Lisbon Metropolitan Area Research Articles

Social inequalities and collective action in times of crisis: The case of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area

ABSTRACTDuring the international financial crisis, Portugal found itself in a very difficult and vulnerable socioeconomic situation that has led to an increase in social inequalities. This article seeks to understand two things: firstly, how much the impacts of the crisis contributed to a general perception that people's social position has gone backwards, compared to their pre-crisis situations; secondly, whether it is possible to link this generalized perception that living conditions have gone downhill to an increase in and diversification of collective action practices. The authors analyse data from a 2014 survey of 1,500 residents of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, which they use to measure how far the level of collective action practices has increased and varied in accordance with a set of social inequality indicators, such as resource and educational inequalities.

Bootstrap approach to validate the performance of models for predicting mortality risk temperature in Portuguese Metropolitan Areas

BackgroundThere has been increasing interest in assessing the impacts of extreme temperatures on mortality due to diseases of the circulatory system. This is further relevant for future climate scenarios where marked changes in climate are expected. This paper presents a solid method do identify the relationship between extreme temperatures and mortality risk by using as predictors simulated temperature data for cold and hot conditions in two urban areas in Portugal.MethodsBased on the mortality and meteorological data from Porto Metropolitan Area (PMA) and Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA), a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was implemented to estimate the temperature effects on mortality due to diseases of the circulatory system. The performance of the models was validated via bootstrapping approaching by creating resamples with replacement from the validating data. Bootstrapping was also used to identify the best candidate model and to evaluate the sensitivity of the spline functions to the exposure-lag-response relationship.ResultsIt is found that the model is able to reproduce the temperature-related mortality risk for two metropolitan areas. Temperature previously simulated by climate models is useful and even better than observed temperature. Although, the biases in predictions in both metropolitan areas are low, mortality risk predictions in PMA are more accurate than in LMA. Using parametric bootstrapping, we found that the overall cumulative association estimated under different bi-dimensional exposure-lag-response relationship are relatively stable, especially for the model selected by Quasi-Akaike Information Criteria (QAIC). Exposure to summer temperature conditions is best related to mortality risk. The association between winter temperature and mortality risk is somewhat less strong.ConclusionsThe use of QAIC to choose from several candidate models provides valid predictions and reduced the uncertainty in the estimated relative risk for circulatory disease mortality. Our findings can be applied to better understand the characteristics and facilitate the prevention of circulatory disease mortality in Porto and Lisbon Metropolitan Areas, namely if we consider the actual context of climate change.

X-ray vision: a mental representation of the body of a young and of an elderly person

Introduction: The concepts of Young Person and Elderly Person have undergone a diversity of evolutionary nature, permeable to many factors beyond the biopsychosocial conventions involved the definition of the life cycle stages [1]. The evaluation of such subjectivity in several population fringes and in different stages of development may be a clinical key regarding the implementation of suitable strategies for the prevention of disease and health promotion [2,3]. The present study aims to understand how the college students of the anatomy Fine Arts’ class mentally represent the internal morphology of the human body of the “Young Person” and of the “Elderly Person” [4]. Materials and methods: The present study was carried out based on the drawings made by 126 students who attended a Fine Arts higher education institution in the metropolitan area of Lisbon and Tagus Valley. The students were asked to draw the interior of the body of a young person and of an elderly person [2]. In all, 252 drawings were evaluated, and the interpretation of the drawings was based on an analysis matrix designed for this purpose. A comparative analysis of these two different vital life cycle phases was carried out. Results: The data suggests that in most cases the age attributed to the young figure is on average much lower than the age attributed to the elderly figure. Simultaneously, there was an absence of the contour of the body (the skin), which represented the largest organ of the human body. The drawings reveal an absence of sexual organs, suggesting a desexualization of the portrayed human bodies. The results suggest anatomical differences in the pictorial representation of the young person and of the elderly person, namely in the accentuation of curvatures of the vertebral column, retruded lower jaw and muscle flaccidity. Interestingly, the elderly figure, when invested, is represented with supporting instruments (e.g., cane) or associated with unhealthy behaviours (e.g., smoking). Discussion and conclusions: The present exploratory study demonstrated that although the body schema was the same for all individuals, the body image was singular, linked to each individual and to his own history, representing a synthesis of his idiosyncratic perceptions, experiences and particularities. The graphic representation of the mind and of the symbolic thought with resource to pictorial instrument enabled the transposition of this internal dimension in the form of imago, endowed with meanings associated with personal and bodily identity.

