2023 – Cesam

José Pedro Granadeiro (FCUL/CESAM) on “90 segundos de ciência” by Antena 1

Isabel Alexandra dos Santos Saúde — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:24:45 +0000

On Tuesday, June 20, José Pedro Granadeiro (FCUL/CESAM) participated in the ’90 Seconds of Science’ program on Antena 1 to talk about his research in the ecology of oceanic seabirds.

José Pedro Granadeiro explains that these birds undertake long journeys in marine areas far from the coast, and through their study, it is possible to obtain more information about the ecology of the deep sea.

To collect data for their research, José Pedro Granadeiro’s team attaches small GPS devices to the feathers of the birds, which allows them to monitor and map not only the distances traveled by the birds but also the areas where they concentrate. In these areas, it is possible to find not only oceanic birds but also other species such as tuna, sharks, and marine mammals. In this way, the team can identify important areas for the conservation of marine biodiversity.

You can listen to José Pedro Granadeiro’s participation in ’90 Seconds of Science’ here.

CESAM researcher discusses the disposal of expired or unused medications on Rádio Renascença

Isabel Alexandra dos Santos Saúde — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:12:28 +0000

Our researcher, Bruno Nunes (CESAM/DBIO), was on the ‘Turno da Tarde’ program on Rádio Renascença on the 19th of last month to discuss Ecology and Environmental Sustainability.

During the interview, Bruno Nunes raised awareness about the environmental impact of improperly disposing of medications. According to him, all medications are biologically active compounds and, as such, have the ability to alter the functions of our bodies and the organisms exposed to them, for example, in aquatic environments.

The researcher also explained that we often accumulate these substances at home, and if we dispose of them through the household waste treatment system (regular trash or sewage), it has a negative impact on the environment. He recommends that unused medications be returned to pharmacies participating in the VALORMED service so that they can be properly processed, thus preventing environmental contamination.

You can listen to the entire interview here.

CESAM researcher’s article on the impact of the Montijo Airport on the avifauna of the Tejo estuary receives extensive media coverage

Isabel Alexandra dos Santos Saúde — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:11:13 +0000

After the publication of a study in the scientific journal ‘Animal Conservation,’ led by researchers from CESAM, about the straight-billed curlew (Limosa limosa) in a section of the Tejo estuary designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA). The study by our researchers, José Alves and Josh Nightingale (CEAM/DBIO), made the cover of the print edition of Público and was also featured in the print editions of Correio da Manhã, Diário de Notícias, and Jornal de Notícias, as well as in the digital editions of CNN Portugal, Observador, and SIC Notícias.

CESAM researchers explain that: ‘In this study, a new methodology was developed that allows considering the movements of animals and applying them to the predicted impacts of the Montijo Airport on the avifauna of the Tejo estuary. The results revealed that the estimated impacts are substantially greater than those initially quantified by the Environmental Impact Study developed for this infrastructure.’

Read the Público report at: Ruído de aeroporto no Montijo terá impacto muito maior do que o previsto na avifauna | Ambiente | PÚBLICO (publico.pt)

Don’t miss José Alves’ interview on SIC at: Construção do aeroporto no Montijo põe em risco maçaricos-de-bico-direito – SIC Notícias (sicnoticias.pt)

CESAM researcher on the RTP 2 program ‘Sociedade Civil’

Isabel Alexandra dos Santos Saúde — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:09:46 +0000

Our researcher, Heliana Teixeira (CESAM/DBIO), was featured on the RTP 2 program ‘Sociedade Civil’ this Monday, March 13th, where she discussed the issue of invasive species.

The researcher has a strong scientific activity related to this topic, including her membership in the Portuguese Network for the Study and Management of Invasive Species (InvECO) of SPECO since 2021, and collaboration since 2019 with LifeWatch ERIC IJI, developing Virtual Research Environments for non-indigenous and invasive species.

You can watch the program on RTP Play at: https://www.rtp.pt/play/p11183/e678018/sociedade-civil

CESAM’s research highlighted in the supplement of the Semanário Sol, “Perspetiva atual”

Isabel Alexandra dos Santos Saúde — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:08:46 +0000

In the February edition of the ‘Current Perspective’ supplement, Professor Amadeu Soares, the scientific coordinator of CESAM, describes the mission, research areas, and activities carried out by the research center.

‘Our mission is to develop internationally excellent, multi- and transdisciplinary research on the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and anthroposphere, within a multidisciplinary thematic framework,’ says Amadeu Soares in the opinion article.

The scientific coordinator also emphasizes that ‘The main objective is to promote the efficient use of terrestrial and aquatic environmental resources, from the watershed to the deep sea, and a more competitive, resilient, and sustainable economy.’

The full article is available here.

A CESAM researcher discusses the study of straight-billed curlews in the newspaper Público

Isabel Alexandra dos Santos Saúde — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:03:41 +0000

In the February 25, 2023 edition of the Público newspaper, researcher Afonso Rocha (CESAM/BIO) discusses his work with straight-billed curlews in the Tejo estuary. This work is conducted in cooperation with researchers from the University of Extremadura (Spain).

“Historically, the most important sites for the species as stopover areas during their migration route were Doñana in southern Spain, and in Portugal, the Tejo estuary. However, due to drought and the increasing use of water for agriculture in Doñana and the rice fields of Extremadura (Spain), the available habitat has been shrinking. In recent years, the Tejo has also increased its rice fields and its population importance for the species,” says the researcher in the report.

You can read the full article in the digital edition (for subscribers only) here.

CESAM researcher addresses bivalve mortality in the SOL Weekly

Isabel Alexandra dos Santos Saúde — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:02:36 +0000

In the latest edition of the Semanário Sol, our researcher Rosa Freitas (CESAM/DBIO) addresses bivalve mortality in the Ria Formosa:

‘(…) monitoring marine toxins in bivalve mollusks is necessary (…) ‘Naturally, bivalves with toxins will need to develop defense strategies, involving, for example, the expenditure of reserve energies that are not allocated to other processes such as growth or reproduction.’ (…)'”

You can access the digital edition (for subscribers only) here.

CESAM researcher featured in the ‘SIC Report’ on the Prime Time News

Isabel Alexandra dos Santos Saúde — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:01:23 +0000

Our researcher, José Alves, discusses the growth of the flamingo population in the Ria de Aveiro on the SIC Prime Time News.

You can watch the SIC report here.
You can also (re)read the ‘Ask a CESAM Scientist’ column here, where José Alves addresses the same topic.