Ria de Alvor (37° 7'N; 8° 37'W); located at Algarve, coast of Portugal

Macroalgae and seagrass taxonomy-related counts; Bacteria generic abundance in water bodies; Fauna abundance per unit area of the bed; Fish morphology, age and physiology; Fish abundance in water bodies; Fish taxonomy-related abundance per unit area of the bed; Fish taxonomy-related counts; Zooplankton growth rates; Sediment grain size parameters; Nutrient concentrations in sediment pore waters; Nitrate concentration parameters in the water column; Nitrite concentration parameters in the water column; Phosphate concentration parameters in the water column; Macroalgae generic abundance in water bodies; Silicate concentration parameters in the water column; Sediment water content, porosity and surface area; Zooplankton taxonomy-related abundance per unit volume of the water column; Zoobenthos taxonomic abundance; Zoobenthos taxonomy-related counts; Zooplankton egg hatch proportion; Phytoplankton taxonomic abundance in water bodies

Plankton nets; pelagic trawl nets; discrete water samplers; cameras; sediment grabs

The surface area of Ria de Alvor is about 3 sq.km., with a maximum depth of 2m and a minimum of 0.5m, depending on the tide. From March 1985 to March 1986, water microbial and planktonic measurements were taken once a month, at 8 sampling points. Fishes and crustaceans were caught at 6 stations once a month, during a year. In March 1985, 53 stations were sampled for macrofauna and surface sediments with a Ponar grab. Seaweed and algae were sampled with a quadrat of 0.05 sq.m. and a Ponar grab. Its cartography was improved with an aerial photograph. The results have shown that the biological population depend on the physico- chemical conditions of the coastal waters, although the fertilization of the system is associated with the nutrients coming from small tributary streams. 65 per cent of the sediment is sand which shows the high silting up of the 'ria'. Dredgings are expected in order to keep navigation channel clear. This may contribute to the disappearance of Zostera noltii which, in turn, may impoverish the associated ichthyological fauna.

Lopes da Cunha, P. and Antunes, M.M. (1985) Estudo dos Recursos Halieuticos da Lagoa de Albufeira in: 'Caracterizacao Ecologica e Potencialidades de Utilizacao da Lagoa de Albufeira'. Dez/85. Report LNETI Dez/85., 495-604p. Coordenacao cientifica da Doutora M. Constanca Peneda., ; Quintino, V. and Rodrigues, A.M. (1989) Environment gradients and distribution of macrozoobenthos in three Portuguese coastal systems: Obidos, Albufeira and Alvor. 23rd European Marine Biology Symposium, Swansea, 4-11 Setembro, 1988. in Reproduction Genetics and Distributions of Marine Organisms, J.S. Ryland and P.A. Tyler (Eds.), Olsen and Olsen, Fredensborg, Denmark: 411-450., ; Duarte, A.P. (1990) Comparacao da componente ictioplanctonica capturada em 3 sistemas costeiros: Lagoa de Albufeira, Lagoa de Obidos e 'Ria' de Alvor. Actas 2er Conferencia Nacional da Qualidade do Ambiente., Ed. F. Santana, M.C.R. Santos, M.H. Costa and D. Pereira Vol. 1: A69-A81. Lisboa. 4-6 Abril., ; Coelho, P. (1986) Estudo Microbiologico da Ria de Alvor. in: Caracterizacao Ecologica da Ria de Alvor. Plano Geral Director de Aproveitamento e Valorizacao da Ria de Alvor. Relatorio LNETI: 59-87., ; Duarte, A.P. and Mendonca, E. (1986) Estudo do Ictioplancton da Ria de Alvor. in: Caracterizacao Ecologica da Ria de Alvor. Plano Geral Director de Aproveitamento e Valorizacao da Ria de Alvor. Relatorio LNETI: 283-362., ; Melo, F. and Catarino, J. (1986) Estudo das Populacoes Fitoplanctonicas da Ria de Alvor. in: Caracterizacao Ecologica da Ria de Alvor. Plano Geral Director de Aproveitamento e Valorizacao da Ria de Alvor. Relatorio LNETI: 363-443., ; Peneda, M.C. et al (1986) Caracterizacao Ecologica da Ria de Alvor. Plano Geral Director de Aproveitamento e Valorizacao da Ria de Alvor. Relatorio LNETI: 1-474., ; Rodrigues, A.M. and Quintino, V. (1986) Macrofauna Bentonica da Ria de Alvor, Costa Sul de Portugal: Sedimentalogia e Estrutura e Distribuicao de Povoamentos. in: Caracterizacao Ecologica da Ria de Alvor. Plano Geral Director de Aproveitamento e Valorizacao da Ria de Alvor. Relatorio LNETI: 88 - 188., ; Salgado, P. and Santos, R. (1986) Cartografia e Abundancia dos Macrofitos Aquaticos da Ria de Alvor. in: Caracterizacao Ecologica da Ria de Alvor. Plano Geral Director de Aproveitamento e Valorizacao da Ria de Alvor. Relatorio LNETI: 189-202., ; Santos, C. (1986) Estudo do Zooplancton da Ria de Alvor. in: Caracterizacao Ecologica da Ria de Alvor. Plano Geral Director de Aproveitamento e Valorizacao da Ria de Alvor. Relatorio LNETI: 444-474., ; Rodrigues, A.M. and Quintino, V. (1987) Estudo granulometrico e distribuicao dos sedimentos superficiais da ria de Alvor (costa Sul de Portugal). Recursos Hidricos, 8 (3): 1-16., ; Antunes, M.M. and Lopes da Cunha, P. (1988) A ecologia da ictiofauna na ria de Alvor. 5er Congresso do Algarve. Texto das comunicacoes (Ed. Racal Clube): 721-725., ; Coelho, P. and Baeta-Hall, L. (1988) Caracterizacao microbiologica da ria do Alvor. 5er Congresso do Algarve. Texto das comunicacoes (Ed. Racal Clube): 407-412., ; Duarte, A.P. and Mendonca, E. (1988) Caracterizacao Ecologica da Ria de Alvor - Estudo da componente ictioplancton. 5er Congresso do Algarve. Texto das comunicacoes (Ed. Racal Clube): 713-720., ; Santos, C. (1988) Ciclo anual do zooplancton na Ria de Alvor. 5er Congresso do Algarve. Texto das comunicacoes (Ed. Racal Clube): 427-435., ; Santos, R. and Salgado, P. (1988) Cartografia e abundancia por fotointerpretacao dos macrofitos aquaticos da Ria de Alvor. 5er Congresso do Algarve. Texto das comunicacoes (Ed. Racal Clube): 419-426., ; Antunes, M.M., Lopes da Cunha, P., Duarte, A.P. and Mendonca, E. (1988) Ria de Alvor as a spawning place and nursery ground., Journal of Fish Biology, 33 (supplement A): 185-190.; Rodrigues, A.M. and Dauvin, J.C. (1988) Peracarides de la 'Ria de Alvor' (Cote Sud du Portugal). Cah. Biol. Mar., 28: 207-223., ; Rodrigues, A.M. and Quintino, V. (1991) Malacofauna da Ria de Alvor (costa sul de Portugal). Estudo funistico e cenotico. Actas V Simposio Iberico de Estudio del Bentos Iberico, tomo I: 167-192.,

National Institute of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Lisbon, Department of Industrial Impact Studies
Estrada do Paço do Lumiar, 22
Lisboa

1649-038
Portugal