Building the future by doing more together

  • Ana Isabel Sousa, CESAM´s Researcher, among the experts who signed a recommendation to include seagrasses and saltmarshes in the Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050

    Published in 27/5/2020

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    Ocean Alive, the first cooperative in Portugal dedicated to the protection of the ocean, which focuses on the Sado river, in Setúbal, is preparing a recommendation to the Minister of Environment and Climate Action and to the Minister of the Sea, for the inclusion of seagrasses and saltmarshes in the Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050, which has already collected 500 signatures from several portuguese and foreign specialists. Ana Isabel Sousa, who works on quantifying the blue carbon captured by seagrasses and saltmarshes, is one of the subscribers. The document can be read and subscribed here: bit.ly/2yBit1a Full news here: bit.ly/2X61y01

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  • Book on fish, recipes and traditions of the Minho River with support from CESAM Professors

    Published in 26/5/2020

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    The COOPERMINHO project, which includes Professor Ulisses M Azeiteiro and Professor Mário Pereira, led by the Municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira, through the ‘Rio Minho Aquamuseu’, actively involving the University of Aveiro and the University of Porto, take part in the edition of contents of this book, many of them, recipe texts with historical and ethnographic background by João Guterres, gathering scientific data about the mentioned species. “In the Cooperminho project, which seeks to enhance the fish resources of the Minho River and the associated socio-cultural heritage, as well as promoting the sustainability of the exploited resources, we could not fail to support the coming into public view of this work,” explains Professor Ulisses M Azeiteiro. The greatest attention of the work goes to the migrating species of the Minho river, namely lamprey, shad and eel, as well as their ethnobiology, traditions and gastronomy, all involved in a historical context. Soon in bookstores. GUTERRES, J. (2019). Peixes do rio Minho e não só. Receitas com história. In L. M. CUNHA, A. P. MOURA, PEREIRA M. J. & AZEITEIRO U. M. (Eds). Porto: Edições Afrontamento (ISBN: 978-972-36-1799-3) Pp257  

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  • Nature Index 2020 – CESAM in 2nd place (national level) in the Earth and Environmental Sciences area

    Published in 22/5/2020

    The Associated Laboratory CESAM - Center for Environmental and Marine Studies – holds the second place nationally in the Earth and Environmental Sciences area, according to the “Nature Index 2020” (share 2.04), therefore key to the 2nd place held by the University of Aveiro in this area (share 3.94). The University of Lisbon holds the first position (4.94; Instituto Dom Luiz - IDL share 3.55) and the University of Porto is third place (2.40). The Nature Index 2020 Annual Tables “highlight the institutions and countries that dominated high quality research in the natural sciences in 2019 as tracked by Nature Index”. This positioning confirms, once again, the quality and importance of CESAM's research in the environmental area, with a similar share to the University of Porto as a whole (2.04 versus 2.40) and only lower than the share of University of Lisbon.

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  • CESAM researchers are the guest editors of a special edition of the Journal "Forests"

    Published in 26/5/2020

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    Gória Pinto and Joana Amaral, CESAM researchers, and also Jorge Martin Garcia (University of Valladolid and Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, Spain) are the guest editors of a special edition of the Journal "Forests", titled ‘Forest Tree Stress Biology: From Fundamental Research to Emerging Opportunities’. Submissions until December 31, 2020.   + info: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/forests/special_issues/Tree_Stress

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  • PERICLES Project organizes series of webinars on coastal and maritime cultural heritage

    Published in 21/5/2020

    The PERICLES project is organizing a series of webinars, and the first communication is already on May 27th at 12:00 PM. It is titled “PERICLES: understanding the coastal and maritime cultural heritage, its meanings, risks and potential” and will be given by the project coordinator, Dr. Kristen Ounanian of the Centre for Blue Governance of Aalborg University. This webinar aims to present an overview of the project, as well as some of the results obtained over the last two years, highlighting the regional case studies, the participatory approach of the project and the portal used for heritage mapping and promotion of citizen science. It will last one hour and will be in English. The event is free of charge, but requires prior registration. By registering you are giving us your consent to contact you if there is a change in the schedule. Your data will not be used for any other purpose. We would like to monitor the country of origin of participants, but this information will not be associated with any participant. After the webinar you will be invited to fill out a feedback form. All webinars will be recorded and made available on the PERICLES project website: https://www.pericles-heritage.eu/webinars/. Please share this event and help us reach a wider audience. You can also follow us on Twitter (@PericlesProject) and Facebook (@PericlesProject), and join the conversation using the hashtag #PericlesWebinar.

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  • CESAM´s researcher is guest editor of a special edition of the Journal "Applied Sciences"

    Published in 22/5/2020

    Roberto Martins, CESAM´s researcher, and Olga Kaczerewska, CICECO´s researcher, are the guest editors of a special edition completely dedicated to Green Nanotechnology, to be published in the Journal "Applied Sciences". Submissions until January 31, 2021. +info: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/Innovative_Green_Nanotechnology

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  • CESAM´s researcher discovered a new species through Twitter

    Published in 18/5/2020

    A new species for science was discovered through Twitter by Ana Sofia Reboleira, who identified a American millipede, shared by a scientist in the United States. The fungus was called "Troglomyces twiterii". The discovery occurred when Ana Sofia Reboleira observed on Twitter a photo of an American millipede, shared by her colleague Derek Hannen, in which she noticed the presence of the fungus. Laboulbeniales are highly specialized arthropod-associated fungi. The majority of the almost 2200 known species live on insects, although they also occur on other arthropod hosts. Recently, the number of Laboulbeniales associated with millipedes has increased considerably. Here we describe the first species of a Laboulbeniales fungus, Troglomyces twitteri sp. nov., from an American millipede. The new species was initially discovered on a photo of Cambala annulata (Say, 1821) from Ohio, USA, which had been shared on Twitter. A subsequent microscopic study of Cambala millipedes in museum collections in Denmark and France confirmed the discovery.   + info: https://mycokeys.pensoft.net/article/51811  

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  • Alfredo Rocha, CESAM´s Professor, interviewed by Expresso about the decrease in the number of flights and the consequent decrease in data for weather forecasts

    Published in 18/5/2020

    It is expected that the reduction in the number of flights during the pandemic crisis may be reflected in the quality of weather forecasts, argues Alfredo Rocha. Data published in the weekly Expresso and compiled by several researchers, including Professor Alfredo Rocha, show this possibility. “Most of the commercial flights are very important for the weather forecast carried out by the meteorological institutes.” Weather forecasting uses the Laws of Physics to predict the evolution of the properties of the atmosphere, such as temperature, precipitation, winds, among others. For that it is necessary to know in the best possible way the physical properties of the atmosphere near the surface, but also at altitude, in a given moment. It is from this initial knowledge that the weather forecast for the next few days is made. These observations are obtained from meteorological stations, but also from buoys anchored or drifting in the oceans, radars and weather satellites. In addition to these, ships and aircraft also report meteorological observations of various weather parameters performed on board. The decrease in the number of flights due to COVID-19 has resulted in the reduction of daily weather reports from approximately 800,000 to 170,000, which represents a decrease of 80%.  Full news: https://www.ua.pt/en/noticias/9/63224 + info : https://expresso.pt/coronavirus/2020-05-08-Como-o-coronavirus-esta-a-afetar-as-previsoes-meteorologicas-2       (Foto de Nishant Das no Pexels)

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  • Researchers of CESAM were the first to defend their online aggregations at UA

    Published in 4/5/2020

    The first University of Aveiro (UA) Aggregation examinations entirely carried out by videoconference, took place between April 22nd and 24th. The candidates, researchers Bruno Nunes and Ricardo Calado, from the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and the Department of Biology, were unanimously approved. These academic acts were virtually attended by several dozens of people. The complete news here.

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  • Cristina Pita, CESAM´s researcher, co-editor of a book on small-scale fisheries in Europe now published

    Published in 30/4/2020

    Cristina Pita is co-editor of the book "Small-Scale Fisheries in Europe: Status, Resilience and Governance" now published. The book can be purchased as an eBook or in physical format here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-37371-9#toc.

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  • Myriam Lopes, CESAM´s Professor, interviewed by the national newspaper EXPRESSO about the detection of the new coronavirus in polluted air particles

    Published in 28/4/2020

    Italian scientists found the virus in polluted air particles in the Bergamo region, one of the most affected by the virus in Italy and one of the most polluted areas in Europe. Portuguese experts in immunoallergology, microbiology and air pollution (Myriam Lopes) admit that it is possible, but it is necessary to study this hypothesis in much more detail. Many other variables, such as the higher population density of a more polluted industrial area, may be the explanation. Full news here: bit.ly/3f1c9QO

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  • Myriam Lopes, CESAM´s Professor, highlighted in Jornal de Leiria, on improving air quality during Covid-19 Pandemic

    Published in 30/4/2020

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    The temporary reduction in air pollution levels is a good thing of the pandemic. The data collected by the air quality monitoring station located in Ervedeira, municipality of Leiria, show a drop in the order of 50% of NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) emissions. The analysis is made by a group of researchers from CESAM/DAO, which has been treating the data collected through the QualAr system, a network composed of 68 stations that daily measures air quality throughout the national territory. The goal, explains Myriam Lopes, is to understand the before and after Covid-19. For now, the statistical treatment of the data shows a “clear” differentiation between two periods: the first, from January 1st to March 16th, the date on which schools were closed, and the second after this closure and the declaration of a state of emergency . Full news here: https://www.jornaldeleiria.pt/noticia/a-face-boa-da-covid-19-menos-crimes-menos-acidentes-e-menos-poluicao

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  • CESAM´s study on moss protecting soils from post-fire soil erosion, now on National Geographic

    Published in 24/4/2020

    In Portugal, forest fires tend to be numerous every year, especially in the summer months. In addition to economic and environmental damage, they are a source of danger for the population and their possessions. CESAM researchers developed a study that led to the discovery that moss not only prevents soil erosion in burnt areas, but also retains moisture and preserves the soil's fertility. Through this study, carried out as part of the RECARE project,  the researchers monitored, over a period of one year, a slope of a burnt forest plantation, on which spontaneous colonization of moss occurred in the first weeks after the forest fire. By the methodology selected for the study, it was possible to verify that the development of an average annual coverage of a burnt area during the first year after the fire, with 67% of moss, allowed to reduce the annual erosion by 65%. For this analysis, the scientists chose a slope with eucalyptus plantation, which had burned in the Central Portugal region. Diana Vieira, Flávio Silva, Jacob Keizer, CESAM researchers and, Els van der Spek, from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, guarantee that “mosses can be seen as engineers of natural ecosystems that constitute the first step towards preserving soil fertility, providing all the conditions for the development of subsequent biodiversity ”. Full news here: https://www.natgeo.pt/meio-ambiente/2020/04/musgo-conserva-solo-apos-incendios-florestais

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  • UA integrates innovative European Project for Sustainability in Universities with the collaboration of CESAM

    Published in 23/4/2020

    The ERASMUS+ EUSTEPs - Enhancing Universities’ Sustainability Teaching and Practices through the Ecological Footprint project began on September of last year and had a kick off meeting at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki in November, marking the beginning of the three years of the project. The project is being developed in Portugal by the University of Aveiro and the Open University. It also has an Italian partner, the University of Siena, and is led by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. Another partner is the International Non-Governmental Organization Global Footprint Network, responsible for the development and application of the Ecological Footprint concept. EUSTEPs aims to empower university students and the academic community at large (fellows, researchers, teaching staff and technical, administrative and management staff) with current knowledge about the complexity of Sustainability, and its interdisciplinary nature, in a participatory and appealing way. The project aims to help shape a new generation of citizens and professionals aware of the challenges of Sustainability. It also aims to build tools to assess and reduce the environmental impact of higher education institutions through an experimental collaborative approach based on an innovative application of the Ecological Footprint. At the University of Aveiro, the EUSTEPs team is composed of teachers and researchers Sara Moreno Pires and Filipe Teles (DCSPT), Marta Ferreira Dias (DEGEIT), Myriam Lopes and Ana Isabel Miranda (CESAM/DAO) and Mariana Nicolau (Master student in Political Science). To continue monitoring the project or for more detailed information see: http://www.eusteps.eu. Full news here: https://www.ua.pt/pt/noticias/9/63084

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  • CESAM researchers publish an article co-authored with the Portuguese Director General for Maritime Policy

    Published in 21/4/2020

    CESAM researchers Miguel C. Leal and Ricardo Calado co-authored with the current Portuguese Director General for Maritime Policy Dra. Helena Vieira the article “Fifty Shades of Blue: How Blue Biotechnology is Shaping the Bioeconomy. Published on the Science & Society section of Trends in Biotechnology (IF 13.747), it describes how blue biotechnology is contributing towards the development of the bioeconomy. The article also discusses how blue biotechnology is addressing the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. The article is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.03.011.

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  • CESAM´s technical-scientific study to complement the work of Aveiro´s coastal protection in a total investment of 12.2 M€

    Published in 21/4/2020

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    The Portuguese Environment Agency, Port of Aveiro´s Administration and the contracting consortium of companies INERSEL, SA/JAN de NUL, NV signed on April 20th, 2020 the consignment notice of the “Empreitada de Dragagem dos Fundos, Adjacentes e Remoção dos Inertes da ZALI-Zona de Atividades Logísticas e Industriais do Porto de Aveiro, para Reforço do Cordão Litoral a Sul Costa Nova”, Ílhavo municipality, in a total investment of around 12.2 million euros. This intervention is a coastal protection work, for the safety of people and property. The coordination of this technical/scientific work will be carried out by the Researcher Paulo Baganha Baptista and has the collaboration of Professor Cristina Bernardes, Professor Luis Menezes Pinheiro, Professor Carlos Coelho, Professor Paulo Silva, Professor Tiago Abreu and Professor Joaquim Barbosa. The intervention will start in May 2020.

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  • CESAM´s Professor interviewed by Rádio Renascença about the improvement of air quality during the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Published in 20/4/2020

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    Professor Myriam Lopes, an expert on air pollution, uses two urban air quality measurement stations (one in Entrecampos, in the center of Lisbon, the other in Aveiro) to find that "it is possible to see the impact of the pandemic and in particular the impact of the emergency measures adopted", taking as reference March 16th, the date on which, by government decision, schools were closed, with the suspension of classroom activities at all levels of education in Portugal. "At Entrecampos station the reductions are over 60%, while in Aveiro they are around 50%", points out Myriam Lopes, when interpreting the graphics prepared by the Researcher Carla Gama. Full news here: bit.ly/2VJI0g5 Evolution of the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a polluting gas, over the past few months. Data collected by urban air quality measurement station in Aveiro.  

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  • CESAM members collaborated in the edition of the magazine "Indústria e Ambiente" no. 120

    Published in 20/4/2020

    Professor Myriam Lopes was co-editor of the magazine "Indústria e Ambiente" no. 120, whose edition had a dossier dedicated to Air Quality. Other members of CESAM also collaborated in this edition, namely: Professor Carlos Borrego, who was interviewed; Professor Ana Isabel Miranda, who wrote the article "Forest Fires: air quality and health" and the Researcher Alexandra Monteiro, who wrote the article "ARTUR: Tourism and air quality together in the same project". + bit.ly/3an3Awn

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  • CESAM´s researcher participates in a study about the impact of COVID-19 on the fishing industry in Italy

    Published in 15/4/2020

    Coronavirus global pandemic (COVID-19) is having unpredictable consequences for the professional fishing sector. The European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries (PECH) should, as such, start a process of dialogue on special measures to be taken, including amendments to the regulation of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. One of the measures is to create a dialogue with professional fishermen and representatives of the professional fishing sector of the Italian Peninsula, through a questionnaire that seeks to assess the impact of the coronavirus on fishing activities in Italy. This questionnaire will allow researchers to know the harmful effects of the coronavirus in the Italian fishing communities. Above all, it is important to listen and record the experiences of these communities induced by sudden external factors, studying their resilience. This study had the collaboration of Cristina Pita, CESAM’s researcher. + https://bit.ly/2XybUqm

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  • CESAM´s researcher interviewed by a national newspaper about the impressive improvement in air quality during Covid-19 pandemic

    Published in 13/4/2020

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    Empty streets, away from the usual chaos, the clearest sky and a tense tranquility. Porto, Lisbon and other world cities, where polluting emissions decreased dramatically, are unrecognizable. Alexandra Monteiro, CESAM´s researcher, has no doubt that "nothing like this has ever been seen". "There are reductions of 70% in some monitoring stations. There are impressive improvements in air quality". The researcher, who predicts air quality every day for Portugal, frequently analyzes the data provided by the air pollution monitoring station of Senhora da Hora, in Porto, "one of the most reliable". At Avintes station, in Vila Nova de Gaia, she also found surprising data: "It went from high levels to residual levels. It is difficult to go below this". And car traffic was "largely responsible for reducing polluting emissions across Europe".   + bit.ly/3a45Xny Satellite images show the clear difference between the spots of pollution over Iberian cities in one year.

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  • CESAM´s professor was the main guest of the ESTG Masters 2020

    Published in 6/4/2020

    Myriam Lopes was the main guest of the plenary session of the ESTG Masters - Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão (ESTG), Politécnico do Porto (P.PORTO). The ESTG Masters aims to promote the discussion and exchange of ideas about submitted papers, “hoping to obtain feedback that may result in the development of new theories”. Myriam Lopes gave a presentation about green spaces and reflected on green businesses and jobs and their impact on the economy, showing how green companies can contribute to a more ecological and sustainable environment. + https://www.expressofelgueiras.com/escola-superior-de-tecnologia-e-gestao-promove-debate-cientifico/ https://www.tamegasousa.pt/felgueiras-estg-promove-debate-cientifico-entre-estudantes/ https://www.estg.ipp.pt/noticias/myriam-lopes-e-convidada-do-estg-masters-2020 https://www.estg.ipp.pt/noticias/falamos-sobre-espacos-verdes-na-10a-edicao-do-estg-masters

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  • Researchers from CESAM are the guest editors of the special issue to be published in Applied Sciences, an Open Access Journal by MDPI

    Published in 2/4/2020

    A special issue on the “Behavior and Effects of Nanoscale Materials and Plastics — Understanding the Mechanisms of Toxicity” to be published in Applied Sciences - Open Access Journal by MDPI (ISSN 2076-3417) is now open to the scientific community for submissions. We encourage submissions that draw on a variety of experimental and review articles. The guest editors are Vera Lúcia Maria (CESAM´s researcher) and Ângela Barreto (CESAM´s researcher). For detailed information, go to the link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/nanomaterial_plastic Deadline for submission of papers: October 31, 2020   

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  • Exhibition on expeditions to natural spaces has the contribution of a faculty of CESAM

    Published in 1/4/2020

    For the first time, the best draws, pictures and videos collected in the field made in a total of 15 expeditions, is exhibited in the exhibition “Grupo do Risco – Expedições a espaços naturais (2007 – 2019)”. The exhibition can be seen until 14 March 2021, in the Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Lisbon, in the scope of the program Lisboa, Capital Verde Europeia 2020. Henrique Queiroga, faculty of the Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro is one of the founders of the Grupo de Risco. The complete news can be read here (in Portuguese).

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  • Cost Action in Lipidomics submitted by CESAM´s researcher was approved for funding

    Published in 1/4/2020

    Cost Action CA 19105 “Pan European Network in Lipidomics and Epilipidomics”, a project led by Rosário Domingues, researcher at CESAM and Mass Spectrometry Centre of the Department of Chemistry (Universidade de Aveiro), was approved for funding. The purpose of this Cost Action is to build and maintain a pan-European multidisciplinary network of excellence in lipidomics and epilipidomics. The project has the participation of partners from 26 countries, with the support of universities, research institutes, hospitals, clinical centers and companies.

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  • CESAM´s professor was interviewed by a national newspaper about Covid-19

    Published in 31/3/2020

    Macau closed its casinos for 15 days and measures the temperature at the entrance to public services. Taiwan imposes fines for those who violate measures. Millions of people in China are quarantined. Germans trust their health care system and employers. Portugal, at the tip of Europe, got ready for the battle against Covid-19. The tactics of a fight. Hard. Adelaide Almeida, researcher in the field of viruses and antibiotics, professor of microbiology, understands Macau's response. "It is the third coronavirus outbreak, Macau has the experience of other pandemics and was more frightened than us". The population was aware of the danger, the risks of another coronavirus that was being installed beside them. "People were scared and knew that they had to protect themselves, that they had to isolate themselves." Full news here.

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  • CESAM’s ERA Chair project approved

    Published in 25/3/2020

    The Project BESIDE - Institutional, BEhavioural, critical and adaptive economics towards SustaInable Development, management of natural capital and circular Economy, submitted by CESAM to the H2020 ERA Chairs call, was recently approved. Ana Isabel Lillebø, CESAM's Scientific Coordinator, will be the Coordinator of this Project. ERA Chairs projects bring outstanding academics, with proven research excellence and management skills, to universities and research institutions in Widening countries with potential for research excellence. BESIDE’s project aims to consolidate at the UA Associated Laboratory CESAM a research group of excellence in Environmental Economics and Natural Resources. This will boost the existing fundamental and applied research activities by filling the identified gaps on: i) financial impact of environmental policies, ii) high-skilled jobs opportunities, and iii) circular economy business models. An ERA Chair holder will be hired for the position of Coordinator Researcher and fund 5 researchers and 3 PhD students. BESIDE is fully aligned with UN sustainable development goals for 2030, EU priorities that include the commitment for an intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth based on knowledge and innovation and the shared pursuit of excellence, and with the national and Centro-Portugal region research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3).

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  • Perto de 700 mil pessoas viram documentário em que o CESAM é parceiro científico!

    Published in 26/3/2020

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    (Only available in Portuguese) Transmitido no passado domingo, dia 22 de março, pelo canal de televisão SIC, o programa “Lousada. Reencontro com a Natureza” foi visto por cerca de 700 mil pessoas, merecendo o destaque no site da SIC (https://sic.pt/maissic/2020-03-22-Documentario-Vida-Selvagem-gravado-por-equipa-portuguesa). Para este ano está prevista a produção de mais dois documentários, a exibir em horário nobre, que contarão com o envolvimento e a autoria de investigadores do CESAM. Divulgar como o conhecimento científico é cada vez mais importante nas nossas vidas e é uma das prioridades do CESAM. Quando este tempo, difícil para todos, passar iremos dar a conhecer novos projetos de divulgação de ciência, que queremos inclusivos e com um grande envolvimento da comunidade CESAM e UA, além de outros parceiros científicos.   Para quem não viu o documentário e tenha uma box TV, pesquise por Domingo 12H12 SIC  “Lousada. Reencontro com a Natureza”.   O programa “Lousada. Reencontro com a Natureza” traz ao grande ecrã histórias naturais desconhecidas do grande público, de que são exemplos: uma águia que alimenta as crias com favos de vespa asiática, as lutas entre enormes escaravelhos, até aos maiores lagartos da Europa que vivem num campo de futebol. Foram mais de 800 horas de filmagens de comportamentos animais, alguns nunca filmados antes em Portugal. Situado no norte de Portugal, Lousada é um concelho densamente povoado, e, como consequência, a paisagem é marcada por uma grande concentração de casas e outras estruturas humanas. Aqui, a atividade humana é intensa, mas, apesar do desaparecimento de grande parte dos habitats naturais, a vida selvagem tende a resistir e muitas espécies começam a aproveitar as oportunidades geradas pela presença humana. Vamos dar a conhecer um projeto de conservação da natureza inovador e o trabalho extraordinário de um grupo de pessoas dedicadas à proteção da diversidade biológica. "Lousada - reencontro com a Natureza" envolveu o apoio logístico dos biólogos e técnicos do Município de Lousada e do Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM) da Universidade de Aveiro, que foi parceiro cientifico.  

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  • A photography from a CESAM’s researcher was selected for the cover of the Marine Biotechnology Journal’s April issue

    Published in 23/3/2020

    A photography from Tânia Caetano, CESAM’s researcher, was selected for the cover of the Marine Biotechnology Journal’s April issue. The photography illustrates the culture of a halophilic microorganism from the Archaea domain surrounded by a high amount of salt. The scientific work included in the volume and which led to the selection of this image is entitled "Antibiotics from Haloarchaea: What Can We Learn from Comparative Genomics?”. The work was carried out by Inês Castro, MSc in Microbiology, from the Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory under the supervision of the Assistant Researcher Tânia Caetano and Assistant Professor with aggregation Sónia Mendo (CESAM&DBio).The study explores comparative genomics as method to deepen the knowledge on the mechanisms of secondary metabolites biosynthesis. The biosynthesis of halocins was used as proof-of-concept, which are antibiotics produced by Archaea halophils - the haloarchaea. + https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10126-020-09952-9

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  • "Lousada. Reencontro com a Natureza" - March 22, 12pm at SIC - with CESAM as scientific partner

    Published in 19/3/2020

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    'Lousada. Reencontro com a Natureza', portrays the work of inventorying the diversity of animals and plants and the conservation efforts to help wildlife in the municipality of Lousada. This is a territory with a strong human presence and therefore the natural areas are reduced and are dispersed throughout the landscape. But despite this, many species, some threatened, manage to survive in this region. 'Lousada. Reecontro com a Natureza' will bring to the big screen natural stories unknown to the general public like the largest lizards in Europe living in a football field. It is a documentary that portrays our natural values, their relationship with humanized spaces, but also social involvement, and the way in which this involvement results in the sustainability of the territory and the enhancement of Biodiversity. It will also showcase an innovative nature conservation project and the extraordinary work of a group of people dedicated to the protection of biological diversity. This 45 minutes documentary took about 18 months and over 800 hours of footage. Joaquim Pedro Ferreira, CESAM's researcher, shares the authorship of this documentary with Manuel Nunes and Milene Matos and the production with Pedro Miguel Ferreira. 'Lousada. Reencontro com a Natureza' is a Play Solutions-Audiovisuais and Municipality of Lousada Production, that has CESAM as scientific partner. 

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  • Covid 19 - CESAM supports Hospital de Aveiro delivering protective material

    Published in 23/3/2020

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    "We responded positively to a challenge from the Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga (CHBV) that asked for the provision of some protective materials. UA community responded immediately and continues to help and will be available to help in whatever is necessary," said Artur Silva, UA vice-rector for research.  In addition to the production and delivery of disinfectant, assured from CESAM by Anabela Pereira, Biology/Environmental Laboratories Technician, and Joana Barata, Technological Development Researcher,  the Academy responded to the request for delivery of protective material for the clinical staff of the Hospital de Aveiro with the delivery of lab coats, masks and gloves stored in the Chemistry, Biology and Environment Departments, Escola Superior de Saúde and ECOMARE, as well as in several Research Units (CESAM, CICECO, LAQV_REQUIMTE-Aveiro). + https://bit.ly/2QnUA2H

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  • COVID-19 info

    Published in 21/5/2020

    Dear CESAM member: Taking into account the current situation and the recommendations by the Portuguese Government and the Rector of the University of Aveiro, CESAM staff has been reduced to a minimum possible onsite - the administrative staff is working remotely (those who are not on leave due to assistance to children). Until further notice, all communications with any staff member should favor the use of email and/or phone calls. As requested before please use institutional emails -this facilitates the correct and fastest way of response. We will try to keep things running as smoothly as possible. Please keep following the current situation which is updated regularly in the University of Aveiro website https://www.ua.pt/en/covid-19-info https://www.ua.pt/en/covid-19-faq       Imagem de mohamed Hassan por Pixabay 

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  • CESAM's Researcher - José Alves - signs an article in national newspaper

    Published in 16/3/2020

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    The land of make-believe — that will certainly be made to pay the bill! Since the Environmental Impact Assessment for Montijo Airport was made public, in July 2019, its failures, with regard to the evaluation of impacts on the birds of the estuary have come to be revealed. In September 2019, these limitations were presented in public consultation to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA). In January 2020 they released a Declaration of Environmental Impact (DIA) “conditionally approving” the project — nullifying practically any subsequent discussion of this subject. However, it has now been reported that the technical report by specialists of the national authority for nature conservation (Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e Florestas — ICNF) attests that the impacts of this project “…call into question the integrity of the whole Special Protection Area” of the Tagus Estuary, and that the assessment of the ICNF “must be negative”, on pain of “possible future [European] community legislation.” Continue reading here: https://bit.ly/2vuTivS This article was written by the Researcher José Alves.

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  • CESAM participates in work that reveals that banana peels may be efficient in cleaning contaminated waters

    Published in 11/3/2020

    The PhD student of CESAM & CICECO Elaine Fabre is the first author of the article published in the journal Science of the Total Environment that shows that banana peels are highly efficient in removing heavy metals of contaminated waters, namely with mercury. The complete news can be read here and had a national visibility (e.g., SIC Notícias).

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  • CESAM brings closer researchers and the community with the new project "Ciência com Impacto"

    Published in 10/3/2020

    [Content only available in Portuguese] Que impacto têm as descobertas científicas na sociedade? E como podem ajudar na nossa vida quotidiana? Estas são as questões de partida que inspiram o “Ciência com Impacto”, uma nova iniciativa do Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM) da Universidade de Aveiro. O programa acaba de arrancar, tendo começado já a chegar ao grande público através de canais digitais, seguindo-se um conjunto de ações no terreno. “Ciência com Impacto” representa uma forma inédita de retirar as descobertas científicas do laboratório e dos gabinetes dos investigadores, divulgando-as e promovendo-as junto da comunidade. A ação é constituída por vídeos temáticos de três minutos e de podcasts com uma hora de duração. Estes conteúdos são divulgados com uma periodicidade semanal, com a publicação dos vídeos a alternar com a semana de divulgação dos podcasts. O primeiro vídeo já está disponível em https://cienciacomimpacto.pt e é protagonizado por Catarina Eira, investigadora do CESAM, que fala do seu trabalho na área da ecologia e conservação das populações de mamíferos marinhos que ocorrem na costa portuguesa. O primeiro podcast estará disponível na próxima segunda-feira, dia 16 de março. No âmbito da iniciativa “Ciência com Impacto” serão ainda realizados debates sobre temas da atualidade, associados às áreas do ambiente, saúde humana, ecologia, mar e biotecnologia, entre outros. Estes encontros contarão com a presença e o contributo de investigadores do CESAM e de outros atores relevantes para a temática abordada. A Bondalti, indústria química parceira do projeto, assume a produção, realização e divulgação dos podcasts, que estão a ser alojados num media host e disponibilizados nas plataformas habituais (em áudio) e no Youtube (em vídeo). Além desta divulgação, o podcast será emitido pela Rádio Voz da Ria, que se associa através da cedência dos estúdios. O Diário de Notícias também se associou e será criada uma rúbrica quinzenal intitulada "Ciência com Impacto", que publicará o podcast e uma entrevista editada a partir dele.  “Ciência com Impacto” contará, igualmente, com uma componente de ciência cidadã, de modo a envolver as empresas e o público em projetos de investigação.

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  • CESAM in the Science Week of a local school

    Published in 10/3/2020

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    [Text only available in Portuguese] Membros do Laboratório de Biotecnologia Molecular (Departamento de Biologia e CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro), estiveram presentes na Semana da Ciência da Escola Secundária Adolfo Portela em Águeda nos dias 04 e 06 de março. No primeiro dia, Joana Barbosa, recentemente doutorada foi apresentar o seu trabalho de Doutoramento numa palestra intitulada “Bactérias: Quando os vilões trabalham a nosso favor”. A palestra foi dirigida a cerca de 50 alunos e professores essencialmente do 10º e 11º anos. No dia 06 de março, investigadores do laboratório (um doutorado e estudantes de doutoramento e de mestrado) dinamizaram um workshop sobre Técnicas de Cultura de procariotas e avaliação de características fenotípicas. Este workshop foi dirigido a 20 alunos do 11º ano.

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  • Research project led by University of Aveiro receives 300 000 € funding to study Côa Valley

    Published in 9/3/2020

    The project rWILD-COA was approved for funding by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), in the scope of the International Research Program on Côa Valley, which aims to promote interdisciplinar and multidisciplinar R&D activities performed in the region of Côa Valley, classified by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2019. The project rWILD-COA - Ecological challenges and opportunities of trophic rewilding in Côa Valley, has a multidisciplinary and international team: João Carvalho (Principal Investigator), Rita T. Torres, Rui Morgado, Susana Loureiro and Carlos Fonseca, all from Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, Association Rewilding Iberia, Association Transumância e Natureza, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and  Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona.   rWILD-COA will use Côa Valley as a natural laboratory to test and quantify the potential role of wild ungulates as ‘engineers’ of Mediterranean ecosystem. The project rWILD-COA will provide the necessary knowledge to the implementation of self-sustainable ecosystems. By integrating a variety of specialized teams and disciplines, rWILD-COA is aimed to i) evaluate the effects of extensive and intensive grazing and/or browsing on fire risk mitigation, ii) predict how ungulates impact soil ecological processes and functioning (e.g. soil microbial activity, biogeochemical cycling) by grazing, grubbing, trampling and dunging, and study how these activities influence vegetation structure and invertebrate communities through soil nutrient mediation, iii) explore the direct and indirect pathways by which ungulates buffer or strengthen changes in species richness and diversity in the face of other environmental perturbations, such as climate warming, and iv) analyse plant-soil feedback effects and the role of inter and intraspecific competition on foraging efficiency, diet quality and animal health of reintroduced individuals. the ecological and functional processes of the soil (e.g. microbial activity, biogeochemical cycles), and study how these activities influence the structure of the vegetation and the community of invertebrates through the mediation of the nutrients’ cycle, iii) evaluate the effects of intensive and extensive pastoralism in the mitigation of fire risk, and iv) analyze the effects of the resources competition in the quality of the diet and physiological parameters of reintroduced animals.

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  • Irina Gorodetskaya is interviewed regarding the temperature rise in Antarctic

    Published in 4/3/2020

    The national journal JPN wrote, on February 20, an article on the temperature record obtained in Antarctic. CESAM researcher Irina Gorodetskaya was interviewed to give her testimony on this thematic and the article was updated on February 26. Irina Gorodetskaya is an expert in meteorology and clime with several works in Antarctic. The article can be read here [in Portuguese].

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  • X Iberian Symposium - Minho River Basin & Final Seminar of the COOPERMINHO Project in Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal 25-26 Sep

    Published in 30/4/2020

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    O Simpósio vai decorrer em vila Nova de Cerveira de 25 a 26 de setembro de 2020. A realização do SIBHRM, com uma periodicidade bianual, junta participantes de Espanha e Portugal, no sentido de atualizar informação e promover a discussão sobre temas pertinentes para a região, tendo por base os recursos naturais e importância da preservação da biodiversidade associada ao Rio Minho. A edição deste ano, irá realizar-se em conjunto com o Seminário Final do projeto COOPERMINHO - Valorização da Produção Piscatória do Rio Minho – Contribuição para a Gestão e Valorização de Produtos da Pesca do Rio Minho – Comunicação e Formação Socioambiental da Comunidade Local para a valorização dos Recursos Piscícolas do Rio Minho. A inscrição neste evento é gratuita mas obrigatória e pode ser feita aqui. Datas importantes: Data limite de inscrição: 31 julho Data limite de envio de resumos: 31 julho Data limite de envio de trabalhos: 01 setembro

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  • Documentary with the support of CESAM will be soon released

    Published in 3/3/2020

    The documentary “Lousada - Reencontro com a Natureza” will be soon released in the national TV channel, SIC. This documentary involved the logistic support of biologists and technicians of the Municipality of Lousada and CESAM, which was the scientific partner. Joaquim Pedro Ferreira, researcher of CESAM, shared the authorship and direction of this documentary. Placed in the North of Portugal, Lousada is a place with a dense population and, as a consequence, the landscape has a big concentration of houses and other human-built structures. Regardless the elimination of several natural habitats, the wild life often resists and several species took profit from the opportunities created by the human presence. The company Play Solutions Audiovisuais and the Municipality of Lousada present natural histories unknown for the general public, such as: an eagle that feeds its offspring with honeycombs of Asian hornets, the fights between huge scarab beetles, and the largest lizards in Europe living in a football field. The documentary resulted from more than 800 filming hours of animal behavior, some of them were never registered in Portugal. We invite you to meet an innovative project of nature conservation and the extraordinary work of a group of people dedicated to the protection of biodiversity. The trailer can be seen here.

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  • Catarina Eira gives the alarm: At least one dolphin dies per day in Portugal due to fishing nets

    Published in 2/3/2020

    The CESAM researcher  Catarina Eira, explains in the online journal Observador, how fishing nets can contribute to the extinction of some dolphin species and possible solutions to this problem. Data result from LIFE+ project MarPro.

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  • CESAM participates in a sea turtle conservation project on the beaches of Angola

    Published in 2/3/2020

    Cambeú project is focused in the protection of sea turtles that spawn in the beaches of Angola and that are seriously threaten. The news was given by UAOnline and was also highlighted by the journal Wilder [in PT].

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  • Book of CESAM in Science Communication

    Published in 27/2/2020

    [Content only available in Portuguese] Já pode ser lido o livro Comunicação de Ciência – das universidades ao grande público, editado pelas Edições Afrontamento (coleção Biologicando). Este livro foi publicado no âmbito das atividades do CESAM e conta com a contribuição de vários membros e colaboradores desta unidade de investigação. A obra é dirigida a todos os que ambicionam melhorar as suas capacidades de comunicação para vários públicos e responde a várias questões que assolam os Cientistas, Comunicadores e a Sociedade. O Reitor da Universidade de Aveiro, prof. Paulo Jorge Ferreira, refere no antelóquio que “com abordagens teóricas e práticas na dose certa, os onze capítulos focam-se naquilo que deve ser a comunicação de ciência das universidades para o grande público, nas várias formas que pode assumir e nos diversos contextos em que pode acontecer”. Assim, neste livro, poderá ler-se como comunicar ciência (desde um artigo científico a uma banda desenhada) e em contextos variados (por exemplo Centros de Ciência Viva e ONG). Este livro pretende não só beneficiar a comunidade científica e a Ciência, mas também a Sociedade, contribuindo para melhorar a prática da comunicação e a discussão das questões teóricas que fundamentam essa prática.

