The waters off Madeira's south coast are generally of good quality. However, continuous monitoring is essential to understand current dynamics and prevent the impacts of coastal pollution. This was a key conclusion presented by Rui Caldeira, president of ARDITI, during the presentation of results for the 'MCIS – Madeira Coastal Insight Service' project.
The project, funded by approximately €160,000 in EU funds, has developed scientific data and tools to support coastal water management. This includes information on water quality parameters and a particle transport simulation model. ARDITI and the Madeira Ocean Observatory intend to continue monitoring after the project concludes, with potential expansion to other coastal areas of the region.
A public platform allows for particle dispersion simulations, predicting the path of potential pollution plumes or identifying their origin. Rui Caldeira stressed that despite the positive assessment, permanent surveillance is necessary to track water quality changes over time.
