Destacamos

AZTI-Tecnalia presents high-precision cartography of sea beds off Bilbao and Donostia

AZTI-Tecnalia has presented the cartography for the sea beds off the coast at the Basque cities of Donostia-San Sebastián and Bilbao. This is high precision and high quality material which will be of great use to fishing sector as well as leisure ones, such as scuba diving, surfing or recreational fishing. The project was financed by the Department of the Environment, Land Planning Territorial, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government.

The material forms part pf a project aimed at mapping the entire continental shelf located off the Basque coast, detailing the most salient points such as rocky outcrops, underwater canyons or shipwrecks. The study was undertaken by the Area of Operational Marine and Oceanographic Dynamics of AZTI-Tecnalia. The maps corresponding to other enclaves of the shelf will be published shortly. The order of publication of these will depend on the interest shown by potential users of this information. To this end AZTI-Tecnalia has posted a survey on the http://www.itsasnet.comWeb portal. All the maps can be acquired on http://tienda.azti.es/.

The cartography of the Bilbao geographic zone encompasses the interior continental shelf comprising the stretch from El Covarón to Barrika and, in the case of Donostia-San Sebastián, the sea bed of the coastal city's municipal limits.
The information obtained from this study is being used to classify the different sea beds based on the composition of their sediments, differentiating between stones, sands and mud and the various intermediate stages. Likewise, the fishing zones and their corresponding sea beds have been geographically detailed.

Knowledge of the characteristics of the sea beds is basic to predicting the distribution of habitats as well as inferring what the impact will be of climate change on those habitats and on the geomorphological processes that will affect the estuaries and the sands of our coasts. Moreover, current legislation makes the morphological characterisation of the sea beds and habitats obligatory in order that the necessary measures for their protection and management can be taken.

Uses and sectors benefiting

Thanks to the work undertaken by AZTI-Tecnalia, bodies such as SASEMAR (Maritime Salvage and Safety), Ertzaintza (the Basque police), the Public Emergency service or the Red Cross will be able to have available the best and most detailed plans of the sea beds, with the goal of optimising search and rescue of possible victims of accidents at sea. In this way, search and rescue times and the costs entailed thereof can be reduced.

The traditional fishing sector, especially shellfish fishing, long-line fishing and net fishing, will benefit from this data, being able to significantly increase catches. It will likewise be of great use to port management, as regards the depths of water and dredging operations.

The cartographic information will be used as a basis for marine environment studies of all kinds (biological, geological and hydrodynamic), that can be undertaken by the UPV/EHU, AZTI Tecnalia or any other research body with an interest in the zone.

Maritime leisure activities will also be well served with the results of this research. A detailed knowledge of the seafloor off the coastline is of keen interest to surfers; knowing exactly the water depth and sea bed contour, together with a good prediction of wave conditions, will be used to predict the best locations and moments of the tide for practising this sport. Likewise for other nautical recreation and recreational fishing.

Nautical schools will be able to incorporate the data into their navigation simulators, so that the virtual manoeuvres for entering the various ports of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country will reflect reality much better, thus enhancing the training and skills of future master mariners and captains.

Other interesting uses could be by diving schools and clubs in order to prepare divers in a virtual manner and carry out exact planning for the areas to be visited, and in a safer way. The information can also be used for public transport vessels, environmental education centres, maritime museums, aquaria, interpretation centres, and so on. In the same way, any sea sports event, or yacht or rowing club will benefit from the data.

Multibeam probe

The AZTI-Tecnalia researchers used Multibeam Ecoprobe in their study. This technology enables, by means of various acoustic pulses, the reproduction of the topography of the sea beds in the zone under investigation with a wide-ranging and very high definition. Besides this precision, time is gained, which means a considerable saving in the task of sampling. The vessel used during the field work has great manoeuvrability and little draught and, thus, is especially suitable for taking samples near the coast and in ports and estuaries.

Further information: http://tienda.azti.es/

Presentación Cartografia fondos de Bilbao y Donostia

View more presentations from AZTI-Tecnalia.

Translation: Basque Research

Comparte este contenido:

TECNALIA technological corporation's V Prize for Journalism

To act as an incentive for those professionals in the media industry (press, radio, TV and internet) who promote and disseminate knowledge of research, innovation and technological development among the general public.

More information

Comparte este contenido:

Malaspina, la mayor expedición de la historia sobre cambio global

El próximo mes de noviembre partirá de Cádiz la expedición Malaspina 2010, un proyecto interdisciplinar liderado por el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) que pretende evaluar el impacto del cambio global en el océano y estudiar su biodiversidad. La expedición, que cuenta con el apoyo de la Armada Española y de la Fundación BBVA, toma su nombre del marino Alejandro Malaspina, quien a finales del siglo XVIII dirigió la primera expedición científica de circunnavegación española y de cuya muerte se cumplen 200 años en 2010.

