IMAR expedition - 2021

It took place yesterday, May 17 at 18:00, the press conference about the iMAR expedition, in which the Hydrographic Institute participates.

The main objective of the iMAR expedition is to map the seabed along the Mid-Atlantic Dorsal in the Azores region and to characterize their communities of fish, corals and sponges. It is intended to acquire scientific information for the development of policies that promote the preservation of the natural heritage, ensuring the sustainable use of the deep sea, minimizing the negative impacts on such vulnerable ecosystems.

This expedition will also contribute to the SEAMAP 2030 (Portuguese Sea Mapping) programme of the Hydrographic Institute (IH) and to the Seabed 2030 and Decade of the United Nations Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

Among the range of researchers, the Hydrographic Institute has the collaboration of first lieutenant hydrographer Laura de Sousa who will board the Pelagia ship together with the scientific team.

The expedition will take place aboard the Pelagia Research Ship of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and will leave the Port of Horta on 18 May 2021 by 15:00 (subject to amendments).

This expedition is funded by the SEA OCEANS programme of Eurofleets+ and the iAtlantic European project, will be led by Telmo Morato, IMAR and Okeanos of the University of the Azores, and will be attended by a team from the Hydrographic Institute (IH) and the National Oceanography Centre of the United Kingdom.