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  • ANICT 2020 local symposium - March 5th , UA

    Published in 24/2/2020

    ANICT 2020 events are a group of local symposia, organized by the scientific community in various parts of the country, with the aim of collecting information on the main problems that doctoral researchers face in the development of their work activity, as well as presenting and discussing concrete proposals with priority scientific policies that the government should implement. The relevance and urgency of these events is related to the mandate of the Comissão de Avaliação de Alto Nível de avaliação do Programa de Estímulo ao Emprego Científico, which should present its recommendations to the Government, by the end of March 2020. ANICT invites the entire community to participate in the events. Specifically, the event to be held at the University of Aveiro will take place on March 5th at Carlos Borrego Amphitheater (DAO), between 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm, with the organization and moderation of CESAM Scientific Coordinator Ana Lillebø and the researchers Sónia Cruz and João Amaral.  

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  • Asian clams clean contaminated water

    Published in 18/2/2020

    Work of CESAM with University of Porto explores the potential of an invasive species to treat contaminated waters. The complete news here.

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  • CESAM hosts the series Bio Id & Ciência

    Published in 2/3/2020

    [Content only available in Portuguese] O objectivo da série é dar a conhecer a diversidade de organismos, o seu papel nos ecossistemas e o contributo que têm dado à ciência. Cada episódio, com periodicidade quinzenal, inicia com uma espécie de “bilhete de identidade” de um organismo e dará a conhecer as descobertas científicas que lhe estão associadas. É um catálogo de diversidade biológica, desde bactérias a grandes vertebrados, dado a conhecer por investigadores do CESAM. Esta produção audiovisual insere-se no cumprimento da missão do CESAM de promoção e divulgação do conhecimento científico. O primeiro episódio pode ser visto aqui. Esta série era antes uma iniciativa do Departamento de Biologia da Universidade de Aveiro e que também teve a colaboração de vários membros do CESAM. Todos os vídeos publicados até ao momento podem ser vistos aqui.

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  • CANCELLED - Public presentation of the project CIÊNCIA COM IMPACTO

    Published in 5/3/2020

    FOR PERSONAL AND FAMILIAR REASONS OF ONE OF THE INVOLVED PARTIES, THIS EVENT WAS CANCELED AND WILL BE POSTPONED FOR A NEW DATE NOT YET CONFIRMED. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. [Text available only in Portuguese] O CESAM-Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar tem uma nova iniciativa que pretende retirar as grandes e pequenas descobertas científicas do laboratório e dos gabinetes dos investigadores. O projeto terá o nome de Ciência com impacto e a sua apresentação pública será no dia 06 de março, pelas 15h no Auditório do ISCA da Universidade de Aveiro. Ciência Com Impacto é um projeto de divulgação e promoção do conhecimento científico produzido nas áreas do ambiente, saúde humana, do mar, da ecologia e da biotecnologia por investigadores do Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM) da Universidade de Aveiro.  O principal objetivo deste projeto é mostrar como o conhecimento científico, que está a ser gerado neste preciso momento, tem impacto nas nossas vidas e no nosso quotidiano, como esse conhecimento resolve problemas, ajuda a tomar decisões e como permite que sejamos cidadãos mais ativos e responsáveis. Ciência Com Impacto será constituída por vídeos temáticos de três minutos e de podcasts com uma hora de duração. Estes conteúdos terão uma periodicidade quinzenal: a publicação dos vídeos alterna com a semana de divulgação dos podcasts. Serão ainda realizados debates sobre temas da atualidade, associados às áreas do ambiente, saúde humana, ecologia, mar e biotecnologia, entre outros que contarão com a presença e o contributo de investigadores do CESAM e de outros atores relevantes para a temática abordada. Ciência Com Impacto terá, também, uma componente de ciência cidadã de modo a envolver as empresas e o público em projetos de investigação. Ciência Com Impacto é um projeto da Universidade de Aveiro, que conta com o apoio da produtora Play Solutions Audiovisuais  e a parceria da Bondalti – a maior indústria química portuguesa. 

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  • CESAM faculty is the new CTO of ForestWISE

    Published in 14/2/2020

    Carlos Fonseca, professor of CESAM, took office as CTO of the Collaborative Laboratory ForestWISE on February 10, in a ceremony which had the presence of the Minister Manuel Heitor. The event at UTAD, brought together companies and public institutions interested in seeking answers to the challenge of an integrated management of rural fires. The complete news here.

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  • CESAM in the scientific commission of Jornadas Luso-Espanholas de Hidrografia

    Published in 13/2/2020

    The Instituto Hidrográfico (Portugal) and Instituto Hidrográfico de la Marina (Spain) co-organize, for the first time, the 1st Luso-Spanish Journeys on Hydrography. The CESAM researcher, Doctor Ana Lillebø, belongs to the scientific commission of this event. These journeys will happen in Instituto Hidrográfico from 23 to 25 June. This event occurs in the context of the World Hydrography Day (21 June) and is an opportunity for the scientific community discuss themes related with hydrographic engineering and in related areas. The themes that are going to be addressed in the journeys are: Hydrography Cartography Navigation and Maritime Services Oceanography Marine Geology Chemistry in marine environments Sea Technologies Marine Geospatial Data infrastructures Important dates: Abstract submission: 13 Mar Extended abstract submission: 04 May Release of temporary program: 15 Apr Registration: 15 Apr – 09 Jun More information here.

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  • CESAM inputs for the declaration and themes for the 2020 UN Ocean Conference

    Published in 10/2/2020

    Following the participation in the Preparatory Meeting of the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference held in the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 4-5 February CESAM’s representatives contributed to the stakeholders E-Consultation on elements for the declaration and themes for the interactive dialogues of the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference that will take place in Lisbon, 2-6 June. The complete CESAM’s contributions can be read here (line 99).

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  • Participatory meeting on the control of invasive species in Ria de Aveiro had the presence of CESAM

    Published in 6/2/2020

    The Directorate-General responsible for nature conservation and forests convene on February 03 2020, in University of Aveiro, a participatory meeting on the control of invasive alien species in Ria de Aveiro. Several entities of the region of Aveiro were present, including University of Aveiro represented by CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies. The participatory meeting organized by the Direção Regional da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas do Centro focused on the “Control of invasive alien species in Natura 2000 Site Ria de Aveiro in the context of the commemoration of the World Wetlands Day, this year dedicated to the theme Wetlands and Biodiversity. The main goal of the meeting was to prepare and operationalize a control plan of the invasive alien species in Ria de Aveiro Site. Invasions has been identified in the National Strategy for the Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity 2030 as one of the major threats to biodiversity. CESAM researcher Heliana Teixeira, was invited to be present in the meeting and presented the first exhaustive survey of the aquatic invasive alien species in Ria de Aveiro that has been made by her team. Professor Hélia Marchante from Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra and researcher of CFE- UC, co-responsible for the platform Invasoras.pt, was also present and reported the terrestrial invasive alien species that constitute major impacts and of higher concern in the area. Several entities of the Central region of Portugal participated in this meeting, including municipalities, environmental agencies, relevant Directorates-General, University of Aveiro represented by CESAM, other high education entities, Guarda Nacional Republicana, Port of Aveiro administration and Capitania.

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  • CESAM present in the Ocean Conference Preparatory Meeting in New York

    Published in 5/2/2020

    In anticipation of the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference, the General Assembly of UN decided to convene a two-day preparatory meeting from 4-5 February 2020 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Ana Lillebø, the Scientific Coordinator of CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and representatives of the CESAM thematic line Marine Ecosystems & Resources are present in this event. The 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference will be held in Lisbon, 2-6 June 2020 co-hosted by Government of Portugal and Kenya. This event comes at a critical time as the world is strengthening its efforts to mobilize, create and drive solutions to realize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In anticipation of this Conference, the General Assembly organized a preparatory meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York aiming to discuss the actions to support the implementation of UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Universidade de Aveiro is present in this event with Ana Lillebø, CESAM’s scientific Coordinator, together with Ricardo Calado and Cristina Pita, coordinator and co-coordinator of the CESAM thematic line Marine Ecosystems & Resources, respectively. The main aims of this thematic line are to contribute to a Blue Society, where solutions are inspired by the ocean, and improve ocean and coastal decision-making, supported by solid scientific knowledge. This is in line with the ultimate goal of the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference which is to use science and innovation to improve the knowledge on marine ecosystems and manage the marine resources in a sustainable way. At the opening of the meeting, the delivery from the Portuguese Minister of the Sea, Dr. Ricardo Serrão Santos, highlighted that “Portugal, as a strong voice for ocean law and governance, and for science-based policy, will stay at the forefront of the advocacy for the recognition that we need transformative action”, reinforcing the relevance of this theme at a national level in the future.  More on this preparatory meeting and on the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference here.

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  • Portuguese newspaper Público takes CESAM researcher to the area that will be impacted by the construction of the new airport in Lisbon

    Published in 4/2/2020

    The Portuguese newspaper Público made na article on the impact of Montijo Airport in birds and took the CESAM researcher, José Alves, and Joaquim Teodósio from the Portuguese society of birds (SPEA - Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves). Watch the video here [in PT]. This issue was cover on the today’s newspaper.

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  • CESAM paper is highlighted in Nature Climate Change

    Published in 3/2/2020

    The work of CESAM researcher Isabel Lopes and collaborator Cátia Venâncio entitled Active emigration from climate change-caused seawater intrusion into freshwater habitats was highlighted in the prestigious journal Nature Climate Change. One of the aims of this research was to answer the question if mobile freshwater organisms emigrate from salinity-disturbed habitats, i.e. if they avoid the salinity stress. Results show that planktonic crustacean (Daphnia magna), epibenthic ostracod (Heterocypris incongruens), frog (Xenopus laevis) and zebrafish (Danio rerio) show this behavior.  Seawater intrusion is an expected event under climate change scenarios, resulting in a salinization of low-lying coastal freshwater ecosystems. Usually, ecological risk assessment of this intrusion is based in standard toxicity tests.  The highlight given by Nature Climate Change is a call for attention that, for mobile organisms, stress avoidance emigration may occur and it will be important to consider it to assess the full risk of local losses due to salinization.

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  • CESAM researcher in Dutch media talking about the threat to the national bird

    Published in 31/1/2020

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    The black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) is one of many wader species that uses the Tagus estuary as resting and feeding area during the winter, and one which is predicted to be seriously affected by the new Lisbon airport, located in the Montijo peninsula, in the middle of the Tagus estuary. The breeding population of black-tailed godwit in central Europa (particularly the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and England) has suffered drastic declines of 30-49% during the last 26 years. Due to such negative population trend, the species is classified as “near threatened” by the International Union for Nature Conservation, and is currently targeted by several conservation programs, many of which financed by the European Union (Life Projects, Agri-Environemtal Schemes, etc.). And, in the Netherlands, the black-tailed godwit is the national bird! José Alves, DBIO & CESAM researcher was interview this week by broadcaster from Friesland (Omrop Fryslan), Dutch province where black-tailed godwits are very abundant. The new was published on-line and broadcasted in the radio and tv, reaching national media (e.g. NOS), which in turn lead to environmental NGOs asking the Dutch government about the issue. The news has been gaining momentum in the Netherlands and “it is very interesting to notice that an EU member state dedicates so much attention to one species, when in Portugal, where many other species will be directly affected by the airport location, this topic has had little to no debate”.

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  • CESAM in an inventory of pollinator insects in the spaces of UA

    Published in 31/1/2020

    About 200 species of insects, mainly pollinators, were identified in 3 spaces of Universidade de Aveiro (UA) on the scope of the Master thesis in Applied Ecology of David Alves supervised by the researchers of Department of Biology and CESAM, Olga Ameixa and Paula Maia. More information on this work here [in PT].

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  • 6th Smart Green Homes Open Campus: 120 publications and 23 patents

    Published in 30/1/2020

    The project Smart Green Homes (SGH) that has CESAM members in its team boosted another edition of the Smart Green Homes (SGH) Open Campus in 29 January at Universidade de Aveiro. This event gathered the researchers of this project in the discussion and presentation of the worked obtained so far. The complete news here [in PT].

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  • CESAM participates in event organized by the Ministry of the Sea on the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

    Published in 30/1/2020

    Ministry of the Sea, Academia das Ciências de Lisboa and the Portuguese Committee for IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission)/UNESCO are organizing a session dedicated to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development: From challenges to actions. This session will be held on the 14th February 2020 in Academia das Ciências de Lisboa. Program includes the participation of experts that will present and debate on how Ocean Science can contribute to Sustainable Development and the objectives of Agenda 2030. The event will have the presence of the Minister of the Sea, Dr. Ricardo Serrão Santos and of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Eduaction, Dr. Manuel Heitor. Prof. Luis Menezes Pinheiro, President of the Portuguese Committee for IOC and researcher at CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Universidade de Aveiro, will share the opening session with the Minister of the Sea and will be the moderator of the panel The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Doctor Ana Hilário, researcher at CESAM, with a recognized curriculum on deep sea ecosystems, will be a speaker in the round table Ocean observation and protection measures. The complete program of the event can be consulted here. This session will be interesting for all including young researchers and post-grad students. The event is public but requires registration through the email: eventos@dgpm.mm.gov.pt.  UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development was declared by the United Nations and will be held from 2021 to 2030 aiming to provide a common framework to ensure that ocean science can fully support countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Decade will provide a unique opportunity to create a new foundation, across the science-policy interface, to strengthen the management of our oceans and coasts for the benefit of humanity. The Decade will strengthen the international cooperation needed to develop the scientific research and innovative technologies that can connect ocean science with the needs of society. The Decade will require the engagement of many different stakeholders to create new ideas, solutions, partnerships and applications, these include: scientists, governments, academics, policy makers, business, industry and civil society. More information on the Decade here.

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  • CESAM work shows that the quality of water in Lisbon may be “seriously compromised”

    Published in 3/2/2020

    The research work of Diana Vieira and  Marta Basso together with researchers from University of Lisbon, warns that, as a consequence of the forest fires of 2017 in the Centre of Portugal, the supply of water from Rio Zêzere may be impacted. The news was disseminated in several national media and can be read here: Público [in PT] RTP online [in PT] Visão [in PT] TSF [in PT] Expresso [in PT]

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  • CESAM paper is cover in Environmental Science & Technology journal

    Published in 22/1/2020

    The paper Structural features and pro-inflammatory effects of water-soluble organic matter in inhalable fine urban air particles authored by CESAM members, together with researchers from iBiMED and QOPNA & LAVQ-REQUIMTE of Universidade de Aveiro, is cover of the next number Environmental Science & Technology journal. In this work, researchers collected inhalable fine particulate matter from the atmosphere to identify differences in the composition of water-soluble organic matter (WSOM), and the oxidative and pro-inflammatory potential of WSOM samples in alveolar macrophages, which are related with the physiological responses of the immune system. Researchers concluded that exposure to these particles induced a moderate pro-inflammatory status, which may lead to a long-term reduction in the response capacity of the macrophages to further pro-inflammatory stimuli. These results suggest that, a decrease in the capacity of the alveolar macrophages to deal with pathogens may occur as a long-term effect. However, these are only preliminary results and further studies are necessary to understand the mechanisms responsible to cause the apparent increase of susceptibility to respiratory diseases due to the inhalation of these particles.

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  • CESAM researcher and Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds raise complaint against Portuguese Government due to a violation of an international agreement

    Published in 21/1/2020

    CESAM researcher, José Alves, together with the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA - Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves) and a researcher from MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, raised a complaint against Portuguese Government, accusing it of violating the AEWA – African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, following the construction of a new airport at Montijo, Portugal. AEWA is an international agreement that protects 255 aquatic bird species. The news was published in the nature magazine Wilder – Rewilding your days and can be read here (in Portuguese).

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  • CESAM researcher is co-organizing a SEB+ session at the annual conference of the Society for Experimental Biology

    Published in 21/1/2020

    Diana Madeira, CESAM's post-doctoral researcher, is organizing a special session SEB+ at the annual conference of the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB), in collaboration with Prof Piero Calosi (Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada).  The SEB annual meeting will take place in Prague from the 7th to the 10th of July 2020 and is a multi-disciplinary conference for researchers working on animal, plant and cell biology. It gathers over 800 biologists from all over the world and it will give its participants a great networking opportunity. The special SEB+ session co-organized by Diana Madeira will take place on the 11th of July 2020 and is titled “Within and transgenerational plastic responses and adaptive evolution of marine metazoans in a changing ocean: from molecules to biotic communities”. In more detail, the topics to be discussed in this session include: - Impacts of global change on marine biodiversity: trends and challenges for research and conservation - Tools and methodological developments to study global change impacts on biodiversity -Development of an integrated approach to global change research and biodiversity conservation  This SEB+ session, associated to the main event, will give its participants the opportunity to:  1. Interact with several of the world's top experts on climate change and marine biodiversity  2. Participate in open discussions 3. Present a poster or deliver a talk  4. Share ideas and establish multi-disciplinary collaborative networks Abstracts should be submitted until the 13th of March 2020 here.

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  • Key messages for the new EU Biodiversity Strategy from ALTER-Net

    Published in 21/1/2020

    ALTER-Net, the international network that has CESAM as a member, and EKLIPSE offer 12 messages to contribute to the development of the next EU biodiversity strategy.  In June 2018, researchers, scientists, decision-makers, and practitioners of several disciplines convened in Ghent for the 2018 ALTER-Net & EKLIPSE Conference. The purpose of this conference was to consider the post-2020 European Biodiversity Strategy and the role of research in shaping this strategy and its goals. The primary output of this conference is a collection of the 12 Key Messages, which have now been published and submitted to the European Commission. Here you can read all the messages and the full argumentation for each message.

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  • Minister of the Sea present in an event organized by CESAM on the scope of the deep ocean in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

    Published in 24/1/2020

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    Deep ocean is the major bioma of the planet and many remain unknown, particularly regarding biodiversity and ecosystems functioning. However, it is largely recognized that human well-being is highly related with the integrity of the deep ecosystems due to several services such as climatic regulation and resources availability. In general, for society, the deep ocean is a remote and unknown place with almost no biodiversity and clear inaccessibility. Nevertheless, a combination of geological, physical and geochemical factors creates a vast number of complex habitats with unique characteristics that, together, contribute to the environmental balance of our planet. Fauna from these habitats, present specific adaptations to high pressure, darkness, low temperatures, lack of food and, in some cases, isolation. Consequently, generally, animal physiology and the function of deep ocean ecosystems are highly different from the ones of terrestrial and shallow waters environments. Moreover, biodiversity from bathyal and abyssal depths is among the more elevated in the planet and the discovering potential is huge ranging from new genetic resources to new roles that these habitats play in the marine environment. In this context, the functioning and the ecosystem services supported by deep ocean biodiversity together with the impacts and resilience of the deep-ocean to human activity, is a major gap of knowledge. Historically, one of the great limitations to the knowledge of the deep ocean is the fact that the approach is fragmented and biased, with data collected mainly in the North Hemisphere and in the Exclusive Economic Zones of developed countries. United Nations have declared 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and on its roadmap, UN recognizes the lack of data in the deep ocean as an obstacle to the sustainable management of the oceans and requests the scientific community collaboration and coordination when planning the oceanic science. Scientific community in the deep ocean has answered to this challenge through two international initiatives: (1) Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) which contributes to the identification of the priority scientific questions for the Decade and the technological potential necessary to answer these questions, and (2) the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) that supports a working group aiming to plan a global approach using standard and adapted methods to the different habitats for the acquisition and integration of biological data of the deep ocean, and create technology transfer resources and capacitate human resources for the ocean sciences. CESAM has an essential role in this process, by coordinating these working groups. Moreover, CESAM had organized a DOSI workshop for the identification of the scientific priorities for the Decade (October 2018) and is now receiving SCOR for its first meeting (22-24 January 2020). This event will have a public session on January 24 which will have the presence of several national and international researchers, together with the national Minister of the Sea, Dr. Ricardo Serrão Santos. The program of this public event can be consulted below.   THE DEEP OCEAN IN THE UNDECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT  24 January 2020, University of Aveiro (Anfiteatro do DEMaC, Building 9, room 9.1.1) 14.30 Welcome and introduction Prof. Paulo Jorge Ferreira, Rector of the University of Aveiro (TBC); Dr. Ana Hilário, University of Aveiro 14.50 Advances since the Census of Marine Life (2000-2010) and challenges for the next decade Dr. Paul Snelgrove, Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada 15.10 Deep-Ocean science programmes in the Decade Prof. Lisa Levin, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, USA 15.30 The role of Portugal in a Decade of deep-ocean science Dr. Ricardo Serrão Santos, Minister of the Sea, Portugal & Member of the Executive Planning Group of the Decade 16.00 Round table discussion Moderator: Dr. Ana Colaço, University of the Azores, Portugal  

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  • Unique ethnobiological research on the sea lamprey in Minho River involves CESAM members

    Published in 17/1/2020

    CESAM, together with the Department of Biology of Universidade de Aveiro, contribute to the project CCOPERMINHO, in which it is responsible for a unique ethnobiological research in Minho River foccused in the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. More information on this work here [in PT]. In the context of this project, do not miss the premiere of the documentary COOPERMINHO on the 22nd of January at Universidade de Aveiro.

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  • Thematic Agenda for Research and Innovation – Climate Change is available to the public

    Published in 14/1/2020

    The finished document of the Thematic Agenda for Research and Innovation on Climate Change is already available at the site of FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (https://www.fct.pt/agendastematicas/altclim.phtml.pt). Some CESAM members had an important role in this document, namely, Prof. Henrique Queiroga, who participated as a Redactor, and Prof. Carlos Borrego and Doctor Sandra Rafael, who collaborated as experts. This Agenda is part of a group of fifteen Thematic Agendas at the responsibility of FCT, following an annex of the Council of Ministers decision nº 32/2016 on the commitment to the future (in PT). These agendas intend to mobilize experts from R&D institutions and companies in the identification of challenges and opportunities for the national scientific and technological system until 2030. The process of creation of the Agendas has been inclusive and dynamic, involving experts from academia, research centers, companies and public entities, but also citizens. Presently, the Agenda for Climate Change, is waiting for the graphic design but is already available to consult and download here.

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  • The premiere of the documentary "Cooperminho" will be on January 22nd at 3pm in the Meeting Room of CESAM

    Published in 13/1/2020

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    https://projetocooperminho.com/

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  • UGIIC 2020 - Urban Green Infrastructure International Conference

    Published in 2/1/2020

    The project GENESIS - Green roofs and walls ENvironmental Economic and SocIal Savings: Modelling uncertainty and investors / users preferences in all-inclusive cost-benefit analysis of green roofs and walls, which has CESAM members on its team, is organizing the URBAN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE to be held in Lisbon, 2-3 April 2020. Besides having the presence of CESAM members in the organizing committee, Professor Ana Isabel Miranda and researcher Vera Rodrigues are in the scientific committee. UGIIC 2020 is an interdisciplinary conference on green infrastructures (GI) and nature-based solutions (NBS) for cities. The aim of this event is to share and discuss the most recent work on green walls and green roofs, bringing together researchers, architects, engineers, urban planners, landscape architects and policy-makers from different nationalities. More information here. Important dates: - Abstract submission: 31 Jan - Paper/poster submission: 31 Jan - Presentation submission: 29 Feb

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  • CESAM wishes you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

    Published in 20/12/2019

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    How many irrelevant e-mails do you send in one day? 65? You have just contributed with the same amount of CO2 as if you were driving a car for only 1 km! In 2020, CESAM proposes you to strive to be more mindful & sustainable and avoid sending irrelevant e-mails. https://tinyurl.com/environmental-impact-of-emails  

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  • CESAM welcomes researchers from several parts of the world with the main objective of creating a MSc Programme in Aquaculture and Fisheries

    Published in 20/12/2019

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    Between 17 and 19 December the University of Aveiro hosted several researchers from Palermo University in Italy, Dubrovnik University of Croatia, EMUNI (Euro-Mediterranean University) in Slovenia, University of Alexandria in Egypt, University of Aswan in Egypt and Arab Academy of Sciences and Maritime Transport in Egypt for the start-up meeting of the Erasmus+ FishAqu project ("Knowledge Exchange in sustainable Fisheries management and Aquaculture in the Mediterranean region"). The main objective of this project is to create a Master's programme in Aquaculture and Fisheries in the light of the principles of the Bologna process. The beginning of this meeting was marked by the welcome reception by the Vice-Rector of the University of Aveiro, Professor Artur Silva. During the meeting the bases for the implementation and execution of the project were established and the curricular development will be based on future meetings in Aveiro and Marsa Matrouh in Egypt, as well as in Piran in Slovenia. This project involves, among other activities, the mobility of teachers and students from the University of Aveiro to Egypt where they will participate in the teaching of Master's modules, as well as the reception at the University of Aveiro of Egyptian students. http://fishaqu.eu/

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  • Birds also drink palm wine in Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau

    Published in 17/12/2019

     [Content only available in Portuguese] Investigadores do CESAM – Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, FCUL - Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa observaram três espécies de aves a alimentarem-se de seiva de palma, parcialmente fermentada, aproveitando a recolha feita nas palmeiras pelas populações locais para produção de vinho de palma, no Arquipélago dos Bijagós, Guiné Bissau. São poucos os grupos de animais vertebrados que conseguem alimentar-se de seiva de plantas, no entanto, algumas espécies de aves e mamíferos incluem este recurso altamente energético na sua dieta. Um estudo realizado em 2019 por investigadores do CESAM – Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, FCUL - Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa documentou (Jorge Gutiérrez, Teresa Catry, José Pedro Granadeiro), pela primeira vez, três espécies de aves (Tecelão-malhado Ploceus cucullatus, Engole-malagueta Pycnonotus barbatus (na imagem) e Beija-flor do Gabão Anthreptes gabonicus) a alimentarem-se em pontos de recolha de seiva de palma. Na verdade, o consumo de “vinho de palma”, produzido a partir da seiva recolhida das palmeiras, é uma prática comum em muitos países do Oeste Africano. Para isso os habitantes locais fazem cortes no topo das árvores a partir dos quais extraem a seiva.  Neste trabalho, que decorreu durante três meses na ilha de Orango, no arquipélago dos Bijagós, as aves foram observadas a tirar partido desta oportunidade, bebendo diretamente dos pontos de recolha de seiva nas palmeiras. Esta seiva, além de rica em açúcares, pode também ser uma fonte de água importante na época seca. No entanto, “Apesar de não se terem observado alterações no comportamento destas aves, esta seiva já está parcialmente fermentada, contendo entre 5,6 e 7,6 % de álcool (o equivalente a uma cerveja). De alguma forma estas espécies parecem estar adaptadas para lidar com este nível de álcool, mas serão necessárias mais experiências para o provar” explica Jorge Gutiérrez, um dos autores deste trabalho. Os autores destacam ainda que é muito interessante “o facto destas aves potencialmente aprenderem este comportamento de aproveitamento deste recurso umas com as outras, podendo servir como modelos de estudo de transmissão cultural em ambiente selvagem”.  Este é um exemplo de um caso em que o Homem facilita o acesso de alimento a estas espécies de aves que, de outra forma, não conseguiriam aproveitar este recurso. Interessante também é o facto destas aves parecerem estar familiarizadas com a localização e produção dos diferentes pontos de recolha e defenderem-nos ativamente de outras que tentem alimentar-se neles. Os próximos passos serão “investigar a ocorrência deste comportamento em outras ilhas do arquipélago dos Bijagós e realizar experiências com aves marcadas individualmente para se perceber a relevância do vinho de palma na sua alimentação e o potencial papel da transmissão cultural neste comportamento” diz Jorge Gutiérrez. O artigo original pode ser lido aqui. O trabalho foi realizado no âmbito do projeto MigraWebs. [Créditos da imagem: Jorge Gutérrez]

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  • Workshop on Soil Research @CESAM - Celebrating the World Soil Day 18 December - UA

    Published in 19/12/2019

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  • Project TraSeaFood on the traceability of geographic origin of marine resources was presented at ECOMARE

    Published in 13/12/2019

    A presentation workshop took place December 10 at ECOMARE (University of Aveiro), featuring project TraSeafood - Traceability of Geographic Origin as an Intelligent Appreciation Path for Endogenous Marine Resources (PTDC / BIA-BMA / 29491/2017). This project is supported by FCT/MEC through national funds, and co-funding by FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. The whole project research team was present at the workshop, as well as representatives of Autoridade Marítima Nacional, Direção-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Segurança e Serviços Marítimos (DGRM), Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária (DGAV) and several other partner entities that are part of the stakeholders’ committee of project TraSeafood. Speakers presented the biogeochemical and biochemical techniques employed, as well as the statistical models developed, that already allowed to establish the best methodologies to achieve a reliable traceability of the geographical origin of various marine organisms collected along the Portuguese continental coast and Galicia. TraSeafood project will continue until May 31, 2021 assisting law enforcement agencies to combat illegal fishing and expose fraudulent practices and/or threats to public health.

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  • Special Issue on Functional Aquafeeds co-edited by CESAM researchers Miguel C. Leal and Ricardo Calado

    Published in 9/12/2019

    Miguel C. Leal and Ricardo Calado, researchers at CESAM and members of the Marine Biotechnology & Aquaculture (MBA) research group, co-edited a Special Issue on Functional Aquafeeds published by the Journal of the World Aquaculture Nutrition (Wiley). In the editorial of this Special Issue both researchers highlight that “lack of suitable legal frameworks that encompass the most recent scientific breakthroughs often postpone their use by the industry. If such regulatory bottlenecks arise for functional aquafeeds, aquaculture may not be able to deliver the world its much needed sustainably farmed protein.” [Caption of image: Infographic of the Featured article in JWAS Special Issue Functional Aquafeeds]

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  • Homenagem ao Professor Casimiro Pio, 1º Coordenador Científico do CESAM, continuamos a contar consigo!

    Published in 18/12/2019

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  • A paper from CESAM researchers is highlighted in Environmental Science & Technology journal

    Published in 15/1/2020

    The paper “Structural features and pro-inflammatory effects of water-soluble organic matter in inhalable fine urban air particles” (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04596), from the Environmental Processes & Pollutants research group, in partnership with researchers from iBiMED and QOPNA & LAVQ-REQUIMTE from the University of Aveiro, has recently been accepted for publication in the prestigious journal Environmental Science & Technology. The article was also selected for the cover of Environmental Science & Technology journal, Volume 54, number 2, to be published in January 2020.

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  • Lisa Sousa, investigadora do CESAM, em destaque no Caderno produzido pelo Açoriano Oriental sobre a Conferência Internacional “Governança dos Oceanos em Regiões Arquipelágicas”

    Published in 3/12/2019

    Lisa Sousa, investigadora do CESAM e do grupo COPING do Departamento de Ambiente e Ordenamento, em destaque no Caderno produzido pelo Açoriano Oriental sobre a Conferência Internacional “Governança dos Oceanos em Regiões Arquipelágicas”, que decorreu no Faial em outubro. A Conferência reuniu mais de 80 convidados e 195 participantes de vários países do mundo para partilhar conhecimento e debater os desafios da gestão e governança do mar. Discutiram-se temas como a monitorização e avaliação dos recursos marinhos, literacia para os oceanos, socioeconomia das pescas, ordenamento do espaço marítimo e áreas marinhas protegidas. A investigadora foi convidada a apresentar os resultados da Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica (AAE) do Plano de Situação do Ordenamento do Espaço Marítimo. Este trabalho foi coordenado pela Professora Doutora Fátima Lopes Alves e Doutora Lisa Sousa, no âmbito do contrato celebrado com a Direção-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Segurança e Serviços Marítimos (DGRM). A AAE foi realizada, em paralelo com o Plano de Situação, pela Universidade de Aveiro e em estreita ligação com as equipas da administração responsáveis pela elaboração do Plano no Continente (DGRM), Madeira (DROTA - Direção Regional do Ordenamento do Território e Ambiente) e Açores (DRAM - Direção Regional dos Assuntos do Mar). Teve como objetivo identificar, descrever e avaliar os eventuais efeitos significativos no ambiente, resultantes das opções estratégicas de desenvolvimento propostas pelo Plano de Situação, tendo sido garantida uma abordagem de natureza estratégica consonante com um processo de AAE. O acompanhamento contínuo, interativo e sistemático do Plano de Situação permitiu potenciar os efeitos positivos decorrentes da sua implementação, bem como minimizar os efeitos negativos, nomeadamente através da identificação de medidas de minimização desses efeitos, integradas nas boas práticas constantes do Plano de Situação, para cada uso/atividade, e estabelecer diretrizes de monitorização, integradas na respetiva monitorização do plano. Link para o Caderno do Açoriano Oriental: https://www.acorianooriental.pt/files/multimedia/docs/249.pdf

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  • World Soil Day Lecture - 04 December - UA

    Published in 28/11/2019

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  • UA-WOMAN - 04 December - with CESAM researcher Mónica Amorim

    Published in 25/11/2019

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    Mónica Amorim Principal:Ecotoxicology: Several years were devoted to the development of an active research programme in ecotoxicology, mostly terrestrial, in field and laboratory, addressing a series of both fundamental and pre-normative research questions. In the area of soil ecotoxicology research activities include the development of the avoidance behaviour test, genomic tools and use of multi-species tests; refinement of existing protocols and development of new bioassays to assess soil contamination. Additionally, has developed and implemented in E. albidus a behavioural test - avoidance test - having shown its high ecological relevance.Specialization:Ecotoxicogenomics: Extensive progresses have taken place since 2006, such as the development and the enrichment of a new microarray [1], developed for the first time for an Enchytraeid (E. albidus)[2], and is now an Agilent custom platform. At present E. crypticus was subject of a massive parallel sequencing (454-pyrosequencing) and a high gradient Nimblegen microarray is validated. [2] http://bioinformatics.ua.pt/enchybase/Nanotoxicology: Collaborating with both national and international experts in the area. Developments in soil nanotoxicology, which are far less studied than in water media, present particular challenges. Investigation is progressing (3 publications 2011) and rapidly moving.Other skills/activities:Standardisation of new guidelines, and joining ring tests that precede it, such as the Bioacumulation in Oligochaetes, Collembolan Reproduction test (addition of a new test species) or the Evaluation of a biotest battery for the ecotoxicological characterisation of waste and waste eluates. Promoted and optimized the development of novel avoidance behaviour tests for Enchytraeids, having initially produced 3 papers that kicked research in this topic with other species. [1] A microarray is a multichannel lab chip. It is a solid matrix (usually a glass slide or a thin silicone celular film) that tests high amounts of biological material in high-throughput. Also called a gene chip. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/484499905744703/ Online broadcast: https://youtu.be/Azg1gw_W1vw          

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  • CESAM researcher participates in a workshop from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Brasil)

    Published in 25/11/2019

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    Ana Lillebø, researcher and scientific coordinator of CESAM, participated as a lecturer in the workshop 'BIOGEOGRAPHY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS' held on November 21 and 22, 2019, at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Brasil). https://tropikos.weebly.com/news.html

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  • IBERSENSOR 2021

    Published in 12/5/2020

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    The 12th Ibero-American Congress on Sensors, IBERSENSOR2020, originally planned for September 2020 in Aveiro, Portugal, has been postponed to 2021.   We would like to invite you to join us at the 12th Ibero-American Congress on Sensors (IBERSENSOR2020) in Aveiro, Portugal, from 7th to 10th of September 2020. This conference series have already been successfully held on eleven occasions in La Habana, Cuba (1998), Buenos Aires, Argentina (2000), Lima, Perú (2002), Puebla, México (2004), Montevideo, Uruguay (2006), Sao Paulo, Brasil (2008), Lisboa, Portugal (2010), San Jose, Puerto Rico (2012), Bogotá, Colombia (2014), Valparaiso, Chile (2016) and Barcelona, Spain (2018). IBERSENSOR is a forum of the Spanish and Portuguese speaking scientific community, working in the field of development and application of sensors. This congress promotes the interaction among research groups, contributing to enhance the scientific level of our countries in the field of sensors, an activity in rapid development with enormous interest and social impact worldwide. The official languages of the Congress are Portuguese, Spanish and English. IBERSENSOR covers a diversity of interdisciplinary areas under the umbrella of sensors, ranging from physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, nanoscience, and materials engineering to biosciences. In addition, it covers such aspects of KETs (key enabling technologies) as nanotechnology, micro- and nanoelectronics, advanced manufacturing technologies, advanced materials, industrial biotechnology and photonics. On behalf of the promoters of IBERSENSOR 2020 I would like to cordially invite you to participate in this meeting. We are looking forward to seeing you in Aveiro! http://ibersensor2020.events.chemistry.pt/

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  • DBio & CESAM´s PhD graduated publishes on Science about changes in biodiversity

    Published in 19/11/2019

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    Laura Antão graduated by the University of Aveiro and the University of St Andrews, under the supervision of Dr Maria Dornelas and Professor Amadeu Soares, and currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, published in the high impact journal Science under BDio&CESAM´s affiliation. The work is about the rapid change on biodiversity driven by climate change and other human influences. The team analysed the global patterns in temporal change in biodiversity using a large quantity of time-series data from different regions (the data include many different ecosystems across continents and cover the marine, terrestrial and freshwater realms (BioTIME database*)). Their findings reveal clear spatial patterns in the rates of richness and composition change, where marine taxa exhibit the highest rates of change. The marine tropics, in particular, emerge as hotspots of species richness losses. Given that human activities are affecting biodiversity in magnitudes and directions that differ across the planet, these findings will provide a much needed biogeographic understanding of biodiversity change that can help to inform conservation prioritization." * citation: Dornelas M, Antão LH, Moyes F, Bates, AE, Magurran, AE, et al. BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene. Global Ecol Biogeogr. 2018; 27:760 - 786. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12729  

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  • Wilder spoke with José Alves, CESAM researcher, about the Montijo Airport and its consequences for the population of birds

    Published in 19/11/2019

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    In early November, Wilder went to Estuário do Tejo to see how thousands of birds could be affected by the new airport (Montijo). Wilder spoke with José Alves, researcher at CESAM, who has been studying migratory birds from Estuário do Tejo for 15 years. Full news here, but only in portuguese.