La campaña, Expedición de Circunnavegación Malaspina 2010: Cambio Global y Exploración de la Biodiversidad del Océano Global, se presentó ayer por el investigador del CSIC Carlos Duarte. "Con esta expedición vamos a dar la vuelta al mundo, pero también, en cierto modo, a la oceanografía española, generando una nueva cultura de cooperación y unión de fuerzas. Es un proyecto ambicioso, de dimensión global, que atiende a dos necesidades importantes: evaluar el impacto del cambio global sobre el océano y explorar ese ecosistema aún tan desconocido que es el océano profundo", destacó Duarte.

Durante nueve meses, los buques de investigación oceanográfica Hespérides y Sarmiento de Gamboa recorrerán entre ambos más de 42.000 millas náuticas de navegación. La mayor parte corresponderá al Hespérides, en una ruta que, desde Cádiz, recalará en Río de Janeiro, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Ciudad del Cabo, Perth, Sidney, Honolulú, Panamá, Cartagena de Indias, Cartagena y Cádiz. Por su parte, el Sarmiento de Gamboa realizará una ruta desde Las Palmas de Gran Canaria a Miami. En cada parada se realizarán actos y conferencias para dar a conocer las consecuencias del cambio global, la importancia de la investigación marina y la expedición Malaspina.

En total, más de 250 investigadores de 19 instituciones españolas, entre las que se encuentra AZTI-Tecnalia, participan en el proyecto, cifra que asciende a casi 400 al incluir a estudiantes e investigadores de las 16 instituciones extranjeras asociadas, entre las que se encuentran la NASA, la Agencia Espacial Europea y las universidades de California, Río de Janeiro, Washington y Viena.

El equipo realizará pruebas en 350 puntos y recogerá 70.000 muestras de aire, agua y plancton desde la superficie hasta los 5.000 metros de profundidad. El objetivo es desarrollar un estudio multidisciplinar, integrado por 11 bloques temáticos, para evaluar el impacto del cambio global y la biodiversidad del océano profundo. Así, se medirán la temperatura, salinidad y concentración de nutrientes en las distintas zonas oceánicas, se estudiará el intercambio de gases entre océano y atmósfera, el destino del CO2 absorbido por el mar, la influencia de las sustancias químicas en el océano y su posible toxicidad. También estudiarán la diversidad y metabolismo del fitoplancton, el zooplancton y los microorganismos de las profundidades marinas.

Todas las muestras recogidas conformarán la Colección Malaspina 2010, que incluirá además información e imágenes sobre el desarrollo de la expedición y quedará sellada durante décadas a la espera de nuevos desarrollos científicos, a modo de cápsula del tiempo que permitirá que las siguientes generaciones cuenten con un amplio material para investigar y sobre el que desarrollar nuevas técnicas.

El proyecto tiene además como objetivo impulsar las ciencias marinas en España y fomentar las vocaciones científicas. De hecho, más de 50 jóvenes completarán sus estudios de postgrado, embarcando en algún tramo de la campaña para realizar su tesis de máster o su tesis doctoral a través del Programa de Doctorado Expedición Malaspina Fundación BBVA-CSIC, financiado por ambas instituciones.
La expedición, un Consolider-Ingenio 2010 financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, comprende 27 grupos de investigación del CSIC, el Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 16 universidades, un museo, una fundación pública de investigación y la Armada Española. La financiación total, en la que también han colaborado el CSIC, la Armada Española y la Fundación BBVA, ronda los 6 millones de euros.

Alejandro Malaspina: de héroe a traidor

Alejandro Malaspina (Mulazzo, 1754 - Pontremoli, 1810), capitán de fragata de la Real Armada, inició en julio de 1789 la primera expedición española de circunnavegación con las fragatas Descubierta y Atrevida. Durante el viaje, que duró cinco años, los investigadores recabaron numerosos datos, cartografiaron territorios, registraron la fauna y exploraron el mar.
Tras la expedición, Malaspina fue ascendido y más tarde acusado de conspiración, por lo que fue encarcelado y desterrado y su viaje olvidado hasta finales del siglo XX. El proyecto dirigido por el CSIC recupera, 200 años después de la muerte del marino, la importancia de esta expedición pionera con el proyecto Malaspina 2010.

Más información: www.expedicionmalaspina.es/

Comparte este contenido:

AZTI-Tecnalia embarks on global change expedition

The Malaspina 2010 expedition will leave from Cadiz this November on an interdisciplinary project led by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and which aims to evaluate the impact of global change in the oceans and study their biodiversity. In total more than 250 researchers from 19 Spanish bodies —AZTI-Tecnalia included— will participate in the project. This figure rises to almost 400 when students and researchers from the 16 associated foreign institutions are included and amongst which are NASA, the European Space Agency and the Universities of California, Río de Janeiro, Washington and Vienna.

Over a period of nine months the oceanographic research vessels Hespérides and Sarmiento de Gamboa will between them sail more than 42,000 nautical miles, the greatest part corresponding to the Hespérides, on a route that takes it from Cadiz and takes in Río de Janeiro, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Cape Town, Perth, Sydney, Honolulu, Panama, Cartagena de Indies, Cartagena in Spain and back to Cadiz. The Sarmiento de Gamboa will sail out of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands to Miami. At each port of call events and conferences have been organised to provide information on the consequences of global change, the importance of marine research and the Malaspina expedition.