Children's exposure to sized-fractioned particulate matter and black carbon in an urban environment

Fine air particulate matter (PM2.5) is currently one of the major environmental issues influencing people's health. The first step for assessing the health effects of inhaled PM2.5 is based on the evaluation of the human exposure levels. The main objective of this study is to quantify children's daily exposure to sized-fractioned PM2.5 and Black Carbon (BC) in an urban environment. Children from Lisbon metropolitan area carried portable monitoring equipment during three days and recorded the time spent in their activities and respective microenvironments (MEs). The average exposure to PM2.5 (19 μg/m3) was higher than that registered by the nearest fixed urban background station (11 μg/m3), evidencing the importance of assessing the personal daily exposure. The average exposure to PM1, PM0.5 and PM0.25 was 14 μg/m3, 11 μg/m3, and 7.7 μg/m3, respectively. Time-activity pattern records showed that children spent more than 80% of their time indoors, especially at home (55%) and in the classroom (22%), where they received 44% of the daily BC dose. Although commuting only accounted for 5.0% of the daily time, children inhaled 23% of their daily BC dose when travelling in rush hours to school. Time series analysis of the BC concentrations showed an average of 1.3 μg/m3, with high peak levels in underground parking lots (63 μg/m3), during charcoal grills (53 μg/m3), and when candles were burning (6.6 μg/m3). This work highlights the importance of urban planning to reduce children's exposure to traffic emissions, combined with awareness-raising actions for citizens concerning the impact of indoor sources.

Challenges for psychosocial rehabilitation services in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area: A qualitative approach.

In Portugal, a mental health reform process is in place aiming to redefine the model of service provision. In 2008, a National Mental Health Plan (NMHP) was approved to provide policy guidance over the transition period. The NMHP intended, among others, to develop community-based services, with a specific focus on rehabilitation and deinstitutionalization. This study aims to explore the perspectives of service managers of psychosocial rehabilitation services regarding the main challenges to support the community living of persons with severe mental illnesses (PWSMI) in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA). The paper also contextualises the provision of psychosocial services within the country's mental health reform process and characterises the profile of service users in socio-occupational units (SOUs) of the LMA. Semi-structured interviews were performed with all SOUs' managers of the LMA (n=13). Information regarding service user characteristics was collected based on service records (n=344). Interviews were analysed according to the framework methodology. The results of the interviews were triangulated using document analysis. Fieldwork took place between June and July 2016. The findings suggest that the development of the mental health reform ensured significant changes to service delivery. Community-based mental health organisations are an important actor for service provision. However, important asymmetries were identified in the provision of psychosocial care within the LMA. At the same time, family carers are perceived as responsible for ensuring a large part of the social needs of the PWSMI but there is an increasing concern with their own ageing processes. As a conclusion, it is highlighted the current inequality between services and the need to contemplate a life-course perspective that comprehends the ageing process of caregivers poses an emerging challenge for psychosocial rehabilitation. These findings are also important for other low- and middle-income countries passing through similar reforms.

What matters to people? Exploring contents of landscape identity at the local scale

ABSTRACTPlanning policies are drivers of landscape change and affect people’s identity related to landscape. An improved understanding of landscape identity can provide insights, with a view to steering policy and planning. The concept of landscape identity is useful to explore the interaction between people and their surroundings, making identification of the ‘content’ of identity a pivotal issue. This paper aims to understand the contents of landscape identity in relation to future planning at the local scale. The case study of the municipality of Palmela (Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal) uses a qualitative approach (focus groups with community stakeholders) to collect the meaning of the contents of identity. The results show that there are multiple local landscape identities. Some contents of identity unite, whilst others divide the community of Palmela municipality. Acknowledging the relevance and the role of each content of identity provides knowledge that can be crucial for future planning decisions.

