Short Curriculum Vitae of VITTORIO SGRIGNA
Date of birth: May 21, 1948
Place of birth: Montebuono (Rieti), Italy
Institution: University of Rome, Roma Tre, Department of Physics
Address Institution: 84 Via della Vasca Navale, I-00146 Rome, Italy.
Tel. + 39-06-55177227 (office); + 39-06-55177090 (lab); mobile: 3392670785
Fax + 39-06-5579303;
e-mail: sgrigna@fis.uniroma3.it.
Professor of Physics of the Ionosphere,Terrestrial Physics, and Geophysics at the University of Rome, Roma
Tre, Department of Physics.
Associated Researcher at the INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics of Italy), branch of Roma III
Head of the ESPERIA Laboratory of the Department of Physics of the same University.
Head of the TELLUS tiltmeter network working in Central Italy.
Member of the International Scientific Council of the European Center “Geodynamical Hazards of High
Dams” of the Council of Europe.
Member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and of the European Geosciences Union (EGU)
In April 2005 Vittorio Sgrigna received the Team Achievement Award from ESA “in appreciation to his
professional dedication to the successful ENEIDE space mission to the International Space Station”.
Research activity
His work is essentially related to the study of Physics of the Earth and of Earth-near-Earth interaction
mechanisms. The aim is to understand the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere couplings. A
particular emphasis is given to the so-called physics of the earthquake, one of the main scientific goals being
to propose in the next future a deterministic physical model of earthquake prediction.
In his research activity he made use of:
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laboratory investigations;
ground-based observations;
space measurements.
Within this framework he also:
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proposed theoretical models;
designed and built original instruments.
planned, designed and made several space missions;
Ground-based field measurements and laboratory investigations
He carried out studies on electromagnetic emissions of rocks under stress and on micro-fracturing
processes.
By means of the TELLUS network of instruments, installed in central Apennines seismic area of Italy, he also
revealed pre-seismic deformation anomalies (fault creep events), which demonstrate to occur a few months
before local earthquakes of moderate magnitude.
More in general, in the last 25 years, Vittorio Sgrigna and his team gave significant contributions in the
continuous monitoring of earthquake precursor phenomena both in central Italy and southern Caucasus.
Space observations
He planned, designed, and made space missions dedicated to study the coupling mechanisms between the
Earth’s surface and external atmosphere and magnetosphere.
Within this framework he has been:
1. Principal Investigator of the wave and particle Experiment ESPERIA (a Phase A Study for the
Italian Space Agency).
2. Principal Investigator of the EGLE magnetic experiment, carried out on board the ISS (April 15-25,
2005), together with the LAZIO/SiRad particle experiment, within the ENEIDE mission.
3. Investigator of the particle experiment ARINA, on board the Resurs-DK-1 Russian satellite (launch
scheduled for november 2005).
4. Guest Investigator of the DEMETER French mission (CNES), which has the same scientific goals
of ESPERIA
Theoretical models
Models have been proposed:
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for pre-seismic tilt and strain fields in discrete crust structures caused by local tectonic stress
changes during earthquake preparation;
to explain the genesis and propagation of preseismic electromagnetic emissions through the
stratified conductive lithospheric layers up to the Earth surface and the successive penetration and
interactions of the same electromagnetic precursory signalswith the neutral and ionized atmosphere
up to the magnetosphere.
Original instruments:
Ad hoc instruments have been built for both ground-based and space measuremnents. They were:
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two electromagnetic detector systems;
an automatic detector for radon content in groundwaters;
two biaxial horizontal pendulum tiltmeters;
a two-frequency electromagnetic strainmeter for a continuous monitoring of local ground strains
with sensitivity of 10-9 on a base-length varying from some hundreds meters to a few tens of
kilometers (patent pending);
a wide frequency band search-coil magnetometer for the EGLE space experiments on board the
ISS
Finally, a very original phenomenon received a further confirmation by a recent study. The study
demonstrates the possible existence of anomalous fluxes of high-energy charged particles precipitating from
the inner Van Allen radiation belt a few hours before earthquakes of moderate and great magnitude. The
related paper is in publication (this year 2005) in J. Atm. Solar-Terrestrial Phys.(see the following list of
selected publications).
Papers and Conferences
Vittorio Sgrigna is author of 153 scientific works: 86 scientific papers published in international journals with
referees and 67 conference presentations, most of which as invited speaker (see the following list of
selected publications).
