The application of remote sensing for monitoring the Ria Formosa: the sentinel missions

Cristina, Sónia; Icely, John; Newton, Alice

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/14038

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Authors

Cristina, Sónia

Icely, John

Newton, Alice

Abstract(s)

The Ria Formosa (RF) coastal lagoon (Figure 10.1) is composed of a group of two peninsulas, five barrier islands that are separated by 6 inlets, which enable the exchange of water, sediments, nutrients and other chemicals between the lagoon and the ocean. The RF incorporates important habitats, such as salt marshes, dunes, lagoon marshes and intertidal zones. The RF supports a wide range of human activities, including economic sectors such as fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, ecotourism, navigation and port activities, salt and sediment extraction (Newton et al., 2014). Essentially, these economic activities depend on the ecosystem services of the lagoon including food provisioning (mainly shellfish and fish), hydrological balance, climate regulation, flood protection, water purification, oxygen production, primary and secondary production, recreation and ecotourism (Newton et al., 2018). Due to its environmental importance, the RF has been a Natural Park since 1987 and is part of the Natura 2000 network. The wetland area is specifically protected under the Ramsar convention.