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European Directory of Marine Organisations (EDMO)

Organisation details

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details

Name
University of Lisbon, Department of Physics, Group of Oceanography
Native name
Museu e Laboratório Zoológico e Antropológico da Universidade de Lisboa (Museu Bocage)
Address
Rua de Escola Politecnica 58
Zipcode
1269-102
City
Lisboa
State
Lisboa
Country
Portugal
Phone
+351 213 921 817
Fax
+351 213 969 784

organisation profile

Within Portuguese universities, the Group of Oceanography of the Physics Department of the University of Lisbon (GOUL, Grupo de Oceanografia da Universidade de Lisboa) is the only unit with teaching and research activities in Physical Oceanography. The GOUL started research and teaching activities in ocean sciences in 1972, and since then has been increasing steadily the number of its collaborators and its fields of interest. GOUL's research activity has been supported under R&D Projects financed by JNICT (Junta Nacional de Investigacao Cientifica e Tecnologica), by INIC (Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Cientifica) and by NATO ('Science for Stability Programme').

During the last 5 years, the main research theses developed at GOUL were:

  1. Climate and the Oceans - Objectives: to develop a program of currents and heat fluxes in the upper layer of the ocean in the region Continental Portugal-Azores-Madeira, using satellite-tracked drifting buoys and satellite- derived sea surface temperatures - a Portuguese contribution to WOCE.
  2. Oceanography of the Portuguese Continental Margin - Objectives: (i) to study the circulation on the slope and outer shelf with particular emphasis on the dynamics of Mediterranean Water in the Gulf of Cadiz; (ii) to investigate the formation processes of Meddies (Mediterranean Water eddies) off the coast of Algarve; and (iii) to describe and understand the hydrology and the dynamics associated with the Portuguese coastal upwelling and with the Portugal Current System.
  3. Air-Sea Interaction - Objectives: to quantify the fluxes of mass and energy between the atmosphere and the ocean and to analyze their consequences for the structure and evolution of the boundary layers of the marine atmosphere and of the upper ocean.
  4. Estuarine Hydrodynamics - Objectives: to study the dynamics of the Portuguese estuaries (starting with the Tagus estuary) using oceanographic methods. 
  5. Space Oceanography - Objectives: (i) to develop oceanographic data bases (sea surface temperatures and phytopigments) obtained with satellites and to use them as an input for analysis and prediction of mesoscale oceanic phenomena; (ii) to develop satellite remote sensing methods and in-situ observations programmes with fishing vessels for understanding the relationships between several fish species and the marine environment and for providing operational support to fisheries.
  6. Oceanographic Atlas and Data Bank - Objective: to develop a PC-based digital oceanographic atlas/data bank for the NE Atlantic containing all the available hydrological data, with the capability of displaying image data like satellite-derived sea surface temperatures and other variables.

A Satellite Oceanography Facility was installed in December 1990 at the University of Lisbon Oceanography Group with funding from the NATO-PO-SATOCEAN project. At this Facility full-resolution data from the NOAA-N and METEOSAT satellites are received, processed and archived; satellite data from this and other sources can now be analyzed in near-real time using modern workstations and up to date software.

In 1990 a Master of Science in Oceanography programme started at the University of Lisbon; also under the responsibility of the GOUL. This is a 2-year programme with formal courses during the first two semesters and supervised research work leading to a thesis, during the 2nd year. The GOUL postgraduate educational activities at the University of Lisbon also include a Ph.D. in Oceanography programme, in which the students take formal courses and participate actively in the ongoing research projects.

results in other services

  • Marine environmental databases (EDMED)

edmo metadata

EDMO record id
580
Collating centre
Hydrographic Institute (IHPT)
Latest update
12 November 2013 12:37:56 PM