List of selected publications of VITTORIO SGRIGNA
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1983. Radon and tilt anomalies detected before the Irpinia (South Italy) earthquake of
November 23, 1980 at great distances from the epicenter, Geophys. Res.Lett., 10, 269-272.
Sgrigna et al., 1989. A horizontal pendulum tiltmeter with digital
Cimento, 12C, 799-809.
recording
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1989. A digital recording system of electromagnetic emissions,
251-259.
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1990., Very Slow-Moving crustal strain disturbances,
system, Nuovo
Nuovo Cimento, 12C,
Tectonophysics, 179, 131-139.
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1990. Transmission and reflection of Rayleigh waves at a thin low-velocity vertical
layer: a laboratory and theoretical study, Pure and Appl. Geophys. (PAGEOPH), 133, 317-327.
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1993. Automatic equipment to monitor groundwater radon,
(PAGEOPH), 141, 125-137.
Pure and Appl. Geophys.
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1994. Electromagnetic background and preseismic anomalies recorded in the
Amare cave (Central Italy). In: "Electromagnetic Phenomena Related to Earthquake Prediction", Eds.
M.Hayakawa and Y.Fujinawa, Terra Scientific Publishing Company (TERRAPUB), Tokyo, Japan, pp. 181192.
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1995. Possible creep-related tilt precursors obtained in the central Apennines (Italy)
and in the southern Caucasus (Georgia), Pure and Appl. Geophys, (PAGEOPH), 144, 277-300.
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1998. Field Strength variations of LF radio waves prior to earthquakes in Central Italy,
Phys. Earth Planet. Int., 105, 279-286.
Sgrigna, V., et al., 1998. A 2-D model for tilt and strain fields associated to earthquakes in crustal block
structures, Phys. Earth Planet. Int., 106, 155-164.
Sgrigna, V., Manjavidze, J., , Zilpimiani, D., 2000. Phenomenology of rupture processes in homogeneous
isotropic media, Nuovo Cimento , 23C, 165-175.
Sgrigna V. (ESPERIA collaboration), 2001. ESPERIA Phase A Report, ASI Program for Small Scientific
Missions, pp 1-198. Also in: EOS Trans., AGU, vol. 82, S52A-15, n. 20, S272.
Sgrigna, V., D’ambrosio, C., Yanovskaya, T.B., 2002. Numerical modeling of preseismic slow movements of
crustal blocks caused by quasi-horizontal tectonic forces, Phys Earth. Planet. Int., 129, 313-324.
Sgrigna, V., Conti, L., Malvezzi, V., 2002. TELLUS. Ground deformations and their effects in the near-Earth
space, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran sasso, INFN, Annual Report, 2002, 217-232.
Aleksandrin S Yu, Galper A M, Grishantzeva L A, Koldashov S V, Maslennikov L V, Murashov A M, Picozza
P, Sgrigna V, Voronov S. A., 2003. High-Energy Charged Particle Bursts in the near-Earth space as
earthquake Precursors, Annales Geophysicae 21, 597-602.
Sgrigna, V., Malvezzi V., 2003. Preseismic creep strains revealed by ground tilt measurements in central
Italy on the occasion of the 1997 Umbria-Marche Apennines earthquake sequence, Pure Appl. Geophys.,
160,1493-1515.
Sgrigna, V., R. Console, L. Conti, A. Galper, V. Malvezzi, M. Parrot, P. Picozza, R. Scrimaglio, P. Spillantini,
D. Zilpimiani, 2003. The ESPERIA Mission, EOS Trans., AGU, vol. 84, T52D, n.46, F1462, 2003
(INVITED).
Conti, L., Cirella, A., Malvezzi, V., Sgrigna, V., 2004. A model for the propagation of preseismic
electromagnetic fields through lithospheric and atmospheric media, 2004. Proc.1st General Assembly,
European Geosciences Union, Nice, France, 25-30 April 2004, EGU04-A-04927; NH4.02-1FR4P-0430, p.
337, 2004.
Sgrigna, V., A. Buzzi, L. Conti, A.V. Guglielmi, O.A. Pokhotelov, 2004. Electromagnetic Signals
by Elastic Waves in the Earth's Crust, Nuovo Cimento, 27C, 115-132.
Produced
Malvezzi, V., Buzzi, A., Cirella, A., Conti, L., Sgrigna, V., 2004. A physical model of seismo-associated
electromagnetic emissions propagating in layered lithospheric and atmospheric media, EOS Trans., AGU,
vol. 85, GP21A-02, n.17, JA164, 2004.