Exploring socioeconomic and mental health trajectories during times of economic recession: a qualitative study with primary health care users and professionals

Background: The 2008 economic recession has been shown to affect populations’ mental health due to deterioration of socioeconomic and living conditions. Concurrently, mental health problems may have constituted a vulnerability to wider social inequalities during this period.Aims: To explore perceptions and experiences of primary health care users and professionals regarding the relationship between mental health and socioeconomic position during the economic recession in Portugal.Method: Data were collected in three primary health care centres in Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with users and professionals, respectively. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and underwent thematic analysis.Results: Two themes were obtained. The first comprised the relationship between changes in socioeconomic conditions (unemployment, precarious work conditions and financial hardship) and poor mental health. The second involved the consequences of experiencing mental health problems during the recession, namely disability, need of sick leave and early retirement.Conclusions: This study provided a comprehensive overview of the bidirectional relationship between socioeconomic conditions and mental health, emphasizing the need to develop policies to address the drivers of poor mental health during times of economic downturn and tackle the barriers faced by people with mental disorders to promote their full social inclusion.

Death, mourning and post-death rituals of elderly migrants

ABSTRACTThis study focuses on understanding the mourning process in the elderly and how this is linked to gender, ethnicity and social class, among Cape Verdean migrants in Portugal. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 older people living in the Lisbon Metropolitan area. We inquired about the existence of beliefs, superstitions, rituals and Cape Verdean traditions associated with death. The way individuals deal with death depends largely on individual trajectories of living in a group and in certain contexts. We found a cosmopolitan and an existential vision, corresponding to the elite group and popular group beliefs, attitudes and representations.

Classroom quality and children’s social skills and problem behaviors: Dosage and disability status as moderators

Multiple studies have reported associations between early childhood education (ECE) quality and dosage and children’s social and behavior development, with some suggesting that this association may be stronger for specific groups of children. In this study, we examined the association between classroom quality and children’s social skills and problem behaviors, as reported by ECE teachers, as well as the moderating effects of ECE dosage and children’s disability status. Participants were 222 children (Mage = 63.75, SD = 7.77), including 180 typically developing (90 boys) and 42 children with disabilities (29 boys), from 44 inclusive classrooms in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, Portugal. Our results indicated that children’s social skills and behavior problems were not directly associated with observed classroom quality domains. However, lower classroom organization predicted lower social skills and higher externalizing behavior at higher number of months with the lead teacher; and instructional support predicted increased social skills for children with disabilities. Days absent from school predicted lower social skills. Overall, our results suggest that diverse types of dosage influence teacher’s reports of social and behavioral outcomes in different ways.

From the housing policies to the urban space: Spatial trajectory of Afro-descendants across Lisbon Metropolitan Area

O presente artigo tem por objetivo explorar a geografia residencial das populacoes afrodescendentes da Area Metropolitana de Lisboa resultante das politicas de habitacao adotadas nos ultimos 60 anos. O enquadramento teorico sera elaborado em torno da categoria “afrodescendentes”, que abrange os imigrantes provenientes das antigas colonias portuguesas em Africa, bem como os seus descendentes. Embora esses grupos sejam diversificados e plurais, destaca-se o facto de serem grupos sociais consolidados e historicos da cidade. Com efeito, uma revisao das estatisticas e dos relatorios oficiais revela que tem sido uma presenca constante na cidade desde o inicio da sua historia moderna. Em seguida, olhando para as ultimas seis decadas atraves de uma revisao sistematica da literatura, e possivel identificar as tres fases principais que marcaram a evolucao das politicas de habitacao: a primeira fase, desde a decada de 60 a de 90 do seculo passado, foi marcada principalmente pela ambiguidade institucional do regime de propriedade; a segunda fase, de 1993 a 2000, ocorreu durante a execucao do Programa Especial de Realojamento (PER), programa nacional de habitacao social; e a terceira fase, iniciada ha cerca de 15 anos, foi caracterizada pelo processo de reabilitacao urbana que ainda esta em curso. A natureza das politicas adotadas e as consequencias socio-urbanisticas que afetaram as populacoes afrodescendentes serao examinadas distintamente. Nao obstante a escassez dos dados, o presente artigo visa o reconhecimento da marginalizacao residencial dos afrodescendentes no espaco metropolitano de Lisboa como resultado das politicas de habitacao em apreco.

