Today, October 10, 2012, the resolution was published in the Diario Oficial de Galicia granting the Strategic Group Oceanography-ECIMAT the funding requested from the Consolidation and Structuring Program for Competitive Research Units of the Galician University System, promoted by the Consellería de Educación of the Xunta de Galicia and co-financed with the European Regional Development Fund. This funding will allow ECIMAT to continue serving as a central hub and promoter of exchange and cooperation among the marine research groups of the University, by sharing not only infrastructures but also physical spaces within the Center.
To organize the research potential of the Group, four Scientific Units were created, designated according to the shared infrastructures and the areas of knowledge in which their members’ work is framed. The units are as follows:
Aquaculture
Marine Environment
Biological Oceanography
Earth Sciences and Oceanography
Researchers of the Aquaculture Unit of the Group, in collaboration with external researchers, work directly on five of the six action lines identified in the strategic analysis of the aquaculture sector carried out by the Galician Fishing and Aquaculture Platform.
As an example of the research activity of the Marine Environment Unit in recent years, their work has culminated in publications in high-impact journals such as Science and Nature, in scientific outreach media like National Geographic and Discovery, as well as in general media outlets such as the BBC, New York Times, El País, and RTVE.
Scientists of the Biological Oceanography Unit of the Group investigate the ecology and biogeochemical role of marine microplankton, phytoplankton diversity, size structure and productivity, nitrogen fixation, calcification, and the metabolic balance of the microplanktonic community. The ultimate goal of this research is to understand the relationship between environmental forcing, the composition and structure of planktonic communities, and the biogeochemical cycles of elements in the upper layers of the ocean.
Scientists of the Earth Sciences Unit carry out research in various areas of Marine Geological Oceanography, such as sedimentology, sediment dynamics and coastal engineering, geochemistry and petrology, magnetism, and seismic interpretation and prospecting. This approach allows them to study marine geology from a broad perspective, with particular interest in paleoclimate and environmental impact. One of their main features is the use of cutting-edge techniques to address challenges in marine geology, which has contributed to the development of a unique methodology in Geological Oceanography.
