Gui Menezes says "it makes sense" for the Azores to be central to AIR Center project
The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stressed in Praia, Cape Verde, that the Ocean, Atmosphere and Space are "important fields" for the creation of the Atlantic International Research Center - AIR Center. According to him, the Region is "well positioned" in these three areas and, therefore, "it makes perfect sense" for the Azores to play a key role in this project.
Gui Menezes spoke on the panel "Implementing the AIR Centre: Developing the network" at the third meeting of "Atlantic Interactions: High Level Industry-Science-Government Dialogue." In this context, the government official stressed that these meetings are "important steps towards the effective implementation" of this project. Its scientific agenda will "considerably increase the knowledge on the preservation and sustainable use of the Atlantic Ocean, a major resource for several countries."
During his presentation, Gui Menezes stressed that the centrality of the Azores in the North Atlantic and the proximity to the open ocean and the deep sea contribute to "the excellence of the scientific community linked to marine research."
In this regard, he pointed out the existence of a Sea cluster on Faial Island, where many researchers carry out their scientific work. They have mainly conducted studies on deep-sea ecosystems and seamounts, the monitoring of shallow-water and deep-sea hydrothermal vents, studies on marine biotechnology and the monitoring of fishing activity through initiatives such as the Azores Fisheries Observation Programme, the Condor project and campaigns focused on demersal species.
The Regional Secretary also stated that the relation between the Ocean, Atmosphere and climate change has also been a "topic of interest" for the scientific community in the Azores. In this context, he pointed out the ARM Station - Atmospheric Radiation Measurement on Graciosa Island and PICONARE station, located on the top of the Pico mountain at an altitude of 2,000 metres, for altitude climatological studies. According to him, they are "two good examples of international research cooperation being developed by scientific teams" in the Azores.
Regarding Space, another research area of the AIR Center, Gui Menezes stated that their "oceanic location has also brought the Azores closer to Space." The government official stressed that the "first European Space Agency station (ESA) in Portugal was installed on the island of Santa Maria 10 years ago. It is one of the first stations of the ESTRACK station network with capacity to track satellite launches from Kourou in the French Guiana."
Gui Menezes also recalled other infrastructures based on Santa Maria, such as the data reception station of the European Copernicus programme for Earth observation. It will be equipped with a new antenna in order to become part of ESA's PROBA 3 programme for the study of the sun.
The Galileo sensor station, which contributes to Europe's global navigation system, the Santa Maria Fundamental Geodetic Station belonging to the Atlantic Network of Geodynamical and Space Stations (RAEGE), and the new European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, which will soon be operation, were other infrastructures mentioned by the Regional Secretary.
Gui Menezes stressed that the AIR Center is "an excellent opportunity to bring countries closer to scientific cooperation in the area of oceans, namely with regard to the Atlantic Ocean."
This is the third meeting of the "Atlantic Interactions: High Level Industry-Science-Government Dialogue," following the meetings held on Terceira in April 2017 and in Florianópolis, Brazil, in November 2017.
Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Nigeria, South Africa, Cape Verde, Angola, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are taking part in this event.
The fourth meeting of the AIR Center will take place in November in the Canaries.