Following the successful sonar survey in April 2025, the joint GPA-Seabots and GAME-CSIC team continued their work in Portlligat Bay by executing the next steps of the blue carbon mapping campaign under the EFFECTIVE Project’s Pilot Area 1.

Building on the previous 10 hectares mapped, the team worked to cover the remaining 20 hectares of the 31-hectare study area. Using multibeam and side scan sonar (MBES and SSS), along with aerial drone imaging, they planned to complete bathymetric mapping across depths from the shoreline to 25 meters. These combined tools delivered the most precise terrain and habitat data yet for the bay, essential for building the area’s 3D geospatial digital twin.

In parallel, a systematic grid of sub-bottom profiler (SBP) lines was conducted across the bay. When cross-referenced with sediment cores, these sonar profiles allow the team to non-destructively estimate the volume and structure of Posidonia oceanica matte—a major source of blue carbon in the Mediterranean.

Together, these actions advance the EFFECTIVE Project’s understanding of carbon sequestration in Portlligat, setting a new benchmark in non-invasive blue carbon assessment and habitat mapping in shallow Mediterranean systems.