Research Domains
MARE IS ORGANIZED INTO 2 ECOSYSTEM-ORIENTED RESEARCH DOMAINS
Each research domain organises its action assuming an ecosystem oriented approach, focused on its main subject. The research domain expertise covers a large spectrum of topics, crossing transversely several MARE Thematic Lines, encompassing researchers with diverse backgrounds and experience.
River Basins
The River Basins research area unites scientists dedicated to understanding and addressing both fundamental and applied issues related to rivers and river basin ecosystems. These researchers focus on a wide range of topics, including the movement and behavior of water (hydrology and hydraulics), the study of sediments (sedimentology), and analyses of biodiversity within these landscapes. They also examine the ecological processes that shape these environments, and monitor the health of ecosystems through biomonitoring and ecological assessments. By assessing stressors—factors that negatively impact ecosystems—they gain insights into community ecology, ecosystem functioning, and sustainable management of fisheries and conservation efforts.
The River Basins research domain is guided by four main objectives. The first is to conduct fundamental research at both national and international levels, engaging in collaborations with leading laboratories worldwide. These partnerships enhance the quality and scope of research, ensuring that findings are relevant and innovative.
Secondly, scientists in this field are committed to developing tools and approaches that allow for a thorough assessment of environmental quality. This work supports industry and government agencies, both national and international, by helping them to develop and implement policies grounded in scientific research. These policies are designed to address some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges, including those caused by human activity and climate change.
A third key objective is the continued advancement of methods to support wildlife management and conservation, aiming to protect both biodiversity and ecosystem stability. By creating effective strategies for managing wildlife populations and their habitats, this research helps to ensure that natural resources are protected for future generations.
Finally, the River Basins research domain seeks to expand the reach and impact of its work beyond academic circles. Through activities aimed at sharing scientific knowledge, they engage not only young scientists but also the general public. Outreach and science dissemination initiatives aim to raise awareness of the importance of river ecosystems and inspire broader interest in conservation and environmental stewardship.
Coastal Systems and Ocean
Coastal Systems and the Ocean are home to important biogeochemical phenomena and support very relevant ecological functions. Its scientific study is an added value for the rational use of natural resources, contributing to the necessary sustainability of economic activities.
Due to its size and specificities, the Portuguese Sea has a crucial importance in the understanding of global oceanographic phenomena, which require evaluation in a broad geographic context, whose scope clearly transcends the limits of the national territory.
On the southwestern edge of the peninsula, the estuaries and lagoons of the Portuguese mainland are of great ecological importance and constitute communication spaces between the ocean and the coast, ensuring a physical connection to the main river systems of the Iberian plateau.
With more than 40 years of leadership in the field of estuarine ecology, with many dozens of studies carried out in the decades of uninterrupted activity in this area, this domain of researchers has produced results of proven quality, published in textbooks and articles in the top scientific reference journals at international level.
Currently composed of about 400 researchers (200 PhD and 200 PhD students) distributed in 7 thematic lines of research, the Coastal Systems and Ocean domain congregates a scientific body of recognized competence, with great research capacity, that has been repeatedly attested by evaluation independent external entities.