The use of the social dimension of memory as an emancipatory instrument in communities with socio-cultural vulnerability

This article is the result of action research conducted during the postdoctoral research at the Department of Social Museology of the Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies and the Center for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra, CES-UC, and presents the mobilization against the removal of “6 de Maio neighborhood”, located in Amadora, Lisbon Metropolitan Area, next to the social movement for the Right to Housing. The context is the transformation of the city into the “Lisbon of fashion”, which causes real estate valuation processes and takes on new meanings within the framework of the neoliberal logic of urban management. The consequences are assisted in the accelerated process of population replacement, triggered in certain areas of the city and the metropolitan region, which causes material and symbolic impacts to those affected. The article presents the “Memory Workshops” held in the “6 de Maio neighborhood” as a social movement strategy to trigger popular memory and boost the struggle for the right to housing. We sought to explore new forms of creative and affective resistance capable of acting in symbolic and immaterial spheres. Keywords: Memory Workshops; 6 de Maio, Amadora, Lisbon; Right to the city

Pathways of demographic and urban development and their effects on land take and ecosystem services: The case of Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes, particularly land take by urbanization, can jeopardize ecosystems and their capacity to provide humans with numerous benefits, known as ecosystem services. A better understanding of the connections between land take, changes in complex LULC patterns and ecosystem services is still needed. Especially needed are forward-looking analyses that can support spatial planning in the face of targets like “no net land take,” as set in Europe. The aim of this research is to gain insight into the possible consequences of alternative pathways of demographic and urban development, in terms of land take and ecosystem services supply. Using the Lisbon Metropolitan Area in Portugal as case study, four contrasting scenarios for 2030 were developed that cover major determinants of land take (with a focus on residential development) and priority ecosystem services for the region, as well as deal with climate regulation, recreation and food production. Our findings suggest that the effects of urban development on land take are positive for a “compact city” and negative for an “urban sprawl” pattern, even for opposite demographic developments (growth versus decline). However, each pattern can have both positive and negative effects on the supply of ecosystem services. Hence, tensions can exist between the “compact city” model of urban development and the provision of ecosystem services to urban dwellers, especially across planning levels. We argue that the way land take is defined can influence the outcome of this kind of assessment, depending on which LULC dataset is used to support it. Exploring the approach developed in this research with different stakeholders while adopting more extreme scenario assumptions can provide additional insights on the topic.

Las instituciones municipales portuguesas y su adopción de las tecnologías 2.0: propuesta de un Indicador de Web Social

El propósito del estudio consiste en calibrar la adopción, a cargo de los municipios portugueses, de las tecnologías 2.0 como parte de su estrategia de comunicación digital. Para ello, y tras un análisis de contenido de los 308 sitios web del país, se creó un Indicador de Web Social (ICW) que, además de ofrecer una visión de conjunto, nos posibilitó identificar qué elementos, ya sean demográficos, económicos, geográficos, tecnológicos o políticos, afectan en mayor medida a esa adopción.Los resultados indican que las redes sociales, especialmente Facebook, son el elemento más difundido, y que los factores clave en la implementación de las herramientas 2.0 se vinculan, de forma significativa, con parámetros del desarrollo tecnológico de la localidad, su presupuesto y población. Estos factores apuntan al litoral y, más concretamente, al Área Metropolitana de Lisboa como el sector más destacado en cuanto al uso de la web colaborativa en sus pautas de e-Gobierno. A nivel ideológico, sin embargo, no existen diferencias entre ayuntamientos gobernadospor partidos de izquierda o derecha en su consideración de las funcionalidades examinadas.

