Project SSWIM (Solar Salt Works Integrated Management)

Solar salt works implementation in Ribeira de Aljezur, Portugal – Part 1An alternative solution for land rehabilitation

The Economic Value Of Biodiversity In Solar Salt Works, June, 2014

SSWIM

Project SSWIM

The SSWIM project aimed to ensureimproved governance for solar salt workssustainable development.

It should set the bases for a new production paradigm through marine salt production optimization, a relationship between integrated activities with bio-, environmental and market models.

It should provide an ecosystem services evaluation and explore the role of such evaluation. Consequently it should contribute to coastal and natural environmental protection, and heritage maintenance.

Resume and Project Background

In the middle of the 20th century, the marine salt production from solar salt works in Portugal and in almost Europe suffered a decline due to:(i) high production costs in comparison

with other salt productions styles, (ii) global competition with an increased

market liberalization scenario, (iii) land pressures in a tourism driven

demographic change context, (iv) lack of technological innovation, (v) the appearance and development of

semi-intensive and intensive aquaculture in the same areas,

(vi) changes in hydrological regimes, (vii) the lack of the idea of environmental

integration.

Project objectives: (i) to describe exactly the specific case area; (ii) to develop policies at different levels; (iii) to consider solar salt works in the context

of ecosystem service evaluation (economic and non-economic) and to explore the role of such evaluation;

(iv) to describe species autochthonous with market value which can be produced in solar salt works as complementary activities;

(v) to quantify the production of these species through laboratory and field bio-essays;

(vi) to analyze the potential for experience tourism and ecotourism;

(vii)to elaborate models of marine salt production optimization;

(viii)to provide seasonal models of marine salt production and complementary activities.

Solar Salt Works Integrated Management

Geographical Location

Altimetry

History from the Area

Biodiversity

Ecosystems Services

Planning Policies

Marine Salt Production

Complementary Activities Risks

Subjects to have into account in the planning of the SSWIM in a specific solar salt works.

Ecosystem Services

Biodiversity Survey

Services Identification

Services Characterization

Services Quantification

Biodiversity Identification Biodiversity Quantification

Ecosystems Services and variants.

Inlet Dynamics

Solar Salt Works Risks

Water Quality Decrease

Flooding

Salinity Longitudinal Profile

Effective Evaporation Rates

River Discharges

Sediment TransportPrecipitation Rates

Evaporation Rates

Coastal Physiography

Tide High

Storm Surge

Ocean Waves

Physiography of Solar Salt Works

Solar Salt Works Risks Evaluation

Marine Salt Production

Precipitation Rates

Radiation

TemperatureEvaporation Rates Wind Direction

Wind SpeedHumidity in the Air

Effective Evaporation Rates

Marine Water Available

Salt Concentration

Biota

Physiography of Solar Salt Works

Biology of Solar Salt Works

Marine Salt Production

Reservoir Evaporators Crystallizers

Marine SaltCollected~ 35g*L-1

Sea Water for SystemSustainability

150g*L-1

Water Passing by Gravity or Mechanically and Controlled by Gates

V1 and Sa3 V2 and Sa2 V3 and Sa3

Ee1 Ee2 Ee3

Expected resultsi) development of policies to support marine salt producers, at local, regional and state levels;

ii) development of social history and the impact of solar salt works in the social development and in the landscape as a traditional and eco-friendly activity and heritage;

iii) development of the concept of ecosystem service in solar salt works in an economic and non-economic level;

iv) development of marine salt production optimization to increase marine salt production;

v) prediction and quantification of risks; vi) identification of the main integrated

activities; vii) elaboration of bio-models to calculate

biological mass production; ix) description of the potential of eco-tourism and tourism experience for a solar salt works itinerary.

Innovative aspects of the project

Solar salt works implementation in Ribeira de Aljezur, Portugal – Part 1An alternative solution for land rehabilitation

Part of the area is not natural due to the existence of ponds belonging to an old semi-intensive aquaculture, whose activity stopped in 2010.

