Algarve Region Research Articles

Analysis of the 1 November 2015 heavy rainfall episode in Algarve by using weather radar and rain gauge data

The trigger for the study presented in this paper was the extreme rain event of 1 November 2015 in Algarve region. The main objective was the analysis and improvement of the precipitation field using a radar–rain gauge merging method. Ordinary kriging with radar-based error correction has been applied to hourly values of precipitation from both sensors. The merging technique allowed keeping the better radar spatial pattern, being the respective estimates corrected by the rain gauges observations. The procedure led to a reduction in the errors of the precipitation estimates, evaluated by cross-validation, when compared to univariate interpolation of rain gauge observation or radar rain product. Finally, some discussion is also added on the problematic of flooding in urban areas, especially those with absent or deficient urban planning.

An integrated decision support system for the Mediterranean forests

Mediterranean forests contain a relevant biological diversity and are relevant for local economy. However, they are subject to various risks, particularly the risk of forest fires. This turns the critical decisions of forest managers, affecting both the long-term future of the forest and daily activities, to be difficult. To simulate decisions, and help managers and policy makers, a decision support system, which integrates the biological, environmental and economic management perspectives of agricultural and forest areas, was developed and considers the activities existing in the territory. The decision support system considers the characteristics of the biophysical units that comprise the territorial study area, production technologies and conservation of agro-forestry goods and preferences of managers or stakeholders. The proposed approach was applied in a pilot Forest Intervention Zone (FIZ) located within the Algarve region inner land. The results show that the decision support system proposed is an important tool for managing the territory and for implementing the manager's decisions.

Active tectonics in Southern Portugal (SW Iberia) inferred from GPS data. Implications on the regional geodynamics

A GPS-based crustal velocity field for the SW Portuguese territory (Algarve region, SW Iberia) was estimated from the analysis of data from a network of campaign-style GPS stations set up in the region since 1998, complemented with permanent stations, covering an overall period of 16.5 years. The GPS monitoring sites were chosen attending to the display of the regional active faults, in an attempt to detect and monitor any related crustal straining. The residual horizontal velocities relative to Eurasia unveil a relatively consistent pattern towards WNW, with magnitudes that noticeably increase from NNE to SSW. Although the obtained velocity field does not evidence a sharp velocity gradient it suggests the presence of a NW-SE trending crustal shear zone separating two domains, which may be slowly accumulating a slightly transtensional right-lateral shear strain. Based on the WNW velocity differential between the northeastern block and the southwestern block, a shear strain rate accumulation across the shear zone is estimated. This ongoing crustal deformation is taken as evidence that a nearby major active structure, the São Marcos − Quarteira fault, may be presently accumulating strain, therefore being potentially loaded for seismic rupture and the generation of a large magnitude earthquake. Further inferences are made concerning the interseismic dynamic loading of other major onshore and offshore active structures located to the west.

A place in the sun? Discursive constructions of positive outcomes in post-migration stories in the Algarve

This study argues for more comparative research between seemingly different migrant groups, bringing a new focus on intra-European migration in Portugal by examining and comparing the reasons why migrants from different geographical origins choose to settle in the tourism-based Algarve region. Drawing on data collected from a questionnaire survey and interviews, the study first compares the profiles of two apparently distinct migrant groups – Northern and Eastern Europeans – and goes on to explore their discursive representations of migration experiences. Findings reveal that despite differences in initial motivations for moving to the Algarve, there are similarities between the two groups in terms of what leads them to settle in the region. Among both groups there is a high level of positive place-identity, suggesting that the specific context of the destination place plays a significant role in positive post-migration outcomes, something which is often overlooked in migration studies. Furthermore, the lived and perceived lifestyle affordances of the destination place, especially when discursively compared with the place and lifestyle left behind, are flagged by both groups and lend support to the idea that the role of lifestyle in migration has a wider significance than is usually credited.