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  • CESAM gets funding to study cockles

    Published in 22/11/2019

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    Although they play a crucial role in the ecosystem and its importance in the economy of the coastal zones and the region, the cockle is an illustrious unknown to science towards its distribution, evolution and health of its populations in Ria de Aveiro. Therefore, the COACH project - “A cooperative approach applied to the conservation and management of cockles” was one of three funded by the Oceans Conservation Fund. The COACH project, coordinated by Luísa Magalhães, aims to collect multifactorial information on cockle fishing, its biology and the physical-chemical characteristics of the places where it occurs. Full news here, but only in portuguese.

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  • Study from CESAM researchers - 'Striped dolphins as trace element biomonitoring tools in oceanic waters: Accounting for health-related variables' was published on 'Science of the Total Environment' journal

    Published in 11/11/2019

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    In Europe, monitoring contaminant concentrations and their effects in the marine environment is required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC). The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is the most abundant small cetacean species in Portuguese oceanic waters, representing a potential biomonitoring tool of contaminant levels in offshore waters. Concentrations of nine trace elements were evaluated by ICP-MS in kidney, liver and muscle samples of 31 striped dolphins stranded in the Portuguese continental coast. The mean renal Cd concentration was high (19.3?μg.g−1 wet weight, range 0.1–69.3?μg.g−1 wet weight) comparing to striped dolphins from other locations. Therefore, the present study reports a possibly concerning level of Cd in the oceanic food chain in Portuguese offshore areas. This study also aimed at evaluating potential relationships between trace element concentrations and striped dolphins' biological and health-related variables. Individual length was related with some of the trace element concentrations detected in striped dolphins. Indeed, Cd, Hg and Se bioaccumulated in larger animals, whereas the reverse was observed for Mn and Zn. Striped dolphins with high parasite burdens showed higher levels of Hg, while animals showing gross pathologies presented higher concentrations of Cd and Se. This study reported relationships between trace element concentrations and health-related variables for the first time in striped dolphins and it also provided information on the relative contamination status of Portuguese oceanic waters in comparison to other regions in the world. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719344018?via%3Dihub

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  • Poster of Rafael D. S. Tavares was the winner of the event "One Health Day"

    Published in 9/12/2019

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  • ONE HEALTH DAY

    Published in 11/11/2019

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    BOOK - ONE HEALTH DAY

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  • Life Reforest, coordinated by Jan Jacob Keizer, CESAM researcher, implemented in pilot areas affected by rural fires

    Published in 7/11/2019

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    The European project LIFE REFOREST, coordinated by Jan Jacob Keizer, has begun the implementation and validation of its mycothecosol system to mitigate soil erosion in areas affected by rural fires in Portugal and Galicia-Spain. https://lifereforest.com/ Full news here, but only in portuguese.

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  • CESAM researchers, Ana Hilário and Sofia Ramalho, are members of a team of scientists on an Arctic expedition

    Published in 22/11/2019

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    An international and multidisciplinary team of 36 scientists and engineers, with the assistance of the officers and crew of the vessel, will conduct the first full-scale multidisciplinary investigation of deep (4000 m) hydrothermal vents under permanent ice cover in the Arctic, investigating the Aurora vent field (82.5°N) in the Gakkel Ridge. HACON - HOT VENTS IN AN ICE-COVERED OCEAN - will unravel the geochemical and physical processes that shape the Aurora biological communities and assess the role played by the Gakkel Ridge in connectivity of chemosynthesis-based ecosystems between ocean basins. The project will provide empirical robust data of a pristine system prior to expected climate-change variations and increased human activities in the Arctic region. + https://haconfrinatek.com/ Alexander Eeg - photography credits

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  • Montijo Airport: José Alves, CESAM researcher, reports errors and serious omissions

    Published in 8/11/2019

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    José Alves, CESAM researcher, raises important criticisms of the environmental impact study on Montijo airport and how the process is being developed. Wilder spoke to this bird study specialist. For 15 years José Alves studied the migratory birds in the Estuário do Tejo and also in the Arctic and West Africa. During a public consultation on the Environmental Impact Study (EIA), José Alves claims that  “the evaluation of the project's impacts on the estuarine birds is very poor and in some points erroneous”. For this reason, he says, that Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente (APA) should “make the project in question impracticable and not propose that it be favorably conditioned.  Here are three of the various errors pointed out by this expert to the document released by APA last July, concerning the birds: 1. Consider that a new airport building has only local impact 2. Lack of estuarine bird’s data and field studies 3. Areas affected by aircraft noise estimated “wrongly” Full news only in portuguese.    

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  • Irina Gorodetskaya, CESAM researcher, was nominated as a Lead Author of the IPCC WG1 Atlas Chapter

    Published in 8/11/2019

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    Irina Gorodetskaya was nominated as a Lead Author of the IPCC WG1 Atlas Chapter. Her responsibilities include Polar Regions section, particularly Antarctica, in the WG1 Atlas, also ensuring cross-chapter links in WG1 and WG2 cross-chapter paper on Polar Regions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I (WG I) aims at assessing the physical scientific basis of the climate system and climate change. Its main topics include: changes in greenhouse gases and aerosols in the atmosphere; observed changes in air, land and ocean temperatures, rainfall, glaciers and ice sheets, oceans and sea level; historical and paleoclimatic perspective on climate change; biogeochemistry, carbon cycle, gases and aerosols; satellite data and other data; climate models; climate projections, causes and attribution of climate change. More on IPCC WG1: https://wg1.ipcc.ch/ Some highlights from IPCC news: The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report highlights the urgency of prioritizing timely, ambitious and coordinated action to address unprecedented and enduring changes in the ocean and cryosphere: https://www.ipcc.ch/2019/09/25/srocc-press-release/ Registration opens for Expert Review of IPCC Working Group II contribution to IPCC Sixth Assessment Report: https://www.ipcc.ch/2019/10/11/wg2-ar6-first-order-draft-expert-review/    

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  • LECTURE: 'On the road to (mal)adaptation complex responses of amphibians to polluted ponds' 08 NOV

    Published in 30/10/2019

    LECTURE: 'On the road to (mal)adaptation complex responses of amphibians to polluted ponds' Professor Steven P. Brady Southern Connecticut State University, United States www.stevenpbrady.com Amphitheater António Correia, Department of Biology Novembro 8th, 2019, 15:00

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  • Study from CESAM researchers was published on Scientific Reports

    Published in 22/11/2019

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    This work assessed the Blue Carbon (C) stock in the seagrass meadows (Zostera noltei) of Ria de Aveiro coastal lagoon (Portugal), and evaluated its spatio-temporal trend over the 2003–2005 to 2013–2014 period. Zostera noltei spatial distribution, restricted to intertidal areas in 2014, was mapped by remote sensing using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and aerial photography. Zostera noltei biomass was also monitored in situ over a year and its Blue C stock was estimated. By 2014, intertidal meadows covered an area of 226 ± 4 ha and their Blue C stock ranged from 227 ± 6 to 453 ± 13 Mg C. Overall, Ria de Aveiro Z. noltei intertidal meadows increased in extent over the 2003–2005 to 2013–2014 period, corroborating the recent declining trend reversal observed in Europe and contrary to the global decline trend. This spatio-temporal shift might be related to a natural adjustment of the intertidal meadows to past human intervention in Ria de Aveiro, namely large-scale dredging activities, particularly in the 1996–1998 period, combined with the more accurate assessment performed in 2014 using the UAV. This recovery contributes to the effective increase of the Blue C stock in Ria de Aveiro and, ultimately, to supporting climate regulation and improving ecosystem health. However, major dredging activities are foreseen in the system’s management plan, which can again endanger the recovery trend of Z. noltei intertidal meadows in Ria de Aveiro. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50425-4  

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  • Rain decrease put in risk ecosystems warns Paula Quinteiro, CESAM researcher

    Published in 29/10/2019

    Between the years 2046 and 2065, mainland Portugal will experience a decrease in average annual rainfall of 10 per cent in the northern and coastal areas and about 30 per cent in the interior and south. The previsions, made at the University of Aveiro (UA), point to a scenario of water shortage in the ecosystem and, of course, for human consumption. Researchers call for urgent measures to be taken to better capture and manage rainwater in the future. Paula Quinteiro, Sandra Rafael, Bruno Vicente, Martinho Marta-Almeida, Alfredo Rocha, Luís Arroja and Ana Cláudia Dias are the CESAM researchers responsible for this study. Full news here but only in portuguese.

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  • Rosário Domingues, CESAM researcher, was invited as a speaker at the Conference of the Portuguese Association of Applied Algology

    Published in 29/10/2019

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    Rosário Domingues, CESAM researcher, was invited as a speaker at the Conference of the Portuguese Association of Applied Algology (APAA), which took place at CIIMAR (Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research) on October 21 and 22, 2019. This conference was attended by leading national researchers in the area and by leading macroalgae and microalgae producers in Portugal. This conference included the various aspects of relevance to the algae sector, from research, production and marketing, and the different uses, including the biotechnological use of this marine and aquatic resources, both nationally and internationally.

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  • A paper from Irina Gorodetskaya, CESAM researcher, 'Atmospheric rivers trigger melting in West Antarctica’, was published in Nature Geoscience journal

    Published in 5/11/2019

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    Surface melting in West Antarctica is triggered by atmospheric rivers that transport heat and moisture from the mid-latitudes and sub-tropics to the polar regions according to a new study from researchers from the University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Sorbonne University (France), CESAM/University of Aveiro (Portugal) - Irina Gorodetskaya - and British Antarctic Survey (United Kingdom). You can read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-019-0460-1

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  • 'Impact of atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic stressors in coastal ecosystems' organized by EPP - CESAM Research Group

    Published in 25/10/2019

    The first Workshop "Impact of atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic stressors in coastal ecosystems" organized within the framework of AMBIEnCE Project (https://projectambience.wordpress.com/) was held on the 23rd of October 2019, at the University of Aveiro. This Workshop had presentations from members of CESAM research groups “Environmental Processes and Pollutants” and “Functional Biodiversity”, as well as a researcher from GeoBioTec Research Unit and a researcher from University NOVA de Lisboa. More than 50 participants, among researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students jointed together for one day to address and discuss the impact of different atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic multi-stressors currently threatening biogeochemical cycles in sensitive coastal areas.

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  • Workshop 'Contributions towards monitoring Cetacean population health in Portugal and Galicia' organized by Catarina Eira, CESAM researcher

    Published in 22/11/2019

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    The workshop 'Contributions towards monitoring Cetacean population health in Portugal and Galicia' will be held on 21 November 2019 between 2pm and 4pm, at the Amphitheater of Building 03 - University of Aveiro. It is a workshop integrated in the Applied Marine Biology Master Degree of the University of Aveiro ('Departamento de Biologia') under the project 'Conservation of the marine environment' (Programa Fundo Ambiental). 14:00h Catarina Eira, CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro - Introduction 14:10h - 14:30h Pedro Santos, CBMA, Universidade do Minho - The cetacean microbiome 14:30h - 14:50h Carolina Bento, CIISA, Fac. Med. Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa - Evaluation of Morbillivirus and Herpesvirus infections in cetaceans stranded along the portuguese coast 14:50h - 15:10h João Monteiro & Rosário Domingues, CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro - Characterization  of the cardiac phospholipidome of different small cetacean species  provides adaptational insight and a foundation for indirect population  health screening   15:10h - 15:30h Alfredo López, CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, & CEMMA - Increase of ulcerative lesions caused by Anisakis spp. in cetaceans stranded in Galicia 15:30h - 15:50h Sílvia Monteiro, CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro - Dolphins rocked by heavy metals in the portuguese coast 15:50h-16:00h Closing  

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  • Use of high resolution satellites in coastal management with CESAM collaboration

    Published in 24/10/2019

    Since January 2019, CESAM is integrated in the European project SPORE - SPACE for SHORE (http://spaceforshore.eu/), led by I-Sea. The project analyzes about 1000 km of coastline, spread over five Member States (Germany, France, Greece, Romania and Portugal) and five pilot zones. The main objective of the project is related with the collection of coastal indicators, such as shoreline and beach width, according to precision requirements previously defined by entities responsible for coastal management at local, regional and national level (from each Member State). Over the last few decades the main and most reliable sources of data on coastal morphodynamic have been and are still supported by traditional solutions, namely in-situ methods of acquiring topographical and bathymetric information. However, developments in Earth observation programs open new perspectives on the quality of high resolution (HR) satellite observations in radar and optical domains. Members on this project:  Paulo Renato Enes Baganha Baptista, CESAM Researcher Cristina Bernardes, CESAM Researcher Filomena Mª Cardoso Pedrosa Ferreira Martins, CESAM Researcher Full news only available in portuguese.  

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  • CESAM collaborator wins Best Poster Award from the International Society for Ecological Modelling

    Published in 24/10/2019

    Ana Raquel de Azevedo e Costa, under her PhD in Biology at the University of Aveiro, won the Best Poster Award, in the Student and Early Career Researcher category, from the International Society for Ecological Modelling.

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  • Invited Talks organized by José Alves, CESAM researcher

    Published in 21/10/2019

    Invited Talks 24.10.19 @ 15:00 – Anf. IV (DETi)  “Tracking migratory seabirds to identify priority areas for marine conservation” Dra. Maria Dias Birdlife International “Think globally, act locally: the annual cycles of shorebird migrants” Prof. Theunis Piersma University of Groningen & NIOZ

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  • Conference "Lipids in the Ocean" in Aveiro, Portugal 17-19 Nov

    Published in 12/5/2020

    The Marine Biotechnology & Aquaculture (MBA) / CESAM and the Mass Spectrometry Centre from the University of Aveiro have the great pleasure to bring forward the 2nd edition of the Conference Lipids in the Ocean, that will be held at University of Aveiro from 17-19 of November 2020. We are pleased to offer a scientific programme covering different areas of Marine Lipids, and we will have the participation of keynote lecturers and other recognized experts from different countries, that already confirmed their participation in the conference. The motivation of this International Conference is to bring together researchers, students and stakeholders, from academia and industries, to shape knowledge, expertise and research developments in the Marine Lipids topics: Session 1– Marine lipidomics and its applications Session 2– Lipids in changing ocean and climate changes Session 3– Lipids as biomarkers in trophic sea webs Session 4– Green lipids from the ocean (seaweeds, microalgae, and macrophytes) Session 5– Marine lipids biotechnology: prospects and applications Session 6– Seafood traceability using lipids   Keynote Speakers -          John Harwood | Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, United Kingdom -          Isabel Medina| Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, SCIC, Spain -          Jorge Spangenberg | UNIL, Switzerland -          David Pond | University of Stirling, Scotland -          Marleen De Troch | Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Belgium   Details about the conference can be seen in the webpage (http://lipids2020.web.ua.pt/) We invite you to participate in this International Conference!    

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  • 'Maritime traffic pollution may increase' - Alexandra Monteiro, CESAM researcher

    Published in 21/10/2019

    Air pollution on the Portuguese coast from maritime traffic represents about 20 per cent of pollution caused by nitrogen oxides (NOx), one of the most harmful pollutants to human health and the environment, concludes the researcher Alexandra Monteiro. Full news here, but only in portuguese.

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  • Science for Environment Policy from European Commission highlights study from CESAM researchers

    Published in 21/10/2019

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    Moss helps prevent soil erosion on fire-damaged land, a Portuguese study suggests. The researchers Flávio Castro Silva, Diana Vieira and Jan Jacob Keizer from CESAM analysed water that ran off from post-fire hillsides. They found less sediment and organic matter in run-off from patches of land with high levels of moss than from those with low levels of moss. Moss quickly establishes itself on land after fires, so the study suggests that land managers could take advantage of its restorative effects by deliberately encouraging its growth.

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  • Biology and Ecology of Global Changes (BEAG) I PhD Meeting – October 25, 2019

    Published in 18/10/2019

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    International joint doctoral programme: University of Aveiro | University of Lisbon Welcome to the I PhD Meeting of the BEAG Programme. The ‘Biology and Ecology of Global Changes’ PhD programme is a postgraduate international programme involving the Universities of Aveiro and Lisboa, supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology and with the collaboration of CESAM - the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies. The main objectives of the Programme are centred in global changes issues, including the understanding of the impact of global changes in living organisms and ecosystems, taking into account current scenarios and projections. Students are enrolled in five areas of specialization: Tropical Biology and Ecology, Marine Biology and Ecology, Ecology and Functional Biodiversity, Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics, Environmental Biology and Health. The meeting will be held on the 25th of October in the Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon. This is the first meeting involving BEAG PhD students of both the University of Aveiro and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. Its main aim is to offer students an opportunity to present their work, to be involved in scientific discussions, to establish new research connections and to network and enjoy each other company.

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  • Annual Meeting of MiningImpact2 organized by CESAM members

    Published in 21/11/2019

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    MiningImpact2 - Environmental Impacts and Risks of Deep-Sea Mining (JPI-Oceans, 2018-2022)  MiningImpact2 (MI2) ( https://miningimpact.geomar.de/home ) follows up on the results of the JPI Oceans pilot action on "Ecological Aspects of Deep-Sea Mining" which ended in December 2017. While the initial MiningImpact phase investigated experimental and rather small-scale disturbances of the seafloor over decadal timescales, the MI2 will independently study and comprehensively monitor in real time the environmental impact of an industrial trial to mine manganese nodules on the seafloor which will be conducted simultaneously and independently by the Belgian contractor DEME-GSR in the Belgian an German licence areas in the Clarion-Clipperton-Zone (Pacific Ocean).  Annual Meeting of MiningImpact2, Aveiro, 21-23 October 2019 After the three and a half months aboard the RV SONNE at the beginning of this year, the community comes together again to discuss first results of the oceanographic cruise and the next steps in terms of data processing and field work. Among various ecological aspects, MI2 team intends to further study regional connectivity of species in the deep-sea and their resilience to impacts, as well as the integrated effects of deep seabed mining on ecosystem functions, such as the benthic food-web and biogeochemical processes. This first annual meeting of the MI2 community will take place at the University of Aveiro (Sala de Atos, Rectory Building) from 21 to 23 October 2019. It gathers ca. 60 participants from 20 European partner institutions, science policy and environmental agencies, research and innovation promoters as well as several recognized NGOs that aim the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems at European and international levels. Local Organizers: Marina R Cunha (marina.cunha@ua.pt ) e Clara F Rodrigues (clara.rodrigues@ua.pt )  

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  • Luis Menezes Pinheiro, Professor at CESAM, was elected President of the Scientific Committee on Marine Geosciences of CIESM

    Published in 15/10/2019

    Luis Menezes Pinheiro, Professor at CESAM, was elected on October 11th during the 42nd Congress of the CIESM (Commission Internacionale pour l’Exploration Scientifique de la Mediterranée –Mediterranean Science Commission - http://www.ciesm.org/), unanimously and for a three-year term (2019-2022), President of the Scientific Committee on Marine Geosciences (1 of 6 CIESM Scientific Committees).    

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  • Exposition - 150 years after the publication of Mendeleev's first periodic table - with CESAM participation

    Published in 11/10/2019

    Exposition: 150 years after the publication of Mendeleev's first periodic table   Museu da CidadeRua João Mendonça n.º 9/11 3800 – 200 Aveiro40º38’29.93’’ N | 8º39’16.04’’ O   Until 20 Oct

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  • ISO Plenary Meeting for Soil Quality for the first time in Portugal

    Published in 19/5/2020

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    From October 15 to 18, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 190's annual Plenary Meeting will be held for the first time in Portugal, in an articulate organization by members of the Universities of Aveiro, Coimbra and Porto. Several international Delegates representing national, governmental and non-governmental standardization entities are meeting at the University of Aveiro for the standardization of the evaluation of Soil Quality.  

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  • ISO Plenary Meeting for Soil Quality for the first time in Portugal

    Published in 19/5/2020

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    From October 15 to 18, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 190's annual Plenary Meeting will be held for the first time in Portugal, in an articulate organization by members of the Universities of Aveiro, Coimbra and Porto. Several international Delegates representing national, governmental and non-governmental standardization entities are meeting at the University of Aveiro for the standardization of the evaluation of Soil Quality.  

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  • ISO Plenary Meeting for Soil Quality for the first time in Portugal

    Published in 19/5/2020

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    From October 15 to 18, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 190's annual Plenary Meeting will be held for the first time in Portugal, in an articulate organization by members of the Universities of Aveiro, Coimbra and Porto. Several international Delegates representing national, governmental and non-governmental standardization entities are meeting at the University of Aveiro for the standardization of the evaluation of Soil Quality.  

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  • Célia Alves, CESAM researcher: 'Burning of agricultural waste harms the environment and it´s dangerous to public health'

    Published in 21/10/2019

    Burning of agricultural waste has a negative impact on air quality, contributes to global warming, and it´s dangerous to public health. These study is from Célia Alves, CESAM researcher, who studied the environmental and health consequences of the outdoor burnings fumes from tree pruning remains in Portugal.  

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  • CESAM researchers are members of a project related with salmon aquaculture at sea

    Published in 2/10/2019

    CESAM participates in a pilot open sea salmon aquaculture project in Ílhavo that could change the region's economy. The partnership led by SeaCulture, a Jerónimo Martins Agro-Food Group company, involves CESAM/UA and is developed at ECOMARE - Laboratory for Innovation and Sustainability of Marine Biological Resources.

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  • X Iberian Symposium about Minho River and COOPERMINHO Project Seminar

    Published in 8/4/2020

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    Contribution to the management and recovery of fishery products from the Minho river -  COOPERMINHO VILA NOVA DE CERVEIRA, Portugal - 25/26 SEP 2020    

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  • Microbiota fingerprints within the oral cavity of cetaceans as indicators for population biomonitoring: new study with the collaboration of CESAM Researchers

    Published in 25/9/2019

    The first study about 'Microbiota fingerprints within the oral cavity of cetaceans as indicators for population biomonitoring' was published with the collaboration of CESAM researchers, namely: Alfredo López, José Vingada e Catarina Eira. https://tinyurl.com/nature-articles

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  • An online environmental toxicology book was published with the collaboration of a CESAM Professor as a reviewer

    Published in 25/9/2019

    This open online textbook on Environmental Toxicology aims at covering the field in its full width, including aspects of environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, toxicology and risk assessment. With that, it will contribute to improving the quality, continuity and transparency of the education in environmental toxicology. This book also want to make sure that fundamental insights on fate and effects of chemicals gained in the past are combined with recent approaches of effect assessment and molecular analysis of mechanisms causing toxicity. The book contains tools for self-study and training, like a (limited) number of questions at the end of each module. To guarantee quality of the book, each module was reviewed by at least one of the members of the project team but also by an international reviewer from outside the project team. An advisory board and a steering committee were involved in supervising the project, as well as educational advisors, while the project team served as an editorial board. Susana Loureiro, CESAM Professor, is one the reviewers of this book. +  https://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=501319930

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  • CESAM researcher reports environmental impact study for Montijo Airport

    Published in 24/9/2019

    "It is through old, non-validated data, extrapolations beyond acceptable, assumptions based on a very limited number of species and wrong model applications that are evaluated the impacts of Montijo Airport's functioning on the areas and number of birds affected." The conclusion is from José Alves, a CESAM researcher specialized in the study of birds, with several scientific articles published in prestigious magazines such as Nature or Science.

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  • CESAM PhD student wins National Geographic Society scholarship

    Published in 10/9/2019

    Priscilla Campos was awarded a $ 7,000 grant from the National Geographic Society to study the ecological imbalance in Brazilian corals, involving the fishing community of Bahia in the recovery of local biodiversity. The work of Priscilla Campos for the National Geographic “was to collect these corals in Brazil and transport them to be studied at the Aveiro Academy to try to find out the cause of this ecological imbalance”.   More about Priscilla Campos's work:  https://oceanlive.home.blog/ https://youtu.be/FaMPGxQcZo4 https://youtu.be/OjHJeou_-58 https://youtu.be/tFcZ5gtGUQ4

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  • CESAM Researcher nominated Management Committee Member of a COST Action

    Published in 10/9/2019

    CESAM researcher Susana Loureiro was nominated as Management Committee Member of a  COST action (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) entitled: “European Soil-Biology Data Warehouse for Soil Protection” (EUdaphobase) CA18237.  

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  • Special issue of the 'Sustainability' journal will be edited by CESAM researchers

    Published in 5/9/2019

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    Special issue of the 'Sustainability' journal will be edited by Rosa Freitas and Luísa Magalhães under the theme 'Interactions and Effects of Different Climate Change Scenarios with Emergent Pollutants'.Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 Jun 2020.

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  • UA Research Highlights - research@ua 2019

    Published in 5/9/2019

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  • CESAM´s PhD student presents abstract and network about "Acacia longifolia"

    Published in 1/8/2019

    The Acacia longifolia Network (from the OP@CESAM 2018 initiative) was presented as a poster at EEFLisbon2019- the 15th European Ecological Federation Congress & 18th Meeting of the Portuguese Ecological Society, occurring in Lisbon from July 29th to August 2nd. The project was presented by Sara Vicente, through an abstract also authored by Rúben Oliveira, Cristina Máguas and Helena Trindade with the title “Acacia longifolia: the deceivingly beautiful plant”. Visit the network at acacialongifolia.web.ua.pt for the abstract details and updates on future events!

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  • Researchers from CESAM/DAO were present at 4th edition of the Feira do Mar in Sines

    Published in 31/7/2019

    On the 12th to 14th of July, the researchers Sílvia Monteiro and Daniela Castelo were present at 4th edition of the Feira do Mar in Sines, as part of the INTERREG Cephs and Chefs project (Department of Environment and Planning & CESAM). The participation in this event included a stand in the exhibition with information about the project, a presentation to the general public and stakeholders about the Cephs and Chefs project and the educational activity “Polvos: os troca-tintas!”, oriented towards children, which contributes to increase ocean literacy. Feira do Mar is organized by Sines Tecnopolo and the City Council of Sines and intends to gather different stakeholders and activities related with the sea, from areas of technology, science, gastronomy, fisheries and tourist animation (among others).

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  • CESAM's researcher takes third place in Ecology Doctoral Award

    Published in 24/7/2019

    The winners of the 2019 edition of the Doctoral Award in Ecology - Amadeu Dias Foundation, organized by SPECO - Portuguese Society of Ecology are already known. The top three will receive the award and will present their work at the 18th National Ecology Meeting, which this year will be held simultaneously with the 15th European Ecology Congress to be held from 29 July to 2 August at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. Inês Gomes Teixeira, researcher at CESAM, won third place. In her doctoral thesis Inês developed tools to support the evaluation of the ecological coherence of marine protected areas, using the mussel as a model species and making important practical contributions to the current work at national level of the Marine Protected Areas network and for the planning of the national maritime space. The award received 9 eligible doctoral candidates with thesis defended at the Universities of Lisbon, Coimbra, Aveiro and Minho.

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  • IEETA/CESAM researchers found that smoke from forest fires severely affects firefighter's health

    Published in 26/7/2019

    Respiratory and circulatory problems are just some of the health problems that affect firefighters in forest fire fighting scenarios. Research from the University of Aveiro (UA), which for the first time monitored the vital signs of firefighters in experimental fire scenarios, points out that frequent and prolonged exposure to high levels of pollutant concentration during firefighting can lead to acute health problems or long-term health problems. Some of these problems "may appear quickly, such as acute and instant eye eruptions, nose and throat irritation, and shortness of breath". These are symptoms that "usually develop into headaches, dizziness and nausea and may last for several hours". During firefighting, firefighters are especially exposed to pollutants that are inhaled, affecting their respiratory system. Indeed, “frequent and prolonged exposure to high levels of pollutant concentrations during forest fire fighting can lead to acute or long-term health problems”. There is also “decreased lung function, which may result in slightly decreased respiratory capacity, respiratory tract constriction and small airway hypersensitivity”. In addition to these symptoms, and according to the US National Fire Protection Association, most of the firefighter´s deaths are due to inhalation of pollutants in the smoke. The pioneering work monitored firefighter´s heart rates and their exposure to carbon monoxide in different firefighting scenarios. Measurements made it possible to verify situations of fire exposure to high carbon monoxide levels, as well as changes in heart rate associated with peak exposure values for this gas of great toxicity to human health. “Although further studies are needed, the results suggest that firefighter´s heart rates react to variations in exposure to gases such as carbon monoxide, and that the location of the firefighter in relation to fire and smoke may be relevant as regards the effects of gas inhalation”.

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  • External Scientific Advisory Committee visit to CESAM

    Published in 19/7/2019

    On June 25 and 26, 2019, the External Scientific Advisory Committee visited CESAM and its laboratories and, between work sessions, its collaborators. The Committee had also the opportunity to visit ECOMARE and attend the presentation of some research projects, followed by a sunset & dinner. On the following day, the Committee, in addition to the work sessions, joined the commemorations of CESAM’s Day 2019.

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  • Researchers from the UA/CESAM apply an innovative method for the study of efficiency in the artificial feeding of beaches

    Published in 11/7/2019

    In the scope of the Sandtrack project a field campaign on the coast of the region of Aveiro is held between July 8 and 12 with the objective of to evaluate the efficiency of the artificial feeding interventions of the beaches that are being carried out, using an innovative method that uses magnetic tracers whose path will be monitored by sea and land. Sandtrack - Artificial beach feeding: an integrated methodology to support coastal management - represents a coastal defense intervention that replicates natural dynamics, capable of reducing coastal erosion processes and preserving the beach's recreational values. In this project an innovative multidisciplinary approach is proposed, combining the use of fluorescent and magnetic tracers with numerical modeling, to quantify sediment transport and to improve the efficiency of artificial feeds. In a later phase, several monitoring campaigns of the sedimentary tracers are foreseen, either by the sea route with the boat NEREIDE, of the CESAM, and another one of the Hydrographic Institute by the terrestrial route.

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  • ECOMARE is a finalist for the 2019 RegioStars Awards

    Published in 10/7/2019

    By becoming this Tuesday, July 9, one of the 24 finalists of the competition, ECOMARE is increasingly close to winning the RegioStars Awards 2019, awarded annually by the European Commission to EU-funded projects that demonstrate excellence and new approaches in the framework of regional development, with the aim of inspiring other regions and project managers throughout Europe. One of the five finalists in category 2 - linking blue, green and gray, ECOMARE - Laboratory for Innovation and Sustainability of Marine Biological Resources of the University of Aveiro links the Port of Aveiro (gray) to a special conservation area - the iconic Ria de Aveiro (green) - promoting the protection and sustainable use of marine biological resources (blue). The winners in the five categories and the winner of the "Public Prize" will receive the well-deserved prize at the festive REGIOSTARS awards ceremony to be held in Brussels in October 2019. To support ECOMARE go to https://bit.ly/32eJKAt and vote until midnight of 9 September.    

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  • CESAM/Dbio researchers discover that sea slugs can deal with the risks of incorporating functional chloroplasts

    Published in 9/7/2019

    Chloroplasts are subcellular structures that we generally associate with plants and algae, but may also be present in certain sea slugs. They are sites for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with potential negative effects on the chloroplasts themselves and the host cells. ROS production in chloroplasts is generally associated with excessive light situations. A study recently published in the Journal of Experimental Biology led by researchers from CESAM/Dbio - Paulo S. D. Cartaxana, Luca Morelli, Bruno Jesus, Gonçalo Calado, Ricardo Calado and Sónia Marisa Gonçalves da Cruz - shows that the sea slug "Elysia tímida" has ways to mitigate stress oxidative induced by strong light. One is the dissipation of energy in the form of heat associated with the conversion of existing pigments in the Kleptoplasts. The authors of this study conclude that the maintenance of functional chloroplasts in these sea slugs is, in part, dependent on this photoprotection capacity. The work was developed under the project: “HULK - Functional Chloroplasts inside Animal cells: cracking the puzzle”. Full news here. Full article here.

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  • Professor and researcher at Dgeo/CESAM represents Portugal on the Executive Board of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

    Published in 8/7/2019

    The researcher Luís Menezes Pinheiro, President of the Portuguese Committee for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO), represents Portugal on the Executive Board of IOC/UNESCO since 2016, for which our country has just been reelected. Luís Menezes Pinheiro has participated in several documents of the European Marine Board, and is one of the experts who is collaborating with the United Nations within the scope of the 2nd World Ocean Assessment.

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  • CESAM/Dqua research in the treatment of contaminated rainwater using biomaterials published in the journal “Water Research”

    Published in 9/7/2019

    Rainwater is a natural resource that can and should be used to obtain water for domestic purposes, and when it is possible, makes the population centers more sustainable. Depending on where rainwater is collected, water may have elevated levels of contamination that put the user at risk. The treatment of rainwater is an inevitable step for its use in safety. A study, coordinated by the Researcher Patrícia Santos of CESAM, tested the biomaterial white bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to remove zinc from contaminated rainwater and demonstrated that this material constitutes a viable solution for reducing the metal in rainwater. This study is the result of a multidisciplinary work done by a team of scientists from the Department of Chemistry, and simultaneously from CESAM, constituted by Armando Duarte, Teresa Rocha-Santos, Patrícia Santos, João Pinto da Costa, Maria Teresa Caldeira, Mónica Ferreira  and the CICECO scientist Ana Estrada. The success of this study was demonstrated with the publication in the  scientific journal "Water Research", first scientific journal in the category "Water Resources". The full article is here: https://bit.ly/2YzjLBH   

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  • Science for Environment Policy News Alert of European Commission highlights CESAM´s research on the effects of pharmaceutical drugs in biological systems

    Published in 4/7/2019

    Science for Environment Policy News Alert of European Commission, of 13 June 2019,  highlights a CESAM´s research about the Contamination of the aquatic environment by pharmaceutical drugs used in human and veterinary medicine. This study, from the CESAM´s researcher Bruno Nunes, explored how the marine organism Hediste diversicolor, a polychaete worm, responded to exposure to salicylic acid, a key component of aspirin. They found the species to adapt and respond in a way that minimised the effects of metabolising the contaminating compound, suggesting that the acid does not currently pose a threat to marine polychaetes.   Read this News Alert here.

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  • Researcher at the CESAM/DBio is one of the authors of a comment published on Science

    Published in 24/6/2019

    Climate and ecosystems are changing globally, but predation on shorebird (or wader) nests changed little across the globe over the past decades, finds an international team of 60 researchers. The study was published in Science on 14 June 2019, and challenges a recent claim (published also in Science on 9 November 2018) that due to climate change shorebird eggs are more often eaten by predators, and that this effect is exacerbated in the Arctic compared to the tropics. Indeed, these claims seem to be a methodological artefact. In sum, there is no evidence that “the Arctic no longer is a safe haven for shorebirds”, such as Science wrote and which was published about in many media outlets. Shorebirds worldwide are in trouble due to human impact and their conservation deserves all possible attention. Conclusions about alternative threats based on poor statistics and assumptions only distract from the real issues. Link  for the full comment published on Science: dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw8529

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  • Cephs and Chefs project participates in the Children’s Day in Lourinhã

    Published in 6/6/2019

    As part of the INTERREG Cephs and Chefs project (Department of Enviornment and Planing & CESAM), the University of Aveiro established a protocol with the City Council of Lourinhã, in order to collaborate in several events related to the Octopus Gastronomic Fortnight of Lourinhã. On the 2nd of June, the researchers Sílvia Monteiro and Fábio Matos were present at the Children’s Day event organized by the City Council of Lourinhã with the educational activity “Polvos: os troca-tintas!”, which contributes to increase ocean literacy. This educational action consisted of different octopus-related activities, including a didactic quiz with curiosities about the biology, sustainability and fishing of this species, puzzles and paintings related to common octopus.

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  • Citizen Science project involving CESAM members wins prize in the 27º Young Scientists National Competition

    Published in 3/6/2019

    Students Ana Domingues and Bernardo Pinto from Estarreja Secondary School were awarded with the 4th prize of the 27º Young Scientists National Competition with the project “Populational dynamics of an invasive species in Baixo Vouga Lagunar”. The presented work is a result of a citizen science project coordinated by the CESAM members Inês Rosa, Joana Pereira and Sofia Guilherme that had the support of the Biology and Physics-Chemistry teachers Dorinda Rebelo and Cecília Bento, respectively. During one year, the class of 11ºA from Estarreja Secondary School studied the structure and population density of the freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii in Fermelã, Estarreja. This invasive species is responsible for causing serious damages in rice fields all over the world and its abundant presence in Baixo Vouga Lagunar can be an important aspect to be considered in studies related with the agricultural management given the intense rice production in the region. Following the end of the field campaigns, these two students submitted a paper to the 27º Young Scientists National Competition. The project was selected to be presented on the 13th National Science Exhibition that was held in Porto, 30 May-01 June, where it was awarded with the 4th place (ex aequo with another project) in a total of 95 candidates. Ana Domingues and Bernardo pinto received 600 euros and in July they will participate in the International Wildlife Research Week in Switzerland.

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  • iMarCo2019 - International Marine Connectivity Conference

    Published in 18/9/2019

    The 5th International Marine Connectivity Conference (iMarCo2019), will be held at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, on September 23-25, 2019. iMarCo 2019 will only have oral presentations. The focus of the meeting is on the study of marine connectivity through a broad spectrum of marine science disciplines including physical oceanography, microchemistry, genetics, and evolutionary ecology, behaviour, tagging, and fisheries.The event also includes an introductory methodological one-morning workshops on the 25th of September, on otolith microchemistry and tools for simulating larval dispersal in the marine environment. Important dates: Abstract submission: 30 Jun Early-bird registration: 20 Jul   For more information, you can check the event's website here.  

