The first LandSeaLot Integration Week continues with special field visits
The groundbreaking work of the Horizon Europe project LandSeaLot is being spotlighted in a series of special events in and around Lisbon this week, with a special focus on the Tagus and Sado Estuaries as testing sites for new methods and collaborations.
Key stakeholders in the LandSeaLot project are in Lisbon this week (January 20-24) for the first LandSeaLot Integration Week. This project aims to integrate, scale-up and enhance existing observation efforts – including in-situ, satellite, numerical modelling and citizen science efforts – to better study the land-sea interface area, where terrestrial and marine habitats meet. The project’s first Integration Week encapsulates its motto, “Let’s Observe Together!” in that it will connect diverse partners involved in the observation and management of the land-sea interface area to discuss, co-design and work towards the realisation of a common observation strategy.
Bringing stakeholders together
Events began at the Lisbon Oceanarium on Monday January 20, followed by a series of sessions and workshops at the Museu das Comunicações during the rest of the week. On Wednesday, January 22, stakeholders are embarking on a tour of the Sado and Tagus Estuaries coordinated by the leads of the Tagus and Sado Estuaries System Integration Lab. This is one of nine labs, or testing sites, across Europe who are working to develop a common strategy for observing the land-sea interface area. To achieve this, the labs are piloting new methods, technologies and community-based approaches to observe land-sea interfaces including river mouths, estuaries and deltas.
The significance of local estuaries
Located in the Lisbon metropolitan area, The Tagus estuary is the second largest in Europe. It is home to a natural reserve and a major harbour, as well as being a significant centre for the aquaculture industry. Many migratory birds visit the mud and marshes on their journeys, with thousands of flamingos arriving in autumn. But this essential economic and environmental resource is also under threat, including an increase in flooding from storms and rising sea levels, and altered nutrient and sediment levels due to rising sea levels and increased salinity. Across Europe and the world, land-sea interface areas are facing similar challenges. These conditions can impact industries like tourism, agriculture and recreation, as well as putting local ecosystems and species at risk.
To better understand and respond to these challenges, LandSeaLot partners in Portugal are using satellites, numerical models and sensors to study the area. With these tools, they are measuring factors like water levels and temperature, quantifying their impact on local ecosystems, and inferring the impact on the local aquaculture and tourism industries. These activities will enable researchers to fill data gaps, provide flooding predictions and forecast and measure water levels with increased accuracy.
To achieve its aims, the Tagus and Sado Estuary Integration Lab is making novel use of cost-effective sensors: affordable, accessible and highly reliable sensors. In this case, fixing sensors as small as a bottle cap to weather stations, vessels and more will help researchers and their collaborators – including local organisations and citizen scientists – collect crucial data about the area. The lab is currently working with local stakeholders – including environmental organisations, NGOs, citizen scientist groups and marinas – to scale-up, enhance and integrate existing observation efforts. For example, an exciting new collaboration is unfolding between the lab and local oyster farmers, who will be placing and stewarding sensors in coastal areas to measure water temperature and levels.
Attendees of LandSeaLot integration week will have the opportunity to witness this work in action as they tour the areas surrounding the estuaries, observe the use of sensors and interact with local stakeholders. This represents an exciting chance for partners and stakeholders to understand the activities of LandSeaLot in the context of local actions and collaborations, which are paving the way for jointly defining and realising a common observation strategy.
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