Laboratories

Laboratory of Chemistry and Pollution of the Marine Environment

The preservation of the marine environment requires understanding the quality of water and sediments to assess the consequences of the direct or indirect introduction of factors that impact human health, damage living resources and marine ecosystems.

The Laboratory of the Division of Chemistry and Pollution of the Marine Environment, located in IH’s headquarters, conducts monitoring studies to assess the state of marine environment quality, by developing and implementing appropriate analytical methodologies for the different compartments.

The laboratory is organized in five main areas, sustained by support areas (sample processing and material treatment):

• Nutrients Laboratory;
• Metals Laboratory;
• Hydrocarbons Laboratory;
• Organochlorine Compounds Laboratory;
• Microplastics Laboratory.

The methods used in the different areas are appropriately adapted for saline matrices and, therefore, they are not standardized. The test methods are validated, and many are accredited by the Portuguese accreditation agency, IPAC. Find the tests from the Marine Chemistry and Pollution Lab available at the Instituto Hidrográfico.

Sedimentology Laboratory – Marine Geology

In work and studies on the characterisation and monitoring of the marine environment, it is mandatory to analyse and describe sediment cover, an integral component of ecosystems and a support for the development of marine biodiversity. This activity is also mandatory in the inventory and management of marine resources, including critical exploration and support structures.

Contributing to this important line of activity, the Sedimentology Laboratory is an organic sub-unit of the Instituto Hidrográfico, integrated into the Marine Geology Division and located in the Trinas building. The laboratory includes three distinct laboratory sectors, according to the type of tests performed, which together allow for the complete processing and characterisation of marine sediments. The samples that arrive at the laboratory are usually collected during campaigns conducted by technicians from the Marine Geology Division, but the Sedimentology Laboratory is also equipped to analyse sediment samples from other entities that use its laboratory services. Access the sedimentological tests carried out in this laboratory.

All testing methods include rigorous quality control and, as indicated in the table, granulometric tests, determination of carbon content, particle density and water content are accredited by IPAC.

Calibration Laboratory - Maritime Instrumentation Center

The Calibration Laboratory is integrated into the Maritime Instrumentation Center, located at the Base Hidrográfica Vice-almirante Sarmento Gouveia, in Seixal, and is intended for calibration tests of hydro-oceanographic instruments in the area of hydrostatic pressure, temperature, electrical conductivity, relative humidity and sound propagation speed.