SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS
& REPORTS
To kick off the Blue Azores program, two scientific expeditions were carried out in the Azores. The first took place in 2016 and evaluated the state of the marine ecosystems in the eastern group of islands. The second, in 2018, provided an overview of coastal, open ocean and deep-sea ecosystems in the central and
western areas of the archipelago.
In addition to other ongoing scientific studies done over the last decades in the Azores, the scientific reports on the health status of these marine ecosystems from these two expeditions will provide an important scientific basis to support the process of defining and establishing these new Azorean marine protected areas.
48 RESEARCHERS
112 PARTICIPANTS
>950 DIVES & DIVING HOURS
1,481 KM COVERED
182 SAMPLING SPOTS
21,469 KM² OF SEABED MAPPED
60 HOURS OF SEA EXPLORATION WITH THE ROV "LUSO" ON 13 DIVES
737 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE OPEN EXPLORER CLASSROOM FROM 8 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
DISCOVERY OF THE NEW HYDROTHERMAL FIELD, "LUSO"
2016
2016
Waitt Expedition in the Azores with the Oceano Azul Foundation
Azores Expedition 2016 Tagging | Oceano Azul Foundation
Azores Expedition 2016 | Oceano Azul Foundation
2018
2018
Blue Azores | Protecting, promoting & valuing the Azores archipelago
Oceano Azul Expedition | Discovery of new hydrothermal field in the Azores
Oceano Azul Expedition - Azores 2018
This report, containing the scientific results of these two expeditions, together with the scientific information that has been collected in the Azores over the past several decades, confirms that the marine life of the Azorean Sea is unique, diverse and vibrant. However, it is also fragile and under pressure, and urgently needs protection.
This scientific report on the health status of these marine ecosystems from these two expeditions will provide an important scientific basis to support the process of defining and establishing these new Azorean marine protected areas.