Similarities and correlation between resident tourist overnights and Google Trends information in Portugal and its tourism regions

Over the last years, we observed an exponential growth in the number of tourism consumers that use the Internet as a source of information during a destination selection process. This process usually starts in a search engine, more specifically and likely on Google. Google Trends is a tool that displays data on the interest of people in a particular topic based on search trends. This data can probably be used by tourism organisations to help perform intelligent decision making, since it is available almost in real time and much earlier than the official statistical data. Indeed, this paper demonstrates that Google Trends is a tool that can provide useful and relevant information about the interests of individuals in relation to domestic tourism destinations at national and regional levels, and is focused on Google-search data regarding mainland Portugal and its tourism regions: North, Centre, Alentejo and Algarve. Our findings indicate that overnights spent in hotel establishments by the residents in Portugal are strongly correlated with the Google index, mainly in mainland Portugal, Alentejo and Algarve regions, and that the results improve when more municipalities names and the national or the regional tourism brands are included as search terms.

Integration of Fire Risk in a Sustainable Forest Management Model

In Mediterranean areas, forest fires are a considerable risk most years. The seasonality of the climate with a dry summer, high temperatures and low rainfall (which implies increased flammability of materials) is one of the main factors in the ignition and progression of fires. This factor conjugated with more favourable biophysical conditions (e.g., high slopes, aspect) leads to easy propagation and the increasingly destructive power of such phenomena. To prevent and reduce the consequences of forest fires, it is necessary to simulate and forecast the territory use and management, not only focused on forest areas, but also on all land uses and agricultural activities that may coexist there, considering the probability of fire occurrence. The objective of this paper is to present a methodological approach to address the integration of fire risk in integrated Mediterranean forest management models. The methodological approach considers simultaneously the climatic conditions through different times of the year (more or less favourable to forest fire damage) and structural conditions addressed to land uses, aspect, slope, roads and demographic density. The methodological approach was implemented in a management area located in the Algarve, in southern Portugal. The results for the Algarve region showed that the proposed approach is very useful for managers, since it allowed the calculation of fire susceptibility, vulnerability and fire damage, according to several climatic scenarios. It also allowed the incorporation of different paths regarding different fire risk conditions and the minimization of risk due to fire damage through different management responses.

A Microcluster Approach Applied to the Case of the Nautical Tourism Sector of the Algarve Region (Portugal)

The article characterizes and evaluates the strategic role played by nautical tourism, in general, and by marinas, in particular, in terms of increasing Algarve's competitiveness, reducing tourism seasonality, and generating multiplier effects in connected industries. Central to the analysis is the notion that a marina is an economic unit that provides concentrated services (as opposed to producing a physical product), working as an "anchor" for the surrounding firms and, as such, naturally giving rise to a local cluster. The adequacy to transfer the cluster concept from manufacture to tourism is also discussed. The methodology chosen is an application of the Porter cluster model to the nautical tourism sector in the Algarve, where each component of the diamond model (factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, firms' strategy, structure, and rivalry)—besides its two external factors (historical factors/chance and public policies)—is analyzed. The adopted Porter model is tested on each and every one of the above "diamond" dimensions based on statistical data, a literature review (which includes an international benchmarking analysis), and in primary data collected through a survey launched in 2014 to the totality of the Algarve companies in the sectors of nautical tourism and recreational boating, and interviews involving the Algarve marinas' Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). Recommendations to strengthen the aspects identified as more problematic are also included as well as future research guidelines. In particular, the issue of coopetition, identified as a major weakness, is discussed both theoretically and empirically.

Second home tourism in the Algarve – The perception of public managers

Proposal: In the last year’s second home tourism has obtained a relevant attention in Portugal, and especially in the Algarve region. It has been identified by the national tourism plan as one of the strategic products. In the Algarve second home market important for the tourism dynamics. Objective: This study focuses on the perception of government agents in the Algarve about second home tourism, in particular the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that this product creates for regional development. Methodological Design: The study uses a descriptive and exploratory approach with an online survey applied to all municipalities in the Algarve. Results: The results are helpful to understand second home tourism trajectories by presenting useful information to future strategies. Originality: It was observed that economic factors directly influence strengths and threats, the weakness are more related to social and environmental aspects, and the opportunities are linked to all dimensions, economic, social and environmental.

