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).

RLA 7/020 - Establishing the Caribbean Observing Network for Ocean Acidification and its Impact on Harmful Algal Blooms, using Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques. (2014-2017)

RLA 7/014 – Designing and Implementing Systems for Early Warning and Evaluation of the Toxicity of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Caribbean Region, Applying Advanced Nuclear Techniques, Radioecotoxicological Evaluations and Bioassays (2009-2012).

RLA 7/012 – Use of Nuclear Techniques to Address the Management Problems of Coastal Zones in the Caribbean Region. (2007-2012)

Participating Institutions:

THE PROBLEM

Mexico, with 11,000 km of coastline, has the largest coastline on the continent and is among the 25 countries in the world with the highest density of coastal population. Along with population growth, waste discharges have increased and caused the deterioration of water quality and sediments, due to contamination by heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons, microplastics and nutrients. These pressure factors are reflected in the decrease in biodiversity, ecosystem services and the socioeconomic impoverishment of coastal communities.

The high concentrations of nutrients, associated with the proliferation of harmful algal blooms (HABs) cause the mortality of mammals, turtles, fish and seabirds and affect human health. In Mexico, the consumption of molluscs and fish contaminated with toxins has caused 21 deaths and around 1,000 poisonings between 1970 and 2015. The 61 HAB events between 2003 and 2014 caused health emergencies and closures for 2,500 days, with the direct impact to coastal communities.

Marine absorption of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use, causes ocean acidification. Some coastal areas of Mexico are affected by acidic and low-oxygen waters. Acidification damages coral reefs and reduces biodiversity, with the consequent impact on relevant economic sectors such as tourism and fishing. Mexico ranks 6th in the world in international tourist arrivals and tourism represents almost 9% of the national GDP. On the other hand, Mexico ranked 4th in volume of fishing in America in the period 2003-2013 and with an annual production of 1.4 million tons per year, fishing generates some 350,000 direct jobs and more than 2 million indirect ones. Little is known about the effects of acidification on the health of our seas, so it is essential to monitor acidity and assess its recent trends, for which it is essential to promote international collaboration for capacity building and transfer of technologies.

INFORMATION FOR ACTION

The Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (ICML) de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, in collaboration with REMARCO, a regional marine and coastal research network that encompasses 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, conducts high-quality research and supports the training of human resources on the use of nuclear and conventional techniques for the diagnosis of the current state and temporal trends of marine pollution, the abundance of microplastics, ocean acidification and the occurrence of HABs. As a result of the collaboration with REMARCO, the ICML has actively participated in the integration of the 210 records of HAB events that occurred in Mexico, documented in the HAEDAT international platform.

The ICML has the capacities and infrastructure for the analysis of heavy metals by atomic absorption spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry; of marine biotoxins by high performance liquid chromatography; and for the identification of the species that cause HABs by light and electron microscopy. UNAM's "Coastal Observatories of Global and Climate Change" monitor marine acidification using advanced laboratory techniques and state-of-the-art autonomous continuous recording probes. In addition, the ICML has the only laboratory in Mexico specialized in dating sediment and coral cores, with 210Pb, an irreplaceable methodology for the evaluation of anthropogenic impacts on the marine environment during the last century, based on nuclear techniques such as alpha particle and gamma ray spectrometry.

Country Members:

Progress and Challenges

With scientific information of the highest level, the ICML assists in decision-making and the evaluation of protection, mitigation and remediation programs for the solution of environmental problems in the seas of Mexico and the region. It is essential to strengthen support for the maintenance and increase of the available infrastructure that allows ICML-UNAM to continue generating useful information for society, for the management and conservation of marine and coastal resources in Mexico, in the region and in accordance with the global goals for sustainable development.