Laboratório de Geomática e Sistemas Marinhos - GEOMar

RESEARCH AREAS:

Coastal Dynamics 

Coastal environments are highly dynamic systems shaped by complex interactions among waves, tides, currents, winds, sediment transport, and geomorphological processes. Understanding these processes and their spatial and temporal variability is essential for assessing how coastal systems respond to both natural and anthropogenic pressures.

GEOMar investigates coastal dynamics through the integration of remote sensing, geoprocessing, field observations, and spatial and temporal analyses. Satellite imagery and other geospatial datasets are used to monitor coastal morphology, sediment dynamics, and the evolution of beaches and other coastal environments across multiple spatial and temporal scales. By combining Earth observation technologies with quantitative and interdisciplinary approaches, GEOMar seeks to advance the understanding and monitoring of coastal processes and their interactions with human activities. This knowledge provides a scientific basis for assessing coastal change, anticipating emerging hazards, and supporting evidence-based coastal planning and management.

Connectivity and Watershed–Coastal Interactions

Coastal environments are closely connected to the watersheds that drain into them, forming an integrated continuum in which water, sediments, nutrients, pollutants, and other materials are transported from terrestrial areas through rivers, estuaries, lagoons, and coastal waters. Understanding these connections is essential for assessing how changes in land use, hydrological processes, and human activities within watersheds influence coastal and marine systems.

GEOMar investigates land–sea connectivity and watershed–coastal interactions by integrating remote sensing, geoprocessing, hydrological and spatial analyses, and field observations. The lab focuses on characterizing the pathways and fluxes connecting terrestrial, fluvial, estuarine, lagoon, and marine environments, as well as assessing how these processes vary across space and time. This approach supports the identification of areas and processes that contribute to changes in water quality, sediment dynamics, habitat conditions, and coastal environmental processes.

By adopting an integrated watershed-to-coast perspective, GEOMar seeks to advance the understanding of the interactions between terrestrial and marine systems and provide a scientific basis for integrated watershed and coastal planning and management. This approach is particularly relevant to complex coastal systems, where processes occurring upstream can generate cumulative effects downstream and ultimately influence the functioning and sustainability of coastal and marine environments.

Climate Crisis and Coastal Risks

Coastal regions are among the areas most exposed to the impacts of the climate crisis, where sea-level rise, changing precipitation patterns, increasing temperatures, changing wind regimes, and more frequent or intense extreme events interact with ongoing coastal dynamics and human pressures. These processes can increase the frequency and severity of coastal hazards, with significant consequences for ecosystems, infrastructure, livelihoods, and coastal communities.

GEOMar investigates the impacts of the climate crisis on coastal systems by assessing coastal exposure and vulnerability and analyzing the spatial and temporal patterns of coastal hazards across multiple scales. Particular attention is given to the interactions among sea-level rise, extreme marine and hydrological events, coastal morphology, sediment dynamics, and watershed processes, including the potential occurrence of compound hazards in estuarine and lagoon environments.

By combining Earth observation technologies with interdisciplinary approaches to coastal risk assessment, GEOMar seeks to advance the understanding of how coastal systems respond to ongoing and projected climate change. This knowledge supports the identification of vulnerable areas, the assessment of present and future coastal risks, and the development of adaptation strategies that enhance the resilience of coastal environments and communities.

Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning

Effective coastal planning requires a holistic understanding of the physical processes, terrestrial-marine connections, and emerging climate risks that continuously shape coastal zones. GEOMar leverages Earth observation technologies, geoprocessing, and interdisciplinary spatial analysis to translate complex environmental data into actionable knowledge for evidence-based coastal management. To achieve this, the three previously described research lines support the development of robust spatial frameworks, marine and coastal spatial planning, and adaptive public policies. By synthesizing coastal morphodynamics, land-sea connectivity, and climate vulnerability, our work empowers decision-makers to safeguard ecosystem services, promote sustainable Blue Economy initiatives, and build long-term resilience for coastal and lagoon communities.