Assessing the influence of boundary conditions, driving behavior and data analysis methods on real driving CO2 and NOx emissions

The need to verify vehicle emissions in real world operation led to the implementation of Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test procedures, effective since September 2017 for new Euro 6 cars following the Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/427, which defines the RDE test conditions and data analysis methods to allow representative results. Main factors addressed by the regulation include the share of driving operation, ambient temperature range, altitude and elevation difference. However, RDE is still debatable since not only boundary conditions but also the evaluation methods and trip selection are being discussed together with a carbon dioxide (CO2) regulation, which is planned to be implemented in the short term.Thus, this work focuses on analyzing the effect of different data measurement and analysis methods (i.e. cold-operation, road grade, trip selection and driving style) on CO2 and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions based on 13 RDE tests performed in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal. The tests were conducted by 2 drivers using 5 vehicles. Each driver performed 2 trips per vehicle, one in normal driving and other in aggressive driving. A Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS) was used to collect 1 Hz data, which was compared and analyzed using the European Commission (EC) proposed method for RDE tests.Results show the effects of each parameter such as average difference between drivers (7% in CO2 and 55% in NOx emissions) and between aggressive and normal driving. For road grade, big oscillations happen during the slope profile, which impacts emissions during all trips. Considering cold-operation, CO2 and NOx emissions are, on average, ~25% and 55% higher, respectively, than in hot-operation. These results highlight the need for deeper studies on these factors to assure that RDE tests evolve to a more established certification procedure than laboratorial certifications.

A one-year record of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at an urban background site in Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of organic chemicals that are widely distributed in the atmosphere and well known for their adverse health effects. This study aims to describe, for the first time, the levels, sources and associated health risks of particulate PAHs in an urban background atmosphere of Lisbon, the capital and largest city in Portugal. PM10 aerosol samples were collected from early January to the end of December 2012 with a high-volume sampler and were later analyzed for 10 PAHs by high-performance liquid chromatography. The annual average of the sum of the concentrations of PAHs (ΣPAHs) was 1.64 ± 1.85 ng/m3. The dominant PAHs were pyrene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, fluoranthene and benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Together these species accounted for approximately 70% of the ΣPAHs. A marked seasonal variation was observed for the investigated PAHs, with the highest values in winter and the lowest in spring and summer, reflecting the variation of emissions and meteorological conditions over time. The average concentration of benzo[a]pyrene was found to be 0.107 ± 0.152 ng/m3, not exceeding the target value of 1 ng/m3 established by European air quality legislation. Diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis were employed for the source apportionment of PAHs. Both tools indicated that vehicle exhaust was the main contributor to the atmospheric levels of PAHs in the study area.

Portuguese Validation of the Postpartum Learning Needs Inventory

Purpose: this study aim to validate the Postpartum Learning Needs inventory, to the Portuguese population. Method: the PLN was translated and adapted into Portuguese, then given to a sample of 251 adolescent mothers, from 8 institutions in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. The exploratory factorial analysis was performed by the principal component analysis method with Varimax orthogonal rotation, as well as the internal consistency estimation. Results: good internal consistency was obtained with 0.89. The factorial structure of the scale in the Portuguese version is constituted by two factors. The structure was slightly different from the original version without compromising the theorical framework to be evaluated. Conclusion: the scale revealed properties that attest to its quality, presenting high potential for use in other studies.

The Other in Us: Representation of Black African Identity in Portuguese Social Space

This paper brings together three sites of contemporary Portugal to search for the commonality in how black African identity is imagined and represented in Portuguese social space: a 1940s Nation-as-Empire theme park (Coimbra, central Portugal), a sixteenth-century black African slave burial site (Lagos, southern Portugal), and the present-day Alfragide police station (Lisbon metropolitan area). I argue that the three sites and subject matters, although separated by decades if not centuries, are all part of the same continuum of the imagined “absence of presence” of black African slavery in Portuguese social space. I also show that the proper understanding of any of the three is enhanced by contemplating the other two.

Antineoplastic Chemotherapy and its Effects on the Gastrointestinal Parasitism of the Dog

Background:In veterinary medicine, an increasing incidence of neoplastic diseases has been followed by a growth in the use of chemotherapeutic drugs, often associated with opportunistic infections.Objective:This study aimed to assess the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs undergoing antineoplastic chemotherapy in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, as well as their evolution throughout the protocol and respective effects of chemotherapy on dogs’ lifestyle.Methods:Faecal samples were collected in a group of 30 dogs being treated for neoplastic diseases under different protocols, previous (G1) and during chemotherapy (G2). In total, 60 samples were analysed by Willis flotation, natural sedimentation, Baermann technique and faecal smear stained with Ziehl-Neelsen. A survey to characterize animal lifestyles and deworming care were also conducted with dog’s tutors.Results:In total, there were two positive samples for the protozoanGiardiasp., one of which is in association with the nematodeToxascaris leonina. The two dogs only obtained positive results during chemotherapy (G2). An overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic diseases of 6.7%, in G2, and 0%, in G1, was obtained.Conclusion:The low parasite prevalence has not allowed the evaluation of an association between the use of antineoplastic compounds and infections by gastrointestinal parasites. However, it was concluded that the studied groups were efficiently dewormed, as well as they did not experience any obvious changes in their parasitological component and its lifestyle.

