COALA - Nutrients and particulate matter dynamics - exchanges between a COAstal LAgoon and the adjacent ocean through a multiple inlet system: the case of Ria Formosa, south of Portugal
The Ria Formosa is a lagoon system in the south coast of Portugal, having several permanent connections to the ocean. It is a highly productive ecosystem, of great ecological diversity and due to that it has been recognised very important at both a European and an International level by its acceptance as part of the Natura 2000 European network for nature conservation and a Ramsar wetland, included in the Special Bird Protection Area.
In order to deepen the knowledge about the global productivity of the Ria Formosa system it is imperative understand the dynamics of nutrients, chlorophyll a (as a proxy of phytoplankton) and particulate matter (organic and inorganic) and predict their spatial-temporal evolution. A key point of this dynamics is the mass exchanges that occur in the boundary water masses, in particular the exchanges between this system and the adjacent ocean through the inlets. There are some studies about this subject, despite not quantifying the exchanges between the Ria Formosa and the ocean, regardless the mention of the importance of this issue.
It is intended to characterize the spatial distribution and the temporal scales of variability of these key parameters (nutrients, chlorophyll-a and suspended matter concentrations) within the Ria Formosa. The main goals of this project are the understanding of the dynamic of these compounds, particularly related with the mass exchanges between the Ria Formosa lagoon and the ocean and its influence upon the biological productivity of this important ecosystem.
The applied methodology gather a set of classical techniques along with other more recent which were never applied to the study of nutrients and particulate matter dynamics in the Ria Formosa. The successful of this approach will offer further insights to similar costal systems. The spatial-temporal characterization of the studied parameters in the inner areas and the exchanges through the inlets in different temporal scales, from tidal (semi-diurnal) to seasonal variability will provide a great contribution to the comprehension of the primary production as well as the global biological productivity of this important ecosystem in the south of Portugal.