Ribeira de Aljezur is located in Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina (PNSACV) in the Algarve southwest coast. It is a 33.7 km water channel and drains anarea of 182.9 km2

Belongs to NATURA 2000

It is not a real estuary, but a transition system that from an ecological point of view can be classified as a lagoon-estuarine environment

Methods: 1) Ponds area topographical lifting and mapping;

2) Solar salt ponds surface areas and volumes,

3) Estimate marine salt production3.1) Effective evaporation3.2) Estimate marine salt production mass

4) Solar salt works risks4.1) Tide characterization4.2) Extreme flooding height prediction

Results and Discussion: Ponds area topographical lifting and mapping

Actual Ponds 3D survey with Elevation (m) in Ribeira de Aljezur

CrystallizersArea

Second Evaporator Area

First EvaporatorArea

Reservoir

3D Designed Ponds to Ribeira de Aljezur Solar Salt Works

Estimate marine salt productionEffective evaporation

-200-150-100-50

050

100150200

Janu

ary

Febr

uary

Mar

ch

Apr

il

May

June

July

Aug

ust

Sept

embe

r

Oct

ober

Nov

embe

r

Dec

embe

r

Effe

ctiv

e Ev

apor

atio

n (m

m)

Months

200420052006200720082009201020112012

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

Total

Mon

ths

Estimated Production (tons)

Average MinimiumMaximum

Chart with the annual average, minimum and maximum estimated marine salt production (tons)

Chart with effective evaporation month average, maximum and minimum from February, 2004 till December, 2012 in Ribeirade Aljezur

Solar salt works risks

Tide Characterization

Nf = 0,099; Z0 = 2.12 m; MHWN = 2.758 m; HHWS = 3.584 m; MHWS = 3.452 m The tide is a semi-diurnal tide and it means that has a tidal regime with a 12h42min frequency, characterized by two high tides and two low tides in each period or tidal cycle.

Extreme Flooding Risk Height Prediction

HHWS = 3.584 m; HQf = 1.7485 m; Portuguese Coast ST = 1 m; Frh = 6.3325; BH > 6.3325 m

Coastal inlet closure

Another risk is the coastal inlet closure, what lead to salinity longitudinal profile changes and in the case of total closure, the marine tide doesn’t reach the solar salt ponds. Which consequently stop marine salt production. Thus the closure bar danger is minimal and temporary, leading then to a natural opening or artificial opening such Lagoa de Santo Andre, southwest Portugal

Conclusions:

It could be possible the rehabilitation of the old semi-aquaculture area in Ribeira de Aljezur through an implementation and development of solar salt works. 1) Present the project to the Aljezur Council, which in turn meets with the entities that regulate Ribeira de Aljezur area, including the SACVNP, REN, RAN, all controlled by Ministério da Agricultura, do Mar, do Ambiente e do Ordenamento do Território. The constraint about ecological classification is only surmountable by the argument that the area of the old semi-intensive aquaculture could be rehabilitated to an economical eco-friendly activity. 2) For investors the most importance comes with the marine salt production and risks analyses. Environmental and tide characteristics make the area a very good and controlled area to solar salt works implementation. 3) Through traditional methods it is possible achieves an average of 2427.349 tons per year of marine salt production what is a massive production for Portuguese artisanal production reality. 4) The most important risks described as flooding and coastal inlet closure have different perspectives of analyses. Flooding is a minimum risk that should be managed during the solar salt works barriers high projection, never less than 6.3325 m and coastal inlet closure is a minimum risk with practical solution through an inlet artificial opening.

With the approval steps described, the marine salt production quantification and the risks analyzes of this project could be a solution to Ribeira de Aljezur land rehabilitation.

Apart from the physicochemical process of marine salt production, through a vision of complementary and an extended attitude to the plurality of man's dimension, solar salt works are much more than marine salt production. Solar salt ponds can be used to inorganic and organic production, to be visited and fundamentally to research. The two most observable groups of organisms to be produced are Salicornia spp.; and Artemia spp., however there is no optimized systems to produce them. In the other hand the fact that solar salt works being eco-friendly activities could be use to attract tourism and diffuse products.

Regarding to research, solar salt works have a great potential. The relationship between time of crystallization and different types of marine salt, the production optimization through a higher wind effect over the water surface or different solar salt ponds structure constituent materials. It is interesting also to develop an economic and social study to show the impacts arising from the tradeoff between aquaculture and solar salt works. All of this research development can increase the transfer of scientific knowledge and traditional know-how as can provide other arguments to Portuguese solar salt works facing globalized markets.

Future

I Hope That You Enjoyed the Presentation

and

Thank You for Your Attention!

Ricardo Coelhoricardojdcoelho@gmail.com