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OTHER GROUPS: GIA / BIOCON / EOMAR / TOTMA

The Physical Oceanography and Applied Geophysics research group (OFYGA) is currently composed of lecturers and students at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) that develop their research activity in the areas of Applied Physics, Earth Physics and Cartographic, Geodetic and Photogrammetry Engineering.

 

Physical Oceanography

OFYGA develops most of its teaching and research activity in the field of Physical Oceanography. In particular, it focuses its activity on mixing processes, regional oceanography, marine pollution and circulation at intermediate levels.

Applied Geophysics

This is the second branch in which OFYGA develops its teaching and research activities. It is currently focused on magnetometry, hoping to expand it in the near future to gravimetry and seismic.

Scientific dissemination

OFYGA dedicates part of its effort to communicate its scientific work in a close and understandable way for society as a whole.

In addition to participating in numerous projects, the group has a wide-ranging scientific output in its curriculum, as well as having supervised a multitude of master's and bachelor's degree theses and several doctoral dissertations.

Professors and researchers

  • Ángel Rodríguez Santana

    Academic position: Full Professor of the ULPGC specialized in Physics of the Earth.

    Corporate email:
    angel.santana@ulpgc.es

    Profile in accedaCRIS
    Profile in Google Scholar
    Profile in ResearchGate

  • Ángeles Marrero Díaz

    Academic position: Full Professor of the ULPGC specialized in Applied Physics.

    Corporate email:
    angeles.marrero@ulpgc.es

    Profile in accedaCRIS
    Profile in Google Scholar
    Profile in Research Gate

  • Francisco Jesús Santana Sarmiento

    Technical engineer inSurve ying, graduated in Market Research and Techniques, and PhD from the ULPGC. His research career focuses on Cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He has contributed to international scientific journals and has disseminated the results of his research at national and international congresses. His studies has focused on Territorial Competitiveness, Geophysics, Geology and Renewable Energies. In addition, he has tutored numerous undergraduate projects on various subjects.

    Academic position: Full Professor at the ULPGC, specialising in Geomatics and GIS.

    Corporate email:
    franciscojesus.santana@ulpgc.es

    Profile in accedaCRIS

  • Francisco José Machín Jiménez

    D. in Marine Sciences, he has developed his research career in the field of Physical Oceanography. he is a professor at the ULPGC since 2014. His teaching focus has been on Applied Physics courses, and he has been co-supervisor of doctoral theses, as well as undergraduate and master projects. He has contributed with 42 publications in impact journals and has participated in numerous research projects at regional, national and international level. In addition, he has collaborated as evaluator for projects and scientific articles. Since 2018, he has been coordinating the Master in Oceanography at the ULPGC.

    Academic position: Full Professor of the ULPGC specialized in Applied Physics.

    Corporate email:
    francisco.machin@ulpgc.es

    Profile in accedaCRIS
    Profile in Google Scholar
    Profile in Research Gate

Postdoctoral researcher

Lecturers and Researchers

Students

  • Inés Hernández García

    Graduated in Marine Sciences and Master's degree in Oceanography from the ULPGC, she is currently doing her PhD in Oceanography and Global Change, contracted through a pre-doctoral grant from the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society. The main topic of her thesis is the numerical modelling of physical processes in the ocean.

    Academic position: Research staff in training. PhD student at the ULPGC

    Corporate email:
    ines.hernandez@ulpgc.es

    AccedaCRIS profile
    ORCID profile

    WebOfScience profile

  • Luis Valencia Castro

    Oceanographer, with a Master's degree in Oceanography, mention in Physics, from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile). His research deals with the study of small to large scale physical processes in Eastern Surgence Systems. He has worked in Chile as a collaborating researcher in several governmental and scientific/academic projects. He is currently working on his doctoral thesis, through the "BECAS CHILE Doctorate Abroad Programme", focused on the mixing processes present in mesoscale structures and their relationship with internal waves of near-inertial and tidal frequencies.

    Academic position: PhD student at the ULPGC.