Eco-friendly 3D-Routing: A GIS based 3D-Routing-Model to estimate and reduce CO2-emissions of distribution transports

Road freight transportation accounts for a significant share of the worldwide CO2-Emissions, indicating that respective operations are not sustainable. Regarding the forecasted increase in CO2-Emissions from this sector, undertaking responsibilities for its environmental impact are needed. Although technical and strategic solutions to reduce emissions have been introduced, or are in development, these rarely yield instant emission reduction potentials. A strategic approach to reducing them instantly, based on the given infrastructure and existing vehicle fleet, may be achieved through route optimization. Route optimization is a well-researched topic in the transportation domain. However, it is mainly used to reduce transportation times and expenses. Rising expectations towards sustainability by authorities and consumers led to an increased interest in route optimization in which environmental externalities, such as fuel consumption and CO2-Emissions are minimized. This paper introduces a Geographic Information System (GIS) based 3D-Routing-Model, which incorporates models to estimate vehicle fuel consumption while taking effects, such as road inclination and varying velocities into account. The proposed model utilizes a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to enrich a road network with elevation data. The 3D-Routing-Model is applied in different distribution scenarios within the framework of an artificial company in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal to evaluate the effects of road inclination on vehicles fuel consumption and its proportional CO2-Emissions. Results indicate that eco-friendly routes can yield significant fuel and emission saving potentials of up to 20% in the tested scenarios. However, eco-friendly routes are characterized by longer distances as well as operation times, which leads to increased expenses. The question remains if companies within the transportation sector are more interested in maximizing their profits, or investing in a sustainable future.

Fault activity studies in the Lower Tagus valley and Lisbon region using geophysical data

Abstract The Metropolitan Area of Lisbon and the Lower Tagus Valley (LTV) region are located in central Portugal and inhabited by nearly 4 million people. The region has suffered throughout its history the effect of destructive earthquakes caused by hidden faults, possibly related to the plate boundary, which is sited approximately 400 km south of the region (Figure 1). In spite of low slip-rates and big recurrence times that have been estimated for these local, regional faults, they can produce moderate-to-large earthquakes that cause large damage and loss of life, as in 1344, 1531, or 1909 (e.g. Justo and Salwa, 1998; Cabral et al., 2003; 2013). The shorter occurrence time of the earthquakes might be owing to the existence of multiple active faults and/or time clustering owing to stress drop caused by proximal faults (e.g. Carvalho et al., 2006). Therefore, the seismic hazard and risk evaluation of the region has long been a reason of concern. Figure 1 Seismotectonic of the Azores-Iberia region (after Custodio et al., 2016 and references therein), where the study area is included (dashed square). Earthquakes recorded instrumentally since 1996 are shown by small brown dots. Historical earthquakes reported by the SHARE European Earthquake Catalogue – SHEEC – with magnitudes larger than 5.5 are shown by circles with a radius corresponding to the earthquake magnitude (Stucchi et al., 2013). The earthquakes with magnitudes equal to or larger than 7.0 are labelled with year of occurrence and magnitude. The plate boundaries of the global plate tectonics NNR-MORVEL56 model are shown by dark-blue lines (DeMets et al., 2010; Argus et al., 2011). The surface projection of potentially active faults compiled on the SHARE database are shown by red rectangles, the surface trace of the faults is marked by a thick red line (Basili et al., 2013; Vilanova et al., 2014). The SHARE faults in western Iberia are underlain by the original fault traces proposed by Cabral (2012) (green) and Duarte et al. (2013) (blue). The topography in the background is taken from the global SRTM30+ model, obtained from satellite altimetry and ship depth soundings (Smith and Sandwell, 1997; Becker et al., 2009).