Havana, Cuba.-Several studies on the preservation of coasts and beaches, including one dedicated to the evaluation for the second half of this century, are among the priorities of the Cuban Oceanology Institute.

This was announced by the agency, attached to the Cuban Environment Agency (AMA), in a report on its management in the year just concluded, to which Prensa Latina has access.

Other research is also focused on the care of beaches, such as the environmental monitoring of the marine-coastal zone, the determination of the trend of the rise in the average sea level and extreme values, from 1966 to date from direct measurements.

The institution states in its report that the entity worked in 2016 on the geomorphological and sedimentological monitoring in the main tourist sectors of the country: Playas del Este and Varadero, both in the western provinces of Havana and Matanzas, respectively, and in Jardines del King and Santa Lucia, in the northeastern region of the island.

The updated cartography of reef crests and marine grasses in prioritized zones and the analysis of ocean circulation variability and thermodynamic processes in the Yucatan Channel also appear among the main themes studied by the institution.

Founded on January 23rd, 1965, the Institute has carried out researches and offered scientific-technical services and observation systems aimed at developing the bases for the sustainable use and protection of the marine-coastal zone and its resources.