    Corporate email:
    luis.valencia102@alu.ulpgc.es

    Profile in accedaCRIS

    ORCID profile

    ResearchGate profile

  • Álex Ruiz Urbaneja

    Álex Ruiz Urbaneja

    Graduated in Marine Sciences and Master's degree in Oceanography from the ULPGC, specialising in open ocean processes and unique regions. He is currently working on his PhD, focusing on the study of the changes caused by climate patterns in the North Atlantic current system, with the title 'Ocean Dynamics between the North Atlantic Gyres and their Interactions with Large Scale Climate Variability'.

    Academic position: PhD student.

    Corporate email:
    alex.ruiz@ulpgc.es

  • Giovanny Alejandro Cuervo Londono

    Graduated in Geology from the National University of Colombia and a master's degree in Oceanography from the ULPGC. He specialises in data science, machine learning (including deep learning) and big data. His line of research focuses on integrating computational techniques, particularly deep learning, with oceanographic data in research projects related to oceanography and marine science. He is currently a PhD student, focusing on understanding and improving the prediction of upwelling systems in the Canary Islands.

    Academic position: PhD student at the ULPGC.

    Corporate email:
    giovanny.cuervo101@alu.ulpgc.es

    Google Scholar profile
    ORCID profile
    ResearchGate profile

Projects

  • SIRENA: Integrated Remote System for Monitoring, Detection and Prediction of Risks from Potentially Harmful Marine Events of Natural or Anthropogenic Origin in Off-Shore Aquaculture Areas

    The SIRENA Project aims to develop innovative tools for the environmental monitoring of aquaculture farms in Gran Canaria and to disseminate them among stakeholders. This initiative is based on three fundamental pillars: remote identification of events by satellite, in situ observations to validate specifically developed models and mathematical modelling to make predictions validated with these observations. The Canarian aquaculture community and other communities will benefit from these advances, which will be disseminated through planned communication actions.

    Principal Investigator:
    Ángel Rodríguez Santana and Ana María Mancho Sánchez (CSIC/ICMAT)

    Number of researchers involved: 3

    Scope of funding: National and European

    Budget: 189.170,69€

    Start/finish date: 22/07/2024 - 26/01/2026

    PROJECT WEBSITE

  • TRANSVERSAL COMPETENCES FROM THE EIIC FOR ITS SOCIAL ECOSYSTEM

    Principal Investigator:
    Hernández Castellano, Pedro Manuel

    Number of researchers involved: 19

    Scope of funding: Autonomous

    Budget: 36.000€.

    Start/finish date: 01-03-2021 / 01-03-2024

  • BIOGEOCHEMICAL IMPACT OF MESOSCALE AND SUBMESOSCALE PROCESSES THROUGHOUT THE LIFE CYCLE OF CYCLONIC AND ANTICYCLONIC EDDIES: PLANKTONIC VARIABILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY

    Principal Investigator:
    Arístegui Ruiz, Javier

    Number of researchers involved: 21

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 324,885 Euros

    Start/finish date: 01-06-2020 / 31-05-2023

  • DEVELOPMENT OF INCLUSIVE DIDACTIC MATERIALS IN THE FIELD OF GEOGRAPHY APPLIED TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE CANARY ISLANDS (INCLEDUCAN)

    Principal Investigator:
    Perez-Chacon Espino, María Emma

    Number of researchers involved: 12

    Scope of funding: Autonomous

    Budget: 57.030€.

    Start/end date:01-03-2021 / 01-03-2023

  • COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE FROM THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR: RECLAIMED WATER MANAGEMENT MINIMIZING EMERGING POLLUTANTS AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

    Principal Investigator:
    Palacios Díaz, María Del Pino

    Number of researchers involved: 7

    Scope of financing: Autonomous

    Budget: 9,084.2

    Start/finish date: 01-06-2022 / 31-10-2022

  • ASSESSMENT OF MICROPLASTICS IN THE DEEP WATERS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS

    Principal Investigator:
    Vega Moreno, Daura

    Number of researchers involved: 10

    Scope of funding: Autonomous

    Budget: 48,327.29

    Start/end date: 01-01-2020 / 31-07-2022

  • CYCLIC THERMOHA/INO BEHAVIOR AND ENRICHMENT OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH A NEW GENERATION SHALLOW HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM.

    Principal Investigator:
    Machín Jiménez, Francisco José

    Number of researchers involved: 3

    Scope of funding: Autonomous

    Budget: 40.000€.

