European Marine Board publishes document on marine geohazards in Europe

The European Marine Board, of which FCT is a member, has just released a new policy paper on the topic Uncovering the hidden threat of Marine Geohazards in Europewhich summarizes the main messages and policy recommendations of Position Paper No. 26 on Marine Geohazards: Safeguarding Society and the Blue Economy from a Hidden Threatpublished in December 2021.

The main conclusion drawn from this document is that society is increasingly dependent on critical coastal and marine infrastructure, such as ports, telecommunications and renewable energy installations. With the increase in human activities carried out in the marine environment and the increase in the human population in coastal areas, the exposure and vulnerability to the impacts of marine geohazards increases.

Teresa Ferreira, from the University of the Azores, and Juana Fortes, from LNEC - National Laboratory of Civil Engineering, as national experts appointed by FCT, were part of the European Marine Board Working Group on Marine GeohazardsThey collaborated in the writing of this publication, which raises awareness of the latent geological risks on European coasts and makes recommendations for future research and policy in this area.

The European Marine Board's mission is to develop common positions between European organizations that carry out and fund marine science research on scientific strategies and priorities for this area, thereby facilitating and promoting collaboration between the marine science sector and other socio-economic agents.