With three coastal areas –Cantabrian, Atlantic and Mediterranean– and more than 7,900 kilometres of coastline, Spain ranks 14th in the world and 3rd in Europe in terms of kilometres of coastline, thanks to its geographical location and its two archipelagos, the Balearic and the Canary Islands. The so-called ‘blue economy’ is especially important for Spain, the leading fishing producer in the European Union with 20% of production and almost a quarter of its fleet. In terms of aquaculture, Spain ranks 20th in the world, according to 2019 data from the Spanish Aquaculture Business Association, APROMAR. Today, in the face of the global threat of climate change, overexploitation of marine resources and pollution of the seas and oceans, research and protection of the marine environment are more vital than ever.

The main oceanographic research centres in Spain are organised around two large public institutions at the national level: the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), created in 1914, and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), which was founded in 1939 as the state agency for scientific research and technological development, which deals with marine research in the field of Natural Resources.

With more than one hundred years of history, the Spanish Oceanographic Institute has its headquarters in Madrid, in addition to nine research centres located in A Coruña, the Balearic Islands (Palma), Cadiz, the Canary Islands (Tenerife), Gijón, Málaga, Murcia, Santander and Vigo; five aquaculture experimentation plants, 12 tide measurement stations, a satellite image reception station (in the Santander oceanographic centre) and a fleet of some twenty vessels. It also has an unmanned submarine capable of operating at a depth of over 2,000 metres, the ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) LIROPUS 2000. The Institute represents Spain at the majority of international scientific and technological forums and is the Government’s official advisor on fishery. It carries out its research in three areas: fishery resources, aquaculture and the study and protection of the marine environment, and it currently has more than 270 projects underway.

The IEO’s aquaculture plants have achieved ground-breaking milestones, such as the world’s first successful breeding of the common octopus in captivity, at the Vigo Oceanographic Centre in 2018. The Murcia Oceanographic Centre, located in the town of Mazarrón, includes a scientific facility classified as “unique” by the Spanish government: the Infrastructure for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Aquaculture (ICAR), the only one in the world for this species. It consists of the Aquaculture Plant and the Installation for the Control of the Reproduction of Atlantic bluefin tuna (ICRA). The plant in the Canary Islands focuses on the cultivation of marine fish and cephalopods, while the El Bocal plant in Santander is the largest facility in Spain dedicated to the cultivation of algae for human consumption.

On the other hand, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), within its field of Natural Resources, has several different Institutes, which operate in an autonomous and decentralised manner, and the Marine Technology Unit, which manages and provides support to the oceanographic fleet and Spain’s two polar bases.

The Institute of Marine Science of Barcelona, the largest marine research centre in Spain, is one of the CSIC’s most important institutes.  Two research groups from this centre are taking part in MOSAIC, the largest scientific expedition in the Arctic in history. The project, promoted by a German institution, was launched in September 2019, with researchers from 20 countries participating aboard the German icebreaker Polarstern, to spend a year studying global warming. Vigo is also the headquarters of the CSIC’s Institute for Marine Research, which among its recent achievements has managed to successfully breed the endangered seahorse in captivity.

Other CSIC centres in Spain include the Institute of Torre de la Sal in Torreblanca, Castellón, and the Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia, in Cadiz, specialising in aquaculture; the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes, Girona, and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA) in Mallorca, a centre run jointly with the University of the Balearic Islands to research ‘global change’ (the impact of human activity on the biosphere) and develop instruments for marine research. It also participates in another unique element of scientific infrastructure, the SOCIB or Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System, which collects and provides valuable data for maritime rescue, among other applications.

In 2010, the CSIC led the largest Spanish oceanographic expedition up to that point. Named Malaspina in honour of Spanish Navy frigate captain Alejandro Malaspina (1754-1810), it covered 75,000 kilometres in nine months, with more than 250 researchers on board the oceanographic vessels Hespérides and Sarmiento de Gamboa. The project researched different phenomena that affect the marine environment in deep waters and in three oceans (warming, acidification, deoxygenation, pollution, marine microorganisms, fish population, etc.) and collected more than 200,000 samples, some from depths of up to 4,000 metres, with almost 20,000 of these forming part of a bank that will remain sealed for 30 years for future study.

In addition to the research centres, since 2016, Spain has also had the innovative infrastructure of the Canary Islands Oceanic Platform (PLOCAN), managed by a consortium formed by the central government and the Regional Government of the Canary Islands. Located in Telde, Gran Canaria, it is one of the largest installation of its kind in Europe. Its main facility is an ocean platform located one and a half miles from the coast, in a reserved area of 23 km² that is used as a test bed. It is equipped with marine drones and other state-of-the-art equipment, and is currently carrying out, among other things, projects related to marine renewable energy, climate change, water desalination, use of coastal resources, cetacean conservation, marine noise pollution, and robotics and innovation for marine research.