    Start/finish date: 01-03-2020 / 01-03-2022

  • THE SOUTH ATLANTIC GATEWAY ON THE GLOBAL CONVEYOR BELT

    Principal Investigator:
    Hernández Guerra, Alonso

    Number of researchers involved: 11

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 294,030

    Start/end date: 01-01-2019 / 31-12-2021

  • INTEGRATED MARINE POLLUTION RISK ASSESSMENT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICE IN PORTS AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS

    Principal investigator:
    González Ramos, Antonio Juan

    Number of researchers involved: 2

    Scope of funding: European

    Budget: 313.500€.

    Start/end date: 01-12-2018 / 31-05-2021

  • CLOSING THE WATER CYCLE IN THE AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT: DYNAMICS OF EMERGING POLLUTANTS IN THE WATER/SOIL/RHIZOSPHERE/PLANT SYSTEM AND EFFECTS OF SLUDGE APPLICATION

    Principal Investigator:
    Palacios Díaz, María Del Pino

    Number of researchers involved: 5

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 7.718€.

    Start/finish date: 01-01-2020 / 31-03-2021

  • MICROSTRUCTURE PROFILERS AND MARINE OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION: ADVANCING THE UNDERSTANDING OF OCEANIC PROCESSES

    Principal Investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 12

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 180,238.09

    Start/end date: 01-01-2019 / 31-12-2020

  • EXTERNAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ANALYSIS AND DIAGNOSIS OF EXISTING NETWORKS. STRENGTHENING OF PREDICTION CAPACITY, SUPPORT TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SENSOR NETWORK, DESIGN, SPECIFICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF WORKING PROCEDURES, AND SUPERVISION AND TRAINING OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT.

    Principal Investigator:
    González González, Aridane

    Number of researchers involved: 2

    Scope of financing: Autonomous

    Budget: 4138,85

    Start/finish date: 22-09-2020 / 15-12-2020

  • BIOGEOCHEMICAL IMPACT OF SUB-MESOSCALE PROCESSES THROUGHOUT THE LIFE CYCLE OF CYCLONIC AND ANTICYCLONIC EDDIES: PHYSICAL DYNAMICS

    Principal Investigator:
    González Ramos, Antonio Juan

    Number of researchers involved: 9

    Scope of funding: Autonomous

    Budget: 11.110€.

    Start/finish date: 01-01-2020 / 15-10-2020

  • COLLABORATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THALES ALENTA SPACE SPAIN AND THE UNIVERSITY OF LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA FOR THE PROJECT "HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGE COMPRESSION (VNIR AND SWIR) WITH THE CCSDS 123.0 - B - 2 STANDARD".

    Principal Investigator:
    Santana Sarmiento, Francisco Jesús

    Number of researchers involved: 1

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 65.632,1€.

    Start/finish date: 27-07-2019 / 22-07-2019

  • CARBON FLUXES IN A COASTAL UPWELLING SYSTEM (CAPE BLANCHE, NW AFRICA); SUBMESOSCALE MODULATION OF CARBON PRODUCTION, EXPORT AND CONSUMPTION

    Principal Investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 11

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 139,150€.

    Start/end date: 01-01-2016 / 31-12-2018

  • HABILITATION AND EQUIPMENT OF THE SITM LABORATORY

    Principal Investigator:
    Arístegui Ruiz, Javier

    Number of researchers involved: 4

    Scope of financing: Autonomous

    Budget: 44.000€.

    Start/end date: 01-01-2016 / 30-06-2017

  • CONSOLIDATION AND STRENGTHENING OF THE INTEGRATED MARINE TECHNOLOGY SERVICE (SITMA) IN MARINE POLLUTION MONITORING TASKS.

    Principal Investigator:
    Arístegui Ruiz, Javier

    Number of researchers involved: 5

    Scope of funding: Autonomous

    Budget: 21,251.67

    Start/end date: 01-01-2017 / 30-11-2017

  • CANARY GEOROUTES I (GRAN CANARIA): INTERACTIVE GEO-GUIDE OF THE TRAILS OF GRAN CANARIA

    Principal Investigator:
    Yepes Temiño, Jorge

    Number of researchers involved: 3

    Scope of funding: Local

    Budget: 4.500€.

