Within PPS2 of p roject VALORMAR , water nutrients recorded on different compartments of a marine land-based integrated multi-trophic aquaculture were monitored every two weeks during a one-year operation, at sunrise, zenith and sunset.
Every three months a 24-hour monitoring cycle was performed. Shifts water pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration and salinity , as well as in suspended particulate matter (SPM), particulate organic matter (POM), total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) , as well as dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN = NOx-N + NH4-N) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP = PO4-P) were monitored. Inflowing water from a supplying coastal lagoon was sampled when entering earthen ponds stocked with gilthead seabream and seabass, as well as when latter being pumped to supply tanks stocked with different species of seaweeds (brown, red and green) and then returned to the coastal lagoon.
This study allowed an unprecedented resolution on the nutrient flow dynamics over the different compartments of the marine land-based integrated multi-trophic aquaculture surveyed, allowing to determine its carrying capacity.
The authors acknowledge the support of Rui Pereira, Bárbara Pitarma and Helena Abreu of AlgaPlus during the present study.