Algarve · Risk by distance from the sea

Where corrosion risk is highest

Chloride exposure falls with distance from the shoreline, but south-facing wind exposure can matter more than distance alone. Building age compounds every band.

EXTREMEFirst-line oceanfront — direct salt spray, wind-driven rain, highest deposition< 50 m

HIGHSecond-line coastal — airborne salt still significant (LNEC E 465, class XS1)50–500 m

MODERATEThird-line — reduced but non-negligible, worse in open wind corridors500 m–2 km

LOWInland — chloride minimal; carbonation remains the main mechanism> 2 km

UALG worst-affected coastal settlements

Monte GordoQuarteiraAlbufeiraArmação de PêraPortimão

Sources: UALG patologias study (2012); LNEC Especificação E 465; established exposure-class literature. Pre-1990 villas typically rate F or G (RCCTE from 1990). · InspectOS