"The Geodynamics Laboratory of Lanzarote is unique in its kind and a reference center for volcanological research and climate change linked to variations in sea level and water temperature", according to the Research Technician of the Institute of Astronomy and Geodesy of the Ministry of Education and Science, Emilio Vélez.
According to him, the absence of disturbances in the interior lake of Jameos, wind, marine currents or any activity, allows obtaining high precision measurements, with millimeter variations.
"The particular geodynamics of Lanzarote forces us, however, to assess other factors, such as its stability, the possible movements vertical lifting or collapse of the island mass", he declared.
More than three decades have passed since the coordinator of the current project "Study, evaluation and modeling of disturbing phenomena on sea level determinations in the LGL", Miguel Sevilla, placed the first sensor in the interior lake of Jameos del Agua, by the hand of the scientist Ricardo Vieira.
Since then and to date, there have been numerous occasions in which researchers from all over the world have contacted the House of Volcanoes to contrast information or request the installation of prototypes.
In fact, the Lanzarote station acts as an equipment experimentation laboratory. Currently five different tide gauges are being checked in the marine lagoon.
Joint project
The research project brings together scientists from the CSIC and the universities of Jaén, Salamanca, Complutense de Madrid and Technological of Panama.
On the first day of work, a diver installed two new sea level and temperature measurement equipment, which will improve the performance of those already operating in the module.
Starting on Wednesday, the team will proceed to measure, with high-precision GPS, the island network for deformation control. The points are located in the Mirador del Río, Jameos del Agua, Arrecife and Papagayo, plus a fifth in the south of Fuerteventura.
Although the first measurements were made in the mid-80s, it will still take a few decades for the results to offer appreciable changes, according to Vélez. Meanwhile, the data from the tide gauges and thermometers installed in Lanzarote are crossed with those obtained in stations around the world.
In addition to sea level and temperature, the sensors collect other water quality values, such as salinity, oxygen concentration level, chlorine, turbidity or the percentage of carbon dioxide, which may offer indications of changes in volcanic activity.
As a complement to the research, according to the Councilor for Tourist Centers and the Tourism Board, Carlos Espino, who accompanied the scientists on their first visit to the station, the installation of equipment is planned to improve the quality of observation.
"All the information collected in the Geodynamics Laboratory of Lanzarote, related to this project, will be transferred via the Internet in real time. We will also have the data in the House of Volcanoes, in order to reinforce the informative function of this space", added Carlos Espino.
