The Oceanographic Ship Ramón Margalef of the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (IEO), belonging to the Superior Council of Scientific Investigations (CSIC), will arrive this Saturday to Isla de la Palma to study the effects of volcanic eruption that began last Sunday in the marine ecosystem.
According to the Ministry of Science and Innovation informs, the scientific staff of the ship will carry out a complete geomorphological study of the marine floor before the possible existence of emission foci under the sea.
For its part, Ramón Margalef sailed emergency last Tuesday from Vigo to respond to the requirements of the Scientific Committee of the Volcanic Risk Emergency Plan (PEVOLCA) with the aim of carrying out an exhaustive multidisciplinary oceanographic study of the
South-west area of the island.
Thus, the IEO-CSIC vessel arrived at night this Friday to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where, once scientific staff and specific material, will go to La Palma to support the study and monitoring of eruption
Volcanic, being expected to arrive directly to the Operations Zone during today.
In total, scientific personnel are composed of eight researchers and researchers (geology, microbiology and Ramón Margalef oceanography), as well as two technicians in R + D + i and the drone pilot.
On the one hand, they will study the biological processes associated with the massive arrival of volcanic ash to the sea, as well as the possibility of the arrival of the volcanic casting to the ocean, and will collect samples of the seabed, water and organisms background to have a complete picture
of the operation of the volcanic system.
On the other hand, the possible existence of emission foci underwater that could emit gases or lava will be studied.
For this, in the first place, through the use of echoes, very high resolution cartographies will be carried out to identify and characterize structures associated with active processes and analyze the deformation on the morphology of the terrain.
Second, coral samples will be collected, capable according to the researchers of the project, to store in their calcareous gases precursors of volcanic emissions and have thus, a biological marker of the complete sequence of the eruptive process under the sea.
And, third, a study of the physical-chemical properties of water will be carried out to detect anomalies and the possible existence of hydrothermal or magmatic flows, temperature variations, salinity, pH, emission of reduced species, possible decrease in concentration of
Dissolved oxygen and increase of inorganic nutrient concentrations, among other parameters.
In 2018, within the framework of the Vulcana project for the follow-up of underwater volcanic activity in the Canary Islands carried out by the IEO for 10 years, and due to the seismic reactivation detected on these dates in La Palma, scientists, aboard the
Angeles Alvariño vessel, carried out a research campaign to the west and south of the island to detect submarine emissions or signs of volcanic activity in the background.
In this way, high-resolution mapping obtained then, together with the detailed characterization of the physical-chemical parameters of water and the seabed that was carried out, will now allow the results to compare and detect changes in the morphology of the land and
Anomalies in the properties of water.
Finally, from the underwater eruption of iron 10 years ago, this team has led more than 30 oceanographic campaigns, dozens of national and international projects and have published close to 50 scientific articles specialized in submarine volcanic environments.