Disability-adjusted life years lost due to ischemic heart disease in mainland Portugal, 2013

Introduction and ObjectivesEstimates of the burden of ischemic heart disease (IHD), including geographic differences, should support health policy decisions. We set out to estimate the burden of IHD in mainland Portugal in 2013 by calculating disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and to compare this burden between five regions. MethodsYears of life lost (YLLs) were calculated by multiplying the number of IHD deaths in 2013 (Statistics Portugal) by the life expectancy at the age at which death occurred. Years lived with disability (YLDs) were computed as the number of cases of acute coronary syndrome, stable angina and ischemic heart failure multiplied by an average disability weight. Crude and age-standardized DALYs (direct method, Standard European Population) were calculated for mainland Portugal and for the Northern, Central, Lisbon, Alentejo and Algarve regions. ResultsIn 2013, 95413 DALYs were lost in mainland Portugal due to IHD. YLLs accounted for 88.3% of the disease burden. Age-standardized DALY rates per 1000 population were higher in men than in women, across the entire country (8.9 in men; 3.4 in women) and within each region, ranging from 7.3 in the Northern and Central regions to 11.8 in the Algarve in men, and from 2.6 in the Northern region to 4.6 in Lisbon in women. ConclusionsNearly 100000 DALYs were lost to IHD in Portugal, mostly through early mortality. This study enables accurate comparisons with other countries and between regions; however, it highlights the need for population-based studies to obtain specific data on morbidity.

Disability-adjusted life years lost due to ischemic heart disease in mainland Portugal, 2013

Introduction and ObjectivesEstimates of the burden of ischemic heart disease (IHD), including geographic differences, should support health policy decisions. We set out to estimate the burden of IHD in mainland Portugal in 2013 by calculating disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and to compare this burden between five regions. MethodsYears of life lost (YLLs) were calculated by multiplying the number of IHD deaths in 2013 (Statistics Portugal) by the life expectancy at the age at which death occurred. Years lived with disability (YLDs) were computed as the number of cases of acute coronary syndrome, stable angina and ischemic heart failure multiplied by an average disability weight. Crude and age-standardized DALYs (direct method, Standard European Population) were calculated for mainland Portugal and for the Northern, Central, Lisbon, Alentejo and Algarve regions. ResultsIn 2013, 95413 DALYs were lost in mainland Portugal due to IHD. YLLs accounted for 88.3% of the disease burden. Age-standardized DALY rates per 1000 population were higher in men than in women, across the entire country (8.9 in men; 3.4 in women) and within each region, ranging from 7.3 in the Northern and Central regions to 11.8 in the Algarve in men, and from 2.6 in the Northern region to 4.6 in Lisbon in women. ConclusionsNearly 100000 DALYs were lost to IHD in Portugal, mostly through early mortality. This study enables accurate comparisons with other countries and between regions; however, it highlights the need for population-based studies to obtain specific data on morbidity.

The morphosedimentary behaviour of a headland–beach system: Quantifying sediment transport using fluorescent tracers

