O K E A N O S

DIVING INTO
OUR RESEARCH

Nunu Sá

  • What we do?

    Research and education on ocean ecology, whole ecosystem functioning, and ecosystem-based management.

    Unveiling ecological links between deep-sea, open ocean, coastal areas and the oceanographic environment.

  • Where?

    On Azores and Atlantic seamounts, hydrothermal vents, mid-Atlantic ridge, epi- and mesopelagic realms, islands shelves and slopes.

  • The species

    Cold-water corals and sponges, bony fish, sharks and rays, sea-turtles, seabirds and cetaceans, algae and other coastal and oceanic invertebrates

  • Scientific areas

    Marine biology, biodiversity and ecology, oceanography, biochemistry, genetics, biotechnology, ecotoxicology, pollution and marine litter, fisheries and living resources management, aquaculture, ecosystem-based management, and conservation.

  • Technologies

    Remote ocean observation and sensing, telemetry, bioacoustics, optics and robotics, molecular and analytical techniques, modelling and advanced data management and analysis.

  • Governance

    Transfering scientific knowledge to decision bodies, private organizations and society, at local, national, European, and international levels.

    Support ocean policies and governance, literacy and environmental awareness

Research areas

Biology & Ecology Research on marine organisms, their populations and ecosystems: behaviour, movement, distribution, community structure, physiology and molecular biology. Oceanography Physical and geological oceanography: ocean circulation, modelling, seafloor geology and geomorphology, and volcanic processes. Fisheries & Aquaculture Science supporting the sustainable use of living marine resources: fisheries monitoring, stock assessment, bycatch, aquaculture and blue biotechnology. Conservation & Management Science for the protection and management of marine ecosystems and species: monitoring, marine protected areas, spatial planning, pollution assessment and advice to public policy.
Biology & Ecology Research on marine organisms, their populations and ecosystems: behaviour, movement, distribution, community structure, physiology and molecular biology. Oceanography Physical and geological oceanography: ocean circulation, modelling, seafloor geology and geomorphology, and volcanic processes. Fisheries & Aquaculture Science supporting the sustainable use of living marine resources: fisheries monitoring, stock assessment, bycatch, aquaculture and blue biotechnology. Conservation & Management Science for the protection and management of marine ecosystems and species: monitoring, marine protected areas, spatial planning, pollution assessment and advice to public policy.

Research lines 14

Aquaculture Culture of marine species: species development, reproduction and rearing techniques, and sustainable aquaculture, including invertebrate species. Explore Cetaceans Ecology, behaviour, population biology and conservation of whales and dolphins, including bioacoustics, movements and the effects of human activities such as whale-watching, noise and ship strikes. Explore Coastal ecosystems Ecology and monitoring of shallow-water and intertidal habitats: marine forests and macroalgae, limpets and other coastal resources, sandy-bottom fauna, marine protected areas and non-indigenous species. Explore Deep sea Ecology of deep-sea habitats such as seamounts, ridges and hydrothermal vents: cold-water corals and sponges, vent communities, habitat mapping and the impacts of deep-sea mining. Explore Ecotoxicology Contaminants in marine organisms and food webs and their effects: metals, persistent pollutants, plastic additives, contaminant monitoring in seafood and biomarkers of risk. Explore Fisheries Science of fisheries and their management in the Azores and the Atlantic: demersal surveys, stock assessment, observer programmes, bycatch, small-scale fisheries, and deep-water and mesopelagic fisheries. Explore Marine biotechnology Exploring marine organisms for applications: enzymes, bioactive compounds and natural products, and biotechnology applied to algae, invertebrates and deep-sea organisms. Explore
Marine litter Distribution, sources, monitoring and effects of litter and plastics in the marine environment, from beaches to the deep sea, including ingestion and entanglement. Explore Marine spatial planning Science for the ecosystem-based management of the ocean: marine spatial planning, protected areas and area-based conservation, and assessment of human uses and pressures. Explore Megafauna Ecology and conservation of large marine animals as a group (sharks, rays, tunas, marlins, ocean sunfish, whales, turtles): movement ecology, biologging, distribution and threats, including analyses that cross taxa. Explore Molecular biology Molecular and microbial biology of marine organisms: gene expression, microbiomes and host-microbe interactions, with emphasis on deep-sea and hydrothermal vent species. Explore Oceanography Physical and geological oceanography: ocean circulation, hydrodynamic and ecosystem modelling, seafloor geology and geomorphology, volcanic and coastal processes, and bathymetry. Explore Sea turtles Ecology, movements and conservation of sea turtles, including fisheries interactions, ingestion of marine litter, rehabilitation and monitoring programmes. Explore Sharks & rays Biology, movements and conservation of sharks and rays, from coastal species to deep-water elasmobranchs: tagging and tracking, habitat use, ecotourism and bycatch. Explore

Ecosystems

Organisms

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Financiado por fundos nacionais através da FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., no âmbito dos projetos UID/05634/2025 (DOI: 10.54499/UID/05634/2025), UID/PRR/05634/2025 (DOI: 10.54499/UID/PRR/05634/2025) e UID/PRR2/05634/2025 (DOI: 10.54499/UID/PRR2/05634/2025).

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OKEANOS - Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar

Universidade dos Açores

Rua Prof. Doutor Frederico Machado, 4,
9901-862 Horta, Faial, Açores, Portugal

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