End of the fourth AQUIMAR project mission

During the period from 24 February to 20 March 2020, the last of four oceanographic data collection missions and water samples from the AQUIMAR project were carried out - General characterization of AQUIcola areas for the establishment of marine crops. This project aims to identify places of greater aptitude for aquaculture practice by characterizing oceanographic, physicochemical, geological and biological conditions.

The mission was carried out on board the NRP Almirante Gago Coutinho covering 5 areas along the Portuguese continental coast: from Viana do Castelo to Leixões, from Aveiro to Figueira da Foz, in front of Peniche, from Sesimbra to Sines and the entire southern coast of the Algarve.

It was supported by the garrison of the ship and a multidisciplinary technical team of chemists, oceanographers, hydrographers and geologists, consisting of 15 elements of the Hydrographic Institute, Divisions of the Technical Directorate of Chemistry and Pollution of the Marine Environment, Marine Geology and Oceanography, and 1 element of the Centre for the Sciences of the Sea and Environment of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (MARE-FCUL).

A total of 267 points were sampled, all with register of conductivity, temperature and depth profiles (CTD). In 209 of the 267 points, water sampling was performed at various levels of depth, giving rise to 844 crops.
On board, pH and the amount of dissolved oxygen were also determined in all harvests.

It is now up to the Divisions of Chemistry and Pollution of the Marine Environment, Marine Geology and the MARE-FCUL to continue the work, moving to the laboratory analysis of a list of physicochemical and biological parameters, in order to meet the objective of the project.