The INTERREG Atlantic Area CLIRAQUA project carries out a scientific mission at Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo

Between 3 and 6 May, the UAC/Cibio-Azores team from the INTERREG Atlantic Area CLIRAQUA project carried out a fieldwork campaign at Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo, on the island of São Jorge, with the aim of strengthening environmental monitoring of this unique lagoon ecosystem in the Azores.

The mission involved researchers Pedro Raposeiro, Gustavo Martins and Rita Cordeiro, as well as support from Rafael Martins of the Fajã de Santo Cristo Clam Producers’ Association, and was supported by the Regional Directorate for the Environment and Climate Action and the Regional Directorate for Fisheries.

During the work, multi-parameter sensors were installed for continuous monitoring of water temperature, dissolved oxygen and conductivity/salinity. Clams (Ruditapes decussatus) were also collected and measurements of various physico-chemical parameters were taken at different locations in the lagoon.

The collected clams were subsequently sent to Lisbon, to the laboratory of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere, where experimental trials are underway to assess the combined effects of marine heatwaves and changes in salinity on this species of high ecological and economic value.

CLIRAQUA — Climate Resilience and Adaptation in Aquaculture — is a project funded by the INTERREG Atlantic Area programme and co-funded by the Regional Directorate for Science, Innovation and Development. The project aims to develop innovative solutions and strategies for adapting to climate change, promoting the sustainability and resilience of aquaculture in the Atlantic island regions.

Further information is available at CLIRAQUA.