70,000 samples to be gathered

The research teams will carry out trials at 350 points and gather some 70,000 samples from the air, water and plankton from the surface to a depth of 5,000 metres. The aim is to draw up a multidisciplinary study made up of 11 thematic blocks, in order to evaluate the impact of global change and the biodiversity of the oceans. The temperature, salinity and concentration of nutrients in different oceanic areas will be measured and the interchange of gases between the ocean and the atmosphere and the CO₂ absorbed by the sea will be studied, as well as the influence of chemical substance on the ocean and their possible toxicity. The diversity of the metabolism of the phytoplankton, zooplankton and deep-sea micro-organisms will also be studied.

All the samples gathered will form part of the Malaspina 2010 Collection, which will also include information and images of the progress of the expedition and will be sealed —like a time capsule— for decades to come, awaiting new scientific developments and which will enable subsequent generations to have ample material for research and around which new techniques can be developed.

Six million euros

The expedition, a 2010 Consolider-Ingenio one and financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, is made up of 27 research teams from the CSIC, from the Spanish Oceanographic Institute and 16 universities, a museum, a public research foundation and the Spanish Navy. Total funding, in which the CSIC, the Spanish Navy and the BBVA Bank Foundation have collaborated, comes to about six million euros.

For more information: www.expedicionmalaspina.es/

Comparte este contenido:

The sea level of the Gulf of Biscay could rise to 49 cm by the end of the present century, according to research by AZTI-Tecnalia

The coast along the Basque province of Gipuzkoa could be affected in over 111 hectares by a rise in sea level of up to 49 cm, forecast for the end of the present century, according to results of research undertaken by AZTI-Tecnalia in collaboration with the Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB).

Moreover, the average level of the sea along the Cantabrian coastline has risen 2.1 millimetres per year between 1943 and 2004 - 12.8 cm in 61 years. Scientists at the Basque technological centre have carried out studies on the evidence and impact of climate change on the Basque coastline and estuaries, which have been published in the international journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, and which has formed the basis of a video.

The mareographic measurements from Santander reveal that the sea level along the Cantabrian coastline rose 2.1 millimetres per year between 1943 and 2004. This rise agrees with the analysis of the series of mareographs along the Bilbao and St. Juan de Luz stretch of littoral, the register of which are shorter.

Projections have also been made of the temperature of the ocean at three scenarios of greenhouse effect gas emissions in the Gulf of Biscay, obtained using a number of general atmospheric-oceanic climate models; these projections are used to estimate the variations of the sea level due to changes in temperature. The results show that, with scenarios considered by the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Climate Change, between 2001 and 2099 the level of the sea of the Gulf of Biscay will rise by between 28.5 and 48.7 cm as a result of thermal expansion and the global melting of ice.

In order to evaluate the potential impact of the estimated rise in the sea level on coastal and estuarial habitats, LIDAR technology was used, enabling a determination of the distance from a laser emitter to an object or surface using a pulsed laser beam. In this way, a high-resolution digital model of the terrain is generated. To the high tide level of the coastline under study the projected rise of the sea (48.7 cm) was added in order to generate a flood risk map of the Gipuzkoan coast. The results indicate that 111 hectares of the coastal zone would be affected by the end of the XXI century; these being concentrated around the estuaries, the most affected terrestrial and artificial habitats. It is expected that the sand beaches will undergo a retreat along the coastline by an average of between 25% and 40% of their current width.

While the impact of the current rise in sea level along the coast is relevant, they are less evident due to the strong pressure exerted by human activities. Thus the Gipuzkoan coast has lost three hectares of beaches and salt marshes between 1954 and 2004 due to the rise in sea level, while139 hectares of coastal habitat have been transformed, 98 of which have altered due to direct activity by humans.

The risk evaluation of the areas and habitats that would be affected by the seawater level rise is potentially useful for government bodies in taking measures for adapting to global climate change.

The research is within the remit of the K-Egokitzen project, the aim of which is to analyse the impact of climate change in Euskadi and evaluate the necessary adaptation changes. The K-Egokitzen project is being led by Labein-Tecnalia and co-financed by the Basque Government Departments of the Environment, Territorial Planning and Agriculture and Fisheries and of Industry and Innovation, through the ETORTEK programme.

An educational and information video

AZTI-Tecnalia has made a video based on the most important conclusions of the research and entitled ‘Climate change in the Basque Country, rise in sea level' (Spanish and Basque versions). Of an educational and informative nature, the audiovisual presentation will be placed at the disposal of the university faculties linked with the sea and the environment, school centres, local authorities along the coast, maritime interpretation centres and other bodies interested in the matter.

Toda la información, FAQs y el video pueden encontrarse en la web www.itsasnet.com