    Start/end date: 06-11-2014 / 05-11-2016

  • STUDIES OF THE OCEANIC VERTICAL PUMP IN MESOSCALE EDDIES

    Principal Investigator:
    Sangrá Inciarte, Pablo

    Number of researchers involved: 14

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 222,300 Euros

    Start/end date: 01-01-2013 / 31-12-2015

  • WATER MASS TRANSPORT AND ITS SEASONAL VARIABILITY IN THE OCEANOGRAPHIC REGION OF THE CANARY ISLANDS.

    Principal Investigator:
    Marrero Díaz, María De Los Ángeles

    Number of researchers involved: 9

    Scope of funding: Autonomous

    Budget: 30,000

    Start/end date: 08-01-2011 / 07-01-2014

  • MICROSTRUCTURE PROFILER AND ROTARY TABLE EQUIPMENT: PROGRESS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

    Principal Investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 1

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 59,974.78

    Start/end date: 01-01-2010 / 31-12-2012

  • PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE FORAGE PRODUCTION ON THE ISLAND OF EL HIERRO (PDE)

    Principal Investigator:
    Palacios Díaz, María Del Pino

    Number of researchers involved: 9

    Scope of financing: Autonomous

    Budget: 52.304€.

    Start/finish date: 06-10-2009 / 05-10-2012

  • MIXING PROCESSES IN THE CANARY BASIN: CANARY CURRENT AND NORTHWEST AFRICAN UPWELLING SYSTEM.

    Principal Investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 1

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 24.200€.

    Start/end date: 01-01-2009 / 31-12-2011

  • PROMECA-2010 OCEANOGRAPHIC CAMPAIGN

    Principal Investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 1

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 80,000 euros

    Start/end date: 01-12-2009 / 31-12-2010

  • TALLERY TERTULIA IN PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY 2009

    Principal Investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 1

    Scope of funding: Autonomous Community

    Budget: 4.750€.

    Start/end date: 01-01-2009 / 30-12-2009

  • ESP2005-06823-C05-04 CALIBRATION OF THE MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED BY THE MIRAS RADIOMETER OF THE SMOSY MISSION AND GENERATION OF SOIL SALINITY AND HUMIDITY MAPS. ULPGC PART

    Principal investigator:
    Eugenio González, Francisco

    Number of researchers involved: 4

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 95.200€.

    Start/end date: 31-12-2005 / 30-12-2008

  • SPECIFIC COLLABORATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ULPGC AND ICM-CSIC

    Principal Investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 1

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 14.125,71€.

    Start/end date: 12-12-2006 / 15-10-2008

  • STUDY OF OCEAN FLOW VARIABILITY AND DIURNAL MIXING PROCESSES IN THE CHANNEL BETWEEN TENERIFE AND LA GOMERA.

    Principal investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 6

    Scope of funding: Autonomous

    Budget: 20.108€Budget: 20.108€.

    Start/finish date: 22-06-2006 / 21-06-2008

  • 2ND SCIENTIFIC FILM WEEK

    Principal Investigator:
    Rodríguez Santana, Ángel

    Number of researchers involved: 1

    Scope of funding: National

    Budget: 6,000

    Start/end date: 12-09-2007 / 31-12-2007

News
26/09/2025
ECOAQUA participates in the Aquaculture Europe 2025 conference with six oral presentations, five posters and the presence of several of its projects
The most important event in the aquaculture sector in Europe was held this week in the city of Valencia, with 500 oral...
18/07/2025
ECOAQUA demonstrates scientific excellence at the 58th European Marine Biology Symposium in Bodø, Norway
Two researchers from the ECOAQUA University Institute of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) recently...
09/06/2025
ECOAQUA presents seven of its projects to the public as part of the 14th edition of FIMAR 2025
Researchers from different groups of the ULPGC university institute gave talks this weekend on the Portuguese Caravel,...

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Events
Second webinar of the SIRENA Project: towards safer aquaculture

30/09/2025

Entitled “Towards safer aquaculture: modelling and observation in the SIRENA Project”, the second webinar of the SIRENA Project will be held on 30 September 2025 at 1 p.m. (CET). This online meeting, aimed at professionals in the aquaculture sector, public managers, researchers and the general public, will present the scientific and technological advances developed within the framework of the project, focusing on the use of modelling and marine observation as key tools for strengthening the safety and sustainability of aquaculture.

