Summary:

The INDIA Project is a multi-institute, multi-disciplinary study of the interactive nature of tidal inlets and coastal processes. The Project involved 12 research institutes from 4 EU countries (France, Holland, Portugal and the UK) as well as 4 non-EU countries (Australia, Korea, Poland and the USA). The Project partners included two industrial partners, Valeport Ltd, to supply advice on deployment of field instrumentation during the Project’s 3 monthly intensive field campaign at the Barra Nova Inlet site in Ria Formosa National Park within the Algarve region of Portugal and Halcrows & Partners (formerly Sir William Halcrow & Partners), who provided advice on field measurement studies and the design of an instrument bridge, which was planned to cross the Inlet.

Study Area

In addition to the partners given above, the Project was originally planned with the assistance of twoother organisations. The UK firm of GEC-Marconi and its staff helped with advice on deployment of HR Radar equipment for the Project’s field studies while staff from the Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) helped with computer modelling advice for wave-induced currents in the Inlet. Unfortunately, GEC-Marconi was the subject of a take-over early in the Project and because of realignment of company interest, they were forced to withdraw from the Project. In the case of KORDI, the collapse of business confidence in Far East money markets had a devastating effect on the Korean economy such that the Government Laboratory could not sustain its involvement in the Project. Fortunately, the withdrawal of both organisations has had little impact upon the technical progress of the Project. In the case of GEC-Marconi, the plans for the Project’s three monthly field campaign were completed before company withdrawal, while the modelling expertise of KORDI was replaced by similar experience from LNEC in Portugal.

The overall scientific aims of the Project were to obtain an improved description of dynamic coastal processes in a natural tidal inlet (the Barra Nova Inlet) in Portugal was used as a typical site as well as the behaviour of the inlet itself. Achievement of the scientific aims of the Project was done by a threefold approach. Firstly, state-of-the-art and prototype field equipment was used to directly measure and observe processes in the Barra Nova Inlet and along adjacent coastlines. Secondly, a range of state-of-the-art computer models was used to extend the temporal and spatial scales of the inlet site. Thirdly, comparison of the Algarve site with other situations, particularly in the USA, helped to extend total understanding of inlet processes.

The project was co-ordinated by Prof O'Connor of Liverpool University, UK.

Duration:

The duration of the Project was for 36 months, starting from 27 April 1998

Funds:

The total funds for the Project was €2M under contract no MAS3-CT97-0106

Further Details:

For details please visit the Project website: http://www.pol.ac.uk/india/INDIA.html