A window to the sea: RAIA observatory tool for assessing environmental risks in the NW Iberian coastal upwelling system

Abstract

The international RAIA Observatory serves the main maritime activities of the NW Iberian coastal upwelling system. Over the last few years, the partners of the observatory have identified at least 12 key environmental risks that can potentially affect the ecosystem services of this coastal area. In order to evaluate these risks, different environmental indicators are used, which are developed and optimized according to the specifications provided by international environmental agencies. A Window to the Sea is the publicly-accessible web-service created to present and share the results from this evaluation. So far, current results have allowed to establish risk assessment protocols for the coastal region, and identify critical observational gaps. The web-is user-friendly with the intention to achieve as many end-users as possible, not only from academia, but also from other governmental institutions, fisheries, enterprises and the general public.