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  • CESAM researcher is the new Port of Aveiro's CEO

    Published in 2/10/2019

    Fátima Lopes Alves, CESAM researcher, is the new Port of Aveiro's CEO. Specialist in coastal and marine planning and management, the researcher taked on the leadership of the administration of the Aveiro and Figueira da Foz Ports since April 2019.

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  • Exhibition Mar Profundo Português in the University of Aveiro until June 26

    Published in 31/5/2019

    The exhibition on the Portuguese Deep Sea is now located in the inferior floor of the Library of Universidade de Aveiro until June 26. Ocean covers more than 70 % of our planet’s surface but only 5 to 10 % are known. This exhibition presents a background of the pioneers in Portuguese Oceanography and the progressive organization of the research in this area. It also presents information on the Portuguese deep-sea diving and the project to extend the continental platform. Moreover, the exhibition highlights the relevance to boost National Sea as a crucial element to the development of the country. This exhibition is an initiative of the Minister of the Sea following the Oceans Meeting 2018 and has already been in several locations of the country.

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  • New visitation rules for the Berlengas Natural Reserve based on CESAM study

    Published in 30/5/2019

    The Portuguese Government has set the human carrying capacity of the Berlengas Natural Reserve at a maximum of 550 visitors per day simultaneously, by the Ordinance 355/2019 published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, of the 22nd of May 2019. This value does not include tourist-support staff, temporary residents and authorities’ officers. This decision was based on a study commissioned in 2010 by the Institute for Nature Conservancy and Forests (ICNF) and developed by Profs. Henrique Queiroga and João Serôdio (Department of Biology & CESAM, University of Aveiro). The study by the researchers of the University of Aveiro proposed four different values (ranging from 240 to 1290) for the maximum allowable visitors per day in the main island (including tourists, tourist-support staff, temporary residents and authorities’ officers), based on the combination of two scenarios of environmental protection (high and low environmental protection) and two scenarios of visitors’ satisfaction (high and low satisfaction). All scenarios met the constraints of the Berlengas reserve management plan. However, in line with recommendations for the compliance to, and dissemination of, good environmental practices, the study recommended a maximum number of 500 people daily, contingent to the requalification of the waste-water treatment system to a capacity of 500 population equivalent. Considering the average turnover rate of the different visitor profiles, the value of 550 simultaneous visitors likely represents more than 700 people visiting the Berlengas main island daily, to which tourist-support staff, temporary residents and authorities’ officers must be added. This will likely raise the maximum number of allowed people in the island to close to 900, once the measures to control visitation are fully set in place. This is clearly above the capacity of the current waste-water treatment system, which was never requalified aiming the target of 500 population equivalent. This value will be, nevertheless, a moderate progress relative to the effectively uncontrolled visitation load during the last two decades. The current visitation monitoring procedures set by the ICNF recorded 19 days with over 1000 visitors per day during the 2018 touristic season, and a total number of more than 82,000 visitors during the year. The researchers of the Biology Department and CESAM continue committed to work with the ICNF, the Municipality of Peniche, touristic operators, fishers and other stakeholders in order to promote a sustainable visitation of the Berlengas Archipelago, in line with the goals of the management plan and the Biosphere Reserves statutes.

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  • Smoke from forest fires can severely affect the health of firemen

    Published in 4/6/2019

    Research from CESAM members (Ana Isabel Miranda, Joana Valente e Sandra Sorte) studied, for the first time, the vital signs of firemen in experimental scenarios of forest fires. The results indicate that the regular and extended exposure to high levels of pollutants during the fire fight can cause acute and long term health problems. The complete news here [in PT]. Some of the National cover of the news: Público Correio da Manhã Jornal de Notícias

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  • Project Cephs and Chefs was present in several national and international events

    Published in 24/5/2019

    The project Cephs and Chefs – Octopus, squid, cuttlefish, sustainable fisheries and chefs had an intense activity of dissemination during May. On May 7-9, the researcher Cristina Pita (Departament of Environmental and Planning & CESAM), was presente in the Seafood Expo Global 2019, Brussels (Belgium), which is the largest trade fair connected to the fisheries sector worldwide. The researcher was present by special invitation of Xunta de Galicia to present the project. On May 16, the project was invited to participate in the opening ceremony of the gastronomical event 11ª Quinzena Gastronómica do Polvo da Lourinhã (Portugal). This ceremony included presentations on the event, on the nutritional value of the octopus and count with the presence of the researchers Sílvia Monteiro and Fábio Matos to talk on the development of new cephalopod’s products, octopus sustainability, and research on new markets and products.On the next day, the researchers went to Ericeira (Portugal) to the 4th edition of the Octopus Festival that will happen until May 26. On this event, the team establish contacts with restaurants involved in the initiative, in order to obtain data to the project.Moreover, from March 17-19, the researcher Cristina Pita participated in the Seafood Expo North America 2019, Boston (EUA), the largest exhibition of North America dedicated to the fish trade. The researcher was present in the Octopus Sustainable Roundtable Meeting targeting stakeholders from the fisheries industry where she presented the Portuguese and Spanish study cases integrated in the project Cephs and Chefs.

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  • CESAM researchers participate in the review of the Red data Book of Mammals

    Published in 23/5/2019

    CESAM researchers from ABEP – Adaptation Biology & Ecological Processes research group are in the coordination team of a project supported by ICNF (Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas) that aims to fill up the information gaps regarding the conservation status of mammals in Continental Portugal. Red Lists are essential tools for an active and efficient management of species and habitats. In the last revision of the Red Book of Vertebrates of Continental Portugal (2005), 28 % of marine and terrestrial mammals had Insufficient Information. Recognizing this as a serious problem, the project ‘Review of the red data book of mammals in continental Portugal and contribution to the evaluation of their status of conservation” aims to update information on the distribution, population status and threat status of native mammal species occurring in the national territory. The main output will be a revised and updated Red Book of Portuguese Mammals with the assessment of the conservation status of species by filling up the information gaps, at the level of the distribution area, abundance, type of occurrence and taxonomic clarification of the species of marine and terrestrial mammals.

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  • CESAM is actively involved in program that aims to recover forestlands destroyed by 2017 October’s wildfires

    Published in 22/5/2019

    The report produced by the Scientific Commission of the Programme for Rehabilitation of the Matas do Litoral (public forestlands located in the Portuguese Litoral Central) is available on the website of the Institute for Nature and Forests Conservation (ICNF). This report was developed following 2017 October’s wildfires, which destroyed the Matas do Litoral region, and as a result from a cooperation protocol between research and academic institutions with ICNF. Researchers from CESAM were integrated in this commission in diverse topics, such as monitoring and controlling water and wind erosion (Jan Jacob Keizer, Oscar González-Pelayo, Sérgio Prats, Diana Vieira), recovery of terrestrial habitats (Bruna Oliveira, Carlos Fonseca, Isabel Campos, João Puga, Miguel Rosalino, Victor Bandeira), recovery of aquatic and riparian ecosystems (Nelson Abrantes) and stakeholder participation and environmental education (Sandra Valente). The report can be consulted here.

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  • ICFC 2019 - International Conference on Food Contaminants

    Published in 21/5/2019

    The International Conference on Food Contaminants: challenges on risk assessment (ICFC 2019) will be held in Aveiro (Portugal) on the 26th and 27th September, 2019 and has several CESAM members in the organizing an scientific committees. This multidisciplinary congress provides a forum for both internationally established and young researchers to exchange advanced knowledge on Food Contaminants and Human Health. The congress will include keynote lectures given by world-renowned scholars, in addition to platform and poster presentations. Several sessions will cover developments and new challenges in risk assessment: Session 1 - Challenges in risk assessment in foods: new perspectives Session 2 – Human exposure to chemical food contaminants Session 3 – Other agents (microbiological and nutritional) affecting risks Session 4 – Risk-benefit assessment in foods in Europe Important dates: Abstract submission: 16 Jun Early-bird registration: 31 Jul Late registration: 17 Sep Website of the event here.

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  • Deep-sea research for the next decade will have large scientific and societal benefits

    Published in 21/5/2019

    DOSI (Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative) Decade of Ocean Science Working Group, co-chaired by the CESAM researcher Ana Hilário and Kerry Howell (University of Plymouth, UK) has released the position paper ‘Deep-Sea Research in the Decade of Ocean Science Mapping the role of the deep ocean in human society’.In this paper, they compromise with the aim of reliably map and model the distribution of key habitats and species, the connectivity of populations, the delivery of ecosystem goods and services by deep-sea species and habitats, and the impact of human activities in the deep ocean by the end of the decade.The proposed 10-year programme will fill critical gaps of knowledge on the ecology of deep-sea populations crucial to make reliable and robust predictions on which to base ocean management decisions. In fact, it is intended that the acquired scientific knowledge during the Decade will inform policy and provide tools for the sustainable use of deep ocean. In addition, a major societal benefit of the project will be the legacy value of data that will be made freely available to future generations of scientists and stakeholders.The full position paper can be read here. DOSI pursues to integrate science, technology, policy, law and economics to advise on ecosystem-based management of resource use in the deep ocean and strategies to maintain the integrity of deep-ocean ecosystems within and beyond national jurisdiction.More information on DOSI here.  

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  • Creative solution to minimize the problem of illegal coralline rock extractions using oyster shelves

    Published in 15/5/2019

    Researchers from CESAM, on the scope of the project SMARTBIOR, study alternatives to the coralline rocks used in aquaria that are often illegally extracted from Indo-Pacific areas, threatening coral reefs. The proposal is to use oyster shelves that are a common subproduct from oyster farming and that have presently a low added value. Following this study, the team of biologists gave life to a CESAM and University of Aveiro logo using oyster shelves as a substrate that was occupied by living tropical corals.  The complete news here (in PT).

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  • PhD student of CESAM wins prize for entrepreneurship

    Published in 10/5/2019

    Mario Heredia Salgado wins the with his start-up “Andes”. This prize was granted by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) for the first time as part of the Elsevier Foundation ISC3 Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge. With the winner project, he has developed a process to produce biochar from agribusiness biomass wastes to improve stressed soils. “Andes” was created based on his academic thesis in Energy Systems and Climate Change supervised by Prof. Luis Tarelho. The prize consists of a cash award of 25 000€ plus the onboarding at the ISC3 Global Start-up Service and was awarded on 6 May 2019 at the 4th Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Dresden in Germany. More on this here.

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  • Researcher from CESAM is Guest Editor of a special issue in the journal Antibiotics

    Published in 9/5/2019

    The researcher Felisa Rey from CESAM & DBio together with the researcher Eliana Alves from QOPNA-DQ, University of Aveiro have been invited by the journal Antibiotics, MDPI (ISSN 2079-6382) to be Guest Editors of a special issue entitled "Antimicrobial Lipids from Plants and Marine Organisms". Plants and marine organisms are extraordinary reservoirs of natural products with biological activity. In order to combat the remarkable increase in antibiotic resistance, it is necessary to find novel antimicrobials from natural sources that have intrinsic defense strategies. Lipids include a myriad of structures and the ability to adapt to environmental changes and protect plants and marine organisms from different environmental stresses. Several lipid classes obtained from these matrices have antimicrobial activity on different human pathogens. Free fatty acids have been the most studied compounds. However, the great world of lipids as antimicrobials is far from being fully explored. Thus, it is imperative to explore these endless sources of bioactive lipids, and to isolate, identify and characterize the compounds that exert the antimicrobial activity and to evaluate their in vitro and in vivo efficiency. This special issue of Antibiotics aims at gathering the most recent work from researchers keen to demonstrate that lipids from natural sources are promising candidates as antibiotics and to boost new biotechnological applications of lipids in medicine, and in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. The deadline for manuscript submission is 28th February 2020.

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  • Antibiotic resistance in European wastewater treatment plants mirrors the pattern of clinical antibiotic resistance prevalence

    Published in 7/5/2019

    Antibiotic resistance is among the greatest human health threats of this century. Wastewater treatment plants are receptors and sources of antibiotic resistance. A study recently published in Science Advances compares the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment plants in seven European countries: Finland, Norway, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus. This first trans-Europe surveillance shows that countries with higher clinical antibiotic resistance levels (e.g. Spain, Portugal, Cyprus) have more antibiotic resistance genes entering wastewater treatment plants. This north-to-south gradient is also evident in terms of antibiotic consumption: Finland, Norway, and Germany are known for their low antibiotic use while in Spain, Portugal, and Cyprus antibiotic consumption is higher. Environmental temperature was also identified as an important factor determining antibiotic resistance, which rises additional concern in a climate changes context.  The good news is that the most part of treatment plants were effective in removing antibiotic resistance genes. However, the relative abundance of a few clinically relevant genes increased in the final effluent and the north-to-south gradient of contamination remained after treatment. The study included researchers from seven countries, being coordinated by Universidade Católica Portuguesa. CESAM was represented by Isabel Henriques from the Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra. Original article can be read here.

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  • Participatory Budgeting - OP@CESAM 2019

    Published in 7/5/2019

    CESAM is organizing the 2nd edition of the OP@CESAM. The main goal of this initiative is to promote the engagement of junior researchers, namely PhD students in scientific activities and activities of communication and dissemination of CESAM. The regulation of this initiative as well as the form to participate are available on the INTRANET (only available for CESAM members). You can apply until 20 May and may qualify to get up to 10 000€ to fund your idea. Do not miss this pportunity! Important dates: Deadline for submission of proposals: 20 May, 17h00 Disclosure of the list of voters: 20 May Disclosure of the proposals to voters: 21-24 May Analysis of proposals: until 31 May Voting: 01-09 June, 17h00

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  • 27th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution

    Published in 7/5/2019

    The International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution has successfully been reconvened for 27 years, always attracting a wide international spread of delegates. This time it will be held in Aveiro from 26-28 June 2019. Professor Carlos Borrego and Professor Myriam Lopes of CESAM are two of the Chairmen of the conference. CESAM will be also be represented by the Professor Ana Isabel Miranda and the researcher Joana Ferreira as members of the International Scientific Advisory Committee. This important conference brings together contributions from scientists from around the world to present recent work on various aspects of air pollution phenomena. Notable in each of the conferences in this series has been the opportunity to foster scientific exchange between participants. Each meeting has provided a further opportunity for identifying new areas of air pollution science demanding collaborative investigation. More information on this event here.

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  • 25th International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment

    Published in 7/5/2019

    The International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment has successfully been reconvened for 25 years, always attracting a wide international spread of delegates. It is well-established as the premier event of its type. This time it will be held in Aveiro from 25-27 June 2019. Professor Carlos Borrego (CESAM) is a Chairman together with Professor Giorgio Passerini (Marche Polytechnic University, Italy). CESAM will be also be represented by the researcher Alexandra Monteiro as a member of the International Scientific Advisory Committee. The variety of topics covered by the conference reflects the complex interaction of the urban transport systems with their environment and the need to establish integrated strategies. The aim is to arrive at optimal socio-economic solutions while reducing the negative environmental impacts of current transportation systems. More information on this event here.

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  • Event THE PERFECT PITCH IN 5’ was a success

    Published in 23/4/2019

    On the 17 April, CESAM organized an event to improve and give more communication skills to its members. The event THE PERFECT PITCH IN 5’ lasted all day and the participants found the event very useful and were satisfied with the used approached. During the morning there were several talks with experts that covered issues such as general tips on how to make good pitches (Miguel Leal from the company Scite – Science Communication and Joaquim Macedo Sousa from HIESE), the relevance on communicate to non-scientific audiences (Pedro Farias, SCIRP, Universidade de Aveiro), and some design tips aimed to help to optimize the presentations (Joana Quental, ID+, Universidade de Aveiro). The room was crowded and the audience was clearly more aware for new aspects related with science communication. During the afternoon, there were 3 parallel workshops targeting CESAM non-doctorate members. One of the workshops was for MSc students and research fellows of CESAM and was boosted by Cecília Guerra and Susana Ambrósio from CIDTFF, Universidade de Aveiro. The other workshop targeted PhD students and was oriented by Miguel Leal, from the company Scite – Science Communication. PhD students also had the opportunity to participate in a workshop together with the PhD students of Design. This workshop was boosted by Joana Quental, ID+, Universidade de Aveiro and was an opportunity for CESAM students work closely with Design students and have a different perspective from their own research work. The complete program and CV’s of the speakers/trainers can be read here.

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  • Projects to preserve wild fauna in Greater Côa Valley and Douro region officially started

    Published in 23/4/2019

    On March 26 and 27, Guarda (Portugal), the Wildife Research Unit (WRU of CESAM & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro) was represented by Carlos Fonseca, Eduardo Ferreira, Rita Torres and João Carvalho in a two-day kick-off meeting to discuss the actions and strategies of both projects, the LIFE Wolflux “Decreasing socio-ecological barriers to connectivity for wolves south of the Douro river” and the  “Scaling Up Rewilding in Western Iberia”, funded by  the Endangered Landscapes Programme.The University of Aveiro, and the organizations Rewilding Portugal, Associação Transumância e Natureza and Zoo Logical are partners in two complementary European projects aimed at rewilding the Greater Côa Valley and fostering the functional connectivity of landscape at south of Douro river.Over the project’s lifetime (2019 – 2023), the partners expect to create the baseline conditions to boost biodiversity, restore trophic chains and promote the sustainable management of natural resources. Wolflux and Scaling Up Rewilding in Western Iberia will consider the contributions of a diverse array of stakeholders (e.g. hunters, agricultures) to create a spatially-explicit framework that accommodates stakeholders’ expectations in environmental and conservation planning. The conceptual, scientific and educational advancements of these projects will support the emergence of nature-based economies, essential to revert the current trend of rural depopulation.

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  • Open call for applications for the doctoral program DO*MAR until 20 May

    Published in 15/4/2019

    The Do*Mar doctoral programme on Marine Science, Technology and Management has just published a call for applications to the Universities of Aveiro, Minho and Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. Nine Do*Mar-FCT scholarships are available in this call. Details of the application and selection procedures are available in http://www.campusdomar-pt-domar.net. Deadline for application: May 20, 2019.

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  • Researchers from CESAM published a study on the coral reef microbiome in the high-impact journal Nature Communications

    Published in 9/4/2019

    One of the most recent and fascinating developments in Biology is the perception of the microbiome and its importance in human and animal health and ecosystem functioning. In marine environments, sponges have been considered a model organism to study host-microbiome relationships. Sponges are the most ancient of metazoans and are considered a reservoir of microbial diversity in the world´s oceans. However, until now, it was not clear if and to what extent microorganisms found in sponges are also present in other coral reef biotopes.Members of CESAM/Dbio, in collaboration with researchers from different institutions in Taiwan, Thailand and the Netherlands, carried out an extensive and ambitious study that aimed to characterize the microbiome from more than 200 coral reef samples from multiple taxa in the Indo-Pacific region. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing and the computer cluster ARGUS from the University of Aveiro (Argus), for the first time, microbiomes from algae, chitons, stony corals, sea cucumbers, sponge denizens, flatworms, nudibranchs, soft corals, sponges, sea urchins, seawater and sediment were analyzed. The researchers found that a high number of microorganisms are shared between different biotopes, supporting the hypothesis of Baas Becking that “everything is everywhere but the environment selects”. Contrary to what was believed until now, sponges are not the main contributors to total prokaryote diversity in coral reefs. They are only one, albeit an interesting, component of a much larger coral reef metacommunity.  The original paper here.

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  • Scientific paper by researcher selected to the cover of journal “Ecology and Evolution”

    Published in 8/4/2019

    It is common knowledge that during Easter shops get flooded with chocolate eggs which make the delights of young and older alike. But what few will know is that the traditional game of “egg hunting” in early spring is due in large part to the existence of the very first wader nests of the year! In northern Europe, particularly in England, but also in Scotland and the Netherlands, egg collection of wader eggs in Easter was once at such scale that it originated a parliamentary act for the protection of a wader species, forbidding the sale of Vanellus vanellus (Lapwing) eggs from 14 March to 11 August (The Lapwing Act 1928). Although many birds have advanced their laying dates and wild egg collection is increasingly less frequent, many species are currently declining due to other factors. For example, when they are unable to match the advances in the phenology of the resources they depend upon, such as the insects that compose the diet of many of these species. In fact, the warming trend felt globally in recent years seems to be the origin of changing phenology in several groups of species, be it the date of first flowering of plants, the hatching of insects, or the migratory movements of bird species. But, the changing of the timing of these events may also influence demographic processes and ultimately affect population growth. This was the issue that an international team of researchers, lead by Dr. José Alves (Dep. Biology and CESAM – University of Aveiro) decided to explore. In order to do so they selected a population of a migratory wader species that breeds in the northernmost limit of its distribution area, Iceland, where the effects of global warming are very apparent due to “arctic amplification”. The researchers first had to “play egg hunting” to find the nests of the black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa islandica), in Iceland, during several years in order to assess the variation in phenology of laying in relation to local temperature. This study initiated in 2001 (a particularly cold breeding season in Iceland) started to yield results ten years later, in 2011 (another cold season), and carried on until 2013, encompassing a period in which the average air temperature fluctuated between 9 and 11 degrees Celsius during the breeding season of this bird. This information allowed establishing a relationship between temperature and laying dates: the warmer it is, the earlier these birds are able to lay their clutches. As this species conceals its nests in the vegetation, these birds must wait for the local plants to growth following snowmelt and defrosting of soils. In warmer seasons, soil defrosts and plant growth occur at an higher rate, allowing godwtis to safely lay their eggs earlier (successfully hiding those from potential predators). But this was only the first step in the study. It was important to understand if such local responses could have an effect at the population level. In order to do so, the chicks from this species were located every two days by radio-tracking their parents (which guard them around the clock), to establish how much time is required for them to become independent and fledge. By tracking chicks born in years during which air temperatures differed, it was possible to establish that in warmer years, chicks fledge about 15 days earlier than chicks born in colder years (considering the total period since egg laying to fledging). With the help of an extensive network of collaborators across Europe that report colour-ringed Icelandic godwits across its range (Iceland-Iberian Peninsula), it was possible to carry on tracking these chicks, now juveniles, until the end of their first migration, and this allowed demonstrating that chicks born earlier enjoy an higher recruitment probability. Hence, in warmer years, the breeding phenology of this bird advances and chicks from those years experience a higher probability of increasing the number of individuals on the population. Once average temperatures in Iceland have increased since 1845, and warm springs have been more frequent in recent decades, the research team was able to link the population growth experience by this population and its expansion into new areas in Iceland and in West Europe (during the non-breeding season), to the warming recorded on its natal island c. At the start of the XX century, this population was restricted to a breeding area in the SW cost of Iceland and it is estimated to haven been composed by 5000 individuals. The warming trend in temperatures occurring since, allowed the birds in these original locations to produce offspring that gradually colonized almost all coastal areas of the country. Their number increased to 50.000 individuals, with areas colonized earlier producing more individuals as local temperatures increased. This study goes beyond descriptive patterns of individual responses to climate change, establishing a link between those and the potential effects in the demography and distribution of species. These effects are extremely important, as they can help to improve our predicting capacity to what may occur to biodiversity in a climate change scenario. In the case of the Iceland godwit, global warming seems to be promoting its expansion, which could be expected for a population that occurs at the northern part of its distribution range, and is likely to be limited by the low temperatures at such latitudes. However, this is not the case for many other species of migratory birds that often are unable to advance their phenology at a similar rate of the insects they depend upon for themselves and to raise their young. We should therefore promote current efforts for the reduction of carbon emissions in an attempt to slow down global warming which is already very apparent. More than helping biodiversity in its attempts to respond to such changes, we will surely avoid that many chocolate eggs melt in their hiding places while we search for them in ever warming Easters. The original article in open access available here.

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  • New environment-friendly solutions for anti-fouling compounds

    Published in 8/4/2019

    The paper "Toxicity of innovative anti-fouling nano-based solutions in marine species" authored by members of CESAM's Functional Biodiversity group and Department of Biology, with major contributions from CICECO and the Portuguese company Smallmatek was just published on Environmental Science: Nano. Briefly, this study concluded that is possible to develop "greener" nano-based antifouling additives for maritime coatings without compromising their efficacy. The novel compounds were carefully characterized and their toxicity assessed and compared against commercial state-of-the-art compounds in several marine species representative of different trophic levels. The original article here.

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  • Art exhibition based on casts of snowflakes collected by CESAM researcher

    Published in 5/4/2019

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    Researcher Irina Gorodetskaya and colleagues collected casts of snowflakes as part of the project ‘Quantifying precipitation and its contribution to surface freshening in the Southern Ocean’ during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition in January-February 2017 funded by the Swiss Polar Institute. Besides this, Irina was also involved in scanning the images as part of the project ‘EXPAR - EXtreme Precipitation events in Antarctica: investigating the role of Atmospheric Rivers’ included in the Programa Polar Português funded by FCT. Part of this work was used by the artist Yvonne Weber that created the exhibition ‘Casting the Ephemerality’. This exhibition was opened on the 1st April and is present at the Maritime Museum of Ushuaia, Argentina until the 30th April 2019. It will be part of the conference SC-HASS 2019 – Antarctic Connections at the end of the world (3-5 April). More on the artist’s motivation and exhibition together with the images of the exhibition can be seen here.

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  • AMBIEnCE project receives important endorsement by the international project SOLAS

    Published in 12/4/2019

    The project AMBIEnCE - Impact of atmospheric multi-stressors to coastal marine systems in a changing climate scenario (PTDC/CTA-AMB/28582/2017) has just been endorsed by the international research project SOLAS (Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study), which is sponsored by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research. The SOLAS project holds more than 2500 researchers from all over the world aiming to understand the key biogeochemical-physical interactions and feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere. AMBIEnCE is a multidisciplinary research project aiming to assess the impact of atmospheric organic aerosols deposition on the molecular composition and reactivity of dissolved organic matter in different coastal marine systems, as well as exploring how the intrinsic chemical features of both organic aerosols and dissolved organic matter drive the bioavailability of atmospheric-derived trace metals in seawater. AMBIEnCE directly addresses the SOLAS core theme on “Atmospheric deposition and ocean biogeochemistry”. Additional details here. SOLAS enews with the mention and recommendation to AMBIEnCE project can be consulted here.

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  • Report of the working group on Marine Protected Areas of the Sea Platform counts with the participation of CESAM

    Published in 25/3/2019

    The report of the working group on Marine Protected Areas (MPA) of the Sea Platform under the Sea Minister was recently disclosure. This report results from the first shared exercise, which involved different entities and experts of the marine biodiversity conservation area. This is the first document of this kind elaborated in Portugal and allows the discussion of MPA and their relevance in the national maritime space. In this report, several CESAM members participate. The document may be consulted here.

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  • Is there pollution in Antarctica? CESAM approaches this question at school

    Published in 25/3/2019

    Researcher Joana Pereira presented on 20th March a talk at Escola EB 2,3 de Aradas. This talk was inserted in the International Polar Week, promoted in Portugal by the project Propolar Education, associated to PROPOLAR (Portuguese Polar Program), APECS PORTUGAL (Associação de Jovens Investigadores Polares de Portugal) and PEI (Polar Educators International). The talk of Joana Pereira was focused on the pollution in Antarctica, namely on the type of pollution, the effects and how we can protect the Antarctic ecosystems. This event was organized by two professors of the school and the audience was constituted by a group of more than 40 students ageing between 9 and 11 years old.

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  • COST Action meeting will occur in Aveiro and is supported by CESAM

    Published in 22/3/2019

      From 25 to 27 March 2019 it will occur at University of Aveiro, the second meeting of the COST-Action SENSECO - Optical synergies for spatiotemporal sensing of scalable ecophysiological traits.  This meeting gets together 62 scientists from European Union, neighbor countries and other international partners that develop their research in the area of Earth Observations. The organization of this event is at the responsibility of the post-doctoral research fellow Bruna Oliveira from CESAM and DAO. The main goal of this COST-Action is to develop synergies in the utilization of different optical sensors for the spatio-temporal measurement of the ecophysiological traits of the ecosystems.

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  • CESAM brings impacts of pharmaceuticals in fish to school

    Published in 22/3/2019

    Researcher Bruno Nunes was present on 14th of March  at Colégio Nossa Senhora da Assunção, Anadia, for the presentation of a lecture entitled “Pharmaceuticals on the loose: why drugs kill fish?”. This lecture was presented to students of the 7th and 8th years, and was part of the activities developed by this school devoted to the generic theme of the Environment.

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  • O Zézé deixou-nos...

    Published in 21/3/2019

    [Only available in Portuguese] Opinião de Carlos Fonseca sobre a partida de José Vingada, referência maior da conservação e gestão da Natureza em Portugal.

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  • WATER Symposium

    Published in 20/3/2019

    On the scope of the World Water Day, the symposium WATER will occur on the 22 Mar 2019. It has the support of the department of Biology and CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro. The theme suggested by this year by United Nations (UN) is “Leaving No One Behind - Human Rights and Refugees". Following this and taking into account the research lines at the university, the theme "Water access matters, engaging everyone" was proposed for this symposium. Speakers list considers the ongoing projects of CESAM and also the business context of the region of Aveiro. This way, the talks will have a special focus on the management of aquatic resources and how they contribute for the resilience and well-being of human populations. The symposiumwill be held at University of Aveiro (Carlos Borrego, Amphitheater, DAO), 09:30-13h. Presentations will be in English (15’ each). More on the event here. You can also assist these event through this link.

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  • Science and Nature articles highlight work of expedition with CESAM researchers

    Published in 19/3/2019

    The researchers Ana Hilário and Patrícia Garrote are presently on board of the oceanographic vessel Sonne that works in the Pacific (Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone). Their present in this expedition are in the scope of the project MiningImpact2 (JPIO), led by the Researcher Matthias Haeckel (GEOMAR) and coordinated at the University of Aveiro by Prof. Marina Cunha (FCT-Mining2/0002/2017) and funded by an international consortium. Science and Nature recently highlighted some work within the scope of this campaign in articles that can be read here and here, respectively More news on this expedition will be given by the end of it, late in May.

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  • Sea lettuces remove metals from contaminated waters

    Published in 19/3/2019

    Study of CESAM found in sea lettuces a potential solution to remove metals from contaminated waters resulting from industries and domestic use. The complete news may be read here [in Portuguese].

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  • Study of CESAM allows fighting fatal infections using light

    Published in 19/3/2019

    Research of CESAM found that photodynamic therapy inactivates the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus responsible for several infections that may be fatal for humans. The complete news may be read here [in Portuguese].

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  • CESAM in national consortium for the creation of a network of competences for the sustainable development and innovation in the agribusiness of Centre region

    Published in 11/3/2019

    Members of CESAM belong to a national consortium that involves seven institutions from Centre region of Portugal for the creation of a network of competences for the sustainable development and innovation in the agribusiness of Centre region  (Rede de Competências para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável e Inovação no Sector Agroalimentar da Região Centro), on the scope of the call CENTRO-45-2018-21, Centro 2020. The consortium So+Centro is coordinated by University of Aveiro and will contribute to the knowledge of endogenous species of Centre region allowing the study of their valorization in the actual context than demands more sustainable solutions. The complete news here [in Portuguese].

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  • Network ALTER-Net is organizing conference

    Published in 11/3/2019

    The network ALTER-Net to which CESAM belongs, is organizing the conference 2019 ALTER-Net & EKLIPSE  on the EU Biodiversity Strategy Beyond 2020: Research insights and needs for biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe). This event will occur in Ghent, Belgium, 17-19 June 2019. The conference targets researchers, decision-makers and practitioners from all disciplines and fields and will cover the following themes: Envisaging plausible futures Probable changes in nature New relationships Policy responses More information on this here. Important dates: Abstract submissiom: 31 March Registration deadline: 1 June

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  • Researcher is highlighted in the book "Women in Science"

    Published in 8/3/2019

    Mónica Amorim, researcher of CESAM and Department of Biology (DBio), was highlighted by Ciência Viva in the bool "MULHERES NA CIÊNCIA" (Women in Science). The new edition of this book is going to hapen on the 8 March, International Women's Day, in Lisbon. Her testimony in this book can be seen here and more on this initiative here. The complete news here [in PT].

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  • PhD student supervised by CESAM members is awarded with a grant from National Geographic

    Published in 7/3/2019

    Joana Pereira, supervised by Prof. Carlos Fonseca and by the collaborator of CESAM Luís Miguel Rosalino, was awarded with an Early Career Grant by the National Geographic Society. The project aims to study ways to minimize the conflicts that exist between the communities and wildlife of the protected area of the Quirimbas National Park in the north-east of Mozambique. More on this award here [in Portuguese].

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  • CESAM members are in the scientific committee of the 15th EEF

    Published in 6/3/2019

    The researcher Ana Isabel Lillebø and the faculty Henrique Queiroga and José Pedro Granadeiro belong to the scientific committee of the EEF - 15th European Ecological Federation Congress that will take place at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon from the 29th of July to the 2nd of August 2019. The overarching theme of this conference, Ecology across boarders: Embedding Ecology in Sustainable Development Goals, is intended to promote discussions and interactions on how to integrate basic and applied ecological research, and their trans-disciplinarily impacts, for the effective implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The meeting is open to all: students, researchers from the public and private sectors, and stakeholders involved in the fields of ecology and conservation, evolution, genetics, environmental sciences, climate change, agro-forestry, social-ecology and economy, among others. Important dates: Abstract submission: 13 March 2019 Early-bird registration: 30 April 2019  

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  • Diana Madeira was awarded with one of the L’Oreal Portugal Medals of Honor for Women in Science 2018

    Published in 6/3/2019

    Diana Madeira, post-doctoral research fellow of CESAM and Dbio, was awarded one of the L’Oreal Portugal Medals of Honor for Women in Science 2018. In this 15th edition, 4 scientists were awarded 15.000€ to develop projects within the areas of health and environmental sciences. The aim of the research proposal is to unravel the molecular and physiological mechanisms underpinning transgenerational plastic responses of marine organisms exposed to ocean warming and pollution. This project will contribute to the improvement of environmental management plans envisaging the long-term sustainability of aquatic resources.  Diana Madeira is a marine biologist since 2009, and since then she has been devoted to eco-physiological research within a global change context. She has contributed to rank the vulnerability of over 30 marine species (temperate and tropical) to ocean warming based on molecular and thermal tolerance assays, studied how ocean warming impacts different life-cycle stages of marine fish and is currently working on long-term plastic responses of marine organisms to global change in collaboration with several institutions including Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Université du Québec à Rimouski (Canada). Additional information: Interview in Antena 1 here (08:17) [only available in Portuguese] News on UA online here [only available in Portuguese] News on RTP TV channel here [only available in Portuguese] News on SIC TV channel here [only available in Portuguese]

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  • CESAM in na international Consortium towards fisheries without garbage waste

    Published in 25/2/2019

    CESAM is part of the team of the project NetTag- Tagging fishing gears and enhancing on board best-practices to promote waste free fisheries, funded by the European Commission. This project is focused on the prevention and reduction of marine debris that result from fisheries. Among the several objectives of the project, NetTag aims to reduce the quantity of lost gears and other wastes that daily threat marine biota. The complete news on this project can be read here [only available in Portuguese].

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  • CESAM was present in Forum of Professions organized by the Lycée Français International de Porto (LFIP)

    Published in 21/2/2019

    Bruno Nunes, researcher of CESAM & dBio, was present on March 15 at the Forum des Métiers / Forum of Professions, organized by the Lycée Français International de Porto (LFIP), for students in 9th grade (14-15 years) and 10th grade (15-16 years old) . This space aimed to answer the curiosities and to help the students of the LFIP to better understand the professions and the different professional paths related to several areas: Health; Arts / music; Press / media; Engineering; Design; Life sciences and research (panel that was attended by Bruno Nunes); Diplomacy and politics; Justice / Law; Management; Tourism / Industry; Computing; Finance / Banking.

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  • Oporto needs more green areas to fight against heat waves

    Published in 15/2/2019

    CESAM research concluded that Oporto needs to take urgent measures to fight heat waves that are becoming more frequent, stronger and harmful for the environment and human health. Some of the proposed solutions are have new green areas, expand the gardens and parks already existent and use the vegetation and plants on the roofs of the buildings. Also, use lighter colours on the roofs and urban pavements will help in refreshing the city. More information on this study of David Carvalho and Carlos Borrego may be obtained here.

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  • MEC2019 - 5th Conference on Estuarine and Coastal Morphodynamics

    Published in 15/2/2019

    The 5th Conference on Estuarine and Coastal Morphodynamics will be held by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, 24-26 June 2019. This event is supported by CESAM through the participation of some of its members in the organizing and scientific committees and intends to be a presentation forum of research works related with the morphodynamics of coastal zones. Moreover, the event aims to potentiate the discussion of ideas and spread the knowledge on coastal zones. The works for oral and poster presentations may be submitted under the following themes: Estuarine and coastal dynamics Data analysis Climate change impacts in coastal zones Anthropic interventions in coastal zones Coastal risks Spatial planning and management of coastal zones Works on the dissemination of research projects related with the estuarine and coastal morphodynamics will also be accepted. Important dates: Abstract submission (2 pages limit): 28th Feb 2019 Abstract acceptance: 30 Mar 2019 Early-bird registration: 30 Apr 2019 Regular registration: 24 Jun 2019

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  • Workshop “Orienting Young Scientists of EuroMarine” gets together EuroMarine and the young marine scientists

    Published in 8/2/2019

    Last 28th - 29th of January 2019, prior to the EuroMarine General Assembly meeting held in the same week, the Young Scientist Working Group (YSWG) of the network EuroMarine was present in a workshop in Cádiz, Spain, hosted by CEIMAR and the University of Cádiz, which aimed to: Analyzing and discussing the results of the YSWG survey to young marine researchers in Europe and the EuroMarine member institutions, launched in October 2018; Identifying the main motivations and concerns regarding academic research and career expressed by the young marine scientists; Planning a way forward for the YSWG, exploring the potential of establishing a permanent presence within EuroMarine and expanding the YSWG community; Elaborating a synthesis presentation of YSWG outcomes during its first year of existence as well as workshop outputs, to be presented to the EuroMarine GA. The outputs directly benefit EuroMarine by highlighting young scientists’ perspectives on topics and issues potentially overlooked by senior scientists, as well as developing and proposing a set of early-career researcher-oriented activities and platforms to be made available in the future for the marine research community. Additionally, developers of the OpenAIRE platform, which aims at shifting scholarly communication towards openness and transparency, held a training session during the workshop to teach about the potentialities of the platform. A short video of the session can be found here. Our PhD student Marco Custódio is the representative of CESAM in the YSWG and participated in this workshop. In due time, a presentation of the results will become available to CESAM's community.

