Current Project: 2024 - 2027
RLA 7/028 – Strengthening Regional Capabilities on the Application of Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques to Increase Knowledge about Stressors that Affect Marine and Coastal Sustainable Management (ARCAL CLXXXIX)
Previous Projects:
RLA 7/025 – Strengthening Capacities in Marine and Coastal Environments Using Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques (2020-2023).
RLA 7/022 – Strengthening Regional Monitoring and Response for Sustainable Marine and Coastal Environments (ARCAL CXLV) (2018-2019).
Participating Institutions:
LARA – Universidade Federal Fluminense – Brazil
Research Areas:
- Ocean Acidification.
- Chemical Contamination.
- Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and Marine Biotoxins.
- Microplastic contamination.
- Eutrofización
THE PROBLEM
Brazil has several challenges with respect to marine-coastal environments that affect its sustainable development and that are related to human activities, such as the high growth of the coastal population, predatory fishing, chemical and microbial contamination, abusive dumping of nutrients, habitat degradation, biodiversity loss and the impacts of large-scale climate change. These environmental stressors have led to ocean acidification (imbalance caused by reduced Ph levels in the oceans due to absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere), harmful algal blooms and heavy metal pollution, petroleum derivatives, plastic waste, etc. Among them, microplastics have become one of the main concerns in Brazil, endangering the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans, watersheds and marine resources.
Microplastics are particles less than 5 mm in size from the fragmentation or manufacture of plastic materials for industrial or domestic use. However, this material has been massively used by societies since 1950, without an adequate management plan or elimination strategy. One of the main consequences of this omission is the pollution of the oceans by these particles, since, in this environment, they become one of the most worrying, complex and difficult to manage pollutants in economic and socio-environmental terms.
Once in the ocean, microplastics are incorporated into different levels of the food chain: plankton, shellfish, fish, reptiles, shorebirds, mammals, and even humans. In addition, these residues act as vectors of heavy metals, toxins and microorganisms that are harmful to the health of living beings.
In this context, Brazil participates in the Research Network on Marine-Coastal Stressors in Latin America and the Caribbean (REMARCO), which identifies as a priority the investigation of the ecological, social and health impacts of various environmental stressors, including plastic waste.
INFORMATION FOR ACTION
REMARCO investigates and diagnoses the effects of marine-coastal damage in order to generate scientific information capable of supporting public policies. This is to effectively prevent and reduce current levels of ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms (HABs) and organic and inorganic pollutants, which is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG, United Nations): conserve and use sustainably the oceans, seas and marine resources.
In particular, the southeastern region of Brazil already has alarming rates of about 1,500 plastic waste (microplastics) per square meter on its beaches. Fernando de Noronha, a marine paradise, on the other hand, has up to 60 particles/m2. Harmful algal blooms that cause damage to marine beings and man are observed in Búzios (RJ), Arraial do Cabo (RJ) and Florianópolis (SC), for example. The corals of the Abrolhos Archipelago (BA) are being destroyed by the effects of ocean acidification. Therefore, Brazil urgently needs actions and public policies to prevent and reduce damage to its coastal marine environments.
Country Members:
Roberto Meigikos dos Anjos. Physicist - PhD in Nuclear Physics
Laboratório de Radioecologia e Alterações Ambientais (LARA), Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ.
Component: Microplastic
Role in the Project National Coordinator Brazil.
Contact info: rmeigikos@id.uff.br / +55 21 2629-5843
LARA Coordinator. Experimental Nuclear Physicist who applies nuclear techniques, stable isotopes, related to issues of multidisciplinary environmental changes.
Alana Fontes Guimarães. Physicist - Bachelor in Physics
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Communication
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: alanafg@id.uff.br / +55 21 9.9438-5705
Physicist graduated from Fluminense Federal University (UFF), she is a researcher at the Laboratory of Radioecology and Environmental Changes (LARA-UFF), where she focuses her research on the assessment of heavy metal and natural radionuclide concentrations in food crops grown in the Rio Doce Valley region, southeastern Brazil—an area severely impacted by the collapse of a mining tailings dam in Mariana, Minas Gerais, in 2015. She also works in the Scientific Communication Group within the same laboratory.
Camila Rodrigues e Silva. Chemist - PhD in Chemistry
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Microplastic and Eutrofication
Role in the Project: Researcher.
Contact info: camilae@id.uff.br / +5521965940702
Develops a project that aims to study how eutrophication affects the nutritional quality of food chains in tropical marine ecosystems
Joana Artiles Kiffer Moreira Breda Escudine. Chemist - Bachelor in Chemistry
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Microplastic
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: joanaartiles@id.uff.br / +55 22 9.9866-6509
Graduated in Chemistry from the Federal Fluminense University (UFF). She has already analyzed carbon-14 using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) technique. She is currently a member of the Laboratory of Radioecology and Environmental Changes (LARA-UFF), developing research into atmospheric microplastics, as well as monitoring air quality through fine suspended particles (PM 2.5). She is currently studying for a master's degree in Geosciences (with an emphasis on Geochemistry) at UFF.
Júlia Scarpa de Souza. Biologist - Bachelor in Biological Sciences – Teacher Education.
