with the waters above. With AURORA, the abyssal layer—a mysterious dark ocean—comes into the light
Activities
HOW WE WILL DESCOVER DEEP UPWELLING?
AURORA will investigate deep upwelling through an innovative multi-platform and multi-scale approach, combining autonomous observations, targeted field experiments, and numerical modelling. Deep-Argo floats, gliders, a deep mooring, research cruises, and high-resolution turbulence measurements will observe the ocean from the surface to the abyss and across different spatial and temporal scales. These observations will reveal where deep waters rise, identify the processes responsible for their upward transport, and provide the observational basis needed to improve their representation in ocean models
WP1 - Locating Deep Upwelling
Milena Menna, OGSWP1 will reveal where deep upwelling occurs in the Ionian Sea, mapping its hotspots and defining their three-dimensional extent and variability
WP2 - Understanding Deep Upwelling
Nadia Lo Bue, INGVWP2 will uncover why deep upwelling occurs, identifying the physical processes that drive vertical exchange from the seafloor to the ocean interior
WP3 - Modelling Deep Upwelling
Stefano Querin, OGSWP3 will assess how well ocean models reproduce deep upwelling and identify the configurations and parameterizations needed to represent it accurately
Consortium
The AURORA consortium
What makes deep water rise? AURORA brings together oceanographers, geophysicists and technology specialists to find out. Across the Ionian Sea, the partners will follow the water from the seafloor through the deep ocean, combining autonomous instruments, ship-based measurements and ocean models. Each partner brings complementary expertise, turning a poorly observed part of the ocean into a clearer picture of its circulation
People
CURIOSITY RUNS DEEP
Exploring the deep ocean takes many kinds of expertise—and people willing to bring them together. The AURORA team builds and deploys instruments, follows the clues in the data and works to reveal the processes unfolding thousands of metres below the surface
Open positions
WORK WITH US
If you resonate with AURORA’s phylosophy…get in touch!
There may be opportunities… even if no open position is currently listed
Results
Coming soon!
Follow AURORA as the project unfolds. This page will showcase key milestones and scientific advances, from research cruises and the deployment of gliders, Deep-Argo floats and the deep mooring to new observational datasets, modelling results, publications, and discoveries on deep upwelling in the Ionian Sea.
Partnerships
Industry partners
AURORA is supported by industry partners providing advanced technologies and expertise