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  • Natura +: A citizen science project to monitor Natura 2000

    Published in 8/2/2019

    On January 14, the Natura + project was officially launched. The mission of Natura + is to promote awareness about the Portuguese sites of Natura 2000 and the wildlife they shelter. This project also aims to gather scientific information with the support of citizens in the monitoring of these sites. For this purpose, Natura + has developed citizen science activities aimed at the general public and schools. Currently, different activities are already fully developed and available at the project’s website. These relate to soil quality, solid waste spread in the surroundings of waterways, otter and bat monitoring. Everybody can do these activities and, by sharing the collected data with Natura +, anyone can easily contribute to the study and conservation of the biodiversity of Portugal. This project is part of a PhD thesis on science communication, developed by Sofia Oliveira, who is supervised by the researchers Ruth Pereira (GreenUPorto), Paulo Santos (CIIMAR-UP) and Joana Pereira (CESAM). More information about this project can be found on the online platforms of Natura +:    Website    Facebook    Instagram    Youtube

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  • CESAM researcher in the organization of the British Ornithologists’ Union Annual Conference

    Published in 6/2/2019

    José Alves, CESAM & DBio member, is one of the organizers of the thematic BOU-British Ornithologists’ Union Annual Conference on “Tracking migration: drivers, challenges and consequences of seasonal movements”. The organizing team is composed by researchers from other four institutions: University of Iceland, University of Amsterdam and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UK). Recent advances in tracking technologies have allowed us to quantify migratory movements throughout the annual and life cycles in greater detail than ever before, leading to a renewed widespread interest in the field. This conference will therefore bring together ecologists and biologists tracking migratory birds in any form, to explore our understanding of avian migration through the use of any tracking technique: from large scale migratory pulses and fluxes to individual variation in phenology and routes; the implications of behavioural flexibility for distribution and demography of migrants (connectivity and fitness trade-offs); and the development and maintenance of migratory strategies at the individual (ontogeny and life-long tracking) and population levels (partial migration and transgenerational changes). The meeting will take place in the University of Warwick, UK from the 26th to the 28th of March 2019.

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  • CESAM goes to school

    Published in 6/2/2019

    Last January, members of CESAM's Ecotoxicology research group visited schools promoting information, demonstration and dissemination sessions, including results of the research carried out at CESAM by their work teams, namely in the project CliMaStat. On the 21st at Colégio Portugês (Aveiro) and on the 28th at Dr. João Carlos Celestino Gomes Secondary School (Ílhavo), the researchers Susana Galante-Oliveira, Isabel Oliveira, Daniela Figueiredo, Daniela Freitas and Joana Fonsec presented the activity "Changing Oceans: a dive in warmer and more acidic waters" for students and teachers at elementary, secondary and senior university levels, promoting knowledge and reflection on the climate change ongoing in the worlds’ oceans and their impacts, and raising citizens' awareness concerning the adoption of responsible behaviors in the fight against climate change.

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  • 2019 The 6th International Conference On Energy and Environment Research

    Published in 31/1/2019

    ICEER is being held annually and is now a privileged space to discuss current issues related to Energy and the Environment. This event aims to explore emerging technologies and concepts in a collaborative way, bringing together engineers, researchers and professionals from different areas. ICEER 2019 will occur from 22-25 July at University of Aveiro and is a joint organization of the Department of Environment and Planning of University of Aveiro (DAO/UA), the School of Engineering (ISEP) of the Polytechnic of Porto (P.Porto) and the SCIEI, and is held at Aveiro, Portugal, with collaboration of the CESAM,CIETI and LEPABE research groups. You can submit your abstract until 04 Feb 2019 and early bird registration is until 27 May 2019. More on this event here.

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  • CIÊNCIAVITAE will substitute previous FCT platforms

    Published in 12/2/2019

    CIÊNCIAVITAE is a unique, personalized, simple, harmonized and structured curriculum that gathers the information that is presently dispersed in multiple platforms, as FCT-SIG CV, DeGóis, RENATES, REBIDES, ORCID and RCAAP.  Existing platforms will be discontinued by phases and CIÊNCIAVITAE will be fully operational in 2021. After 1 mar 2018 you will not be able to create new curricula and after 1 Jul 2018 the access to edit your curriculum will also end. FCT provides several support and tutorials that help you in the process of transition between platforms.

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  • LIFE+ MarPro project was determinant for the creation of a new area Natura 2000 dedicated to the conservation of cetaceans

    Published in 30/1/2019

    The new protection area Natura 2000, the first marine area exclusively dedicated to the conservation of cetaceans, was approved in the Council of Ministers on the 23 Jan. This area was proposed in the scope of the project LIFE+ MarPro which financed by European Commission and is coordinated by the researcher of CESAM & dBio, Catarina Eira. However, the researcher warns that these areas will be ineffective if there is no effective conservation measures. More details on this approved area and researcher's concerns here [in PT].

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  • CESAM goes to school

    Published in 30/1/2019

    The CESAM & dBio researcher Bruno Nunes was at the Escola Básica e Secundária de Anadia on the 10th of January to make a presentation on the theme "Pollution and Preservation of the Oceans", encompassed in a series of initiatives aimed at citizenship education. The initiative was boosted by the teachers of the referred school, namely Professor Teresa Carapinha, and had about 80 participants of the 6th grade, with an average age between 13 and 15 years old. For about an hour and a half, it was possible to present some of the most problematic pollutants that affect oceans, and talk to students about ways to reduce their environmental impact, to have more conscious and participatory citizens in the future around environmental issues.

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  • First PhD of Do*Mar Doctoral Program in Portugal is from CESAM

    Published in 22/1/2019

    Nuno Cordeiro, a former PhD student of CESAM, is the first PhD of the doctoral program in Marine Science, Technology and Sea Management (Do*Mar) by one of the Portuguese universities of the consortium. On the 14 January 2019, the PhD student Nuno Gonçalo Ferreira Cordeiro get his PhD degree in the international doctoral program Do*Mar. His thesis was on Numerical and observational processes study of NW Iberian margin circulation and oriented by Prof. Jesus Dubert (University of Aveiro), Dr. Eric Desmond Barton (Instituto Español de Oceanografia – Vigo) and Dr. Rita Nolasco  (University of Aveiro). The main result of this Ph. D. was the development of realistic configurations of a numerical model that can be used to advance the understanding of the physical mechanisms of coastal circulation in the NO region of the Iberian Peninsula. This tool can be applied in the study of societal issues of great relevance in this region, such as climate change and biogeochemical cycles, the dispersal of toxic algae, the ecology of the larval phase of species of great commercial interest, or the improvement of operational systems (already existing in the UA). Do*Mar has presently more than 250 registered students form more than 20 nationalities with 46 of them registered in Portuguese universities. The universities that belong to the consortium of this international program are Portuguese and Spanish and include University of Aveiro, Porto, Minho, Trás os- Montes e Alto Douro, Vigo, Coruña and Santiago de Compostela, the Instituto Español de Oceanografia and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas. Moreover, some institutions participate as associated members including the School of Biology of the University of St. Andrews (Scotland), the Station Biologique de Roscoff (France) and the Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de S. Paulo (Brasil). This doctoral program started on 2012-2013 in Spain and in 2013-2014 in Portugal. Do* Mar is a Doctoral program financed by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia with a strong international component that benefit of 24 PhD fellowships. Of these, 21 fellowships have already been awarded and is now in negotiations the extension of the funding of more 6 mix fellowships. FCT fellowships that still need to be assigned are expected to be awarded in the next school year of 2019-2020. In Spain, Do*Mar benefits of a supported program given by Xunta de Galicia that includes around 30 PhD fellowships each year.

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  • Summary of 2018 @UA

    Published in 21/1/2019

    University of Aveiro has published the summary of the year 2018 here. CESAM was an important player during the whole year and it was highlighted in February, April, June, July, August, November, and December. Additionally, in the edition of the magazine Research@UA, the research of CESAM was emphasized, namely the projects SmartBioR, AgroForWealth and SusPhotoSolutions as strategic projects, the project SmartGreenHomes, and the wrok of CESAM members Ana I. Miranda and her team, Rosa Freitas and her team, and Juan Bueno-Pardo and his team. This publication foccuses on the most important scientific highlights of the previous year (2017) and can be consulted here.

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  • H2020 HERA project has officially started

    Published in 15/1/2019

    On the 10-11th January, the kick-off meeting of the project HERA - Integrating Environment and Health Research: a Vision for the EU occurred in Paris. The CESAM members Ana Isabel Miranda (coordinator of the project at University of Aveiro) e Joana Ferreira, were there representing UA. The project HERA is financed by the European Commission and has more than 20 international partners. His main goal is to define priorities for the environment and health research agenda in the EU.

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  • Thesis paper by CESAM PhD student Camilo Carneiro highlighted in a journal’s cover

    Published in 18/1/2019

    The Icelandic subspecies of Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus islandicus), a long distance migratory wader and the focus of Camilo Carneiro’s PhD since 2015, was selected to be in the cover of the January 2019 issue of Journal of Avian Biology, highlighting the paper entitled “Faster migration in autumn than in spring: seasonal migration patterns and non?breeding distribution of Icelandic whimbrels Numenius phaeopus islandicus”. Journal of Avian Biology is an historical outlet for cutting edge ornithological research and is published by the Nordic Oikos Society, ranked 2nd in its area (Ornithology; IF = 2.49). It has been previously revealed, in a paper led by Dr. José A. Alves (CESAM& dBio member) and published in Scientific Reports, that Icelandic Whimbrels are able to fly non-stop between Iceland and West Africa in autumn, but in spring these migratory birds either embark on a second non-stop flight to their breeding grounds or cover this distance in two steps spending a few days in a stopover area, often in UK or Ireland. In this new publication such knowledge is consolidated, the migration routes, wintering and stopover sites are mapped, the seasonal differences in migration duration and speed are assessed with potential causes for these migratory patterns being discussed. The timing of arrival into the breeding sites can influence the subsequent breeding success of birds, particularly at high latitudes such as Iceland. For this reason most seasonal migrants migrate faster in spring than in autumn. However, in the case of Icelandic Whimbrels the pattern is reversed, with individuals migrating faster in autumn than in spring. Seasonal variation in wind patterns could explain the differences observed in this study and the stopover in spring might allow the appraisal of weather conditions closer to the breeding areas and/or allow individuals to improve their body condition in order to arrive at the breeding sites with reserves. Unravelling the carry-over effects and trade-offs undertaken by these birds in a climate change scenario is a focus of Camilo’s PhD thesis, within the doctoral program Biology and Ecology of Global Change at the University of Aveiro (CESAM/DBIO). The complete article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jav.01938

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  • Researcher of CESAM joins two new European projects in the area of nanotechnologies

    Published in 18/1/2019

    Mónica Amorim,  researcher of CESAM & dBio is the principal researcher of the Portuguese team of two European projects recently approved under the Horizon 2020. Both projects will be developed in the area of nanotechnologies (NMBP-13-2018: "Risk Governance of nanotechnology" and NMBP-14-2018: Nanoinformatics: from materials models to predictive toxicology and Ecotoxicology”). The project “NANORIGO - Establishing a Nanotechnology Risk Governance Framework” has a total budget of 4.748.740 € and is coordinated by the Aarhus University, Denmark. This large consortium involves 29 partners of 15 European countries, besides Korea and USA. The project “NanoinformaTIX - Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Modelling Platform for NanoInformatics” has a total budget of 6.783.556 € and is coordinated by the Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) in Madrid, Spain. This large consortium involves 36 partners of 20 European countries, besides China and e USA. The portuguese team is responsible for the activities related with hazard and risk assessment in the environment. The evaluation of the environmental impact using new omics tools will be one of the key points to explore, both in the hazard assessment and the implementation in a regulatory context. The researcher Mónica Amorim is also responsible in the project H2020-NMBP-12: “BIORIMA - BIOmaterial RIsk Management”, which started in 2017, hence the University of Aveiro continued the research in the area of nanotechnologies and its environmental impacts via international financing (H2020-NMBP-12-13-14), ensuring also the collaboration in large scientists’ networks and the international industry.

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  • Faculty of CESAM were present in debate on climate change in a school of Oliveira de Azeméis

    Published in 7/1/2019

    Faculty Henrique Queiroga and Paulo Silva, were invited to talk about climate change and its impacts in the oceans in a debate in Escola Básica e Secundária Ferreira de Castro, Oliveira de Azeméis. Prof. Henrique Queiroga talked about the causes of global warming and some of its impacts in marine ecosystems, namely in artic and tropical regions as well as in Portugal. Prof. Paulo Silva talked about the increase of the sea level, the consequences of coastal erosion in Portugal and the possible adaptation measures. This debate is included in the 1st stage of this school application to the Youth Parliament 2019. It was organized by students of the 12th grade and count with the presence of about 100 students from 7th to 12th grade.

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  • Seminar of the project LIFE REFOREST

    Published in 7/1/2019

    On the 16 January 2019 the seminar of the project LIFE REFOREST - Erosion prevention and flora REstauration of burnt FOREST areas through innovative fungal-technosol solution will occur at University of Aveiro. The participation is free of charge but registration is mandatory (esp.team.cesam@gmail.com) until 10 January.

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  • CESAM member highlights the urgency to protect wild songbirds in Nature journal

    Published in 20/12/2018

    The CESAM Post-Doc research fellow Jorge Sanchez Gutierrez together with José Masero (University of Extremadura, Spain) authored a correspondence in the renowned journal Nature highlighting the urgency for the new Spanish government to take quick measures to save wild songbirds that are captured with illegal trapping. Nature Correspondence are 'letters to the Editor' such as short comments on topical issues of public and political interest that are not usually peer-reviewed and so should not contain primary research data. In this correspondence entitled "Save Spanish songbirds from illegal trapping", the authors state “The Spanish government authorized the capture of 1,731,861 finches in 2013–18, presumably to provide a stock of captive-bred birds in case the ban on trapping was ever enforced. In May, the European Commission gave Spain a two-month deadline to stop finch trapping altogether. As of 1 June, just 8 of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions had suspended the trapping of goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis), greenfinches (Carduelis chloris), linnets (Carduelis cannabina), serins (Serinus serinus) and chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs). If the other regions fail to do the same, Spain could risk fines amounting to millions of euros”. The full correspondence can be read here.

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  • CESAM wishes all its members, collaborators and visitors a Merry Christmas!

    Published in 17/12/2018

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  • CESAM is in the organization of the 15th Symposium on Bacterial Genetics and Ecology (BAGECO)

    Published in 17/12/2018

    CESAM members Newton Gomes and Francisco Coelho belong to the team of the 15th Symposium on Bacterial Genetics and Ecology (BAGECO) as co-chair and organizing committee, respectively. BAGECO will happen on the 26-30 May 2019 in Lisbon and is one of the main European conferences in genetics and ecology of bacteria with more than 30 years of tradition. The event will get together the leading scientists in the area to debate the most imperative questions of microbiology, microbial ecology, metagenomics and complementary disciplines. More information on the event here.

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  • CESAM is involved in a viability study for the construction of a breakwater in Vagueira beach

    Published in 17/12/2018

    Experts in  ocean wavesstudies, littoral currents, sedimentary dynamics of coastal zones and surf hydraulics, belonging to the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering and Universities of Aveiro and Lisbon, got together in the past 10 December in Vagos Main Hall, to start a study on the viability of the construction of a multifunctional detached breakwater in front of Vagueira beach. The CESAM researcher Paulo Baganha Baptista coordinates the work at UA and have the collaboration of the professor Paulo Silva, the researcher Peter Roebeling and the external collaborator Joaquim Pais Barbosa. This study was hired by the Portuguese Agency of Environment (APA) and will take 2 years. It will include the monitoring of the evolution of the sea bottom and of the nearby maritime zone, the simulation in models of the natural phenomena aiming to understand the efficiency of the breakwater and the comparative analysis of the costs and benefits. The study will focus on the efficiency of the breakwater in the reduction of seawalls overtoppings in the urban front and in the contribution to reduce beach erosion inverting the present tendency if possible. It is intended that the breakwater potentiates the increase of the sand in the beach and improves the sea conditions for the practice of surf, body-board and similar sports. Before the meeting, the technicians went to Vagueira beach to start the monitoring work concerned with the sedimentary evolution and the occurrence of overtoppings through the adherent defense in the present conditions. During this study they will collect more exact and detailed data on the variability of the beach and on the interactions between the waves, currents, the sedimentary changes and coastal structures.

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  • Work of CESAM members is considered relevant by the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General

    Published in 14/12/2018

    The article "An urban air quality modeling system to support decision-making: design and implementation"  authored by the doctorate Hélder Relvas and the faculty Ana Isabel Miranda was released this week in the newsalert of the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General "Science for Environment Policy". This way, their work may reach over 21 000 policymakers, academics and business people across Europe to assist in the development of effective, evidence-based policies. The article is focused in the development of a new computer model to help decisionmakers quickly assess proposed strategies to cut air pollution. The model uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology and innovatively considers the influence of public opinion in its assessment of emission reduction strategies. You can find the doccument here and the original article here. The newsalert "Science for Environment Policy" is a free service that provides news of the latest environmental research that has been specially selected by our independent scientific advisors. Readers gain a unique insight into the vital scientific issues relevant to current EU environmental policy. You can subscribe the doccument here.

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  • CESAM members publish their work on the effect of salinization in freshwater ecosystems

    Published in 18/1/2019

    Isabel Lopes and Cátia Venâncio, researchers from the Associated Laboratory CESAM and the Department of Biology at the University of Aveiro are authors of one of the 23 articles published in Philosophical Transactions B under the theme issue "Salt in freshwaters: causes, ecological consequences and future prospects". Salinization of freshwaters ecosystems is a growing and global threat. Within the climate change scenario, sea level rise will a major driver of increased salinity in low-lying coastal ecosystems. Increased salinity may cause a severe reduction in aquatic biodiversity, leading to the disruption of ecosystem processes and compromising the goods and services that freshwater ecosystems may provide. The research, entitled "Sensitivity of freshwater species under single and multigenerational exposure to seawater intrusion", evaluated the effects of salinity increase in several freshwater species representative of different trophic levels (algae, aquatic plants, crustaceans, insects, snails).  The results showed that salinity levels that will be easily find in low-lying freshwater ecosystems in the future may influence the resilience of several species, namely freshwater microcrustaceans. These microcrustaceans are important food sources for small fish and prevent the proliferation of microalgae. This might mean that even small increments in salinity may, indirectly, influence the resilience of the species more tolerant to salinity. This situation is even more concerning if we take into account that most of the studied organisms continue to show low tolerance with salinity rise even when exposed through several generations. This conclusion highlights the vulnerability of aquatic biota to salinization. This work was developed within the project SALTFREE – Prediction of salinization effects on coastal freshwater and soil ecosystems due to climate changes, financially supported by FCT. The work had as co-authors Bruno Branco Castro (Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Minho), Rui Ribeiro (Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Universidade de Coimbra), Sara Antunes (Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Porto), Nelson Abrantes (Departamento de Ambiente e Ordenamento, Universidade de Aveiro), Amadeu M.V.M. Soares (Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro). The article can be read here.

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  • 2nd European Mammal Atlas and Discover the mammals of Europe campaign

    Published in 13/12/2018

    Faculty Carlos Fonseca and Maria da Luz Mathias are the national coordinators of the 2nd European Mammal Atlas of EMMA - European Mammal Foundation together with the Dr. Luísa Rodrigues of ICNF - Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e Florestas. This project aims to update the information of the previous atlas which have the dataset finalised since 10 years ago. EMMA is also involved in the campaign DISCOVER THE MAMMALS OF EUROPE that supports people and organizations working on mammals conservation and research in Europe. More on this campaign here.

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  • Exhibition "Women in Limnology" at the University of Aveiro until 14 December

    Published in 11/12/2018

    CESAM hosts the exhibition "Women in Limnology" at the University of Aveiro. This exhibition is currently shown in the main entrance hall of the rectory building and will be there until 14 December. The exhibition highlights the role of women in Limnology throughout history giving an overview of the scientific life and findings, presenting profiles of women in limnology and reporting their main challenges in their career. Together with a series of pannels, the exhibition includes a short documentary film showing statements of female limnologists. The exhibition was created by the gender group of the Iberian Association of Limnology (AIL) resulting from the work of a team of 20 volunteers. The CESAM Post-Doctoral research fellow Ana Genua belongs to this Association and was responsible for planting the seed for this exhibition in Portugal.

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  • CESAM was present in the event "Our Atlantic Ocean for Growth and Well-Being", Mindelo, Cape Verde

    Published in 30/11/2018

    Faculty Marina Cunha was presented in the European Commission event  “Our Atlantic Ocean for Growth and Well-Being” that happened in Mindelo, Cape Verde, 21-22 November 2018. She presented the H2020 projects HERMES - Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas and HERMIONE - Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man’s Impact on European Seas. This event included the signature of the Cooperation Agreement on Marine Research and Innovation that will allow the participation of Cape Verde in European Projects in the future. The picture shows a moment of the speaking session “Prime Minister’s Speakers Series”  with Cape Verde Prime Minister (Ulisses Correia e Silva) and the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation (Carlos Moedas).

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  • Campus+sustentável

    Published in 3/12/2018

    Considering the relevance of defining and implementing a strategy of sustainability, University of Aveiro (UA) formed a Mission Group for the Sustainable Development. Its objectives are create and develop several articulated processes in a System of Environmental Management able to be certified, using the NP EN ISO14001:2015 as a basis. More on the System of Environmental Management of UA here (website only available in Portuguese).

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  • CESAM member is guest editor of Marine Drugs

    Published in 30/11/2018

    The researcher Elisabete Maciel is guest editor of Marine Drugs (IF 4.379) on a special issue on “Lipid profiling (Lipidome) of marine organisms”. This special issue aims to provide a comprehensive lipidomics analysis of a great variety of marine organisms to identify lipid molecular species with add value and health-promoting properties for biotechnological applications as nutraceuticals, functional food or supplements in food and pharma industries.

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  • Project COCKLES present in the event Business2Sea

    Published in 30/11/2018

    COCKLES project (Co-operation for restoring cockle shelfisheries and its ecosystem services in the Atlantic Area) in which CESAM is partner, was represented in the event Business2Sea that happened on the 14-16 Novembre in Alfândega do Porto. The project was presented on the workshop "Valorisation" of Marine Resources" and was represented by the research fellow Luisa Magalhães that also participated in the final debate.

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  • Are you a PhD student and want to make a pitch on your work and win a prize?

    Published in 23/11/2018

    "Research Summit is coming (28-29, nov 2018), and will have a brand new set of exciting features, besides the interesting topics that will be intensively discussed in the 2 days of celebration of research at the UA. 6 slots of approximately half an hour each will be available for you to present your work in 4 minutes followed by a 2 minute short question slot. The jury will be a set of personalities deeply engaged in research in the different areas and will assess the best overall PhD pitch in each session (quality of presentation, quality of the work & impact).    The prizes per session will be exciting: - best pitch award of 300€ for usage inside your research unit for pursuing your objectives; - best pitch certificate; - mention and summary at the research@ua and news@ua; - your pitch public (if you allow) at the EDUA site in a special section.    What you have to do? Put together the best pitch you can about your PhD work and present it in English and in the highest impact possible.  The minimum set of information is: title and team (mentions to the research group are also accepted) research challenge(s)  research method and techniques available relevant result(s) current impact (conferences, fairs, journals, shows, etc)  classify the PhD in terms of the sustainable goals of UN in the presentation and following the instructions of an email that you will receive with your credentials and with the subject : Convite para participar num inquérito, and coming from : questionarios-noreply@ua.pt. *    No more than 5 slides using mandatorily template attached are required. [The template for the presentation is available on the INTRANET]    Are you eligible? You can apply if you have a valid registration at an active PhD at the university of Aveiro and have not defended the thesis prior to October 2018, inclusive.    To whom submit the work? Apply to edua@ua.pt  up to 23h59 of 25th of November of 2018 with the subject: research pitch - Research Summit    Thanks and hope for the best. Artur Silva, João Coutinho and António Teixeira"

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  • CESAM researcher was awarded with the prestigious SETAC FELLOW AWARD 2018

    Published in 18/1/2019

    Mónica Amorim, researcher of CESAM & dBio, was awarded the SETAC FELLOW 2018.The SETAC Fellows Award was created in 2010 to recognize members demonstrating BOTH (i) significant long-term scientific or science policy contributions and (ii) service and leadership within SETAC. The identification and appointment of Fellow status is intended to provide additional recognition of excellence and contributions of SETAC members to ecotoxicology, environmental chemistry, risk assessment and life cycle assessment. The hallmark of a SETAC Fellow is leadership within the professional and scientific arenas as well as SETAC.While there is no upper limit to the number of Fellows, no more than 1–2% of the membership hold this prestigious recognition.The group of SETAC Fellows constitutes a body that has demonstrated achievement in science or science policy and possesses institutional knowledge of the society. As such, they will serve as a sounding board for the SETAC World Council and may be asked to help lead select efforts. Further reading here.

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  • CESAM members are guest editors of Atmosphere

    Published in 22/11/2018

    Faculty Armando Costa Duarte and researcher Regina Duarte are guest editors of a special issue on the journal Atmosphere about Urban Atmospheric Aerosols: Sources, Analysis and Effects. This special issue are foccused on the urban areas once they are a very special case as far as a PM2.5 concentrations, composition, sources, and health effects are concerned. This way, this volume intends to value studies on the physico-chemical and toxicological characterization of urban PM2.5 in order to assess health effects and to establish efficient control strategies.

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  • CESAM went to a school in the National Sea Day

    Published in 21/11/2018

    To celebrate the National Day of the Sea CESAM researchers from MER Thematic Line went to Escola Básica dos 2.º e 3.º Ciclos da Gafanha da Nazaré to talk about the topic “What the sea gives to us and what we give to the sea”. This initiative aimed to promote ongoing research at CESAM fostering a more sustainable use of marine biological resources, its conservation and rehabilitation. More than 100 students divided by 6 classes of the 5th scholar year attended the talk. Both students and professors were strongly engaged to pursue these objectives and future joint actions are already being planned to make younger generations even more aware on the need to protect the ocean.

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  • CESAM members contribute for book on sustainable development of the ocean

    Published in 21/11/2018

    Several CESAM members contributed to the book SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OCEAN: A NECESSITY. This book resulted from the international conference with the same name that occurred in november 2017 in University of Algarve. The conference intended to comemorate the work of Professor Mário Ruivo, a great biologist, oceanographer, humanist, democrate and a unique defensor of the ocean. This event was distinct from the others once it got together representatives of all the research centers working in sea sciences. Besides recollect the legacy of Prof. Mário Ruivo, his thought for the future was projected, resulting in a relevant debate of the hot topics in sea sciences. The result of this debate is the book that counts with the contribution of CESAM members Adelaide Almeida, Ana Hilário, Catarina Eira, Luís M. Pinheiro and Sílvia Monteiro. The boom is open access and can be downloaded here.

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  • CESAM researcher leads CYTEC network

    Published in 15/2/2019

    The CESAM researcher Rosa Freitas leads on of the approved CYTED networks for 2019. Only 21 networks were approved and of those only two are coordinated by Portuguese researchers. This network is included in the area of Sustainable Development and is related with the Evaluation of emergent contaminants in aquatic organisms. The network includes more that 40 members that come from several countries including Spain (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Barcelona; Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia - Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares), Mexico (Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Nordeste, S.C; Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occident - Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; Universidad Autónoma de San Luis), USA (University of California, Berkeley), Chile (Instituto Antártico Chileno), Brasil (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande) and Argentina (Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos - Centro Nacional Patagónico - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas).CYTED networks are clusters of research and development (R&D) formed by public or private entities and corporations from the member countries of the CYTED Programme, whose scientific or technological activities are related within a common area of interest and included in one of the Programme Areas. Their main objective is the exchange of knowledge between R&D groups and the strengthening of cooperation as a work method. The financing of the CYTED Programme’s purpose is the coordination activities of the thematic networks, which have a maximum limit of 30.000 euros per year. Financing includes the mobility of the member groups, the organization of workshops and courses and the issue of publications.CYTED - Programa Iberoamericano de Ciência e Tecnologia para o Desenvolvimento main objective is to contribute to the harmonious development of the Ibero-American region through cooperation mechanisms that seek scientific and technological results, transferable to production systems and social policies. 

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  • CESAM researchers are guest editors of Biomolecules - Lipids of Marine Algae

    Published in 20/11/2018

    CESAM researchers Rosário Domingues and Ricardo Calado, from the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biology (respectively), as well as co-founders of the Marine Lipidomics Laboratory at the University of Aveiro have been invited to edit the Special Issue "Lipids of Marine Algae" to be published by the journal Biomolecules (MDPI group). The Special Issue "Lipids of Marine Algae" will address the  growing interest in the use of marine algae as a source of lipids with high nutritional value and  with bioactive properties, thus with potential application in various biotechnological and industrial uses (e.g., nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical). Advancing the current knowledge of seaweeds lipidome will contribute to its whole valorization, being particularly relevant for the promotion of the sustainable use of these endogenous biological resources and promotion of Blue Bioeconomy.

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  • Celebration of National Sea Day in COBI

    Published in 19/11/2018

    On the 16 November it was celebrated the National Sea Day. A group of students from the 5th grade from  Escola João Afonso de Aveiro came to visit COBI - Biological Research Collection of Marine Invertebrates. COBI contains specimens from coastal to deep-sea environments collected under sampling programs of several Research Projects and is open to the public prior appointment.  

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  • Coffee with Science

    Published in 15/11/2018

    The event Coffee with Science that happened in Fábrica Centro de Ciência Viva on the 12 December 2018 counted with the presence of the researcher Bruno Nunes and was moderated by the professor Fernando Morgado. The former CESAM members Doctors Milene Matos and João Pedrosa were also present. This activity intended to show to the students the different professional paths highlighting factors identified as deciding aspects that took these researchers of Biology and similar areas to selected their present. Moreover it was also a goal to show to the students that there are many different paths but it is necessary to plan as soon as possible a carreer, otherwise they can loose unique opportunities. This event was organized by CESAM (Bruno Nunes from the Functional Biodiversity Research Group) in collaboration with the Biology Students Association and Department of Biology. 

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  • CESAM work on TiO2 nanomaterials in the journal Nanoscale

    Published in 18/1/2019

    Mónica Amorim, researcher of the Department of Biology and the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) & dBio, co-authored a paper published in Nanoscale journal: “Mechanisms of (photo)toxicity of TiO2 nanomaterials (NM103, NM104, NM105): using high-throughput gene expression in Enchytraeus crypticus”. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials (NMs) are among the most highly produced worldwide, estimates are around 60.000 tonnes per year. The applications go from the common use as sunscreens (UV protectors) to photocatalytic properties for soil remediation.  The effects of NMs in the environment are assessed using methods available in the legislation for the evaluation of substances (REACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals), via the effect assessment of physiological endpoints in organisms, e.g. survival and reproduction in invertebrates. However, the assessment of the mechanisms of action of NMs and (sub-)cellular effects that precede the effects observed in the organisms is very important, since it may allow to earlier assess, as well as to potentiate the production of safer NMs for the environment (safety-by-design).  Hence, the development of techniques and methods that allow to explore the mechanistic effects, is a priority. This is precisely what was shown in the recently published article in Nanoscale, where a 44000 genes microarray was explored, a tool developed by UA team for a model species in ecotoxicology. "High-throughput gene expression was used to assess the molecular mechanisms, while also anchoring it to known effects at the organism level (i.e., reproduction). Results showed that the photoactivity of TiO2 (UV exposed) played a major role in enhancing TiO2 toxicity, activating transcription of oxidative stress, lysosome damage and apoptosis mechanisms. For non-UV activated TiO2, where toxicity at organism level (reproduction) was lower, results showed the potential for long-term effects (i.e., mutagenic and epigenetic)." The response to stress is usually activated, after a short period of time, in cells and with genetic precursors, hence representing the signalling of potential adverse effects that are apparent in the organism only later. The possibility to predict effects in an earlier stage is an aspect that deserves attention and has an enormous potential, this is one of the foccus of this research group. For further reading.

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  • Are you going to have a researcher contract?

    Published in 12/11/2018

    If yes, please pay attention!When you start your contract of researcher you are no longer an integrated member of CESAM!"Oh no! What should I do?"When you confirm the starting date of your contract with the UA human resources department you should send an email to cesam@ua.pt, directed to the Scientific Coordinator of CESAM, requesting that you want to be an integrated member of CESAM and indicating the starting date of the contract."And it is done?"No! If you have your CV updated in CESAM webpage, please indicate that in the e-mail. If not, briefly state how your research contributes to the strategy of CESAM and send a summarized CV."But why?"Because, according to the regulation of CESAM, if you are not a post-doc fellow you need to have a minimum scientific production to be an integrated member (Annex I of the regulation). Please note that all the researchers in CESAM go through this process!"And then?"Your request will be analysed and voted in one of the meetings of the Scientific Council Coordinating Commission of CESAM and you will be notified on the decision.

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  • CESAM member was elected Convenor of a working group of the International Organization for Biological Control

    Published in 6/11/2018

    Olga Ameixa, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow of the Department of Biology & CESAM was elected last September 13th, the Convenor of the working group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents” of the International Organization for Biological Control - West Palaearctic Regional Section (IOBC/WPRS) at the last group meeting in Ponta Delgada, Azores.IOBC-WPRS is a non-profit organisation founded in 1955 which encourages and promotes networking among scientists and other stakeholders in promoting feasible and environmentally safe methods of pest and pathogen control, fostering research and practical application, organisation of meetings, symposia as well as offering training and information. The working group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents” deals with hot issues which range from scanning new biological control agents, risk assessment or looking at the ecological problems posed by these. Olga Ameixa will engage this roll for the next 5 years until new elections.

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  • Visit to CESAM and ECOMARE of the selected teams for the program Blue Bio Value

    Published in 7/11/2018

    On the scope of the activities of the initiative Blue Bio Value, the first accelerator program that allows to escalate the marine solutions of a biological basis for applications in the global market in different sectors, using biotechnological innovation based in science and helping to face important social challenges, the scientific coordinator of CESAM Ana Lillebø, received, on the 26th of October in the University of Aveiro, some of the entrepeneur teams selected to participate on the first edition of this program. The visit intended to show some of the infrastructures, equipments and services that CESAM make available to the participant teams of the program Blue Bio Value. The use of these and other UA resources occurs in the scope of the protocol Blue Demonstrators Network to be soon celebrated between UA and Blue Bio Alliance - BBA. The final balance of this visit was clearly positive. In fact, all the participants were quite impressed with the available infrastructures of CESAM and with the existent diversity and analitical capacity, the technical support that may be done and the multidisciplinarity of the services that may be offered by this Associated Laboratory. During the visit it was highlighted that the infrastructures, equipments and services from UA are beyond CESAM and ECOMARE. Indeed, UA has unique treasures in the country that may be fundamental to accelerate business ideas. As an associate of BBA, CESAM (presently represented in the Executive Board by the researcher Ricardo Calado) will affirm its mission of promotion and revitalisation of a new national blue bioeconomy.

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  • CESAM Magusto

    Published in 5/11/2018

      CESAM is organizing a Magusto! It will be on the 9th November, 16h30 on CESAM's meeting room (Building III, 5th floor). You need to bring 500 g of already sliced chestnuts that must be delivered until the day before.Confirm your participation until the 5th of November here.

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  • CLIMA 2018 has several CESAM faculty members in the scientific committee and wil have CESAM projects highlighted

    Published in 20/11/2018

    The V National Congress on Climate Change that will occurr in University of Algarve from the 22-23 November, will have the participation of the faculties Ana Isabel Miranda, Carlos Borrego, Fátima Alves and Myriam Lopes in the scientific committee. Moreover, the projects UNaLaB and Clair-City will be highlighted in this event. The main theme of this congress edition is the challenges as a consequence of the adaptation to climate change. This event has been increasingly growing as a reference in Portugal on the thematics of Climate Change. CLIMA 2018 is organized by APEA - Associação Portuguesa de Engenharia do Ambiente and University of Algarve.  More information can be read here.  

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  • National Hub of the Support Team for the Atlantic Action Plan

    Published in 23/10/2018

    The work developed by Professor Fátima Alves and her team allowed University of Aveiro to become, since July 2018, a National Hub from the Assistance Mechanism for the Atlantic Action Plan. The Atlantic Action Plan encourages Member States to work together in order to share information, costs, results and best practices, as well as generate ideas for further areas of cooperation of maritime activities. The Action Plan includes traditional activities, such as fisheries, aquaculture and tourism, together with emerging activities including offshore renewables and marine biotech. The Assistance Mechanism provides guidance and proactive support for public and private organisations, research institutions and universities, institutional and private investors from the Atlantic region wishing to engage in the implementation of the Atlantic Action Plan. The Assistance Mechanism for the Atlantic Action Plan is operating through five National Hubs which are based in Portugal, Spain, France, United Kingdom and Ireland, coordinated by a Brussels-based central management team. Among other activities, National Hub intends to: - advertise and inform interested parts about the Action Plan and maritime policy initiatives adopted by the European Comission, Member States and Regions; - promote network implementation and cooperation between interested parts; - maintain updated information about resources and funding opportunities available at a European, National and Regional level; - contribute in the monitoring of the Action Plan implementation progress, according to projects identification and good practices; - promote/support the organization of seminars and conferences, as well as to participate in national or Atlantic region events; - support the Communication Plan of the Assistance Mechanism; - keep a close relationship with national members of the Atlantic Strategy Group. Follow the activity of the national hub here.  

