The "Instituto Español de Oceanografía" (Spanish Oceanographic Institute) is a body of the "Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación" (Food and Fisheries Department). It engages in research in many oceanographic topics, including living and non-living resources, marine environment and antrophic influence as well.
A multidisciplinary approach in the oceanographic research is proposed by many "group of experts" performing a newgideline in the present Frame Program (1993-96) in Marine Research assumed by the IEO. As a part of this line, is considered the geological processes in the ocean, involving studies in the following subjects: (1) Morphostructural features of the continental margins; (2) Geoenvironmental aspects related to fluxes of matter in the ocean in terms of processes of erosion, transport and sedimentation, pointing out the marine geological risk factors; (3) Palaeoceanographic evolution related to climatic events, and the influence of the tectonic activity in the margins and basins