Physics of the Earth
SCENE - Site Condition Evaluation for National Seismic Hazard Evaluation
Project SCENE, funded by FCT (contract PTDC/CTE-GIX/103032/2008), aims at gathering disperse subsurface geophysical, geotechnical and geological information performed for specific purposes at a national level; and at acquiring geotechnical and geophysical data to characterize near-surface-soil conditions and shear-wave velocity profiles where strong-motion instruments are deployed. These data will serve a dual-purpose in terms of direct applications: 1) the characterization of strong-motion sites which is information required both to address the applicability of sophisticated hazard-purpose ground-motion models, and to perform ground-motion modeling; 2) the development of a database relating near-surface lithology and shear-wave profiles for the upper 30 meters that would allow the inclusion of first-order site effects in regional seismic hazard maps, thus better representing regional susceptibility due to ground shaking. In addition, by using different methodologies to characterize site-conditions at selected sites, the project will contribute for the scientific discussion about the lithology-dependent, inter-method variability of VS estimates. PI Susana Vilanova
RIVERSAR - Exploração de imagens SAR para aperfeiçoar modelos de inundação no Rio Tejo
Project RIVERSAR, funded by FCT (contract PTDC/CTE-GIX/099085/2008) focuses on floodplain inundation models in areas pertaining to the Lower Tagus River, and addresses the problem of assessing and reducing their inevitable uncertainty, through the compilation of historical (1992-2008) satellite-borne SAR imagery (supplemented with hydraulic ground-based data) of past inundation events in the Lower Tagus River, to derive flood extent georeferenced maps for retrospective and systematic validation of 1D and 2D hydraulic flood models. PI Sandra Heleno
MOZART - MOZAmbique Rift Tomography
MOZART is funded by FCT (contract PTDC/CTE-GIX/103249/2008), and is coordinated by IST in partnership with Direcção Nacional de Geologia, Maputo, Mozambique. Other collaborating institutions are the universities of Bristol, Leicester and East Anglia, in the United Kingdom, and the Council for Geosciences, in Pretoria, South Africa. The project uses equipment on loan from the NERC Equipment Pool SEIS-UK (30 very broadband seismographic stations). The main goal of project MOZART is the investigation of the lithospheric structure under the southern tip of the East African Rift in Central Mozambique. PI João Fonseca
EPOS PP - European Plate Observing System - Preparatory Phase
Project EPOS-PP is funded by the European Union under FP7, and aims at the integration and coordination of all the Earth sciences research Infrastructures at European scale. IST is the Portuguese partner, in representation of the Earth Sciences community. National Contact Point: Joao Fonseca