Gran Canaria is a strategic site for microalgae production due to its ideal climatological conditions and focal geographic location. The Biotechnology Department of the Canarian Institute of Technology (ITC) investigates all aspects of microalgae cultivation and processing at pilot to demo scale, in order to develop industrial knowledge on both economically and environmentally sustainable production technologies.

Extensive mass cultures of microalgae are considered as the most promising alternative strategy to traditional agriculture. The main bottlenecks for the production of microalgae are the environmental and economic costs associated with: i) the use of freshwater and fertilizers in the cultivation phase; ii) the biomass harvesting during processing; iii) the use of traditional chemicals (i.e., solvents) for the extraction of fractions/compounds of interest from the biomass.

The major feature of the Weddell Sea, located east of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Southern Ocean, is a cyclonic gyre driven by wind and thermohaline forcing as well as topographic steering. To a great extent, the Western Boundary Current System (WBCS) of the Weddell Sea gyre splits into different branches before its arrival to the Scotia Sea, east of the Bransfield Strait. Importantly, one of these branches leakages near-freezing subsurface waters into Bransfield Strait.

Microalgae aquaculture activity in the Canary Islands is strictly controlled. Apart from regulating which microalgae species can actually be cultivated and how, the local legislation also establishes standards for the quality of the aquaculture process water. However, no monitoring plans for microbiological and physical-chemical characteristics of the water outputs (resulting from microalgae biomass processing) are currently available to support companies in complying with the requirements.

Microalgae aquaculture activity in the Canary Islands is strictly controlled. Apart from regulating which microalgae species can actually be cultivated and how, the local legislation also establishes standards for the quality of the aquaculture process water. However, no monitoring plans for microbiological and physical-chemical characteristics of the water outputs (resulting from microalgae biomass processing) are currently available to support companies in complying with the requirements.

Remote spectral imaging of coastal areas can provide valuable information for their sustainable management and conservation of their biodiversity. For example, seagrass beds are very productive coastal ecosystems that serve as a refuge for other species, absorb atmospheric CO2, and protect the coastline from erosion. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) indicates that, at least, half of the world’s shallow coastal waters remain unmapped or poorly understood. Specifically, in Spain, protected areas cover 27.21% of its total surface and the coastline length is about 7,880 km.

The Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUSs) provide valuable natural resources due to the high primary production, however anthropogenic forces could affect directly the basis of these ecosystems: the upwelling. Therefore, assessing the impacts of Global Warming on the upwelling processes is crucial for efficient ecosystem management. In spite of that, there is high uncertainty about the future of these upwelling systems under climate change. In 1990, Bakun suggested an increase in the intensity of upwelling due to an increase in the ocean-land pressure gradient.

The micronekton community of pelagic shrimps was studied by means of taxonomic composition, abundance and biomass analysis, across a latitudinal transect in the Atlantic Ocean from off Brazil coast (15ºS) to the south of Iceland (55ºN). Total abundance and biomass were sampled by Mesopelagos net with a mouth opening of 5 x 7 m and a total length of 58 m. Vertical variation of temperature, conductivity, pressure, dissolved oxygen and fluorescence were recorded by CTD profiler.