Spain’s bases in Antarctica

Spain’s Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base. / PHOTO_CSIC

The two Spanish bases at the South Pole are located in the South Shetland Archipelago and are only operational during the four months of the southern summer. The Spanish Polar Committee coordinates their activities, while logistics is the responsibility of the Marine Technology Unit of the Spanish National Research Council. The Juan Carlos I Base, opened in 1988, is located on the Hurd Peninsula of Livingston Island, about 20 miles from the Spanish base Gabriel de Castilla, which opened in 1989. Located on Deception Island, it is under the responsibility of the Spanish Army and the CSIC for scientific management. Both bases conduct research on geology, biology, glaciers, atmosphere, chemistry, human impact, communications engineering, meteorology, climate change, volcanology, geodesy, hydrography and oceanography.

Spain’s oceanographic fleet

The oceanographic vessel, Hesperides. / PHOTO_CSIC

Since 2013, Spain has unified the management of its oceanographic research fleet (attached to the IEO or CSIC) under the FLOTPOL unit. Part of this fleet is classified as Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS).  It is made up of a total of 10 oceanographic vessels, including the Spanish Navy’s Hespérides, which is 82.5 metres long. Based in Cartagena (Murcia), the vessel was put into service in 1991 and was completely overhauled between 2003 and 2004. It has completed more than 120 campaigns in the Antarctic, in the Arctic and in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and collaborates on the support for Spain’s two Antarctic bases. Its scientific equipment is managed entirely by the CSIC’s Marine Technology Unit.

• The CSIC fleet: the main vessel is the Sarmiento de Gamboa, 70.5 metres in length, which was launched in 2006. It is equipped with advanced navigation technology (such as dynamic positioning) and was the first Spanish oceanographic vessel capable of working with remotely operated vehicles at great depths. In addition, the CSIC has two regional vessels, the García del Cid, based in Barcelona, which operates in the Western Mediterranean, the Iberian Atlantic area and the Canary Islands, and the Mytilus, launched in 1997, based in Vigo and operating mainly on the Galician coast.
• The IEO fleet: The twin oceanographic vessels Ramon Margalef and Angeles Alvariño, 46 metres long, delivered in 2011 and 2012, are two of the most remarkable of the twenty or so vessels in the fleet. The Francisco de Paula Navarro, meanwhile, is a multi-purpose ship based in Palma de Mallorca that is used mainly in the Mediterranean. This fleet will be joined by a new oceanographic vessel nearly 90 metres long and global range, which will be based in Cadiz and is expected to be operational starting in 2023. The project is funded by the European Commission.
• The Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB) has a 24-metre catamaran that is used in rapid response to oil spills and in studies for the conservation of bluefin tuna and jellyfish proliferation.

The Arid Lap project is financed by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), a Spanish public institution, through the Feder-Innterconecta Andalucía 2013 Programme. As suggested by the title –“Minimizing the effects of extreme climates on high-performance rail infrastructures in arid zones”– the aim is to develop technological solutions to minimize the negative impact of the meteorological conditions particular to arid zones on the operation of high-performance rail lines. The project focuses on the impact of sand (both airborne and suspended), and of high-temperature gradients and their consequences for rails and overhead line.

In 2013 and 2014, the universities of Granada, Seville and Madrid, the region of Andalusia, in the south of Spain, and the Málaga Rail Technology Centre all served as testing ground for trials with drones, temperature sensors, sand traps, weather stations, measuring systems, sand containment barriers and a large range of innovation projects.

Analysis of the impact of the environment on rail infrastructures in countries with arid climates showed that wind and suspended sand, as well as extreme temperature gradients, may prevent the line from functioning correctly, on account of abrasion, erosion or the accumulation of sand on the tracks, the wearing down of materials, etc. With a view to tackling these issues, the committee has focused on developing technology to predict and pre-empt the influence of weather conditions on the infrastructure and rolling stock, so that there is sufficient time in advance to take countermeasures.

Ineco participated in this project in consortium with the companies Adif, Elecnor, Deimos, Abengoa, Nervados, OHL and Win Inertia, working collaboratively together

The project’s results will take the form of technical scientific knowledge, which will pave the way for new engineering services and methods on the market for predicting adverse weather conditions and quantifying them when constructing infrastructures in arid environments. Adapting these services to arid conditions will allow for new systems and design recommendations. In short, this will make it possible to optimize the design, construction and maintenance of elements such as rails, railway platforms, catenaries, ballasts, telecommunication systems and security systems.

Teamwork

Ineco participated in this project in consortium with the companies Adif, Elecnor Deimos, Abengoa, Nervados, OHL and Win Intertia, working collaboratively together whilst simultaneously focusing their own research on a specific area. It also collaborated with the project University of Granada, the CSIC´s Experimental Station of arid zones, the University of Seville’s Research Foundation, the Complutense University of Madrid, the Andalusian Association for Research and Industrial Cooperation and the Andalusian Foundation for Aerospace Development.

Ineco, Elecnor Deimos and Adif, together with Fada-Catec, have worked on three campaigns flying drones to determine their usefulness in detecting sand, rocks and obstacles on the track, anomalies in catenary cable compensation, cracks, water yields and landslides. Studies have also been conducted on: whether UAV (Unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone) flights are compatible with high-speed environments, inspecting limited-access viaducts, and generating orthophoto maps and high-resolution digital models of the terrain.