Embayed beaches occurring along rocky coasts with headlands controlling hydrosedimentary processes are considered to be constrained sedimentary systems with little longshore sediment transfer between them. Such beaches are likely to narrow under rising sea level and a deficit of fluvial sediment, and because beaches act to dissipate wave energy, cliff erosion is expected to increase. Knowledge of hydrosedimentary processes in fetch-limited environments such as embayed beaches is therefore a fundamental management tool in erosion-prone coastal areas such as the Algarve region (southern Portugal). The main objective of this work is to quantify longshore sediment transport (LST) using a sedimentary tracer and compare the results with the ones derived via empirical formulae from several authors. To achieve this, we establish the spatial and temporal patterns of stained sediment, and relate these to marine climate data over six tidal cycles for three adjacent embayed beaches. The values of displaced sand estimated using tracer and scaled to mixed layer depth were compared with the results of five well-known LST formulae to assess the applicability of each model to mesotidal environments. Of the LST formulae used, the CERC (2013) shows to be the most accurate in our study area.This study demonstrates the efficacy of using tracers for tracking and quantifying the sediment transport and as a basis for assessing the viability of different LST formulae for representing transport in these types of environments. The work also shows the importance of the morphological control of hydrosedimentary processes, including the disruption of longshore drift and the sediment transfer promoted by shore platforms.

Analysis of Regional Innovation Performance in Portugal - Results from an External Logistic BIPLOT Method

Portuguese strategic choices regarding innovation and R&D policy have, over the past two decades, produced various positive achievements, in which the regions of Lisbon and Algarve have taken the lead, and are the only ones in the country to converge towards the European average growth rate. Regarding the other Portuguese regions - despite significant national growth rates in the 1990s as well as a successful attempt to cope with the EMU -, these are lagging behind the EU average with respect to gross production, investment or employment generation. Meanwhile, one of the greatest public policy efforts was to diffuse much of the European funds across the entrepreneurial sector. After a long pathway, it is now timely to evaluate the firms' contribution to national and regional growth, their obstacles and impacts. For the purpose of this paper, innovation is used here as a major contributor to the policy evaluation process referred to above. Our investigation aims to explain the present performance of Portuguese firms located throughout the country and to explore those innovation determinants that have a region-specific connotation. To provide a thorough investigation, our analysis defines, on a regional basis, a set of firms' behavioral patterns regarding innovation. In our modelling, we employ a new methodology, viz. the External Logistic Biplot method, which is applied to an extensive sample of innovative institutions in Portugal. Variables such as 'Promoting knowledge', 'Management skills', 'Promoting R&D', 'Knowledge transfer', 'Promoting partnership & cooperation', and 'Orientation of public measures' have been identified as crucial determinants in earlier studies and are now used to describe regional institutional profiles. Such profiles exhibit a great variety in the way they combine these determinants to promote regional innovation. The creation of a gradient of capacity to dynamically innovate associated with each firm makes it possible to analyze the innovation gradient of each region in Portugal. Our paper presents and systematically investigates these findings and then reaches some policy conclusions.

Time-Motion Analysis of Young Competitive Surfers: Southern Portugal

Introduction: Time-motion analysis should be an integral part of the coaching process in competitive surf to help design training programs, as well as maximize athlete performance. There are a few studies that analyzed the timemotion of surfer activities during competition. Thus, the aim of this study was evaluate each activity’s time made by surfers during the heat competition, in order to account for the time spent in each surf activity. Methods: Forty-two young Portuguese surfers, both males and females, residing in southern Portugal, participated in the championship of the “School Sport” of the Algarve region. Each surfer was individually videoed for the entire duration of the heat using a video camera. The V-Note Video Analysis Software 2.1.2 was used to evaluate the movement´s time made by each surfer during the competition, in order to account for the time spent in each activity. The activities that the surfers were evaluated included: paddling; sprint paddle for wave; stationary; wave riding; miscellaneous (e.g. duck diving, recovery of the board, and other). Results: The surfers were paddling 58%, stationary 42%, sprint paddle for wave 3.8%, and wave riding 3.1% of the total time. The average of surfing activities were 15.2 seconds for paddling, 1.5 seconds to sprint paddle for wave, 8.8 seconds for stationary period, 4.4 for wave riding, and18.2 for miscellaneous activities. Conclusion: The data from this study revealed that, for this sample and competition analyzed, the activities that had a greater percentage of time included the paddling and miscellaneous activities. The results of this study show that surfing is an intermittent activity that is characterized by large variability of each activity that was analyzed, and these surfing activities seems to be controlled more by environmental factors than by surfer attitude.