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  • Climate Change and Portuguese traditional soup (caldo verde)

    Published in 22/10/2018

    CESAM is organizing a cycle of talks foccused on climate change. At the end of the event, there will be the traditional Portuguese soup caldo verde for all. This event is co-organized by CESAM and Engineers Order of the Centre Region.

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  • Rewilding Europe funds the Projet Rewilding Western Iberia

    Published in 2/11/2018

    Rewilding Europe announced the donation of 2.6 million euros from the Endangered Landscape Programme (ELP) to finance the project “Scaling Up Rewilding in Western Iberia”. This project results from a partnership with the local organizations Rewilding Portugal, ATNatureza, University of Aveiro and Zoo Logical with Professor Carlos Fonseca as the UA coordinator. Rewilding Western Iberia will contribute to reinforce Vale do Côa as a wildlife corridor of 120.000 hectares, improving the connectivity between Serra da Malcata (south) and Canhão Fluvial do Douro (north).   The complite article can be read here [in Portuguese].  

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  • Workshop "Alien species in a changing world” programme available!

    Published in 29/11/2018

    CESAM is organizing a workshop on Alien Species | New date: 7th December; Amphitheatre of Department of Materials Engineering and Ceramics (DEMaC), University of Aveiro Programme 9h20 Opening Session              Ana I. Lillebø   9h30 Session I - Introduction of alien species in the context of global changes  Alien species at seagrass meadows and associated habitats: concerns and restoration measures to promote biodiversity              Ana I. Sousa  Invading the European seas: main pathways of introduction of alien species and their cumulative impacts              Heliana Teixeira              10h00 Flash presentations Studying the invasive Asian clam distribution patterns in a semi-artificial drainage catchmentJoana I. Santos, Tânia Vidal, Cristiana Mendes, Ana Ré, Fernando J.M. Gonçalves, Bruno B. Castro, Joana L. Pereira Ruditapes philippinarum (invasive) and R. decussatus (native) clam species under a scenario of global change: pharmaceutical contaminationÂngela Almeida, Vânia Calisto, Valdemar I. Esteves, Rudolf J. Schneider, Amadeu M.V.M. Soares, Etelvina Figueira, Rosa Freitas Can the historical contamination and gender influence the genotoxic responses of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii exposed to a penoxsulam-based herbicide?Ricardo Costa, Mário Pacheco, Sofia Guilherme Sustainable management and conservation of semi-natural meadows of the UA Campus and their provided ecosystem servicesDavid da Silva Alves, Paula Maia, Olga Ameixa Beautiful nightmare: a molecular view of the invasive plant Acacia longifoliaSara Vicente, Cristina Máguas, Helena Trindade   10h45 Coffee break   11h00 Session II - Invasive alien species: a growing problem for the environment and human wellbeing Direct and indirect effects of invasive alien plants in forest habitats: implications for management              Paula Maia Brave New World: on the prophecies of Charles Elton              João Carvalho   11h30 Flash presentations Post-fire plant invasions in Central Portugal forests: a perspective of the impacts and management needsJosé Cunha, Carlos Fonseca, Paula Maia Bioturbation and nutrient cycling of a native and an invasive clam occurring in sympatry in a coastal lagoonMarta Lobão Lopes, Joana Patrício Rodrigues, Daniel Crespo, Marina Dolbeth, Ricardo Calado, Ana I. Lillebø Influence of native and non-native forests in the recolonization and resilience of epigeal insect communities in the post-fireDiogo Nazaré, Miguel Martins, Henrique Pereira dos Santos, António Luís, Olga Ameixa  Influence of the halophyte Spartina versicolor invasion in the composition of insect communitiesMiguel Bastos, Ana I. Sousa, Ana I. Lillebø, Olga Ameixa The Berlengas black rat (Rattus rattus) and wild-rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus): relicts or aliens?Sofia Gabriel, Pedro Geraldes, Nuno Oliveira, Maria da Luz Mathias   12h15 Lunch   14h00 Session III - Prevention and mitigation of invasive alien species Underlying factors influencing Harmonia axyridis spread in the Iberian Peninsula              Olga Ameixa Management of aquatic invaders: lessons learnt from the Asian clam and the zebra mussel                        Joana Pereira   14h30 Flash presentations How can citizen science contribute to the prevention and control of the invasive species Procambarus clarkii?Inês C. Rosa, Dorinda Rebelo, Sofia Guilherme, Joana L. Pereira Invasive Plant Species control in Bussaco National Forest: successes, challenges and lessons learnt from the implementation of BRIGHTPaula Maia, Lísia Lopes, Rosa Pinho Feeding inhibition in Corbicula fluminea as a valuable endpoint to refine chemical control methods targeted at the fouling pestCarlos Silva, Bruno Branco Castro, Inês P.E. Macário, Bruno Oliveira, Fernando J.M. Gonçalves, Joana L. Pereira The use of the invasive Corbicula fluminea as a bioremediation agent of cyanobacterial bloomsInês P.E. Macário, Carlos Silva, António Anselmo, Daniela de Figueiredo, Fernando J.M. Gonçalves, Joana L. Pereira Taking advantage of the invasive bivalve Corbicula fluminea: potential as bioremediation agent of olive oil mill wastewatersAna Domingues, Ruth Pereira, Inês C. Rosa, João P. da Costa, Teresa Rocha Santos, Fernando J.M. Gonçalves, Joana L. Pereira Rodents as biocontrol agents against invasive plant species: Preliminary observations and prospects for future researchPhilippe Gil de Mendonça, Paula Maia   15h15 Discussion forum - Invasive alien species beyond the academy Participating entities: Invasoras.pt (Doutora Elizabete Marchante, Centre for Functional Ecology, Universidade de Coimbra) Administração do Porto de Aveiro (Eng.ª Maria Manuel Cruz)Associação Bioliving (Doutora Milene Matos)EDIA - Empresa de Desenvolvimento e Infra-estruturas do Alqueva, S.A. (Eng.ª Ana Ilhéu)Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas (Eng. Paulo Carmo)Agrupamento de Escolas de Estarreja (Prof. Dorinda Rebelo)

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  • CESAM participation the Science Fair in Oliveira do Bairro

    Published in 9/10/2018

    The Science Fair in Oliveira do Bairro occurred from the 3rd to the 5th october. This event counted with the presence of several CESAM members with, at least, 3 demonstrations in different areas such as biochemistry, biology and environment. The researcher Vânia Calisto eas also invited to participate in the talk that happened in the last day of the event.

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  • Presentation of Habilitation of the researcher Célia Alves

    Published in 12/10/2018

    [Content only available in Portuguese] As Provas de habilitação para o exercício de funções de coordenação científica (Decreto-Lei n.º 124/99)” em Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente de Célia dos Anjos Alves estão agendadas para os dias 10 e 11 de outubro, às 10h00, na Sala de Atos Académicos, no Edifício Central e da Reitoria da UA.

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  • CESAM in the International BioMarine Business Convention

    Published in 2/10/2018

    CESAM is representing the University of Aveiro from today to the 4th October in the Congress Center of Estoril (Lisbon) in the BioMarine Business Convention, together with Plataforma Tecnológica do Mar  and the Unidade de Transferência de Tecnologia (UATEC). CESAM is part of the demonstrations in the MyBlueEducation district where it is presenting some of the marine specimens with ecnomic value of the Biological Research Collection of Marine Invertebrates (COBI) of DBio & CESAM together with some videos relevant on  the research and projects in area of the sea.

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  • CESAM member is in the scientific committee of the IX Meeting of the Wild Iberian Ungulates

    Published in 2/10/2018

    Professor Carlos Fonseca is part of the scientific committee of the IX Meeting of the Wild Iberian Ungulates (IX Reunião dos Ungulados Selvagens Ibéricos) that will hapen on the 4-6 October in Sierra Nevada. He and his PhD student João Carvalho and MSc student Ana Figueiredo will make oral presentations in this event.

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  • CESAM joins LIS-Water as newest Member

    Published in 1/10/2018

    CESAM recently joined the network LIS-Water. LIS-Water is a non-profit centre of excellence under construction focused on public policies, regulation and management on water services and related water resources. This network intends to make a pivotal contribution for better water services and a better society. It responds to the challenges deriving from water being one of the top world priorities, recognised by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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  • FAIRMODE was recognized by NATURE in its last editorial

    Published in 27/9/2018

    FAIRMODE (Forum for Air Quality Modelling in Europe) was metntioned in the last Editorial of the renowned journal NATURE. More specifically, it is stated that  “Scientists can also help to develop and provide well-tested modelling tools that local authorities can use to improve assessments of their specific circumstances, and to design action plans. The Forum for air quality modelling in Europe (FAIRMODE), a joint programme by scientists with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and the European Environment Agency, is tasked with developing air-pollution models and is working to harmonize monitoring methods across the bloc. But as air-quality concerns continue to grow, the forum must liaise more with city leaders and health specialists to make sure they get the tools and data they need.”. FAIRMODE counts with the contribution of the researcher Alexandra Monteiro in the Management Committee as Chairman of the Planning Working Group.  

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  • Common approach for the protection and restorarion of the ecosystems exposed to fires

    Published in 24/9/2018

    [Content only available in Portuguese] No âmbito do projeto “EPyRIS - Estratégia conjunta para a proteção e restauração dos ecossistemas afetados por incêndios florestais”, foi realizada esta sexta-feira, dia 21 de Setembro, uma atividade que contou com a colaboração da Universidade de Aveiro e o ICNF, para a aplicação de medidas de estabilização de emergência após fogo. Esta atividade foi realizada na área afetada pelo incêndio em Loriga (Seia), no parque natural da Serra da Estrela, e assiste à instalação de um ensaio de campo, que tem como objetivo avaliar a eficiência das medidas de estabilização de emergência em áreas protegidas. A coordenação desta atividade foi feita pelo investigador Jacob Keizer. O projeto EPyRIS oferece uma estratégia de gestão conjunta que permite abordar efetivamente os riscos resultantes da ocorrência de incêndios florestais em espaços naturais do Sudoeste Europeu. Em particular, o projeto pretende consolidar, harmonizar e instrumentalizar critérios, procedimentos e contribuições do campo científico para sua utilidade na gestão. 

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  • CESAM researcher contributes to policy brief on deep-sea

    Published in 24/9/2018

    The researcher Ana Hilário recently contributed to the DOSI - Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative  policy brief on deep-sea. This document highights the unimagined biodiversity that exists in the deep ocean and the urgency to use a precautionary and ecosystem-based management approach to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of this biodiversity in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction. The policy brief can be consulted here.

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  • CESAM participates in the Final Conference of the project RECARE

    Published in 21/9/2018

    On the 27th September, in Brussels, will occur the final conference RECARE organized by the consortium of the project. This event targets decision makers to present the main results of the project on: effective measures for the prevention and remediation of soil threats and its adoption by land managers; European politic's impacts; and options for future answears in policies. This conference will be an excellent opportunity to discuss how RECARE results may inffluence the future European policies for soil protection. CESAM team coordinated by Jan Jacob Keizer was invited to present a Portuguese case study, in which solutions to mitigate the hidric erosion of the soil in burned areas were studied. The application of grounded forestry debris resulting from the the cut of eucaliptus trees (i.e. mulching) was the selected technique used by the agents as innovative measure to be tested in the scope of RECARE. The complete news can be seen here [In Portuguese].

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  • CESAM Fulbright holders

    Published in 21/9/2018

    The researcher Regina Duarte and the PhD student Libânia Queirós were two of the 31 people that were granted by the Fulbright Program in Portugal this year. The award cerimony occurred in the 11 july in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lisbon. Libânia Queirós will go in February to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University. Regina Duarte is already in the Old Dominion University where she gave a lecture entitled “A Primer on -Omics Strategy for Untargeted Profiling of Organic Aerosols: Lessons Learned and Future Challenges” in the scope of the seminar cycles organized by the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department of the hosted institution. More information on the Fulbright Program can be seen here.

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  • Participation of the project Cephs & Chefs in the Octopus Week in Quarteira

    Published in 21/9/2018

    The team of the INTERREG project Cephs and Chefs of CESAM, constituted by the researchers Cristina Pita, Silvia Monteiro and Fábio Matos joined the 3rd Edition of Octopus Week in Quarteira (Algarve, Portugal) that happened from 7-16 September. During 4 days, the organization and some of the restaurants associated to the event were interviewed, as well as stakeholders involved on the value chain associated with the octopus trap fishery of Fuzeta. The Octopus Seminar was held on the 14th of September, an initiative of the AEQV - Association of Entrepreneurs of Quarteira and Vilamoura and the Armalgarve Octopus Association. During the seminar, the Cephs and Chefs project was promoted and its objectives presented. Among the participants of the seminar were also present entities linked to the fishing sector of the octopus, research organizations (some partners of the Cephs and Chefs) and members of the Government of Portugal. In the discussion were addressed issues such as the octopus production in aquaculture, as well as, the ecological and socio-economic sustainability.

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  • Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, Critical Zone & Socio-Ecological Research Infrastructure

    Published in 17/9/2018

    On September 11th, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) presented the 2018 ESFRI Roadmap on Large Scale Research Infrastructures during a half-day conference in Vienna. The ESFRI Roadmap identifies new Research Infrastructures (RI) of pan-European priority and, as announced previously, eLTER RI is among them. These new research infrastructures will be designed to meet the long term needs of European research communities.Inclusion on the ESFRI Roadmap is a significant achievement for the European ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological research communities. It paves the way for the further development and formalization of eLTER RI, the Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, Critical Zone & Socio-Ecological Research Infrastructure.When fully operational, eLTER RI will be a permanently funded and managed, distributed infrastructure of field sites covering European environmental zones. These field sites will be designed to support excellent science on the functioning of our life supporting systems (a whole-system approach, including studies of human-environment interactions and earth’s critical zone).The RI will provide a range of services to end users, including access to highly instrumented and expertly staffed sites and to their long-term environmental observation data. Additional services, such as data synthesis and modelling, support for research and technological development, and training programmes, will be provided via Topic Centres. The RI will also provide a range of outputs supporting policy and science users, such as information on European environmental trends.The next step in the process is to prepare a proposal for a Preparatory Phase Project (PPP), which will develop key components of eLTER RI such as the legal entity, governance structure, Head Office, Topic Centres, the standard observation programme, the physical network of LTER Sites and LTSER Platforms included in the RI and the services that the RI will offer to users. The requirements of a wide range of stakeholders will be considered in this process, for example, to take account of emerging strategies in European environmental monitoring.The eLTER ESFRI process is led by the German Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in close cooperation with the Environment Agency Austria (EAA) and with support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. 17 countries supported the eLTER RI ESFRI application politically and 161 research institutions in 27 countries signed the scientific MoU of the eLTER RI.ESFRI Chair, Giorgio Rossi presented the 2018 ESFRI Roadmap at the invitation-only meeting on 11th September. The coordinator of eLTER RI, Michael Mirtl, introduced the basic outline of eLTER. During the event, invited participants discussed about the prospects and challenges posed by the new Roadmap. This conference was part of a series of events marking the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is organised by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, in close cooperation with ESFRI and the European Commission.

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  • 10th Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences

    Published in 18/10/2018

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    The 10th Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences will be hosted for the first time by the University of Aveiro, Portugal (25-26 October 2018). This meeting has been boosted by the Portuguese polar programme (PROPOLAR) yearly as forum where researchers working both in the Arctic and the Antarctica share their newest results. It has traditionally been an advanced venue for the discussion and triggering of fruitful national and international cooperation towards improved research in polar regions. The organizing committee welcomes all members of the Portuguese polar community to the Conference, as well as researchers, students and stakeholders interested in polar regions and their global importance. The meeting will include platform and poster sessions covering a wide range of topics within e.g. atmospheric sciences, biology, environmental sciences, geochemistry, geology, geography, social sciences, space sciences, all linked to polar research. Internationally renowned invited speakers will honor the event with plenary sessions that should be of great interest of all attendees. This conference will hold the IX Workshop APECS Portugal foccused on SCIENCE COMMUNICATION. The list of the speakers can be consulted here. 

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  • Ecology Day

    Published in 14/9/2018

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    CESAM will participate in the activities of the Ecology Day boosted by the Portuguese Society of Ecology Portuguese Society of Ecology (SPECO) that ohapens on the 14th September. This event intends to give more visibility to the Ecology that is done in Portugal, namely to the research and paths that this holistic science points towards sustainability. Several activities will occur in the national territory and CESAM will organize a seminar that will occur at 16:00 at the University of Aveiro. The seminar is about Ria de Aveiro as a LTER site "Management based in the biodiversity and services of the ecosystem". More details on this seminar may be  consulted in the annex.

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  • Challenges of the Portuguese Sea

    Published in 24/9/2018

    CESAM supports the VII Seminar "Challenges of the Portuguese Sea" which will take place in the maritime Museum in Ílhavo on the 20th October. This event will count with the presence of several speakers with national influence on the theme, including the researcher Ana Lillebo which will talk on the threats and vulnerabilities of the marine ecossystems and the Professor Fátima Alves which will be foccused in the Portuguese Sea management.

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  • BioMarine Business Convention 2018, Cascais, Portugal

    Published in 10/9/2018

    CESAM will participate in the BioMarine Business Convention 2018 to be held in Cascais, Portugal. This event will gather institutions, scientists,  companies (pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, construction, aquaculture, etc) and other stakeholders interested in the Blue Economy. It will be an event where the latest developments regarding the ocean and the evolution and opportunities that Portugal offers for a sustainable blue economy will be shared. CESAM will be present as a demonstrator in the MyBlueCity. We will present several movies, related with marine research, advanced courses in marine sciences and infrastructures sea-related of the University of Aveiro together with some dissemination material regarding the training offer by the University related with marine sciences. Furthermore, CESAM will have an exposition of the biota of the deep-sea with economic value for the blue economy with the kind support of COBI - Biological Research Collection.

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  • IMPRINT+ gets to an end with impressive environmental results

    Published in 11/9/2018

    The project IMPRINT+, co-financed by the program Erasmus+ that has already been highlighted by the European Commission as an example of good practices in the area of environmental education, reached an end. This project focused on the promotion of living the life in an environmentally friendly way, giving tools to the youth to be active in the protection of the environment and in changing mentalities towards sustainability. Coordinated by the CESAM researcher Carlos Fonseca, the main goal of IMPRINT+ was to shown that leave a positive footprint in the planet is essential for all. Some of the impressive results of the project include the plantation of more than 19.000 trees, 10 ponds builded to house wildlife, and more than 200 activities of environmental educatiion done reaching more than 10.00 people. Moreover, around 200 portuguese young people participated in international exchange programs, in Portugal and abroad. The complete news can be seen here [in PT].  

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  • CESAM researcher participates in the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Oceans

    Published in 10/9/2018

    The CESAM Researcher Fátima Lopes Alves was invited, as expert, to join the National Delegation that participates in the "1st Intergovernmental Conference on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction".More details [in portuguese]: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=55514

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  • CESAM joins EurOcean as newest Member

    Published in 3/8/2018

    CESAM recently joined the network EurOcean - The European Centre for information on Marine Science and Technology. This network was established in 2002 and is an independent scientific non-governmental organisation whose membership comprises leading European marine research, funding and outreach organisations.

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  • Nomination of Professor and Researcher of CESAM to the scientific panel of the national strategy of adaptation to climate change

    Published in 3/8/2018

    [Only available in Portuguese] Autor de trabalhos científicos em áreas como a ecologia da fase larvar de invertebrados marinhos ou a conservação ambiental, Henrique Queiroga foi nomeado para o Painel Científico da Estratégia Nacional de Adaptação às Alterações Climáticas (ENAAC 2020). O professor do Departamento de Biologia e investigador do Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM), vai poder contribuir com o seu saber para “Um país adaptado aos efeitos das alterações climáticas, através da contínua implementação de soluções baseadas no conhecimento técnico-científico e em boas práticas” (Resolução do Conselho de Ministros n.º 56/2015).  A frase anterior é uma transcrição da visão que o Conselho de Ministros estabeleceu para Estratégia Nacional de Adaptação às Alterações Climáticas (ENAAC 2020). A ENAAC 2020 pretende desenvolver uma perspetiva sistémica e integrada das ações de adaptação às alterações climáticas e de mitigação dos seus efeitos, as quais devem ser enquadradas de forma a promover o correto planeamento e desenvolvimento de uma sociedade e economia resiliente, competitiva e de baixo carbono. Para alcançar aquela visão, a ENAAC 2020 define três objetivos: melhorar o nível de conhecimento sobre as alterações climáticas, implementar medidas de adaptação e promover a integração da adaptação em políticas sectoriais. Henrique Queiroga foi nomeado em substituição de Henrique Cabral, professor da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, e é agora um dos 20 membros do Painel Científico. O professor da UA leciona Oceanografia Biológica, Ecologia Marinha e outras disciplinas na área das Ciências do Mar, e é atualmente coordenador do grupo de investigação em Ecologia Marinha e Estuarina do CESAM, tendo exercido no passado funções de vice-diretor deste Laboratório Associado. Na vertente do seu trabalho relacionada com projetos de conservação ambiental, especificamente no que respeita à gestão de áreas marinhas protegidas, coordenou a candidatura da Reserva Natural das Berlengas à Rede Mundial de Reservas da Biosfera (UNESCO, Programa Homem e Biosfera). Esta candidatura, suportada pela Câmara Municipal de Peniche, pelo Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e Biodiversidade e por vários grupos de utilizadores, foi aprovada pela UNESCO em julho de 2011. É autor ainda do estudo respeitante à estimativa da Capacidade de Carga Humana da Reserva Natural das Berlengas, e é membro do Conselho Estratégico desta área protegida. O docente e investigador é diretor de dois programas doutorais internacionais na área das ciências do mar oferecidos pela Universidade de Aveiro: Do*Mar - Ciência, Tecnologia e Gestão do Mar, em colaboração com universidades do norte de Portugal e da Galiza, e Ciências do Mar, em colaboração com um consórcio de 24 parceiros europeus. Henrique Queiroga tem ainda colaborado com a A3ES - Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior na avaliação e acreditação de licenciaturas, mestrados e doutoramentos na área das Ciências do Mar em Portugal. Notícia original aqui.

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  • Research project CEPHS & CHEFS celebrated in Vigo its second meeting

    Published in 3/8/2018

    [Only available in Portuguese] Realizou-se nos passados dias 5 e 6 de julho, a segunda reunião de coordenação do projeto CEPHS & CHEFS. Este encontro aconteceu na sede da Cooperativa dos Armadores de Pesca do Porto de Vigo (ARVI), e coincidiu com o festival gastronómico VIGO SEAFEST. O projeto, financiado pelo Programa de Cooperação INTERREG Espaço Atlântico (2017-2020), tem como objetivo transferir conhecimentos sobre a pesca e o consumo de cefalópodes (polvos, lulas e chocos) existente nos países do sul da Área Atlântica com grande tradição gastronómica de consumo (Portugal e Espanha) aos países do Norte (França, o Reino Unido e a Irlanda), onde estas espécies são pouco consumidas, mas, no entanto, capturadas. Com este objetivo, estabeleceu-se um consórcio representativo dos diferentes países: da Irlanda estão presentes a Universidade Internacional da Irlanda em Galway, o Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, a Organização de Produtores de Pescado do Sul e Oeste da Irlanda; do Reino Unido participam o Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) e a Atlantic Gate Ltd.; de França a Universidade de Caen - Normandia; de Portugal fazem parte a Universidade de Aveiro/CESAM, o Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA) e a Associação de Armadores de Pesca da Fuzeta; de Espanha a Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, o Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo - Instituto Espanhol de Oceanografia, a empresa de novas tecnologias Quadralia e a Cooperativa dos Armadores do porto de Vigo (ARVI). Nesta reunião de coordenação discutiram-se as tarefas realizadas até ao momento e as iniciativas futuras. Os parceiros envolvidos na adaptação de receitas tradicionais existentes em Espanha e Portugal para os países da área do Atlântico Norte, participaram em iniciativas de confeção de pratos à base de polvo, lulas e chocos. Visitaram igualmente o mercado de Bueu, grandes superfícies com oferta destes produtos, e a fábrica Rosa dos Ventos, especializada no processamento do polvo. O consórcio participou igualmente no festival VIGO Seafest 2018 visitando o stand da OPPC-3, dedicado exclusivamente à divulgação de receitas de polvo, lulas e chocos, a fim de partilhar conhecimentos entre os chefs de cozinha. Na reunião foram apresentados os avanços nas diferentes tarefas do projeto, que para além da adaptação das receitas tradicionais incluí a avaliação das cadeias de valor no comércio destas espécies, a criação de novos produtos nos diferentes países e a avaliação integrada deste sector pesqueiro. Espera-se que entre os resultados do projeto esteja o desenvolvimento de novos produtos de cefalópodes em particular em França, Irlanda e Reino Unido e criação de um espaço para o turismo gastronómico em Espanha e Portugal, garantindo ao mesmo tempo um maior conhecimento sobre a sustentabilidade deste recurso pesqueiro e do sector.

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  • Team with CESAM member wins prize Inov.Ação Valorpneu

    Published in 3/8/2018

    [Only available in Portuguese] O projeto RObUST – Economia Circular Aplicada à Borracha de Pneus: Valorização Material, Química e Energética recebeu o Prémio Inov.Ação Valorpneu. A equipa deste projeto é composta por membros do Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde (REQUIMTE), a Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa e Universidade de Aveiro, sendo que um dos autores é o docente do CESAM Luis Tarelho. O Prémio Inov.Ação Valorpneu pretende valorizar “ideias verdes” interdisciplinares. A cerimónia de entrega de prémios decorreuno passado dia 21 de junho no MAAT – Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia em Lisboa. Os outros vencedores do evento podem ser consultados aqui.

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  • Ricardo Assunção was distinguished in an international workshop of mycotoxicology

    Published in 3/8/2018

    [Only available in Portuguese] Ricardo Assunção, bolseiro de pós-doutoramento no CESAM, foi distinguido com o prémio “Brigitte Gedek – Science Award” atribuído pela “Society for Mycotoxin Research”, no âmbito do 40º Workshop de Micotoxinas, que decorreu, dia 12 de junho, em Munique (Alemanha). Este prémio distingue contribuições científicas na área da micotoxicologia que se diferenciem pela qualidade excecional e é atribuído de forma bianual desde o ano 2000. Para a atribuição deste prémio foram tidos em conta os contributos alcançados por Ricardo Assunção na sua tese de doutoramento “Children exposure to multiple mycotoxins through food consumption: a holistic approach for risk assessment”, realizada no Departamento de Alimentação e Nutrição (DAN) do Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, em colaboração com o CESAM e a Universidade de Évora. Este trabalho teve como principais objetivos caracterizar a exposição das crianças portuguesas com idade inferior a 3 anos a múltiplas micotoxinas através da alimentação e determinar a bioacessibilidade das micotoxinas nos alimentos habitualmente consumidos pelas crianças. Os resultados desta investigação reforçam a importância da implementação de uma abordagem holística para a avaliação de risco de mistura de micotoxinas, em especial quando envolvidas populações vulneráveis como as crianças. As potenciais consequências da exposição intestinal a micotoxinas deverão ser ponderadas principalmente no que respeita às implicações no desenvolvimento de doenças intestinais. O prémio “Brigitte Gedek – Science Award” conta com o apoio da Professora Doutora Brigitte Gedek, professora aposentada de Bacteriologia e Micologia da Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, que esteve presente na cerimónia de entrega deste prémio. Este ano, para além do prémio atribuído a Ricardo Assunção, foi também distinguido o grupo de investigação do Professor Doutor Ludwig Niessen da Technische Universität München (Alemanha).

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  • A researcher from CESAM publishes book chapter on blue economy at Springer

    Published in 3/8/2018

    Ricardo Calado, a researcher from the Department of Biology & CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies), is the first author of a chapter from the most recent book of the "Grand Challenges in Biology and Biotechnology " Series, from Springer. The chapter "How to Succeed in Marketing Marine Natural Products for Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical and Cosmeceutical Markets" from the book "Grand Challenges in Marine Biotechnology" evidences the quality and impact of the research made at CESAM regarding a strategy towards a blue bioeconomy. Marine ecosystems shelter organisms with unique survival skills that include the production of secondary metabolites of extreme biological importance and with a high commercial value for nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical companies. This chapter makes a review on how these marine natural products can be marketed, from the discovery and development stage until the marketing of the final product. Challenges arisen from this process are also highlighted and discussed in this chapter.    The chapter of about 100 pages is available here.

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  • Nomination of research fellow as a Management Committee Member to COST Action

    Published in 3/8/2018

    The CESAM researcher fellow, Bruna Oliveira, has been nominated as a Management Committee Member to COST Action CA17134 (Optical synergies for spatiotemporal sensing of scalable ecophysiological traits).

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  • Study presents potential indicators to map and value ecosystem services provided by insects

    Published in 3/8/2018

    A study coordinated by researchers from the Department of Biology & CESAM from the University of Aveiro, in collaboration with the University of Azores Biodiversity Group from cE3c, identify several potential indicators which can help to map and value ecosystem services provided by insects. The study entitled “Ecosystem Services Provided by the Little Things That Run the World” (DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74847) was published has a book chapter in the book “Selected Studies in Biodiversity” (ISBN: 978-1-78923-233-2), published by IntechOpen. More than half of all described species are insects. The highest extinction risk and consequently biodiversity loss are predicted to occur in invertebrates, specifically insects, and these declines are expected to cascade onto ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Following the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES), a total of 73 indicators, divided as 17 Provisional indicators, 27 Regulation and Maintenance indicators, and 29 Cultural indicators. Despite the lack of recognition of provisioning and cultural services, the indicators provided may help to raise awareness on the importance of the little things the run the world, in order to preserve traditional and technological uses of insects and their services. The results from this study will help to value and protect the “little things that run the world”, citing the famous ecologist Edward O. Wilson. Chapter available here. Book overview: download

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  • Results of CESAM's participatory budgeting

    Published in 12/2/2019

    [Only available in Portuguese] Terminou no passado dia 22 de junho a votação para o Orçamento Participativo do CESAM. Esta iniciativa inédita teve como rpincipal objetivo promover uma maior participação e envolvimento dos investigadores juniores na atividade científica do CESAM através da valorização das suas atividades de investigação e capacidades de inovação e empreendedorismo.  17 candidat@s concorreram e 44 % dos membros integrados do CESAM foram às urnas. O projeto da Sara Vicente intitulado "Genetic variability in native and recently invaded ecosystems by Acacia longifolia: a global model species" foi o vencedor e será apresentado no dia 6 de julho inserido nas comemorações do Dia do CESAM.

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  • Nomination of researcher as a Management Committee Member to COST Action

    Published in 3/8/2018

    The CESAM researcher, Regina Duarte, has been nominated as a Management Committee Member to COST Action CA17136 (Indoor Air Pollution Network).

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  • CESAM contributes to worldwide celebrations of the WORLD OCEANS DAY

    Published in 3/8/2018

    CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies) was part of the international network of entities celebrating for the WORLD OCEANS DAY.  The WORLD OCEANS DAY (8th June 2018) was celebrated with open science talks from CESAM researchers on Climate Change and the Oceans - see more information on the event program here. Unfortunately, due to weather conditions, the bike ride to ECOMARE was cancelled... but the afternoon snack was not forgotten and the convivial spirit remained high!         

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  • AQUACROSS project presents its Information Platform

    Published in 24/8/2018

    19/06/2018 The AQUACROSS Information Platform aims to provide open access to a wide range of resources related to aquatic (freshwater, marine and coastal) ecosystems and biodiversity management at the European level. The primary focus is on data used in the various project Case Studies and Work packages, and resulting maps, model outputs and tools that can be used by and adapted to other regional studies. After almost three years, the AQUACROSS project  is still running and it is now at the stage of implementing its Assessment Framework to its case studies, including the Ria de Aveiro in Portugal. AQUACROSS aims to support EU efforts to enhance the resilience and stop the loss of biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems as well as to ensure the ongoing and future provision of aquatic ecosystem services. It focuses on advancing the knowledge base and application of the ecosystem-based management concept for aquatic ecosystems by developing cost effective measures and integrated management practices. AQUACROSS considers the EU policy framework (i.e. goals, concepts, time frames) for aquatic ecosystems and builds on knowledge stemming from different sources (i.e. WISE, BISE, Member State reporting, modelling) to develop innovative management tools, concepts, and business models (i.e. indicators, maps, ecosystem assessments, participatory approaches, mechanisms for promoting the delivery of ecosystem services) for aquatic ecosystems at various scales. It thereby provides an unprecedented effort to unify policy concepts, knowledge, and management concepts of freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems to support the cost-effective achievement of the targets set out by the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. The project has already several outputs: Newsletter 1 (2016) Newsletter 2 (2017) Policy Brief: Managing biodiversity from local to global: an EU perspective Business Brief: The business benefits of engaging with the Sustainable Development Goals Deliverables and Publications AQUACROSS Information Platform

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  • CESAM researchers accepted to join EuroMarine Working Groups

    Published in 2/8/2018

    03-20-2018Marco Custódio and Elizabete Maciel, both researchers from DBIO / CESAM, were recently elected to join the EuroMarine Working Groups "Young Scientist" and "Research infrastructures", respectively. EuroMarine Young Scientist Working Group aims to have an active Young Scientist community engaging and exchanging with each other and the wider EM member network, providing inputs on the future direction of the network, as well as deriving maximum benefits from the current and future network activities and services. EuroMarine working group for research infrastructures (RIs) aims to improve our interactions and awareness of existing services, platforms, and opportunities that the RIs offer. RIs are set to play an important role in the research landscape over the coming decades, and become hubs for excellent science in Europe.

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  • Best poster at the 13th International Symposium on Enchytraeidae

    Published in 2/8/2018

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    13/06/2018 The best poster of the 13th ISE was awarded to the PhD student Rita Bicho, from the Stress Biology group of CESAM: “Bicho, R.C., Scott-Fordsmand, J.J., Amorim, M.J.B. (2018) Poster presentation. Enchytraeids as ecotoxicological models – overview of available tools – towards a systems toxicology approach.”. The conference took place in Versailles, France, 4 - 6 June 2018. More information on the event here.

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  • WORLD OCEANS DAY

    Published in 2/8/2018

    24/05/2018[Only available in Portuguese] O CESAM convida-o a celebrar o Dia Mundial dos Oceanos (8 de Junho) com um ciclo de palestras sobre os impactos das alterações climáticas nos ecossistemas e recursos marinhos,• O impacto do setor dos transportes nas alterações climáticas (Margarida Coelho, dem)• Influência das alterações globais na margem Ibérica: presente e futuro (Prof. Jesus Dubert, dfis)• Acidificação e aquecimento oceânico: ameaças ao desenvolvimento sustentável da maricultura de moluscos (Susana Galante-Oliveira, dbio)• O lixo marinho num cenário de alterações globais: novos desafios para os oceanos (Miguel Oliveira, dbio)seguido de passeio de bicicleta até ao ECOMARE (CEPAM) para visita e lanche.Esta atividade é organizada pela Linha Temática "Ecossistemas e Recursos Marinhos" (CESAM-MER) e tem o apoio das Plataformas Tecnológicas do Mar e da Bicicleta e Mobilidade Suave da Universidade de Aveiro, e está enquadrada no projeto integra@tec – Transferência de competências integradas e geradoras de inovação empresarial na Região Centro, cofinanciado pelo Centro 2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Centro, através do FEDER – Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional.Inscreva-se em https://goo.gl/forms/nfruI8slN8rpvdaZ2 até dia 3 de Junho de 2018 (inscrição gratuita, mas obrigatória!)

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  • Susana Loureiro elected member of SETAC Europe Council academy

    Published in 25/5/2018

    05/24/2018Susana Loureiro, assistant professor at the Department of Biology and researcher at CESAM, was elected as member of the SETAC Europe Council academy at the SETAC Europe 28th Annual Meeting, which took place from May 13 to 17 in Rome.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=54602

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  • Research by CESAM members: Paper industry waste helps decontaminate water

    Published in 23/5/2018

    05/23/2018Waste from the paper industry may be the solution to remove the remains of drugs used by producers from aquaculture waters. At the University of Aveiro, a team of chemists with members from CESAM has been able to convert the sludge that results from these residues into a biochar, which, like a magnet, is able to attract and retain a wide range of toxic substances.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=54582

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  • CESAM at the celebrations of the 20 years of EXPO 98

    Published in 23/5/2018

    05/23/2018As part of the celebrations of the 20 years of Expo 98, the "Pavilhão do Conhecimento" dedicated a day to the ocean. CESAM was present with an exhibition entitled "By the sea" with specimens from the collection COBI (Biological Research collection) and mineral structures of the ocean floor.

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  • Publication of the book “Dragagens, Questões Ambientais e Monitorização”

    Published in 24/8/2018

    05/23/2018The book "Dragagens, Questões Ambientais e Monitorização",was published on April, 2018, with the seal of the UA publisher, in a joint initiative of the Administration of the Port of Aveiro (APA) and the University of Aveiro (UA), involving CESAM members. This book follows other initiatives of the University of Aveiro and the APA on this topic, namely the organization of the 1st Technical Dredging Course (2009) and the 2nd Technical Dredging Course (2013), as well as the publication of the book "Dredges , Fundamentals, Techniques and Impacts " in 2011. More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=54510

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  • Participative Budgeting of CESAM (OP@CESAM) - Funding opportunity for PhD students

    Published in 18/5/2018

    05/18/2018Dear CESAM PhD students:CESAM launches an initiative today thinking of you!The CESAM Participatory Budget (OP @ CESAM) aims to promote greater participation and involvement of junior researchers in the scientific activity of CESAM. The ideas/initiatives must be developed by CESAM doctoral students being in line with the research they carry out. Also, it must be within the framework of CESAM's I & I strategy and represent a contribution to the academic community and/or society.More information (regulation and application form) go to the CESAM Intranet.Present your ideas until next May 31 to the e-mail: cesam-op@ua.ptLet your imagination run wild! Only one idea will be chosen and financed with a maximum budget of € 10000. We count on your participation!