Within the framework of the Pleamar 2023 Programme, co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), the SIRENA project is organising this second webinar to present the advances made in the study of the interaction between coastal dynamics and aquaculture. During the event, experts from the CSIC, ULPGC and collaborating entities will share results, methodologies and case studies, with a special focus on remote sensing, ocean modelling and international experiences.

Programme:
01:05 p.m.– Comprehensive Remote System for Monitoring, Detection and Prediction of Risks from Potentially Harmful Marine Events of Natural or Anthropogenic Origin. SIRENA Project. Objectives and progress.
By Montserrat Gimeno Ortiz, Manager of the Gran Canaria Coastal Action Group (GAC de Gran Canaria).

01:05 p.m. – Turbulence and insular wakes in a coastal aquaculture area: findings from the SIRENA Project.
By Jacob Stefan Torres Ojeda, project researcher (ICP). University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC). Member of the OFYGA group at ECOAQUA.

01:15 p.m. – Mathematics at the service of the sea: from model to reality in aquaculture.
By Luis Yubero Lozoya, Research Support Staff. CSIC, ICMAT.

01:25 p.m.– Monitoring the marine environment: contributions from PLOCAN's observation and recovery line.
By Silvana Neves, head of the marine observation and recovery research line (PLOCAN).

01:45 p.m. – Monitoring marine risks for offshore aquaculture: a view of SIRENA from Chile.
By Alonso Echevarría, director and founder of AEX Group.

02:05 p.m. – Discussion: questions and answers.

02:30 p.m. – End of session.

Date: 30 September 2025.

Venue: online (Zoom).

Organisation: The SIRENA project is being developed in collaboration with the Biodiversity Foundation, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Programme, and is co-financed by the European Union through the EMFF (European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund).

Participating research groups: OFYGA.

MORE INFORMATION

INSCRIPTIONS
International Sea Fair FIMAR-2025

06/06/2025 

Under the slogan “The sustainability of the Canarian coastline”, this event is a regional event of reference for the nautical and marine-maritime sector of the Canary Islands, which will take place in the Muelle Sanapú, in the surroundings of the Poema del Mar aquarium and the Pasarela Onda Atlántica, promoted by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Port Authority of Las Palmas and organised by Infecar Feria de Gran Canaria and Ciudad de Mar. Among the fair's activities is the dissemination of scientific information about the marine-maritime environment.

Date: 6th, 7th & 8th June 2025.

Venue: Muelle Sanapú, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Organizers:  INFECA y Ciudad de Mar, Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Partners: Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Ayuntamiento de las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Autoridad Portuaria de Las Palmas.

Participating research group: EOMAR, OFYGA, GIA, BIOCON & TOTMA.

ECOAQUA SCHEDULE

EVENT WEBSITE
II International Workshop on the Origin, Distribution and Fate of Marine Litter in the Atlantic

12/12/2024

This workshop will address the issue of marine litter in the Atlantic Ocean. It will discuss the physical and chemical processes, among others, that influence both the transport and accumulation of marine litter in order to try to find solutions.

Date: 12 December 2024.

Venue: Canary Islands Oceanographic Centre , Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Organizer: University of La Laguna, Spanish Institute of Oceanography and University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. 

Research groups and rechearchers:

Anna Cunill i Saez (EOMAR): Talk ‘Impacts of Cigarette Butt Leachates on Palaemon elegans’,
Sofía Huelbes Muñoz (EOMAR): Poster ‘Analyzing the presence of microplastics in Cronius ruber and their possible relationship with wastewater discharges’.
Francisco José Machín Jiménez (OFYGA): Talk ‘Microplastics in the Ocean: Emerging Perspectives in their Observation and Analysis’ and organisation.

EVENT WEBSITE

 

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Training

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The University Institute ECOAQUA is a research centre that belongs to the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a public institution that offers a wide range of degrees in all the major areas of knowledge, with the aim of providing comprehensive training to those who come to it, in a commitment based on innovation, quality and internationalisation.

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