Topo-hydrographic S. Torpes Survey – 3rd Campaign 2021

From October 6th to 29th, the Hydrographic Brigade carried out the topo-hydrographic survey in São Torpes, which is part of the project to monitor the effects arising from the construction of port structures in the port of Sines. The mission was attended by five military personnel from BH and the garrison of UAM Atlanta.

This project, resulting from the request of the Administration of the Ports of Sines and Algarve (APS), will run for 5 years, with 2021 being its third year. It is intended, therefore, to evaluate the effect that the expansion works of the port will have on the oceanographic and sedimentary dynamics of the adjacent coastal areas, namely in the area of ​​S. Torpes beach.

The start of the expansion works for Terminal XXI in February this year (and the respective jetty in February 2020) is an essential step to strengthen the operational capacity of this port, which has been asserting itself as one of the main ones in the south of Europe, contributing to the economic development of the region and the country. Consequently, the various works that will be developed by the Hydrographic Brigade and by the Hydrography, Marine Geology and Oceanography divisions until 2023 are of particular relevance.

Throughout this campaign, hydrographic surveys were carried out with a high-resolution multibeam drill system, using UAM Atlanta (KONGSBERG EM2040C MKII), and with an Odom Echotrac CV100 single beam driller installed in a pneumatic dinghy. In order to uniformly cover the entire coastline, the topography of the beach was also carried out by the military equipped with GNSS receivers. At the end of the survey, a bathymetric model with a resolution of 50 cm and a backscatter mosaic was created to support the selection of sites to carry out the sediment samples.

 BH's task was successfully completed, and the mission continues aboard UAM Atlanta, which remains in the field to support the Marine Geology division in collecting sediment samples for further laboratory analysis.