What is the state of the waters of Menorca?įor some time now there has been talk of aquifers being overloaded with nitrates. Once we have all the data, we will be able to compare them with those of 2005 and see the relationship between the concentration of nutrients and the state of the Cystoseira populations.įrom left to right, Eva Marsinyach, Aina Blanco and Marta Sales, researchers of the project on water quality in Menorca. In September we will collect water samples from all the coves to analyze the nutrients (nitrites, nitrates, ammonium, phosphates and silicates). There are nine species of Cystoseira on the Menorcan coast and specialised training is required to identify them them. To do so we swim along the coastline of each cove and take notes of the different species of Cystoseira, as well as their abundance. We are planning to sample the same 103 coves that we did in 2005. They are very sensitive to pollution and this will allow us to discern where we are having problems of eutrophication or other types of water pollution. Now we are replicating the study and sampling the same sites to check how the populations have evolved after 15 years. In 2005 we sampled all the coves of Menorca and defined the distribution and abundance of the different species of Cystoseira on the island. My PhD research dealt with the algae of the genus Cystoseira and allowed me to study in depth and learn to identify the species that are found in calm areas, that is, inside coves. Enric Ballesteros, who was my PhD supervisor. CARLIT is one of them and it was developed by the team of Dr. Different indicators of this type have been created in the framework of the application of the European Water Framework Directive. Working at OBSAM with bioindicators, I learned about the use of algae of the genus Cystoseira as indicators of water quality. What is your experience with the algae Cystoseria? Over the last four years I have worked again for OBSAM on several projects: a book on the marine environment of Menorca, the Research Plan for the Biosphere Reserve, and now I am coordinating the project on the evaluation of the water quality of the island's coves using algae as bio-indicators. Then I worked for 5 years at the Jaume Ferrer Research Station in Menorca and since 2015 I have worked as a freelance on several marine projects, mainly for the administration and OBSAM.īefore doing my PhD I worked for a year and a half first at the Institut Menorquí d'Estudis (IME) - on a project on the impact of recreational fishing - and then at the OBSAM - developing and updating sustainability indicators. I studied biology at the University of Barcelona and a few years later I did my PhD at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Blanes (Girona). Tell us about your career and how you ended up in OBSAM? Marta Sales is the coordinator of the project. The study is funded by the Marilles Foundation, the Menorca Biosphere Reserve Agency and the OBSAM. To do it will sample more than 100 sites to look at the abundance and distribution of Cystoseira, a brown seaweed which is very sensitive to changes in water quality. The OBSAM (Socio-Environmental Observatory of Menorca) is running a study to assess the water quality in Menorca beaches and coves.
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