Topo-hydrographic Survey S. Torpes – 1st Campaign 2022

The Hydrographic Brigade (BH) finished the first 2022 top-hydrographic survey campaign in S. Torpes, after a month of work strongly affected by the unfavorable meteorological and oceanographic conditions that were felt in March.

The Hydrographic Institute (IH), at the request of the Administration of the Ports of Sines and Algarve SA, has been, since 2019, evaluating and monitoring on a quarterly basis the effects that the expansions of the port structures of the port of Sines have on the evolution of the adjacent coastal morphology , namely in the area of ​​São Torpes beach. Thus, between March 2nd and April 5th, the first step of this fourth consecutive year of monitoring was taken.

This port, which has been asserting itself as one of the main ports in southern Europe, being a gateway to world trade, began to strengthen its operational capacity through the expansion works of Terminal XXI in February last year. (and the respective jetty in February 2020). Therefore, this topo-hydrographic survey is of particular importance, namely for the assessment of the impact that this project has on local sedimentary and oceanographic dynamics, involving, for this purpose, a multidisciplinary team made up of several military and civilian personnel from the IH, in belonging to the Hydrographic Brigades (supported by the UAM Atlanta garrison) and to the Marine Geology and Oceanography divisions.

During the period of the mission, hydrographic surveys were carried out with multibeam (installed on board the UAM Atlanta) and single beam (installed on a Zebro III boat) sounding systems. In order to uniformly cover the entire coastal strip, the topography of the beach was also carried out by the military equipped with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers.

BH's task was successfully completed, despite adverse weather-oceanographic difficulties, and another auspicious year is foreseen for the knowledge of the sea and its dynamics in this pearl of the Costa Vicentina.