A team of three male and two female researchers from the Marine Research Center of the University of Vigo (CIM-UVigo) will depart next week for the Gulf of Cádiz to participate aboard the ship Ángeles Alvariño in the Inpulse-0719 campaign, whose objective is to study the interaction of oceanographic and sedimentary processes in the continental shelf and their influence on the habitats of this area, paying special attention to the interaction of the so-called Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) with the bottom forms present in the upper and middle shelf.
The campaign is associated with the Inpulse project (Interaction of oceanographic and sedimentary processes in the continental shelf: environmental implications and habitats), in which numerous state and foreign institutions participate and which is financed by grants for R&D&I projects corresponding to the State Program for Research, Development and Innovation. Coordinated by Luis Miguel Fernández Salas, from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, who will also be responsible for this campaign, the project consists of two subprojects, one of which -subproject2- is led by the Geological Oceanography and Biogeochemistry research group of the CIM-UVigo, a team led by the dean of the Faculty of Marine Sciences, Miguel Ángel Nombela, and which also includes the rest of the researchers who will participate in the campaign: Irene Alejo, Guillermo Francés, Anxo Mena and Marta Pérez.
The data obtained may be the key to predicting future developments of environmental changes.
The campaign work will be carried out in several areas, spaces that will be studied from a multidisciplinary point of view, using classic and innovative methodologies for the acquisition of bathymetric data, a wide range of environmental variables and characteristics of the seabed sediment. Among the techniques that will be used, the use of a foxhole that will allow for live images of the seabed stands out. “The joint use of the entire methodology, the multidisciplinary approach to the environment and the high-resolution study of certain areas of the Gulf of Cádiz confer an innovative and rare character to this campaign”, explain those responsible for the campaign.
The data obtained in the Inpulse-0719 campaign will serve to define how the overflow of the Mediterranean Water (MOW) through the Strait of Gibraltar occurs and the oceanographic and sedimentary processes associated with its entry into the Gulf of Cadiz and subsequent dispersion. “The interaction of different water masses is important for several reasons, including the existence and development of specific habitats or its impact on economic activities that use the seabed for the laying of cables, gas pipelines, exploitation of resources, etc.,” the coordination team points out.
The study also includes the development of numerical models based on real data, which may be key to predicting future developments in situations of profound environmental change. “The study of the MOW, its interaction with other water bodies and its implications for the marine environment is very important for numerous reasons, including its global influence on climatic and oceanographic processes, implications for habitats and its economic impact,” the researchers emphasize.
30 specialists from national and foreign institutions
The Inpulse project is highly multidisciplinary and involves a total of 30 researchers from different organizations, including the universities of Royal Holloway (London), Cádiz and Málaga; the IEO centers of Málaga, Cádiz and Madrid; the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences-CSIC (Granada) and the NOC (Southampton), Royal Dutch Shell and the Petroleum Engineering Institute (United Kingdom), among others. These institutions encompass a set of specialties, including marine geology, physical oceanography, benthic ecology, applied mathematics and acoustic and communication engineering. In addition, the project has the support of several companies and entities, such as Enagas, Gas Natural and the Sociedad Anónima de Electrónica Submarina (SAES).