A alimentação artificial como medida de redução do risco em praias suportadas por arribas rochosas na costa do Barlavento (Algarve, Portugal)

Tourism based on “sun and beach” is the main economic activity in the Algarve region. A considerable part of the beaches at the Barlavento coast corresponds...

Landscape metrics applied to formerly reclaimed saltmarshes: A tool to evaluate ecosystem services?

Analyses of saltmarsh ecosystem services have been particularly focused on the capacity of mitigating climate change effects to cope with rising sea levels and concerning flood management. Nevertheless, ecosystem stability is vital for accurate service delivery, but land-use changes and coastal erosion are affecting saltmarshes. This provides the background for one of the primary arguments for protecting saltmarshes. Landscape metrics were selected according to shape, complexity, and connectivity parameters, and added to average elevation and distance to the coast, for two years - 1972 and 2010. We developed an equation that measures coastal protection, taking into account the results of PCA and the percentage of explained variation of each component (coastal defence index: ES_CoastDef). Three saltmarshes located in the Algarve region, Portugal, were selected to apply the coastal defence index. Individual patches were analysed according to saltmarsh typologies. Results revealed that every saltmarsh decreased its coastal defence from 1972 to 2010; changes in shape and connectivity metrics affect mostly the index performance. In 1972, natural saltmarshes offered a better coastal defence than the other typologies, but in 2010 formerly reclaimed saltmarshes comprised higher values of coastal defence. Positive evolutions in terms of reclaimed saltmarshes have enabled them to provide coastal defence ecosystem services. Thus, through this index it is possible to outline target coastal defence parameters and design strategies for their conservation and consider ecological restoration.

Tourism growth and regional resilience

As a consequence of the international financial crisis in 2007, the region of Algarve, where tourism plays an important economic and social role, suffered a decrease in tourism demand, while unemployment increased sharply. Although tourism activities registered a quick recovery, unemployment levels continued to grow. This article examines the impacts of tourism activities on the sectorial structure of the regional economy, using a Bayesian vector autoregressive model. The results reveal that tourism growth did not automatically create the expected positive impacts on the economic performance of the other sectors, as was expressed by the objectives defined in the regional development strategies over the last two decades. The positive impacts of tourism were concentrated in the production of non-tradable goods and the construction sector, leading to a significant reduction of the weight of the tradable sector within the regional economy, similar to a process of deindustrialization described as the ‘Dutch disease’. The decline of construction activities after 2007 has led to a significant increase of regional unemployment, although tourism growth has returned to ‘pre-crisis’ levels, revealing the lack of regional resilience.

Using geolocated tweets for characterization of Twitter in Portugal and the Portuguese administrative regions

The information published by the millions of public social network users is an important source of knowledge that can be used in academic, socioeconomic or demographic studies (distribution of male and female population, age, marital status, birth), lifestyle analysis (interests, hobbies, social habits) or be used to study online behavior (time spent online, interaction with friends or discussion about brands, products or politics). This work uses a database of about 27 million Portuguese geolocated tweets, produced in Portugal by 97.8 K users during a 1-year period, to extract information about the behavior of the geolocated Portuguese Twitter community and show that with this information it is possible to extract overall indicators such as: the daily periods of increased activity per region; prediction of regions where the concentration of the population is higher or lower in certain periods of the year; how do regional habitants feel about life; or what is talked about in each region. We also analyze the behavior of the geolocated Portuguese Twitter users based on the tweeted contents, and find indications that their behavior differs in certain relevant aspect from other Twitter communities, hypothesizing that this is in part due to the abnormal high percentage of young teenagers in the community. Finally, we present a small case study on Portuguese tourism in the Algarve region. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first study that shows geolocated Portuguese users’ behavior in Twitter focusing on geographic regional use.

