SentinelSprings was represented at the 59th European Marine Biology Symposium (EMBS 2026) through the presentation:
“Standing at Water Edges – A methodology for assessing ecohydrological interactions between coastal groundwater discharge and intertidal community dynamics”presented by Ana Silva the project coordinator from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST)
EMBS is one of Europe’s leading scientific meetings in marine biology and coastal ecosystem science, bringing together marine ecologists, oceanographers, conservation scientists, environmental managers, and interdisciplinary researchers working on the future of aquatic systems under global change. Participation in this event is particularly valuable for SentinelSprings because it expands the project’s dialogue beyond inland groundwater systems and into the highly dynamic interface between groundwater and coastal ecosystems, representing part of the Portuguese Living Labs.
The presentation focuses on intertidal groundwater discharge systems, a less common but scientifically important expression of groundwater-dependent ecosystems within the broader SentinelSprings framework. Unlike typical inland springs, intertidal springs occur at the land–sea interface, where groundwater directly shapes rocky shore ecological processes, biodiversity patterns, salinity gradients, nutrient dynamics, and ecosystem functioning. This reflects the project main core, i.e., groundwater processes extend far beyond aquifers alone and play a critical role in sustaining vulnerable ecosystems across multiple environmental boundaries.
The work contributes to SentinelSprings objectives by advancing methodological approaches for integrated groundwater-ecosystem monitoring, particularly through interdisciplinary ecohydrological assessment frameworks combining hydrogeology, ecology, spatial analysis, and long-term environmental monitoring.
