Portugal celebrated today the 130 years of the first national oceanographic campaign, a historic milestone that dates back to 1883 and was led by King Carlos. This celebration coincided with the beginning of a new monitoring mission off Oeiras, thus marking the start of the first oceanographic campaign of the year 2013.
The campaign aims to study and evaluate the impact of human activity on Portuguese marine ecosystems. The researchers involved intend to collect fundamental data to understand the changes that oceans have undergone over the last decades.
The choice of Oeiras as a starting point is not accidental, being a coastal area of great ecological relevance that reflects the challenges faced by contemporary marine ecosystems. This connection between the past and the present underscores the continuity of Portuguese commitment to oceanographic research.
Today's mission thus represents a bridge between the historical legacy left by King Carlos 130 years ago and the current need to protect and understand oceans in the face of growing environmental pressures.