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Microplastic
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: jscarpa@id.uff.br / +55 21 9.6990-9255
I’m Biologist graduated from UERJ/FFP. During my undergraduate studies, I participated in outreach projects focused on science communication, aiming to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and society. My research journey with microplastics began during my undergraduate research at UFRJ, where I gained experience in methodologies for analyzing this emerging contaminant. Currently, I am pursuing a master’s degree in Marine Biotechnology at UFF/IEAMP. The objective of my project is to investigate the presence of microplastics in whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri), with an emphasis on the potential ecotoxicological impacts and the translocation of these particles into the tissues of the organisms. In addition, I collaborate on microplastic monitoring projects in coastal environments, particularly on beaches, through LARA/UFF.
Larayane de Oliveira Moreira Santos. Physicist - Bachelor in Physics – Teacher Education
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Microplastic and Comunication
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: larayanesantos@id.uff.br / +5521967008031
Physicist graduated from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF). Currently conducting research at the Laboratory of Radioecology and Environmental Changes (LARA-UFF). Her research interests focus on applied nuclear physics in environmental studies.
Marianna Marins Guimarães. Biologist - Bachelor in Biological Sciences - Teacher Education
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Communication
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: mmguimaraes0@gmail.com / +55 21 981569295
Biologist conducting scientific research to evaluate the influence of climate change on carbon stocks and metal concentrations in the soil of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, using elemental analysis techniques coupled with mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence. She is also involved in science communication and outreach at LARA.
Mateus Martins de Souza Marques. Ingeniero Agrícola y Ambiental – Licenciado en Ingeniería Agrícola y Ambiental.
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Microplastic
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: marques_mateus@id.uff.br / +55 21 966199676
Agricultural and Environmental Engineer graduated from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), conducting research focused on new methods for identifying and categorizing microplastics in coastal environments using GC-IRMS. Researcher at the Laboratory of Radioecology and Environmental Change (LARA-UFF).
Sônia Silva Gurgel do Amaral. Physicist - Master in Physics
Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói.
Component: Microplastic
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: soniaamaral@id.uff.br / +55 21 9.9811-0720
Bachelor of Physics, with a Master's in Applied Nuclear Physics, and a researcher at the Laboratory of Radioecology and Environmental Change (LARA) of the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Brazil. She began her studies on microplastic pollution in beach sand in 2018. During her Master's, she investigated the presence of microplastics in various tissues and organs of fish from Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In her PhD, she researches microplastic contamination in Antarctica and agricultural soils.
Vitória Rangel Almeida. Ingeniera Agrícola y Ambiental – Licenciada en Ingeniería Agrícola y Ambiental.
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Microplastic
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: vitoria_almeida@id.uff.br / +55 21969803282
She works as a researcher on projects developed at the Laboratory of Radioecology and Environmental Alterations (LARA) at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), focusing on the application of nuclear physics techniques to environmental studies and the analysis of plastic contamination in coastal, marine and agricultural environments. She conducts research into the environmental impacts of microplastics in soil, water and sediments, using isotopic methods, nuclear techniques and environmental tracers. She also collaborates in the development of experimental protocols and in the processing and interpretation of data.
Yury Souto Simen Vieira. Oceanógrafo – Maestría en Oceanografía.
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: Communication
Role in the Project Researcher.
Contact info: yurysimen@gmail.com / +55 21 9.6903-8714
PhD student in Geosciences (Geochemistry) at Universidade Federal Fluminense. Bachelor's degree in Oceanography from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (2016) and master's degree in Oceanography from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (2018). He has experience in the area of Oceanography, working mainly on the following topics: sedimentology, siltation and erosion and underwater morphology.
João Paulo Felizardo. Biologist - PhD in Marine Biology and Coastal Environments
Federal Fluminense University.
Component: HABs - Eutrofication
Role in the Project HABs representative. Member of Executive Comitee of REMARCO
Contact info: joaopaulo.sa.felizardo@gmail.com / +5521971080774
Biologist (UNIRIO), with a Master’s degree in Ecology (UFRJ) and a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Coastal Environments (UFF). Works on anthropogenic impacts in aquatic ecosystems, focusing on stable isotopes, compound-specific isotopic markers (CSSI), eutrophication, metals, and microplastics. Currently a Fluminense Yong Researcher (FAPERJ) and actively engaged in science communication.
Progress and Challenges
In order to generate capacities and strengthen professional skills, scientific dissemination and collaborative work among the country members of REMARCO, the Laboratório de Radioecologia e Alterações Ambientais (LARA) de la Universidad Federal Fluminense (UFF) uses nuclear, isotopic and to support the research carried out by the Latin American Network of countries. Among its teaching and scientific research activities, LARA taught the Microplastic Sampling and Analysis course in 2018. In addition to training technicians and researchers from 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, it was possible to standardize the microplastic sample collection procedure and the application of the Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy (MIRS) technique in the characterization of the types and origins of microplastic debris. Currently, LARA is responsible for the analysis of these samples, becoming a center of excellence in microplastic research in Latin America and the Caribbean.
As an immediate result of this investment, LARA is supplying the web platform «Regional Microplastics Plataform – REMARCO» with important physical and chemical parameters of microplastic waste that, together with geospatial analyzes ( GIS), facilitate socio-environmental decision-making and allow the dissemination of progress made by country members.
Studies are also being carried out at LARA on the impacts and effects of ocean acidification, the proliferation of toxic algae and contamination by organic and inorganic agents, using stable isotope techniques, X-ray fluorescence and alpha and gamma radiation spectrometry. These are current issues that require the use of new technologies and the training of more technicians and researchers, capable of contributing to the formulation of new appropriate public policies for our country.