Sgrigna, V., R. Console, L. Conti , A.M. Galper, V. Malvezzi, M. Parrot, P. Picozza, R. Scrimaglio, P.
Spillantini, D. Zilpimiani, 2004. The ESPERIA Project: a Mission to Investigate the near-Earth Space. In:
Earth Observation with CHAMP, Results from Three Years in Orbit, C.Reigberg, H. Luhr, P. Schwintzer, J.
Wickert (Editors), Potsdam, August 2004, Springer Geosciences Series, Berlin, pp.407-412.
Sgrigna, V.; The ESPERIA team, 2004. The ESPERIA equatorial, electromagnetic, plasma, and particle
mission concerned with detecting preseismic related signals, in: COSPAR04-A-01843 A0.2-0005-04,
Programme, pag.26, 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Paris, France, 8 - 25 July 2004
Sgrigna, V., 2004. Description and Testing of ESPERIA Instruments (ARINA and LAZIO-SIRAD) in Space,
EOS Trans., AGU, vol. 85, T53C-03, n.47, F1795, 2004 (INVITED).
Sgrigna, V., Console, R., Buzzi, A., Conti, L., Galper, A.M., Malvezzi, V., Parrot, M., Picozza, P., Scrimaglio,
R., Spillantini, P., Zilpimiani, D., 2004. ESPERIA: an equatorial magnetic, plasma and particle mission for
monitoring perturbations in the topside ionosphere and for defining the near-Earth magnetic environment,
EOS Trans., AGU, vol. 85, GP13A-03, n.17, JA162, 2004 (INVITED).
Sgrigna, V., (Principal Investigator), 2004. The EGLE magnetic experiment within the LAZIO mission
(Battiston, R., P.I.) for the ISS, managed by ESA.
Sgrigna V., 2005. A Space Mission Project for Investigating Pre-Earthquake Phenomena.
URSI Commission F Symposium on Microwave, Remote sensing of the Earth, Oceans, Ice and Atmosphere,
European Commission, Directorate-General, Jrc, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy, 20-21 April 2005,
Session 4.1, Early warning of earthquakes and tsunami. Proc. In: http://ursi-f-2005.jrc.it/proceedings.htm
(INVITED)
Sgrigna V., Buzzi, A.; Conti, L.; Picozza, P.; Stagni, C.; Zilpimiani, D 2005. Ground rock deformation events
and their possible effects in the near-Earth space. General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union,
Vienna, Austria, 24-29 April, 2005. Session Natural Hazards, NH 4.02: Deformation processes
accompanying mechanical and electromagnetic phenomena, for rocks and other materials, from laboratory
to geophysical scale, EGU05-A-06210, NH4.02-1FR3P-0043, p. 450 (INVITED and Co-Convener of the
Session)
Sgrigna V, 2005. Description and Testing of ARINA and LAZIO/EGLE instruments in Space within the
ESPERIA mission project and the DEMETER Guest Investigation Programme.
DEMETER Guest Investigator Workshop, CNES, Paris, France, 2-4 May 2005 (INVITED).
Conti, L., A. Buzzi, V. Sgrigna, C. Stagni, D. Zilpimiani, 2005. The EGLE experiment (within the LAZIOSIRAD-EGLE Collaboration), 10th Scientific Assembly of the International Association of Geomagnetism and
Aeronomy (IAGA 2005), Toulose, France, July 18-29, 2005, Session Division II, C085: Low Latitude
atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling, dynamics and energetics;
IAGA2005-A-01522, p.83.
Conti, L., A. Buzzi, A. M. Galper, S. V. Koldashov, A. M. Murashov, P. Piccozza, R. Scrimaglio, V. Sgrigna,
L. Stagni, 2005. Influence of the seismic activity on the inner Van Allen radiation belt. 10th Scientific
Assembly of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA 2005), Toulose, France,
July 18-29, 2005, Session Division I, GA101: Monitoring earthquakes and volcanic activity by magnetic,
electric and electromagnetic methods; IAGA2005-A-01518, p.46.
Sgrigna, V., Carota, L., Conti, L., Corsi, M., Galper, A., Picozza, P., Stagni, L., 2005. Correlations
between earthquakes and anomalous particle bursts from SAMPEX/PET satellite observations, J.
Atm. Solar-Terrestrial Phys., J. Atm. Solar-Terrestrial Phys., 67, 1448-1462, 2005.