2000

Images-Portugal

Portuguese Status

The Portuguese participation in IMAGES continues to be funded exclusively by the Instituto Geológico e Mineiro (IGM) through the program "Programa Nacional de Investigação Geológica dos Oceanos e da Faixa Costeira (PRONIGO)". Since 1996 that the Marine Geology research team has been the only Portuguese participant. Aiming to convert the IGM-Institution sole Portuguese participation in a broad national interest, F. Abrantes has been, for the last two years, establishing contacts with other Portuguese institutions/researchers developing projects with objectives that can be integrated in the general objectives of Images.

Portuguese Activities

• IMAGES V - Portuguese Margin
  Involved in the planning and execution of the 1999 IMAGES V - Leg 5 campaign, with the participation of 3 persons in the campaign. Results were poor and our goals in terms of core recovery were not achieved.
  
  
• Work Performed on IMAGES Cores:
  
  
  • IMAGES I - Portuguese Margin High resolution grain size analysis of the sortable-silt fraction (<63µm) of both total and decarbonated samples collected every 10cm along core MD95-2039 recovered off Aveiro/Portugal (40° 35' N, 10° 21' W; 3381m) during the first IMAGES campaign.
    
    
  • IMAGES II - SW Africa High resolution diatom quantification and assemblages composition for core MD96-2086 (25° 48' S, 12° 7' E) from the Luderitz transect.
    
    
  • IMAGES V - Portuguese Margin Two cores are at the moment being studied, MD99-2339, collected in the Cadiz Gulf, and core MD99-2333 recovered off the Tagus Estuary. High-resolution grain size analysis of the sortable-silt fraction (<63µm) of both total and decarbonated samples collected every 10cm on both cores (MD99-2339 and MD99-2333) are in progress. CaCO3, Corg and Diatom contents are also being determined in core MD99-2333.
    
    
• TTR 10 - Participation in two legs of the cruise aboard Prof. Logachev. The main objective was to investigate the morphology, sedimentation, tectonics and fluid escape structures in two distinct areas:
  
  
  1. The Marquês de Pombal area, on the Continental slope of SW Portugal (Baixo Alentejo) and
     
     
  2. The south Iberian margin and Gulf of Cadiz.

  
  In area 2 a large mud volcano field was investigated, under the coordination of Dr. Joan Gardner from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL - Washington). Four new mud volcanos, two of which on the Portuguese EEZ, were discovered and cored in order to recover gas hidrates as well as for further analyses.
  
  

• DISCOVERY 249 - A new attempt to recover the two long piston cores planned for the IMAGES V campaign was performed this time with success. Two cores of 14 m and 6 m were recovered off the Tagus Estuary.
  
  
• Contribution of metadata on cores and sediment samples to the European marine sediment archive EU-SEASED (European projects EUMARSIN and EUROCORE).
  
  
• F. Abrantes has been actively participating in the organization of the first Portuguese IGBP meeting, which will take place from October 30 to November 1 in Aveiro. Fatima Abrantes Lisboa, 8 Setembro 2000