‘90 Seconds of Science’ is a Portuguese project of the Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology António Xavier (ITQB NOVA), Faculty of Social and Human Sciences (FCSH NOVA), and Antena 1 (radio station), with the support of Novartis and Santander Universities. This project aims at advertising noble scientific research projects, broadcasted twice a day in Antena 1.
On the 13th May 2020, Prof. Leonardo Azevedo, the Principal Investigator of CERENA (Portuguese research centre that belongs to the consortium of InTheMED project), was interviewed by ’90 Seconds of Science’ regarding the Portuguese participation in InTheMED.
The group of Prof. Leonardo Azevedo is focused on developing methodologies that integrate direct measurements on the quality of groundwater as well as indirect measurements through geophysical data. The goal is to develop a tool that creates models that will be used to predict the evolution of this resource in the future, taking into account the evolution of the system, its characteristics, the existence of new boreholes, and the impact of climate change.
The Portuguese Principal Investigator stresses that “the entire Mediterranean region is under strong anthropogenic pressure, whether because of overexploitation or reasons of extreme drought and low rainfall, leading to less water infiltration and recharge for these aquifers”.