In terms of the impact of the environment on the infrastructure, Ineco and OHL have analysed the geomorphological risks and ecological processes in desert areas. Ineco and Adif have analysed the lines in operation, their problems and the solutions that have been adopted. Ineco and Abengoa have carried out a study on the requirements and responses to take into account for the track devices in the face of adverse weather conditions in desert areas.

Seven companies, 14 R&D projects

1. Ineco: Forecasting models, drones and web platform

Ineco, together with the University of Granada, has developed a mesoscale meteorological model for forecasting wind and aeolian sand transport. It is essentially an application that, at least 48 hours in advance, is able to communicate the wind’s direction and intensity at specific relevant locations, as well as the levels of airborne sand associated with the wind levels at these locations. To this end, the company has installed a weather station and sand traps, to be used to calibrate the model, at the Doñana Biological Reserve dune field in Huelva.

Ineco also developed the web platform MARTE, bringing together all results from the various activities that form Arid Lap. In this way, MARTE manages monitoring information, alarms and predictions. The tool manages and processes data registered by the sensors on the Córdoba-Málaga high-speed rail line, specifically at Málaga station (sensors to detect sand build-up, rail temperature, rail stress, overhead line temperature and stress), as well as at the Doñana weather station. Furthermore, alerts are sent when the sensor thresholds are exceeded. There is a unit for spatial visualization and integrating the satellite, drone and aerosol (suspended particulate matter) images generated during the project.

2. Abengoa: Sensor and alert systems. Protections in sensitive elements of the infrastructure

As leader of the consortium, Abengoa actively participated throughout the project, focusing on studying the electrical insulator distances in environments with high levels of sand/dust in the air, and on developing sensor system methods to monitor and supervise the state of rails and overhead line in real time. Their aim is to send alerts when the values exceed those which limit operability and safety.

The technological development team for the department of Railway Engineering at the Rail Technology Centre (CTF) in Málaga has also conducted research on systems which prevent sand from accumulating on the junctions. These can be elevated structures which replace the ballast, or wind acceleration structures. They are designed to protect the hinged sections, and the greasy sections of elements that require lubrication in the overhead contact line, from the negative effects of a build-up of sand, extreme changes in temperature and water condensation. Lastly, they also designed new mechanisms for protecting elements of the compensation system for pulleys and counterweights against arid environments.

3. Win Inertia: Electronic as a solution. Sand sensors and communications

This Andalusian company has developed a sand build-up sensor, which measures both the weight and height of the accumulated sand. They have also simultaneously developed a concentrator system, which collects information in situ from the sensors (both the Abengoa ones and the Win Inertia ones), and then sends it to MARTE to be managed.

4. Elecnor Deimos: Aerospace technology for railways

They have focused their involvement on applying new aerospace technologies. They primarily developed on three lines, using satellite images to identify and quantify adverse conditions in arid zones for the first line, as well as identifying the changes that might arise, as concentrated aerosol images. These allowed them to evaluate their use in studying the risks associated with dust in the infrastructure in advance, or high-resolution Deimos-2 images in order to estimate the technical viability of using algorithms to detect changes to pinpoint the spread of sand and dust.

They also used images from drones to achieve sub-centimetre resolution, which makes it possible to semi-automatically detect, from the difference in height, the rock fall on the track. Lastly, Elecnor Deimos has developed an infrastructure for processing, storing, distributing and visualizing images from satellites, UAVs and related products based in cloud technologies, integrated with the control application MARTE, which was developed during the project.

5. OHL: Ecological Recovery and containment systems

OHL and Nevados jointly developed a containment system which produces a “trampoline” effect, concentring and projecting the natural flow of air with suspended sand around the sides of the rail infrastructure. Using 2D simulations and trials in wind tunnels, they have come up with a design which prevents the sand from moving forwards (with wind speeds below 15 m/s), or throws away and above the track, owing to its aerodynamic design (speeds greater than 15 m/s). At the same time, OHL have carried out a critical analysis on applying ecological recovery to the railway environment in arid areas.

6. Nervados: Concrete know how. Prefabricated and personalized

Nervados has taken on the challenge of optimizing the design part and modelling of the prefabricated concrete barrier that impairs performance, as well as the manufacturing, transportation and concrete spreading processes. They have researched the need for concrete which is resistant to erosion and extreme temperatures, both when being manufactured and when put to use. At their facilities, they have carried out the entire prefabricated concrete piece project, with the exception of manufacturing the moulds.

7. Adif: Validating new technologies, radar sounding with GPR and drones for railways

Adif, meanwhile, has been responsible for the integration and validation, in a high-speed environment, all systems developed by the other partner companies, establishing the requirements of each development and installing sensors at María Zambrano Station and MARTE application in the Rail Technology Centre, both in Málaga, and facilitated the use of its infrastructure for testing drones for railway applications. Furthermore, they have carried out tests to detect the ballast contamination level using a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), which demonstrated this non-destructive sounding technique to be a good solution.