Arte popular criativa e turismo cultural na cidade de Loulé (Algarve/Portugal)

Este trabalho aborda a arte popular criativa como oferta complementar ao produto “turismo cultural” em espaço urbano, uma experiência que tem como chave interpretativa o descobrimento das reflexões e interpretações acerca da inovação estratégica do produto artesanal na cidade de Loulé, na região Algarve, em Portugal. Sob esse pressuposto, interessa-nos aqui não a descrição dos artesãos e artesanatos, mas a discussão acerca da relação entre arte popular e criatividade, uma abordagem integrada nas tendências do turismo cultural. Nesse contexto, o artigo traz o exemplo do projeto de Técnicas Ancestrais e Soluções Atuais (TASA). Desse modo, considera-se como método a subjetividade das entrevistas e dos trabalhos de campo, por meio dos quais foi possível observar as situações do cotidiano, os espaços e lugares dos artesãos com sua arte popular criativa. O texto traz argumentos e análises acerca do turismo nos contextos cultural e criativo e na experiência de valorização da arte popular em Loulé.

Earthen Plasters Based on Illitic Soils from Barrocal Region of Algarve: Contributions for Building Performance and Sustainability

Clayish earth-based mortars can be considered eco-efficient products for indoor plastering since they can contribute to improve important aspects of building performance and sustainability. Apart from being products with low embodied energy when compared to other types of mortars used for interior plastering, mainly due to the use raw clay as natural binder, earth-based plasters may give a significant contribution for health and comfort of inhabitants. Due to high hygroscopicity of clay minerals, earth-based mortars present a high adsorption and desorption capacity, particularly when compared to other type of mortars for interior plastering. This capacity allows earth-based plasters to act as a moisture buffer, balancing the relative humidity of the indoor environment and, simultaneously, acting as a passive removal material, improving air quality. Therefore, earth-based plasters may also passively promote the energy efficiency of buildings, since they may contribute to decreasing the needs of mechanical ventilation and air conditioning. This study is part of an ongoing research regarding earth-based plasters and focuses on mortars specifically formulated with soils extracted from Portuguese ‘Barrocal’ region, in Algarve sedimentary basin. This region presents high potential for interior plastering due to regional geomorphology, that promote the occurrence of illitic soils characterized by a high adsorption capacity and low expansibility. More specifically, this study aims to assess how clayish earth and sand ratio of mortars formulation can influence the physical and mechanical properties of plasters. For this assessment four mortars were formulated with different volumetric proportions of clayish earth and siliceous sand. The results from the physical and mechanical characterization confirmed the significantly low linear shrinkage of all the four mortars, as well as their extraordinary adsorption-desorption capacity. These results presented a positive correlation with mortars ́ clayish earth content and are consistent with the mineralogical analysis, that confirmed illite as the prevalent clay mineral in the clayish earth used for this study. Regarding mechanical resistance, although the promising results of the adhesion test, the flexural and compressive strength results suggest that the mechanical resistance of these mortars should be slightly improved. Considering the present results the mortars mechanical resistance improvement may be achieved through the formulation of mortars with higher clayish earth content, or alternatively, through the addition of natural fibers to mortars formulation, very common in this type of mortars. Both those options will be investigated in future research.

A fuzzy MCDM approach for choosing a tourism destination in Portugal

In this paper, it is intended to create a methodology in order to have a multi criteria approach for choosing a tourist destination region or place. Involving a gridline scheme for selection a tourism destination, several criteria will be defined in order to create the basis for the utilisation of the model for electing a destination. The first step involves the description of the features of the possible destinations like Lisbon, Alentejo, Algarve and Alto Douro Region and in which the methodology may be applied. Tourism destination selection is a multi criteria decision making (MCDM) problem including both multi alternatives and criteria and has a great importance for many travellers. To do so, we use the fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), an MCDM method based on fuzzy sets in deciding about a tourism destination. Generally, it is difficult to model the real life problems with crisp data. For that reason, we take advantage of using linguistic variables to select the best tourist destination in Portugal.