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Hydraulics and Environment Department Hydraulics and Environment Department

Paula Freire

Paula Freire
Phone: 218 443 637

Professional Situation

Research Officer

Academic and Scientific Degrees

  • 2000 – PhD in Geology, Lisbon University;
  • 1993 – M.Sc. in Economic and Applied Geology;
  • 1986 - Geologist, Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon, 1986.

Functions and Relevant Public Offices

Researcher, Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, Estuaries and Coastal Zones Division:
  • since 2000 – Research Officer;
  • 1998-2000 - Research Assistant;
  • 1993-1998 - Fellow Research Assistant;
  • 1991-1993 – Fellow Research Trainee.
- Fellow Research Trainee at National History Museum, Lisbon University, 1987-1990

Areas of Research / Interest

Research Area: Coastal morphodynamics (beaches and estuaries)Specific themes: multi-temporal coastline evolution analysis, including human and climate change effects; flood and erosion vulnerability and risk assessment in beaches and estuaries; remote sensing techniques and geographic data analysis in GIS; in situ data acquisition and analysis; laboratorial techniques for sediment physical characterisation; physical modelling of beach behaviour; experimental analysis of cohesive sediments.

Research and Professional Activity

The activity includes the development and improvement of methodologies for coastal systems analysis through research projects, and their application in advanced consultancy. Participation in more than 25 research projects with national (Foundation for Science and Technology-FCT) and international funding (MAST, FRAMEWORK, INTERREG), including HYDRALAB+ and BINGO (H2020) projects. Team coordinator of several research projects funded by FCT: BERNA - Beach evolution in areas of restricted fetch: experimental and numerical analysis (2005-2008), MorFeed – Morphodynamic feedback of estuarine margins to climate change (2010-2012) and MOLINES- Modelling floods in estuaries. From the hazard to the critical management (2013-2016). The consultancy activity includes the participation in more than 20 projects for public and private clients, in Portugal and abroad (Brazil, Macao, United Kingdom, São Tomé e Príncipe, Angola, Cabo Verde). As team coordinator two projects stand out: Hydrodynamic monitoring of the opening and channels dredging of the lower zone of Óbidos Lagoon for the Portuguese Environment Agency (2015-2016) and Hydrodynamic valorization of the Ria Formosa and risk mitigation in the barrier islands for the Sociedade Polis Litoral Ria Formosa S.A. (2009-2011).

Scientific Orientation

PhD - Ana Rita Carrasco, Algarve University (2008-2012); Ana Rogrigues Rilo (2016-2020)

Relevant Publications

  • Freire, P., Tavares, A., Sá, L., Oliveira, A., Fortunato, A., Santos, P., Rilo, A., Gomes, J. L., Rogeiro, J., Pablo, R., Pinto, P.L., 2016. A local scale approach to estuarine flood risk management, Natural Hazards, doi:10.1007/s11069-016-2510-y
  • Tavares, A. O., Santos, P. P., Freire, P., Fortunato, A. B., Rilo, A., Sá, L., 2015. Flooding hazard in the Tagus estuarine area: The challenge of scale in vulnerability assessment. Environ. Science & Policy, 51 (2015): 238-255
  • Freire, P., Jackson, N.L. and Nordstrom, K.F., 2013. Defining beaches and their evolutionary states in estuaries, J. Coastal Res., SI 65: 482-487
  • Carrasco, A. R., Ferreira, Ó., Matias, A., Freire, P., 2012. Flood hazard assessment and management of fetch-limited coastal environments. Ocean Coast. Manage., 65: 15–25
  • Freire, P., Taborda, R., Bertin, X., Guerreiro, M., Fortunato, A. B., Silva, A. M., Andrade, C., Oliveira, A. Antunes, C., Freitas, M-C-, Nahon, A. Rodrigues, M., Bruneau, N., 2011. Medium-term morphodynamic evolution of a small coastal inlet. J. Coastal Res. SI 64: 666-670
  • Bruneau, N.; Fortunato, AB; Dodet, G.; Freire, P.; Oliveira, A.; Bertin, X. 2011. Future evolution of a tidal inlet due to changes in wave climate, Sea level and lagoon morphology (Óbidos lagoon, Portugal), Cont. Shelf. Res., 31,18: 1915 - 1930.
  • Oliveira, F.S.B.F., Freire, P.M.S., 2011. Coupling monitoring and mathematical modelling of beaches to analyse a problem of harbour sedimentation: case study. J. Coastal Res., 27(6A), 104–115
  • Freire, P., Ferreira, Ó., Taborda, R., Oliveira, F.S.B.F., Carrasco, A.R., Silva, A., Vargas, C., Capitão, R., Fortes, C.J., Santos, J.A., Coli, A., 2009. Morphodynamics of fetch-limited beaches in contrasting environments. J. Coastal Res., SI 56, 183-187.
  • Freire, P., Taborda, R., Silva, Ana M., 2007.  Sedimentary Characterization of Tagus Estuarine Beaches (Portugal). A contribution to the sediment budget assessment. J. Soil Sediment, 7 (5): 296-302.

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