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  • CESAM research in the Supplement of Público newspaper "Perspetivas"

    Published in 17/5/2018

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    05/16/2018The report published in the supplement Perspetivas, distributed with the Público newspaper, highlights the relevance of the scientific research carried out by CESAM: "Research and innovation activities (I & I) developed by the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) are perfectly aligned and framed in the Intelligent Specialization of the Center Region, in which the University of Aveiro (UA) is inserted. "

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  • Prof. Rosário Domingues, member of CESAM, invited to the Portuguese Technical Commission of the IPQ for evaluation of Algae and Derivatives

    Published in 17/5/2018

    05/16/2018The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has decided to establish a Technical Commission on the specification, classification, terminology and methods for the determination of algae (general) and algae products immediately derived or used in algae production processes (TC 454 - Algae and algae products). Considering the great importance that this theme has for the national market, the Portuguese Quality Institute (IPQ), the National Standardization Body, decided to create the Portuguese Technical Commission to follow up the work of the said commission (CEN / TC 454). Professor Rosário Domingues, an integrated member of CESAM, was invited to join this Technical Committee, which demonstrates the innovative and excellent character that the UA & CESAM have been developing in the field of marine biotechnology.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=54543&lg=pt

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  • Report on Research developed at CESAM in the “Teste Saúde” magazine (DECO Supplement)

    Published in 17/5/2018

    04-20-2018A report about CESAM research in the area of Health & Environment was published in the “Teste Saúde” magazine (edition 132 April/May).The report is focused on research developed by Sónia Rodrigues (DQ / CESAM), Isabel Henriques (DBIO / CESAM), Ricardo Calado & Fernando Ricardo (DBIO / CESAM), and Bruno Nunes (DBIO / CESAM), mainly on topics such as land rehabilitation, resistant bacteria and fish under watch.

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  • Five new pseudoscorpions discovered in Portugal by a researcher from CESAM

    Published in 23/4/2018

    19-04-2018Five new species of pseudoscorpion were discovered in caves at  Algarve, Alentejo, Penela and Leiria by the biologist Ana Sofia Reboleira, who at the time of baptizing one of the species, Occidenchthonius goncalvesi, honored Fernando Gonçalves, professor of the Department of Biology of the University of Aveiro ( UA). The findings add up to 49 new species described over the last decade by speleologist and researcher at the UA's Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM).

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  • Environmental protection in Antarctica under the scope of ReACT project

    Published in 23/4/2018

    18-04-2018The field work carried out in Antarctica under the scope of ReACT Project (Risk Assessment in Fildes Peninsula Improving Knowledge towards Environmental Protection ACTions in the Antarctica), led by Joana Luísa Pereira (CESAM), was successfully completed. The team involved in this mission, made up of Joana Luísa Pereira (CESAM and Dbio-UA), Guilherme Jeremias (DBio-UA) and Ruth Pereira (FCUP) is now returning to Portugal, where, together with the project team from several institutions of the SCTN (UA, FCUP, IST), will initiate the analysis of the collected samples. In spite of the limitations imposed by the weather conditions that reduced the time spent at the Chilean base, Julio Escudero, located on King George Island, the team was able to achieve the objectives proposed, namely the fulfillment of an extensive design of soil sampling and of lakes, which will allow the realization of a risk assessment to support future decisions to protect the study area. This will be the first time that an environmental risk assessment scheme has been implemented in polar regions, under another project funded by the Portuguese Polar Program, which has greatly contributed to Portugal's position in research in polar areas. Despite the shortened length of stay in Antarctica, and the demand for the work done, there were plenty of opportunities to observe the diversity, the deep beauty and grandeur of Antarctica's landscapes.

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  • Several entities in Portugal participate in the European project CEPHS AND CHEFS.

    Published in 16/4/2018

    16-04-2018The INTERREG project "Cephs and Chefs", funded by European funds, was launched last December, with the launching meeting in the Irish town of Galway. This project aims to create new markets and add value to cephalopods (octopus, squid and cuttlefish), as well as to evaluate these resources in different regions of the "Atlantic Area" (Spain, Portugal, France, United Kingdom and Ireland) in an integrated way and to support transnational cooperation between these regions. In Portugal and Spain, unlike the other countries of the "Atlantic Area", there is a strong tradition of consumption of cephalopods and a great investment in the investigation of these fishing resources. In order to promote the sustainable consumption of these species in the Atlantic region, Portuguese institutions, namely the University of Aveiro, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) and the Association of Fisheries Manufacturers of Fuzeta (AAPF) collaborate with international partners such as the National University of Ireland Galway, the Galway Major Institute of Technology and the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organization CLG of Ireland, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Atlantic Gate Ltd. of the United Kingdom, the Université de Caen Normandie of France , the University of Santiago de Compostela, the Oceanographic Center of Vigo of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the company Quadralia and the Cooperative of Shipowners of the Port of Vigo (ARVI) of Spain. The next meeting of the project will take place in Vigo (Spain) during the month of July in the days prior to VIGO SEAFEST. This festival is a gastronomic event around the sea products and will be visited by representatives of the various entities involved in the project.

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  • New method for calculating the dispersal of marine larvae

    Published in 11/4/2018

    11/04/2018A new method was described by researchers from the Universities of Aveiro (UA), Melbourne, Vigo and Ghent, which allows to calculate the dispersal of larvae of various marine species, fundamental to understand the ecology of the species and, among other applications, to establish criteria for delimitation of protected marine areas.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=54120

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  • Frank Verheijen (CESAM, DAO, UA) will present UTILIZAÇÃO DE BIOCHAR PARA O MELHORAMENTO DE SOLOS at AgroIn 2018: EcoInovação, Estoril, 18th April 2018

    Published in 11/4/2018

    11/04/2018It is called Biochar, a type of coal produced from biomass, it allows to reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, to improve the soil and to generate clean energy during its manufacture. Frank Verheijen, a soil specialist at the University of Aveiro and a pioneer in experiments with biochar on Portuguese farms, will explain how to take advantage of this coal that can revolutionize the management of soil erosion. The challenge is to combine productive, profitable and efficient farms with the conservation of natural resources. In short, we want SUSTAINABILITY with an economic rationale, and profitability with an environmental concern. Sustainable agricultural practices are essential for combating CLIMATE CHANGE and global warming. In a Mediterranean country, where cycles of droughts and concentrated rains intensify more and more, this is a reality that can not go by. But producing safe, quality and quantity food is only possible with the efficient use of resources. In this equation, INNOVATION makes all the difference. And it is precisely here that we want to pass this edition of AGROIN 2018: ECOINOVATIONhttp://www.vidarural.pt/agroin/

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  • Researchers at CESAM and QOPNA editors of Marine Drugs - Marine Lipids 2017

    Published in 11/4/2018

    03/04/2018The researchers Rosário Domingues, Pedro Domingues and Ricardo Calado, belonging to the Research Centers QOPNA and CESAM, Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biology, were invited editors of the Special Volume "Marine Lipids 2017" published by the prestigious magazine Marine Drugs (http:/www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs/special_issues/marine_lipids_2017).The Special Volume "Marine Lipids 2017" published a total of 10 articles, which have to date more than 3,105 download and more than 13,650 views. This receptivity on the part of the scientific community of this Special Volume demonstrates the growing interest that exists in marine organisms as a source of lipids with high nutritional value and bioactive properties. These bioactive properties allow the application of these biomolecules in numerous industries, namely in the food, nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical areas. Increasingly detailed knowledge of the lipid of marine organisms has allowed the discovery of new biotechnological applications for these biomolecules."Marine Lipids 2017" highlights the most innovative approaches to marine lipidomics as well as new discoveries about the lipidoma of marine organisms, and emphasizes potential forms of enhancement of these biomolecules. Due to the success of this special edition, "Marine Lipids 2017", will soon be published in e-Book format by the publisher MDPI (Switzerland), being agreed with the publisher the edition of new Special Volume on the same theme for 2019.Rosário Domingues, Pedro Domingues and Ricardo Calado founded and coordinate the only Laboratory of Marine Lipidics in the country, aiming to place the University of Aveiro at the forefront of the new Blue Bio-Economy, contributing to an intelligent and integral valorization of endogenous marine biological resources.

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  • Workshop "CESAM's Contribution to Sustainability and Food Security" | April 6, 2018, in the Amphitheater of Building III (Old Rectory), University of Aveiro

    Published in 3/4/2018

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    14/03/2018We would like to invite you to participate in the Workshop (WS) "Contribution of CESAM for Sustainability and Food Security", to be held on April 6, 2018, in the Amphitheater of Building III (Old Rectory) , intended for all potential academic and business stakeholders. This workshop will be constituted by 3 thematic sessions, with presentations of about 10 min (plus 5 minutes for discussion). At the end of the workshop, a Round Table will be organized to discuss the relevance of the topics covered, the funding opportunities and frameworks in the priority areas of the H2020 program and the RIS3 Center 2020 Intelligent Specialization Strategy.The purpose of this discussion is to promote the dissemination of knowledge generated in CESAM, the establishment of possible partnerships and the dissemination of funding opportunities in this area (Annex Program).Participation in WS is free but registration is mandatory at: https://goo.gl/forms/ov6RRikHzSi71SNx2Please confirm your participation until the 29th of March!We count on your presence!

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  • ECOMARE research explained in workshop

    Published in 14/3/2018

    06/03/2018Knowing slugs that steal chloroplasts from algae to produce their own photosynthesis, recreate ex situ coral reefs, life support systems for marine organisms, conservation of marine animal populations, rescue and rehabilitation of mammals, turtles and seabirds, socioeconomic impacts of invasive species were some of the topics covered in the first workshop - Research at ECOMARE that took place this weekend at the facilities of this research and technology transfer center of the University of Aveiro dedicated to the issues of the Sea.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=53783

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  • UA develops bivalve's 'detective'

    Published in 14/3/2018

    05/03/2018Through a simple chemical analysis of the shells and the tissues of bivalves, a team of biologists from CESAM found it possible to confirm exactly the geographical origin of the organisms traded. The test, carried out quickly and cheaply and safely, promises to facilitate the fight against the illegal trade that annually puts on the world market millions of tons of bivalves with risk to public health. In Galicia, where some of the largest bivalve producers are, they are already eyeing the bivalve 'detective' of the UA.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=53761

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  • Recipe for premium serradela: aquaculture integrated with fish production

    Published in 14/3/2018

    23/02/2018A study carried out by CESAM concludes that the production of serradela in aquaculture associated with the intensive production of fish originates more nutritious and more abundant earthworms, contributing to the elimination of the excess of particulate organic matter in the water that results from the fish production. The serradela is one of the main baits in fishing and is used for fish food in aquaculture. The conclusions are set out in the scientific article titled "Adding value to ragworms (Hediste diversicolor) through the bioremediation of a super-intensive marine fish farm" highlighted as "Feature Article" in the February "Aquaculture Environment Interactions" journal.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=53661

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  • A lesson given by Tropical bats: a varied diet is key to species diversification

    Published in 23/1/2019

    5/02/2018An important step was taken in understanding the ancestral but poorly understood relationship between food and species diversification through the study of the diet of South American noctilionoid bats. In the case of this bat, which divides into more than 200 species in an unparalleled diversity among mammals, the team assert that their varied diet is the key to explain the enormous genetic diversification. Until now, studies with birds and mammals have suggested that exclusively herbivorous feeding increases the rate of formation of new species. However, for omnivores - animals that include plant and animal products in their diet - there was no clear pattern: in some bats, a diversified diet seems to slow the rate of species formation, while in ungulate mammals such as deer or antelope, the opposite occurs. This study, recently published in the journal Ecology Letters, has elucidated the relationship between the type of diet and the formation of species. This research shows that in nytilionoid bats, a group of more than 200 species that inhabit the tropics of the New World, lineages with an omnivorous diet produce more long-term generations than lineages that feed strictly on plants or other animals.More details: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=53464&lg=pt

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  • FIRES in PORTUGAL: Before, During ... and After - 13 December at 17:30 - UA

    Published in 24/11/2017

    FIRES in PORTUGAL in 3Ds: D Before, D During ... and D After With the participation of: Celeste Coelho (DAO-UA), Paulo Fernandes (UTAD), Xavier Viegas (DEM-UC), Ana Isabel Miranda (DAO-UA), Jacob Keiser (DAO-UA) e Carlos Borrego (moderator) 13 December by 17:30 at Dept. of Environment-UA FREE ENTRANCE

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  • SmartBioR. This is the name of an innovative program in the context of the sustainable use of Marine Biological Resources presented by the University of Aveiro

    Published in 21/2/2018

    The University of Aveiro marks the Day of the Sea with the launch of a program for the Enhancement of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources - SmartBioR. The event was held at ECOMARE, Laboratory for Innovation and Sustainability of Marine Biological Resources of the University of Aveiro, and counted, among others, the presence of the Rector of the University of Aveiro Prof. Doctor Manuel António Assunção, Prof. Dr. Amadeu Soares, Director of the Biology Department of the University of Aveiro and responsible for the project, Prof. Dr. Rui Pedrosa, Vice-President of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Dr. Isabel Damasceno, from Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro and representatives from Grupos de Ação Costeira / Desenvolvimento Local de Base Comunitária, between Aveiro and Peniche coastal area, and the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA-ARH Centro).Coordinated by the University of Aveiro and developed in partnership with the Leiria Polytechnic Institute, the SmartBioR program aims at the sustainability, preservation and valorization of endogenous marine resources, using scientific knowledge of excellence and technological innovation for its monitoring and integrated management . To this end, we highlight the hiring of highly qualified human resources, holders of scientific knowledge that complement the valences, already consolidated, of the institutions involved. Research and innovation activities are organized according to the two ecosystems corresponding to the territorial action of the members of the consortium: Ria de Aveiro, site of natura 2000 network and special protection area of ​​the EU, by the University of Aveiro and Berlengas, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and coastal areas along the Midwest region of Portugal, by the Leiria Polytechnic Institute.The University of Aveiro, reinforcing its mission of cooperation with society in the transfer of knowledge and technology, incorporates this idea by proposing, within the framework of SmartBioR, the development of products, processes and services that dynamize the value chains associated with resources endogenous marine ecosystems. Applications range from sustainable aquaculture, pharmaceutical, coastal management and fish stock management, to the protection of marine ecosystems.Contributing to the Conservation and Enhancement of Marine Biodiversity is a design of the University of Aveiro, which in recent years has created infrastructures and consolidated and reinforced research teams in the area of ​​the Sea.Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/i9lt458q3tgv6dt/Video_apresentacao_SmartBioR.mp4?dl=0

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  • Enviphage project - Phages are an effective alternative to the use of antibiotics in aquaculture

    Published in 21/2/2018

    Enviphage project involving Researchers from AZTI, Biopolis S.L. (Spain), University of Aveiro (Portugal) and the Aguacircia Aquaculture Company (Portugal) concluded that phages are an effective alternative to the use of antibiotics in aquaculture. Use of natural bacteriophages, which do not affect the health of fish or that of consumers, becomes an interesting alternative to the use of antibiotics. Different research projects had obtained very promising results at laboratory level, but before being able to use bacteriophages at an industrial level, it was necessary to know about the impact of their use on the environment and the marine ecology. The results obtained during 2017 show that the bacteria community of the intestinal tract of the fish is not significantly affected following treatment with the selected phages. It has also been shown that this treatment does not modify the marine bacteria population in the tanks on the fish farm or in the river where the fish farm is located, so it has zero impact or very limited impact on the bacterial ecology. 

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  • Post-fire erosion mitigation work

    Published in 21/2/2018

    After the fires, the concern with rain and the possible contamination of the waters grows. One of the projects to stop soil erosion is being developed in CESAM. http://sicnoticias.sapo.pt/pais/2017-11-04-Cientistas-na-terra-queimada-de-Castanheira-de-Pera-1  

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  • University of Algarve organizes conference in honor of Professor Mário Ruivo

    Published in 21/2/2018

    The University of Algarve organizes a conference (November 13 and 14) in honor of Professor Mário Ruivo. In this way, it is intended to evoke the contribution of this marine biologist, honorary doctor by UAlg, for the development of marine sciences and technologies, with notable impacts at national and international level.Adopting one of the mottos of Professor Mário Ruivo, the conference has as its motto "Sustainable development of the oceans: a useful utopia".https://www.ualg.pt/pt/content/conferencia-homenagem-ao-professor-mario-ruivoAdelaide Almeida, Ana Lillebo, Catarina Eira, Cristina Pita and Luís Menezes Pinheiro are attending this event as CESAM members.

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  • José Alves (DBio/CESAM) appointed to the British Ornithologist’s Union meetings committee

    Published in 14/11/2017

    27/10/2017José Alves, researcher at DBio and CESAM, has recently been appointed to the British Ornithologist’s Union meetings committee. The BOU is an organization with more than 150 years experience in “Advancing ornithology” and publishes one of the top ornithological scientific journals, IBIS.As member of the meetings committee, José Alves will contribute towards the definition of priority international discussion topics regarding ecology, evolution and conservation of birds globally.The BOU organizes themed conferences a feature that results in the outputs from these meetings providing practical guidelines for researchers, conservationists and governmental institutions. In 2018, the BOU’s annual conference will take place in 27-28 March, titled: “21st century ornithology: challenges, opportunities and decisions”. These conferences provide ample support to Early Career Researchers with reduces rates, dedicated workshops (e.g. presentation skills, social media presence) and the possibility to present your research even if it is outside the conference topic. In November the BOU organizes the first ever general ornithology Twitter conference – a unique opportunity to be updated on the most recent studies in ornithology at a very low cost, both financial and ecological #BOU17TC  

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  • Project FOREST-IN promotes event on sustainable forest management and BioFORUM 2017

    Published in 20/10/2017

    17/10/2017The FOREST-IN project, coordinated by DBio and CESAM, organizes the international event "From theory to practice, hands-on for sustainable forest management", from 24 to 27 October, mainly for small forest owners and producers. The program includes a set of technical visits to various sites in the central region to demonstrate good forest management practices. On the last day of the program, BioFORUM 2017 will be held at the Centro Cultural da Branca, Albergaria-a-Velha, open to the general public.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=52108

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  • DAO/CESAM team participates in pilot station to minimize erosion of soils in burnt areas

    Published in 12/10/2017

    6/10/2017A DAO / CESAM team, coordinated by researcher Jacob Keizer, is involved in the creation of a pilot station in Castanheira de Pêra to study techniques that minimize soil erosion in areas affected by large fires. The techniques being proposed suggest the soils most affected by fires to be covered by caruma or crushed forest residues, and / or the creation of barriers to prevent erosion. Jacob Keizer considers that these measures are important to avoid soil and nutrients lost on slopes where it is necessary to ensure long-term productivity but also to prevent this material from being transported to the aquatic habitats downstream. This pilot station is a first step of the post-fire emergency measures and the 25 M € financial package launched by the Government to stabilize the soils of the area affected by the great fire of Pedrógão Grande. In addition to the Government and local authorities and organizations, four universities are involved in this project.Report in: https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/travar-erosao-dos-solos-apos-os-incendios_v1031922

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  • Nanomaterials and Microplastics in the Environment - need for new test methods

    Published in 4/10/2017

    2/10/2017Mónica Amorim, researcher at DBio and CESAM, and part of the research group on ecology and applied ecotoxicology - applEE, coordinated by Amadeu Soares, also director of DBio, is co-author of an article published in the prestigious magazine "Nano Today" (5Y-IF: 19.2): "Nanomaterials to microplastics: Swings and roundabouts". The risks associated with new products are assessed before they enter into the market. However, long-term consequences are uncertain concerning the degradation products from their use, disposal at waste treatment plants, or when left in the wild, releasing microplastics and nanomaterials. It is therefore imperative to assess the long-term effects of plastics and other materials.More details: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1748013217303511     http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51948

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  • UA participates in a Government project to protect the burning soils of Pinhal Interior

    Published in 12/10/2017

    26/09/2017The "Emergency Stabilization" of the areas destroyed by fire will start and the plan will be managed by the municipalities according to methods defined by four universities. In this group is an UA team, coordinated by Jacob Keizer, researcher from DAO and CESAM, which proposes that the most affected soils should be covered by caruma or crushed forest residues, preventing soil erosion.On 22 September, at the demonstration session organized by the ICNF, Jacob Keizer presented some of the criteria needed to choose the areas where emergency stabilization measures should be applied, as well as the monitoring plots managed by UA to evaluate the effectiveness of two emergency stabilization measures for the slopes.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=51891

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  • UA is a privileged choice Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries of Mozambique

    Published in 27/9/2017

    29/09/2017For the second consecutive year the University of Aveiro (UA) is a privileged choice of the Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries of the Government of Mozambique to provide specialized professional training in the area of ​​Maritime Spatial Planning.During two weeks - from September 25 to October 10 - the 2nd Edition of the "Intensive Course on Training and Capacity Building in Maritime and Coastal Space Planning and Maps: methods and techniques" will be held under the coordination of Fátima Alves and Lisa Sousa from DAO and CESAM, with colaboration of other Professors and Researchers from DAO/CESAM, University of Santiago de Compostela and Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51890&lg=pt

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  • PhD student awarded in Luxembourg

    Published in 27/9/2017

    18/09/2017Tamiris Costa, PhD student at DAO and CESAM, was awarded with the "From PhD to apps" prize at the 2017 Life Cycle Management conference held in Luxembourg from 3 to 6 September. The distinction recognizes the high potential that the work presented "Environmental impacts of biomass-to-energy conversion technologies: grate boilers and fluidized bed boilers" offers in support of decision-making.The paper addresses the environmental impacts of biomass energy conversion technologies: grids and fluidized beds. The use of forest biomass has great potential to contribute significantly to the production of electricity in Portugal and with substantially lower environmental impacts than current technologies.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51809&lg=pt

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  • Work developed by UA researchers in the area of marine vertebrate conservation highlighted in Antena 1

    Published in 23/8/2018

    12/09/2017Catarina Eira is one of the next researchers to be interviewed on the "90 Seconds of Science" program. The Biologist and Researcher at DBIO and CESAM explains this Tuesday, September 12, just before 7:00 p.m., to the microphones of Antena 1, all the work her team has developed in the area of ?? cetaceans, seabirds and sea turtles conservation. The emission is available on: http://www.90segundosdeciencia.pt,More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51723&lg=pt

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  • Sea slug species survives without food by retaining chloroplasts from algae

    Published in 27/9/2017

    7/09/2017A study published in the journal Scientific Reports (http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-08002-0) by researchers Paulo Cartaxana and Sónia Cruz (DBio and CESAM), in co-authoring with the University of Copenhagen, shows that during periods of food shortage the photosynthesis of the cleptoplasts is important for the survival of Elysia viridis, a species of sea slug abundant on the Portuguese coast.A restricted group of sea slugs is able to digest the macroalgae it feeds while integrating chloroplasts into its own cells. The process is called kyptoplasty (from the Greek "kleptein" - steal) and the stolen chloroplasts are called "kleptoplasts".More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=51709

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  • Ecology Day in Portugal - 14th September

    Published in 27/9/2017

    6/09/2017CESAM, in collaboration with the DBIO, is associated to the celebrations of Ecology Day in Portugal, 14 September, promoting three initiatives:- Visit: UA Herbarium - an unforgettable journey through the flora of Portugal- Seminar: Marches of Baixo Vouga Lagunar (Ria de Aveiro) - its importance and changes consequences to the flora and fauna- Workshop: CESAM - Studies on the ecological heritage of the LTER site Ria de AveiroApplication forms:- Visit: https://goo.gl/forms/rjCWZXCCmIkWE9jA2- Seminar: https://goo.gl/forms/bnso6WCxsCDZRAmd2- Workshop: https://goo.gl/forms/L7lfjYKrF5vJi92v2Thank you so much for your participation!https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51722

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  • Merit of Prof. Casimiro Pio recognized with the title "Honorary Scientific Coordinator of CESAM"

    Published in 23/8/2017

    25/07/2017At its last plenary session (July 7), the CESAM Scientific Council decided, by acclamation, to award the Professor Casimiro Pio with the title of Honorary Scientific Coordinator of CESAM.This title represents the recognition, by the integrated members of CESAM, of the exemplary course of Prof. Casimiro Pio in the construction and scientific coordination of this UA Research Unit since its inception. Casimiro Pio was recognized by its integrated and inclusive management of CESAM, based on transparency. Under its coordination, the Center achieved the reputation of excellence in the national panorama of the Research Units in the area of ​​the Environment and the Sea.https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=51386

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  • Carbon availability affects relevant microalgae activity in marine sediments

    Published in 23/8/2017

    24/07/2017Sónia Cruz and Paulo Cartaxana, from the DBIO and CESAM, and Jorge Marques da Silva, from the University of Lisbon, advance with important conclusions about the peculiar carbon metabolism in benthic diatoms. The researchers conclude that the availability of carbon in these microalgae limits their photosynthesis, although they contain mechanisms that increase the carbon concentration in a key enzyme of photosynthetic activity, and determines complex vertical migratory behaviors of these cells.This study gains particular relevance in the sense that the main source of inorganic carbon for plants and algae - CO2 - is produced and released by a number of human activities and leads to climate change.The revision paper was published in the journal “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences" and can be consulted in http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/372/1728.More details: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=51395

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  • Member of CESAM participates in research on mysterious zone of fault Azores-Gibraltar

    Published in 23/8/2017

    24/07/2017 At Central Atlantic deep-sea, between the Azores and Gibraltar, there is a fault zone that results from the complex interaction between the African, Eurasian, and Iberian plates. It was in this seismic region, connecting the SWIM and Glória Faults, that took place an oceanographic expedition involving researchers from CESAM.More details: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51326

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  • HALOFOOD Project highlighted in click emission

    Published in 2/8/2018

    20/07/2017Elisabete Maciel postdoctoral researcher at DBio and CESAM and coordinator of the HALOFOOD Project, whose purpose is to use lipidomics as a tool to search for the appropriate place in Ria where halophytes growth more efficiently to produce good quality food for human consumption and livestock nutrition taking into account their content in lipid bioactive compounds. Lipids have nutritional and health benefits, with the potential of halophytes used to range towards new applications.https://www.rtp.pt/play/p384/e298821/click  (after minute six)

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  • New species of bacteria described by biologists of the DBIO / CESAM pays tribute to Prof. António Correia

    Published in 23/8/2017

    14/07/2017A new species of bacteria, recently described by researchers from the DBIO and CESAM in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, was named Saccharospirillum correiae. The specific epithet correiae was attributed in honor of António Correia, a microbiologist and Professor at UA, who died in 2016. The bacterium is one of many new species that lives inside a common plant in the Ria de Aveiro, better known as white gram.This honor wants to remember and highlight the contribution given by António Correia in research and teaching in the field of microbiology in Portugal. It is also a tribute from the research group coordinated by António Correia, MicroLab.This study is available in the webpage do International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology: http://ijs.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.001914More details: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=51311

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  • LTER site Ria de Aveiro (LTER-RAVE)

    Published in 31/8/2017

    12/07/2017LTER site Ria de Aveiro (LTER-RAVE) is part of the Portuguese Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic InterestIn alignment with the European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), set up in 2002, the national Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) launched a call for the Portuguese Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of strategic interest. LTER Portugal network was one of the selected RIs for Environmental Sciences (2014-2020), as part of a consortium termed PORBIOTA that includes PORBIOTA, LTER Portugal, ICOS Portugal and Azores BIOPORTAL.The LTER network is a Long-Term Ecological Research network of sites, on a large spatial scale, where long-term ecological investigation is practiced, with the main objectives of monitoring and storing relevant data in ecology, establishing links among institutions and researchers and promote the exchange of data and knowledge. This organized network of LTER sites first appeared in the United States of America in the 1980's. In 1993 an international network was developed (ILTER) and, more recently, the European network of LTER sites was created.The main objective of LTER-RAVE site is to contribute to the improvement of integrated management of coastal areas, from catchment to coast, involving the concepts of Science-policy-stakeholders interface. To achieve this objective research has been addressing a clear practical focus on: engagement of stakeholders at different levels; mapping and assessment of ecosystem processes and services using data and indicators available at national and European level; assessment of the impacts and emerging drivers of change; common frameworks and tools for the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystem services.Home Page ILTER : https://www.ilternet.edu/

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  • Click highlights research from the DBIO / CESAM on mercury levels in parturients

    Published in 23/8/2017

    8/07/2017The study, coordinated by Susana Loureiro, researcher at DBio and CESAM, in collaboration with the Hospital de Aveiro, analyzed the levels of mercury present in the placenta, umbilical cord and hair of 50 parturients. The samples revealed that in 6 percent of the cases, the pregnant women exceeded the limits set by the World Health Organization. This is one of the subjects that will be highlighted in the next issue of Click, the UA radio program transmitted on Saturdays after news of the 3:00 p.m. on Antena 1.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51163

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  • Carlos Fonseca, DBIO / CESAM, member of the technical commission to analyze fires

    Published in 12/7/2017

    11/07/2017Carlos Fonseca, researcher in the area of ​​nature conservation, is member of the independent technical commission that will analyze the facts related to the fire that broke out on June 17 in Pedrógão Grande, Leiria, which resulted in 64 deaths. In a note on the Presidency's website, the President of the Republic pointed out that it was "an unprecedented legal or political experience" in the "constitutional experience" in Portugal. The commission will operate for a maximum period of three months.More details: http://expresso.sapo.pt/sociedade/2017-07-10-Escolhidos-os-membros-da-comissao-tecnica-para-analisar-incendioshttp://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51224

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  • Dia do CESAM 2017

    Published in 11/7/2017

    7/07/2017A special thanks to all the collaborators who participated voluntarily in the organization of the CESAM Day lunch and to the Academic Association of the UA for the vailability of sound equipment! Your help was fundamental!Anabela PereiraJoana BarataDiana PatoiloNuno CostaBruna MarquesMarco CustódioDaniel JerónimoAnabela CavaleiroPatrícia SilvaFlávio SilvaCaroline FerreiraSandra FernandezNuno CordeiroAmélia RibeiroAldiro PereiraRui Marques

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  • Impacts of fires in the carbon cycle will be studied at CESAM

    Published in 11/7/2017

    5/07/2017UA project aims to quantify indirect effects of fires in pine forests.Is the carbon dioxide fixed by plants via photosynthesis following a fire in a pine forest still more significant than the carbon that is lost, for example, via wood degradation or erosion of the most superficial layers of the soil? The FIRE-C-BUDs project "Indirect effects of forest fires on fluxes and carbon balance", coordinated by Jan Jacob Keizer, aims to find an answer to this question and to quantify other indirect effects of fires in a pine forest.Mais informação: http://www.poci-compete2020.pt/noticias/detalhe/Proj16780-FIRE-C-BUDshttps://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51076&lg=pt

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  • CESAM presentation on sustainable forestry at Encontro Ciência 2017

    Published in 12/7/2017

    5/07/2017On 4th july, Jan Keizer presented, in a broader perspective, the CESAM contribution to the topic sustainable forestry at the Encontro Ciência 2017.Presentation HERE.

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  • CESAM research in the Supplement of JN and DN "País Positivo"

    Published in 11/7/2017

    5/07/2017CESAM Research is highlighted again in the supplement of the DN / JN "País Positivo", in the July issue. This edition is focused on the contributions of CESAM to Environmental Sustainability: from the atmosphere to the deep sea.https://www.facebook.com/UACESAM/photos/a.344166479284372.1073741828.343748309326189/448414668859552/?type=3&theater

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  • "Deriva Litoral" won the first edition of the Film Festival "Paisagens"

    Published in 3/8/2018

    4/07/2017The film "Deriva Litoral - The Impact of Coastal Erosion in Portugal", performed by Sofia Barata and co-produced by the Fábrica Centro Ciência Viva and the University of Aveiro (UA), was awarded the "Documentário de longa metragem" in First edition of "Paisagens - Sever do Vouga International Film Festival". The festival had an international jury, and 30 films in competition from 20 different countries.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQZRL7W8VA&feature=youtu.behttp://www.noticiasdeaveiro.pt/pt/44824/sever-do-vouga-filme-deriva-litoral-o-impacto-da-erosao-costeira-em-portugal-ve/

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  • DBIO/CESAM Researcher integrates European project on bio(nano)materials

    Published in 11/7/2017

    4/07/2017Mónica Amorim, researcher at DBIO/CESAM, is the principal researcher of the portuguese team for a recently approved European Project under Horizon 2020. The project will be developed in the area of ​​nanotechnology, advanced materials, biotechnology and production (NMBP12: "Development Of a reliable methodology for better risk management of biomedical biomaterials in Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products and / or Medical Devices ").The "BIORIMA - BIOmaterial RIsk Management" project is coordinated by the UK's Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) in Edinburgh and involves 43 partners from 13 European countries as well as partners from Brazil, China, Japan and the USA. The project has an overall funding of around eight million euros.More details: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=51069&lg=pt

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  • Opinion text of the CESAM researcher Alexandra Monteiro

    Published in 11/7/2017

    03/07/2017Because there is no fire without smokeAlready (almost) everything was said about the overwhelming forest fires of Pedrogão Grande and the associated dramas, from the number of deaths, to the destruction of lands, forest and materials. A drama that covers all aspects from the human, environmental, social and economic sides. These tremendous dimensions of tragedy hide lesser known but also disturbing aspects, as explained by Alexandra Monteiro, researcher of CESAM.Complete text: AQUI

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  • CESAM researchers discover solution to eradicate microplastics from the ocean

    Published in 11/7/2017

    27/06/2017CESAM researchers discover that the marine fungus Zalerion maritimum not only degradate microplastics as it does it quickly and efficiently. This is the first ecological solution, offered by the sea itself, ever discovered to combat microplastics in the ocean.More details:http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=50917   http://p3.publico.pt/actualidade/ambiente/23968/cientistas-portugueses-descobrem-fungo-que-come-microplasticos http://www.verportugal.net/vp/pt/062017/CienciaInvestigacao/8474/Universidade-de-Aveiro-descobre-no-mar-a-solu%C3%A7%C3%A3o-para-erradicar-os-micropl%C3%A1sticos.htm http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/tecnologia/universidade-de-aveiro/portugueses-descobrem-fungo-que-come-plastico-nos-oceanos http://lifestyle.sapo.pt/saude/noticias-saude/artigos/portugueses-descobrem-no-mar-a-solucao-para-erradicar-os-microplasticos http://www.terranova.pt/noticia/sociedade/universidade-de-aveiro-descobre-no-mar-solucao-para-erradicar-os-microplasticos http://portocanal.sapo.pt/noticia/126193 https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/pais/820919/solucao-para-fim-do-plastico-no-mar-pode-estar-num-fungo-que-vive-no-mar http://www.ojogo.pt/extra/lusa/interior/solucao-para-fim-do-plastico-no-mar-pode-estar-num-fungo-que-vive-no-mar-8592636.htmlhttp://www.dn.pt/lusa/interior/solucao-para-fim-do-plastico-no-mar-pode-estar-num-fungo-que-vive-no-mar-8592633.html http://www.destak.pt/artigo/305386-solucao-para-fim-do-plastico-no-mar-pode-estar-num-fungo-que-vive-no-mar http://www.correiodabeiraserra.com/universidade-de-aveiro-descobre-no-mar-a-solucao-para-erradicar-os-micro-plasticos/ http://www.cmjornal.pt/cm-ao-minuto/detalhe/solucao-para-fim-do-plastico-no-mar-pode-estar-num-fungo-que-vive-no-mar?ref=Bloco_CMAoMinuto http://www.ambientemagazine.com/universidade-de-aveiro-descobre-solucao-para-erradicar-microplasticos-no-mar/

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  • UA explains... how can forests resist to the fires?

    Published in 12/7/2017

    23/06/2017History repeats itself every year. Temperatures rise and the theme of the fires returns to the covers of newspapers and the openings of the news. The green that color our landscapes disappears and the ashes take over our forests. The question hangs in the air. Can our forest withstand so many fires? Yes they can. How? CESAM researcher Jan Jacob Keizer gives us some clues to get around this scourge.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=50894&lg=pt

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  • CESAM @ High-Level Event of Maritime Spatial Planning in Europe

    Published in 21/3/2019

    13/06/2017Fátima Lopes Alves, researcher at CESAM, is a guest speaker at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) to present the Portuguese experience of Integrated Management of Coastal and Marine Zones at the European Maritime Spatial Planning Conference - Addressing Land-Sea Interactions. The conference will aggregate experts from different Member States who will share the experiences of planning and governance of land-sea interface zones.More details.

