Descripción: Universidade de Coimbra «IMAR-CMA aims at developing fundamental and applied research having as core target coastal systems and their continuity in river catchment areas. Research will, at the same time, comply with excellence criteria and provide scientific and technical answers to solicitations from public and private entities regarding: a) environmental quality evaluation and management; b) the optimised use of water resources, and c) the development of biological conservation strategies. Results will contribute to a more efficient Portuguese national response in these areas. Understanding processes behind the characteristics of coastal systems and contiguous catchment basins, identifying pressures and impacts, and create the skills to follow and forecast their evolution are in fact necessary conditions for a sustainable management optimisation. Risks related to coastal erosion will also be approached through the quantification of sediment?s budgets. Finally, coastal dynamics and climate related forcing mechanisms will be studied, associating long term observations with modelling to provide developing scenarios.»
