Organization

We strive to understand the role of marine organisms and ecosystems in the Earth System. We conduct studies in all the world's oceans from the poles to tropical waters, to help solving pressing societal issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, ocean acidification, jellyfish proliferation, habitat integrity and much more.

The Marine Geosciences Department research activities focus on the understanding of the sediment dynamics, stratigraphy, geomorphology, geophysics, geodynamics and geochemistry that control the evolution of coastal regions, continental margins  and oceanic basins . This objective includes a wide range of topics from, the analysis at high resolution of the temporal and spatial variability of sedimentary processes in response to external forcing, to the evolution of geohazards in the marine environment. In addition, it comprises the development of new strategies and methods for the study of sediment dynamics and for the study of the structure and physical properties of the seafloor. This knowledge provides the basic support for the study of coastal vulnerability, marine pollution, marine infrastructures, hydrocarbon exploration, earthquakes, tsunamis, weather and climatic related-sea level changes.

The Physical and Technological Oceanography Department focuses on the study of the physical properties of the ocean, its behavior and role in the climate of the Earth using the principle of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. It is the largest Spanish physical oceanography department and that with the most extensive scientific production. Its interests focus on the observation (both in situ and remote sensing) and analysis of the ocean physical environment at a broad range of spatio-temporal scales. Its members include physicists, engineers, and oceanographers with complementary skills that work together to further our understanding of the ocean dynamics by combining experimental, numerical and theoretical approaches. The group members are especially committed at mentoring students and offering specialized courses, participating in numerous public outreach activities, and steering citizen science initiatives.

Research at the Renewable Marine Resources Department focuses on the study of the biology and ecology of exploited marine species, their communities and ecosystems. The main zoological groups studied are fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Research takes place in all oceans, mainly in the Mediterranean, from the coastline to the deep sea, and also includes experiments carried out in laboratory aquaria under controlled conditions. Research focuses on several taxonomic groups and different levels of organisation. The studied topics include taxonomy, biodiversity, biology of organisms (such as development, growth and reproduction), population dynamics, effects of environmental variables and habitat characteristics on the organisms and their communities and anthropogenic impact on marine ecosystems.