Studies and site characterization for a km3 scale underwater neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea

NEMO (NEutrino Mediterranean Observatory) is an INFN Collaboration aiming at a feasibility study of a km3 scale underwater Neutrino Detector to be located in the Mediterranean Sea. The Project concerns, at the present stage, an R&D program for marine sites characterization, low power data acquisition electronics and development of Montecarlo codes to study the best performing layout of the detector in collaboration with a team of engineering consultants to study the detector mechanical structure. The major effort of the collaboration was, up to now, the study of deep sea properties, in several sites close to the Italian Coasts. Measurements were performed together with oceanogragraphic Institutions (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Osservatorio Geofisico Sperimentale) and the Italian Military Navy. Within the end of year 2000 NEMO is going to deploy part of a deep sea test station at 2000m depth.