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  • Researchers from the DBIO / CESAM participate in another census of cetaceans in Europe

    Published in 11/7/2017

    9/06/2017First results of the SCANS III census show decrease of Boto in the Peninsula.Boto, a species of dolphin, was not observed in two thirds of the area sampled in the Iberian Peninsula under the SCANS-III cetacean census, coordinated and implemented (in the Peninsula area) by the Portuguese Society of Wildlife and ECOMARE - University Of Aveiro, which includes researchers from the DBIO / CESAM. The first results show a decrease in the Boto population in this area compared to data from previous studies.Mais informação em: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=50752

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  • Researchers from the DBIO / CESAM participate in another census of cetaceans in Europe

    Published in 11/7/2017

    9/06/2017First results of the SCANS III census show decrease of Boto in the Peninsula.Boto, a species of dolphin, was not observed in two thirds of the area sampled in the Iberian Peninsula under the SCANS-III cetacean census, coordinated and implemented (in the Peninsula area) by the Portuguese Society of Wildlife and ECOMARE - University Of Aveiro, which includes researchers from the DBIO / CESAM. The first results show a decrease in the Boto population in this area compared to data from previous studies.Mais informação em: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=50752

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  • Researchers from the DBIO / CESAM participate in another census of cetaceans in Europe

    Published in 11/7/2017

    9/06/2017First results of the SCANS III census show decrease of Boto in the Peninsula.Boto, a species of dolphin, was not observed in two thirds of the area sampled in the Iberian Peninsula under the SCANS-III cetacean census, coordinated and implemented (in the Peninsula area) by the Portuguese Society of Wildlife and ECOMARE - University Of Aveiro, which includes researchers from the DBIO / CESAM. The first results show a decrease in the Boto population in this area compared to data from previous studies.Mais informação em: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=50752

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  • Investigadoras do DBIO/CESAM estudam níveis de mercúrio em parturientes

    Published in 11/7/2017

    6/06/2017A study from University of Aveiro found high levels of mercury in women who have just given birth or in the placental tissues themselves. This unprecedented research, which focused for the first time in the country on the analysis of that toxic metal in the hair and blood of the parturients and in the respective placentas and umbilical cords, guarantees that there are women who present levels of mercury above the value recommended by the World Health Organization.Published online in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, the study carried out under the master's program of Ana Catarina Alves, coordinated by Susana Loureiro and Marta Monteiro, both from DBIO/CESAM, focused on half a hundred parturients, from nine municipalities of the district of Aveiro, from which samples of hair, placenta and umbilical cord were collected.More details: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=50698 http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/sociedade/estudo/maes-de-aveiro-tem-niveis-elevados-de-mercurio http://www.atlasdasaude.pt/publico/content/niveis-elevados-de-mercurio-em-parturientes-de-aveiro http://cidades.com.pt/index.php/concelhos/aveiro/item/2426-investigadoras-da-universidade-de-aveiro-estudam-niveis-de-mercurio-em-parturientes http://www.correiodabeiraserra.com/investigadoras-da-ua-detectaram-niveis-elevados-de-mercurio-em-mulheres-que-acabaram-de-dar-a-luz-e-nos-tecidos-da-placenta/ http://www.dn.pt/lusa/interior/estudo-revela-niveis-elevados-de-mercurio-em-parturientes-de-aveiro-8540225.htmlhttp://www.forum.pt/17931-investigadoras-da-ua-detetam-niveis-elevados-de-mercurio-em-parturienteshttps://www.jm-madeira.pt/nacional/ver/7300/Estudo_revela_niveis_elevados_de_mercurio_em_parturientes_de_Aveirohttp://www.jn.pt/nacional/interior/estudo-revela-niveis-elevados-de-mercurio-em-parturientes-de-aveiro-8540227.htmlhttps://mood.sapo.pt/parturientes-portuguesas-com-niveis-elevados-de-mercurio/ http://www.noticiasdeaveiro.pt/pt/44460/niveis-elevados-de-mercurio-detectados-em-parturientes-da-regiao-de-aveiro/

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  • Government Project for the prevention of soil contamination supported by Susana Loureiro, researcher at DBIO / CESAM

    Published in 11/7/2017

    5/06/2017Dyeing and paper companies will have to test soils from their facilities.Contamination assessment will become mandatory, according to a decree-law that the Government is finalizing. This novelty is in the draft of a new regime for the prevention of soil contamination, which the Government is finalizing. In the most serious cases, operators will have to submit plans to correct the detected problems. It is the first time that Portugal will have a law of this type.Susana Loureiro, Researcher at DBIO / CESAM and specialist in applied ecology, sees "with very good eyes" the proposal in which the Government is working. "Finally there will be a document of this type in Portugal", she emphasizes. In the preamble of the diploma, the Ministry of the Environment presents it as complementary to the determinations that already constitute the Basic Law of the Public Policy of Soils.More details: https://www.publico.pt/2017/06/05/sociedade/noticia/empresas-de-tinturaria-couros-e-papel-vao-ter-que-testar-solos-das-suas-instalacoes-1773810

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  • CESAM researchers support the European Commission in the implementation of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive

    Published in 11/7/2017

    01/06/2017From 29 to 31 May, the UA hosted the first international meeting of the SIMNORAT project - Supporting Implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in the Northern European Atlantic, which aims to support the implementation by the Member States of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (2014/89/EU).In Portugal, the University of Aveiro is the only institution that participates in the project. The members of the multidisciplinary team of CESAM are Fátima Lopes Alves (coordinator at UA), Filomena Martins, Carlos Costa, Adriano Quintela, Lisa Sousa, Márcia Marques and Margarida Ferreira da Silva.http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=50564

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  • Marine Ecosystems and Resources Seminar Series

    Published in 2/8/2018

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    30/05/2017The “Marine Ecosystems and Resources” thematic line (http://www.cesam.ua.pt/index.php?menu=76&language=eng&tabela=geral) is organising a Seminar Series addressing a broad range of themes related to the research developed by the Research Groups that integrate the line.The next talk on the "Marine Ecosystems and Resources Seminar Series” of CESAM will be on 7 June (Wednesday).The seminar "Phytoplankton, Photoperiods & (Ph)unctional Groups” by Dr. Douglas A. Campbell (Mount Allison University, Canada) will be held in the room 8.2.18 of the Biology Department on 7th of June, at 14.30h.

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  • Marine Ecosystems and Resources Seminar Series

    Published in 2/8/2018

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    30/05/2017The “Marine Ecosystems and Resources” thematic line (http://www.cesam.ua.pt/index.php?menu=76&language=eng&tabela=geral) is organising a Seminar Series addressing a broad range of themes related to the research developed by the Research Groups that integrate the line.The next talk on the "Marine Ecosystems and Resources Seminar Series” of CESAM will be on 7 June (Wednesday).The seminar "Phytoplankton, Photoperiods & (Ph)unctional Groups” by Dr. Douglas A. Campbell (Mount Allison University, Canada) will be held in the room 8.2.18 of the Biology Department on 7th of June, at 14.30h.

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  • Professor Fernando Gonçalves participates in the RTP2 Civil Society Program

    Published in 4/7/2017

    26/05/2017On May 26, Professor Fernando Gonçalves of DBio and CESAM participated in the program of RTP2 "Sociedade Civil", with the theme "Portuguese Rivers". The program was repeated on RTP2 and on RTP Africa and RTP International.

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  • Report about CESAM in the Supplement of JN and DN "País Positivo"

    Published in 26/5/2017

    25/05/2017CESAM highlihted in "Pais Positivo"."Pais Positivo", a supplent issue of Jornal de Notícias and Diário de Notícias, is a monthly publication that shows the best of our country. Working on core themes such as Health, Competitiveness, Sea Attractiveness, Quality of Life in the Interior, among many others. The "Pais Positivo" out for excellence and quality.https://www.facebook.com/paispositivo1/photos/pb.707237596018029.-2207520000.1495809024./1467731196635328/?type=3&theater

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  • Iberian study coordinated in Portugal by dBio & CESAM

    Published in 2/8/2018

    24/05/2017[Only available in Portuguese] Cientistas alertam para fármaco que pode colocar em risco abutres no paísA autorização do medicamento diclofenaco para uso pecuário em Portugal ameaça as populações de abutres. O alerta de um grupo de biólogos e ambientalistas portugueses e espanhóis vai ainda mais longe e antevê que, se o Governo autorizar o anti-inflamatório, também as populações de águias possam vir a sofrer danos irreparáveis. Coordenados em Portugal pela Universidade de Aveiro (UA), os cientistas já estão no terreno para apresentarem ao Governo as provas de que o medicamento que na década de 90 quase extinguiu o abutre no sul da Ásia pode trazer para Portugal um cenário igualmente negro para as aves.

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  • Professor Amadeu Soares invited to be member of the ACWA Advisory Council

    Published in 25/5/2017

    15/05/2017Amadeu Soares, director of the Department of Biology (DBio) at the University of Aveiro (UA) and vice-coordinator of the Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), was invited to be member of the Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets (ACWA) Advisory Council. The University of Calgary’s ACWA Research Facility, embedded within the City of Calgary’s Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Centre, bridges the research gap between bench/pilot-scale testing and applications used in full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants. ACWA replicates real-world situations and enables research that cannot be performed elsewhere in the world.Members of the Council will play a crucial role in providing expert guidance to help to realize the potential of this world-class research facility.  More details: http://ucalgary.ca/acwa/ACWA: because everyone’s drinking water is someone else’s wastewater

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  • Innovative research with the participation of a CESAM biologist

    Published in 16/5/2017

    15/05/2017Scottish badgers 'alert' to environmental changeA new collaborative study between the Universities of Aveiro & CESAM (by the researcher Miguel Rosalino), Lisbon (cE3c), Uppsala (Sweden) and Oxford (WildCRU, UK) has shown that environmental preferences of Scottish badgers depend on the climatic context. These results reinforce the need to consider synergistic effects on the ecological response of species to environmental and anthropogenic changes in the planning, management and conservation of species.The study is available in the journal Diversity and Distributions (Silva, AP, Curveira-Santos, G., Kilshaw, K., Newman, C., Macdonald, DW, Simões, LG, & Rosalino, LM (2017). Climate and anthropogenic factors determine site occupancy in Scotland''s Northern-range badger population: implications of context-dependent responses under environmental change).More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=50316

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  • Nádia Santos and Cátia Santos among the Famelab finalists

    Published in 11/5/2017

    5/05/2017Nádia Santos and Cátia Santos, University of Aveiro (UA), are among the 12 finalists of FameLab, the most famous science communication contest in the world. The students, from the Master in Molecular Biotechnology and PhD in Biology (DBIO / CESAM), respectively, will be present in the national final that will take place on May 14, at 4:00 p.m., in the Pavilion of Knowledge - Centro Ciência Viva, Parque das Nações, Lisbon.More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=50338

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  • Carlos Fonseca, DBIO / CESAM - How does is the maternal love manifested in animas?

    Published in 11/5/2017

    5/05/5017The maternal instinct is not exclusive to the human species. Animals are good examples of tenderness, dedication and unconditional love of females towards their baby animals. Professor Carlos Fonseca, from DBIO/CESAM explains how does it manifest.More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=50329&lg=pt

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  • CESAM wins Scientia Mare Award

    Published in 23/8/2017

    26/04/2017CESAM won the Scientia Mare Award. Attributed by PwC Portugal, the Scientia Mare Award recognises the excellence and merit of this Ressearch Unit producing significant advances in the understanding of the aquatic environment or that promote blue innovation.The award was presented during the Execellens Mare 2017 Awards Ceremony on April 22 at the Figueira da Foz Arts and Entertainment Center.Vídeo of Gala Excellens Mare 2017.http://www.pwc.pt/en/issues/excellens-mare-awards/2017/videos.html More details: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49958

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  • CESAM wins Scientia Mare Award

    Published in 23/8/2017

    26/04/2017CESAM won the Scientia Mare Award. Attributed by PwC Portugal, the Scientia Mare Award recognises the excellence and merit of this Ressearch Unit producing significant advances in the understanding of the aquatic environment or that promote blue innovation.The award was presented during the Execellens Mare 2017 Awards Ceremony on April 22 at the Figueira da Foz Arts and Entertainment Center.Vídeo of Gala Excellens Mare 2017.http://www.pwc.pt/en/issues/excellens-mare-awards/2017/videos.html More details: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49958

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  • “No biochar benefit for temperate zone crop yields” says new report with CESAM contribution

    Published in 26/4/2017

    26/04/2017For years, biochar has been promoted as a soil additive to increase crop yields. A new study casts doubt on that view, finding that biochar only improves crop growth in the tropics, with no yield benefit at all in the temperate zone. The team of researchers, including from CESAM, gathered data from more than 1,000 empirical observations conducted around the world, each measuring the effect of biochar on crop yield. Then, they used meta-analysis, an advanced statistical technique that analyses many studies at the same time, to test whether the beneficial effect of biochar addition depends on geography.The report has been published, open access, in Environmental Research Letters.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=50223

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  • Mónica Amorim, Principal Researcher at DBio/CESAM, published in Natures’ Scientific Reports

    Published in 26/4/2017

    26/04/2017Mónica Amorim, Principal Researcher at DBio/CESAM, published in Natures’ Scientific Reports “Variation-preserving normalization unveils blind spots in gene expression profiling.”“(…) We have found that variation in gene expression is much larger than currently believed, and that it can be measured with available assays. Our results also explain, at least partially, the reproducibility problems encountered in transcriptomics studies. We expect that this improvement in detection will help efforts to realize the full potential of gene expression profiling, especially in analyses of cellular processes involving complex modulations of gene expression."For more information: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep42460

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  • Sessão pública de apresentação e discussão das candidaturas para o cargo de Coordenador Científico de CESAM

    Published in 5/4/2017

    6/04/2017A sessão pública de apresentação e discussão das candidaturas para o cargo de Coordenador Científico de CESAM realiza-se na próxima sexta-feira, dia 7 de abril, no anfiteatro do Departamento de Educação e Psicologia da Universidade de Aveiro, com o seguinte programa:10:00 - 10:30  Apresentação da candidatura de Henrique José de Barros Brito Queiroga10:30 - 11:00  Discussão da candidatura de Henrique José de Barros Brito Queiroga11:00 - 11:30  Pausa para café11:30 - 12:00  Apresentação da candidatura de Ana Isabel Lillebø Batista12:00 - 12:30  Discussão da candidatura de Ana Isabel Lillebø Batista

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  • Project of Rute Costa (CESAM/DBio) - colored rings on seagulls confirm successful bird rehabilitation

    Published in 31/3/2017

    28/03/2017It is one of the long-life rehabilitation seabird monitoring projects in Portugal. Since 2013 more than 130 wounded seagulls that have entered in the Marine Mammals Rehabilitation Center (CRAM) of Quiaios or ECOMARE were tagged with colored washers, a ringing technique that allows animals to be identified by sighting without recapture. This successful project, coordinated by Rute Costa, a biologist at CESAM/DBio, has already enabled seagulls to be followed from Morocco to northern Europe.More information in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49924  

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  • Project of Rute Costa (CESAM/DBio) - colored rings on seagulls confirm successful bird rehabilitation

    Published in 31/3/2017

    28/03/2017It is one of the long-life rehabilitation seabird monitoring projects in Portugal. Since 2013 more than 130 wounded seagulls that have entered in the Marine Mammals Rehabilitation Center (CRAM) of Quiaios or ECOMARE were tagged with colored washers, a ringing technique that allows animals to be identified by sighting without recapture. This successful project, coordinated by Rute Costa, a biologist at CESAM/DBio, has already enabled seagulls to be followed from Morocco to northern Europe.More information in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49924  

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  • Research study from José Alves (DBio/CESAM): Already on a diet thinking about summer?

    Published in 30/3/2017

    24/03/2017How is the transformation of coastal wetlands into rice fields in Portugal changing the diet of the birds that spend the winter there? Is this change damaging your migratory flights to northern Europe? The biologist José Alves from DBio/CESAM fears that this alterations may, in fact, affect the flight plans of these birds. This unprecedented study of wild birds was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Exeprimental Biology.More information on: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49870Video of 35 thousand limosa limosa in the rice fields of the Tagus recorded in February 2017:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg_iafx6hqoVideo of a limosa limosa marked with colored washers and a satellite transmitter in Portugal in February of 2015 (named "Alcochete"), recorded last March 20 at its reproduction place in the Netherlands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt3knPo8egALink to the website of Limosa limosa tracking with transmitters where the position of the bird "Alcochete" can be seen: http://volg.keningfanegreide.nl/?lang=en

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  • UA publishes study on photodynamic therapy in blood disinfection

    Published in 30/3/2017

    23/03/2017Two research groups from the Departments of Chemistry and Biology/CESAM of UA, which have been working for 10 years on the development of alternative strategies to antibiotics, have published an article in Future Medicinal Chemistry. As widely promoted in the media, the number of bacteria multiresistant to the current antibiotics that threatens global public health is increasing. In fact, these bacteria are currently responsible for more than 700 000 annual deaths, a number which, if nothing is done, could increase to 10 million deaths by 2050.More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49895

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  • Irina Gorodetskaya (CESAM/DFis) - Discovering the Atmospheric Rivers of Antarctica

    Published in 29/3/2017

    22/03/2017Irina returned a few days ago from Antarctica, an immense land of a mysterious white that touch her every times she returns there. Researcher at CESAM and Department of Physics, Irina Gorodetskaya has devoted the last years of her life to the study of the climate and water cycle at the southernmost point of the planet and, in particular, the role of atmospheric rivers in Antarctic precipitation. Among the collected data, she also brought in her eyes of the beauty of a stunning land.Detailed travel description in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49850

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  • UA receives a visit from Researchers of the Korean Maritime Institute (KMI)

    Published in 20/3/2017

    17/03/2017Dr. Jungho NAM, Director of KMI's Sea Policy Division, South Korea, and three Researchers from his team visited the University of Aveiro, under the scope of his collaboration with the DBio & CESAM, in the context of the operationalization of the concept of services provided by marine ecosystems in maritime spatial planning.The Marine Policy Division of this Institute conducts research in the areas of integrated coastal zone management, management and conservation of marine ecosystems, adaptation to climate changes, maritime spatial planning, among others, being responsible for the scientific based knowledge of support to the framework of the national marine and maritime policies.The purpose of the visit was to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions, in particular in the context of the ongoing research at the UA Research and Technology Transfer Centre dedicated to Sea issues, ECOMARE.Mais infiormação: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=49761

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  • CESAM pilot project monitors coastal erosion at Praia de Mira

    Published in 21/3/2017

    14/03/2017The University of Aveiro and the Municipality of Mira signed a cooperation protocol that will allow real-time monitoring of coastal erosion and return streams in Praia de Mira. Coordinated by CESAM, the pilot project of video-monitoring of the coastline will allow to recognize dangerous currents and the beach occupation rate and predict the erosion of the dunes.Named as Sea Floor Topography Ranging Technique (SeaRangTech), the project includes a prototype of relatively inexpensive coastal video monitoring, when compared to commercial solutions, fully assembled at UA. This system, as explained by Paulo Baptista, coordinator of SeaRangTech and Researcher at CESAM, "aims to obtain data on the beach morphology and hydrodynamics of the wave zone, with high temporal resolution, through the acquisition of information almost continuously in time, in a beach domain with several hundred meters in length."More information: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=49732

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  • Research study from Sónia Rodrigues (DQ/CESAM) published in a Tutorial Review

    Published in 10/3/2017

    10/03/2017Sónia Rodrigues, Researcher at DQ/CESAM, published in a Tutorial Review "Nanotechnology for sustainable food production: promising opportunities and scientific challenges" in the journal Environmental Science: Nano (IF 5.896).Full paper: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/en/c6en00573j/unauth#!divAbstract

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  • Researcher at DFis and CESAM integrates expedition in Antarctica

    Published in 20/2/2017

    20/02/2017Irina Gorodetskaya, Researcher at DFis and CESAM, is aboard the research vessel Akademik Tryoshnikov on a mission in the Southern Ocean since 22/01/2017, participating in a project dedicated to the study of the role of precipitation in the Southern Ocean integrated in the team of the Swiss Polar Institute. Irina is working on her own Project (supported by the Portuguese Polar Program) on the atmospheric rivers in Antarctica.More details in:Expedition website: http://spi-ace-expedition.ch/Irina Blog: http://polarua.blogspot.pt/Masha Blog: http://circumantarctic.blogspot.pt/

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  • Ricardo Calado headed the team of editors responsible for the publication of Marine Ornamental Species Aquaculture

    Published in 20/2/2017

    Ricardo Calado, Principal Researcher at Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, headed the team of editors responsible for the publication of Marine Ornamental Species Aquaculture (Wiley-Blackwell). This book collects into a single work the most up-to-date information currently available on the aquaculture of marine ornamental species. In its 712 pages is possible to find the contribution of more than 50 leading scientists and experts on different topics relevant for the aquaculture of the most emblematic groups of organisms traded for reef aquariums (including the world famous Nemo and Dory, as well as threatened organisms such as corals and seahorses). Marine Ornamental Species Aquaculture is a key reference for scientists and academics in research institutes and universities, public and private aquaria, as well as for hobbyists. The culture of marine ornamental species is also analysed from a business oriented perspective, highlighting the risks and opportunities of commercial scale aquaculture of marine ornamentals.This book positions CESAM among the leading research centres addressing the aquaculture of marine ornamental species, simultaneously contributing to species diversification in marine aquaculture and the preservation and sustainable use of tropical coral reefs.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49434

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  • CESAM/DBio researcher co-organizes the International Conference on Radar Aeroecology

    Published in 15/2/2017

    15/02/2017Dr. José Alves, CESAM/DBio, is one of the organizers of “1st International Conference on Radar Aeroecology: applications and perspectives”. The organizing team is composed by researchers from five other institutions: University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Swiss Ornithological Institute (Switzerland), University of Haifa (Israel), University of Exeter (UK) and Technosmart (Italy), whom will bring together biologists, meteorologists and aeroecologists from academic, conservation and governmental organisations, to explore how radar tracking can help addressing key questions regarding animal movement on the atmosphere and its implications for conservation and management, for example issues of fly-safety.Despite radars being used for decades to detect animal movement, only recently has computational power and technological advances for data analysis, unravelled the potential and opportunities for using radars on a large scale in applied and fundamental issues of aeroecology - see example here: http://enram.github.io/bird-migration-flow-visualization/viz/2/nl-be/index.htmlThis conference will bring together experts working with different radar technologies and different species (birds, insects, bats) to present state-of-the-art research on radar aeroecology and to discuss future challenges.The Conference is an initiative of ENRAM (European Network for the Radar surveillance of Animal Movement - www.enram.eu ) and will take place in Rome on the 23rd and 24th of February 2017.Conference website for more details: https://conferencedetails-enram.rhcloud.com/

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  • PRÍNCIPE VAI ACOLHER O 4º CONGRESSO INTERNACIONAL DE EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL DOS PAÍSES E COMUNIDADES DE LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA

    Published in 7/2/2017

    Sob lema: A Terra é uma ilha – A Educação Ambiental como resposta às fragilidades e como contributo para viver nos seus limites, o IV Congresso de Educação Ambiental dos Países de Comunidades de Língua Portuguesa, visa a partir de uma pequena ilha de 142km de cerca de 10 mil habitantes, encontrar soluções ambientais aplicáveis no contexto planetário.Mais informações: http://www.ealusofono.org/index.php

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  • Henrique Queiroga, Professor of DBio/CESAM, interviewed in the Portugal Direct program of Antena 1

    Published in 5/4/2017

    26/1/2017Henrique Queiroga, Professor of DBio / CESAM, analise the relationship between marine protected areas on our coast and the way they are working (as a network or as isolated sites). This study, led by Henrique Queiroga, was carried out by UA researchers through the route of mussel larvae. The interview was broadcast on January 16, in the Portugal Direct program of Antena 1. Watch the interview podcast HERE.

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  • Alexandra Monteiro, DAO / CESAM Researcher, writes about particulate air pollution

    Published in 25/1/2017

    25/1/2017Can a sunny day be a health risk?Alexandra Monteiro, Researcher at DAO and CESAM, explains how the combination of the current atmospheric conditions and the common habit of lighting the fireplace at home to resist the cold weather can generate risk situations for all of us.These cold winter days (full of sun and little wind) are usually associated with weather conditions characterized by high atmospheric stability that favor the low dispersion of pollutants and their accumulation. If we add to these conditions large emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere we will have the ideal recipe for a serious problem of poor air quality with risks to human health.Several air quality stations throughout Portugal have measured particle concentrations well above the limit values ​​set by legislation for the protection of human health over the last few days. The peaks of particles recorded during the night-time suggest us that the cause and the emitting source comes from residential combustion, namely from our fireplaces. This high value is explained by the unrealistic and uncertified conditions in which this burning occurs (incomplete combustion, impurities fuel, etc.).There are several steps we can take without compromising our comfort. The first can start with the choice of biomass used in the firing, with options in the market, such as pellets, that allow the reduction of the emission of particles. The replacement or adaptation of the conventional fireplace by a certified installation is another. In addition, the choice of the most suitable days to light the fireplace will always be our decision (and the weather forecast).More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49186&lg=pt

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  • Prof. Luis Menezes Pinheiro will be a speaker in a High-level discussion at the European Parliament

    Published in 25/1/2017

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    25/01/2017Prof. Luis Menezes Pinheiro, from Department of Geosciences and CESAM, was invited by the European Parliament’s Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas Intergroup to be a speaker in the conference “International Ocean Governance. An agenda for the future of our oceans", which will take place on 30th January, from 15:00 to 17:00 at the European Parliament.In the context of the European Commission Communication on International Ocean Governance, the European Parliament’s Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas Intergroup has taken the initiative to organize this conference in presence of Commissioner Karmenu Vella.This seminar will bring together representatives of the maritime communities, the European institutions, to reflect the next steps to develop a strong European position on international ocean governance.

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  • Workshop “Contribuições do CESAM para a valorização inteligente do mar”

    Published in 25/1/2017

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    24/01/2017January 27th, Amphitheater of Building III at University of Aveiro (Building of the former Rectory) On January 27th, will be held the Workshop "Contributions of CESAM for the intelligent valorization of the sea", aimed at all potential stakeholders in the academic and business world. This workshop will consist of 3 thematic sessions, each one with three to four presentations. At the end of the workshop, a Round Table will be organized to discuss the relevance of the covered topics and the funding opportunities and frameworks in the priority areas of the H2020 program, Mar2020 Operational Program and the RIS3 Intelligent Specialization Strategy of Center 2020.The purpose of this discussion is to promote the dissemination of knowledge created in CESAM in the area of ​​the Sea, the establishment of possible partnerships, and the dissemination of funding opportunities in this area (Program Here).

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  • Workshop “Contribuições do CESAM para a valorização inteligente do mar”

    Published in 25/1/2017

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    24/01/2017January 27th, Amphitheater of Building III at University of Aveiro (Building of the former Rectory) On January 27th, will be held the Workshop "Contributions of CESAM for the intelligent valorization of the sea", aimed at all potential stakeholders in the academic and business world. This workshop will consist of 3 thematic sessions, each one with three to four presentations. At the end of the workshop, a Round Table will be organized to discuss the relevance of the covered topics and the funding opportunities and frameworks in the priority areas of the H2020 program, Mar2020 Operational Program and the RIS3 Intelligent Specialization Strategy of Center 2020.The purpose of this discussion is to promote the dissemination of knowledge created in CESAM in the area of ​​the Sea, the establishment of possible partnerships, and the dissemination of funding opportunities in this area (Program Here).

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  • Deer: after extinction there are more than 3000 in the region of Serra da Lousã - Reintroduction program of DBIO/CESAM stopped extinction

    Published in 25/1/2017

    13/1/2017There are over 3000 deer living wild in the Serra da Lousã and surrounding areas. Descendants of about a hundred animals reintroduced in the mountain in the late 1990s, at a time when the species was extinct in Lousã since the mid-nineteenth century, the balance of reintroduction, coordinated by the Wildlife Unit (WLU) of the Department of Biology and CESAM at UA, makes this one of the greatest national and European successes among programs for the promotion and conservation of biodiversity.The biologists involved in this program ensure that "the deer is nowadays definitely an ex-libris of the entire Serra da Lousã, having a strong economic, hunting and tourist potential." Twenty years later, "the results obtained demonstrate that the deer reintroduction in Serra da Lousã was a success, not only for its biological and ecological sustainability, but also for the increase in the population number and distribution area," says Carlos Fonseca.More information in:http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=49097https://www.publico.pt/2017/01/13/ecosfera/noticia/na-serra-da-lousa-ha-mais-de-tres-mil-veados-programa-de-reintroducao-travou-extincao-do-animal-1758207

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  • Olga Ameixa analyse the effect of the saline contamination of the agricultural soils

    Published in 5/9/2018

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    19/12/2016Olga Ameixa, researcher at DBio and CESAM and coordinator of the RESTORE Project, evaluate the effect of climate changes on coastal areas, particularly on the effects of saline contamination of the soils of the “Baixo Vouga Lagunar” agricultural areas. This was one of the main issues highlighted in the Click emission of 17th of November, the UA radio program transmitted on Saturdays after the 3pm news on Antena 1, integrated in the program " Dias do Futuro ".http://www.rtp.pt/play/p384/e265262/click (after minute 8)

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  • Olga Ameixa analyse the effect of the saline contamination of the agricultural soils

    Published in 5/9/2018

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    19/12/2016Olga Ameixa, researcher at DBio and CESAM and coordinator of the RESTORE Project, evaluate the effect of climate changes on coastal areas, particularly on the effects of saline contamination of the soils of the “Baixo Vouga Lagunar” agricultural areas. This was one of the main issues highlighted in the Click emission of 17th of November, the UA radio program transmitted on Saturdays after the 3pm news on Antena 1, integrated in the program " Dias do Futuro ".http://www.rtp.pt/play/p384/e265262/click (after minute 8)

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  • Olga Ameixa analyse the effect of the saline contamination of the agricultural soils

    Published in 5/9/2018

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    19/12/2016Olga Ameixa, researcher at DBio and CESAM and coordinator of the RESTORE Project, evaluate the effect of climate changes on coastal areas, particularly on the effects of saline contamination of the soils of the “Baixo Vouga Lagunar” agricultural areas. This was one of the main issues highlighted in the Click emission of 17th of November, the UA radio program transmitted on Saturdays after the 3pm news on Antena 1, integrated in the program " Dias do Futuro ".http://www.rtp.pt/play/p384/e265262/click (after minute 8)

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  • Olga Ameixa analyse the effect of the saline contamination of the agricultural soils

    Published in 5/9/2018

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    19/12/2016Olga Ameixa, researcher at DBio and CESAM and coordinator of the RESTORE Project, evaluate the effect of climate changes on coastal areas, particularly on the effects of saline contamination of the soils of the “Baixo Vouga Lagunar” agricultural areas. This was one of the main issues highlighted in the Click emission of 17th of November, the UA radio program transmitted on Saturdays after the 3pm news on Antena 1, integrated in the program " Dias do Futuro ".http://www.rtp.pt/play/p384/e265262/click (after minute 8)

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  • A champion whimbrel capable of flying more than 5500 kilometres without stopping

    Published in 21/3/2017

    6/12/2016A paper published in the latest issue of the Scientific Report journal (Nature group), led by José Alves, a researcher at DBio and CESAM, revealed an unexpected strategy in which whimbrels fly for 5 days and 5 nights over 5500 kilometres over the North Atlantic, from Iceland to West Africa, without a single stop and reaching fastest speeds between 65 and 86 kilometres per hour. This feat is even more incredible if we consider that, in addition to not feeding or moisturizing, they do not glide during the whole trip. José Alves reveals the "surprising" and unknown proof of resistance of this bird.Original paper: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep38154More information in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=48679http://www.wilder.pt/historias/jose-ficou-fascinado-com-a-resistencia-desta-ave/Porto Canal video HERE.

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  • PhD student from DBIO / CESAM nominated as SETAC ambassador

    Published in 12/12/2016

    5/12/2016Diogo Cardoso, a PhD student of the UA Doctoral Program Biology and Ecology of Global Changes, was nominated ambassador of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). The nomination took place during the XIV Brazilian Congress of Ecotoxicology - ECOTOX 2016, which took place in Curitiba, Brazil.Diogo Cardoso has participated in several congresses organized by SETAC, under the scope of his scientific activities led by Susana Loureiro, Professor and Researcher at DBIO and CESAM, and Fred Wrona, Professor at the University of Calgary (Canada), in the research group applEE - Applied Ecology and Ecotoxicology.In this context, he was appointed a student ambassador of SETAC in ECOTOX 2016, and together with Blair Paulik, representative of the SETAC North American students, presented to the Brazilian students the importance of the tripartite activities of SETAC (academia-industry-governmental entities).Mais informações podem ser consultadas em:http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=48635http://globe.setac.org/2016/november/ecotox-student.htmle no vídeo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TmsZESNG4o

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  • Study published in Nature with the participation of José Alves, Biologist of the DBio / CESAM

    Published in 24/11/2016

    24/11/2016Nature’s press release: Animal behaviour: How shorebirds share parental care?When it comes to sharing parental responsibilities, birds adapt their behaviour to take shifts to look after their nests, but this behaviour varies widely between different species, finds a study published online in Nature this week. In most cases, this behaviour circumvents natural circadian rhythms governed by the 24-hour light–dark cycles. Instead, it seems that the shift patterns are driven by anti-predation strategies.The authors analyse data from 729 nests of 32 different shorebird species, monitored over a period of 20 years, to understand how these birds synchronize their daily schedules to take turns in incubating the eggs. Patterns vary widely between species, even under similar environmental conditions. The length of one parent’s incubation bout ranges from 1 to 19 hours, but similarities are observed in closely related species. The way in which the two parents synchronize their rhythms seems to be linked to how the birds fend off predators, the authors note. Birds that actively mob predators tended to have shorter incubation bouts, whereas those that rely on camouflage incubate for longer, presumably to avoid revealing the location of their nests to predators.The variation in synchronized social rhythms observed in these free-living animals is far more diverse than is seen under laboratory conditions and shows that social cues can have a stronger influence on certain behaviours than the circadian clock. More details in:http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=48390https://www.publico.pt/2016/11/24/ciencia/noticia/aves-turnos-parentais-nao-dependem-da-fome-ou-do-frio-mas-do-perigo-1752269Link for the original paper: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature20563

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  • Researcher at CESAM / DBio, co-authored a paper recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases

    Published in 5/12/2016

    23/11/2016Adelaide Almeida, Researcher at CESAM/DBio, co-authored a paper recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, a journal with an Impact Factor of 21.372 (5-Year Impact Factor: 19.297)The work “Photoantimicrobials—are we afraid of the light?” provide a Personal View about the abusive use of conventional antimicrobial drugs, which have been assumed as miraculous cure-alls for the past 80 years, causing increasing antimicrobial drug resistance. As alternative, the authors raise awareness of novel photoantimicrobial technologies that offer a viable substitute to conventional drugs in many relevant application fields, and could thus slow the pace of resistance development. The authors discussed photoantimicrobials (light-activated molecules that act locally via the in-situ production of highly reactive oxygen species) and their uses and prospects for adoption as mainstream clinical antimicrobials in the fight against conventional drug resistance.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=48566&lg=pFull paper: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30268-7

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  • Researchers at CESAM/DAO, co-authored a Review paper listed in the Most Cited Atmospheric Research Articles

    Published in 24/11/2016

    23/11/2016Célia Alves and Ana Vicente, Researchers at CESAM/DAO, co-authored a Review paper listed in the Most Cited Atmospheric Research Articles published since 2011, extracted from ScopusThe paper “Research on aerosol sources and chemical composition: Past, current and emerging issues” provide a quantitative and predictive understanding of atmospheric aerosols, beginning with a historical perspective on the scientific questions regarding atmospheric aerosols over the past centuries, followed by a description of the distribution, sources, transformation processes, and chemical and physical properties as they are currently understood. This review outlines the major open questions and suggestions for future research priorities to narrow the gap between the present understanding of the contribution of both anthropogenic and biogenic aerosols to radiative forcing resulting from the spatial non-uniformity, intermittency of sources, unresolved composition and reactivity. More details in the full paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169809512003237

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  • International experts recommend more knowledge about marine recreational fisheries

    Published in 13/2/2018

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    21/11/2016A group of 40 international experts met last weekend in Vigo (Spain) and concluded that there is an urgent need to increase knowledge about recreational fishing on the Iberian Atlantic coast by collecting ecological, social and economic data related to this fishery. Experts also recommend the cration of bridges by administrations to strengthen relations between this sector, managers, professional fishing and science.The Director for Fisheries of the Government of Galicia, Juan Maneiro, inaugurated the 1st workshop on recreational fishing on the Iberian Atlantic coast, which took place on 11 and 12 November in Bouzas, Vigo, Spain. This workshop was attended by 40 experts, including Dr. Cristina Pita (CESAM / DAO), other scientists, members of different administrations, professional and recreational fishermen, representatives of ONGAs and other collectives.As a conclusion, the experts were in favour of promoting the association and training of recreational fishermen to promote initiatives of collaboration with scientists and to reduce conflicts with other users of the coastal ecosystems. They also recommended revising legislation (in Spain), harmonizing the data collection regime and increasing the participation of recreational fishermen in decision-making.This workshop was organized by Federación Gallega de Pesca Marítima Responsable y Náutica de Recreo, WWF-Espanha, Federación Gallega de Actividades Subacuáticas, International Forum for Sustainable Underwater Activities, and Universities of Santiago de Compostela, Minho e Aveiro, being supported by Xunta de Galicia, Confederación Española de Pesca Recreativa Responsable and Federación Galega de Confrarías de Pescadores.More information: www.taller.verdeprofundo.nethttp://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=48410&lg=pt

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  • Researcher of CESAM participates in a symposium in Korea

    Published in 11/11/2016

    11/11/2016Ana Lillebø, CESAM Researcher, was invited by the Korean Maritime Institute to participate in the '4th International Symposium and Workshop on Marine Ecosystem Services and Marine Spatial Planning & Management' held in Seoul.Asian countries have been establishing over the past decades legal and institutional mechanisms for sustainable development. Under this scope, for example, KMI (Korea Maritime Institute), in very close collaboration with PEMSEA (Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia), has organized international workshop on marine ecosystem services and its application to MSP since 2013.In this symposium, occurred between 27-28 October, invited experts from East Asian and western countries shared experiences and knowledge, and discuss issues and future direction to incorporate the ecosystem service-based marine spatial planning with clear benefits to the global society.

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  • Unprecedented research from DAO/CESAM studies the effect of biochar in vineyards

    Published in 9/11/2016

    08/11/2016A group of scientists from UA are trying to use biochar for the first time to combat soil erosion in a vineyard in Amoreira Gandara, Anadia. This unprecedented work intends to identify how this type of biomass-produced coal can improve water infiltration of the soil in vineyards.This research has been conducted by the 'Earth Surface Processes (ESP) team' (Earth Surface Process research team), a CESAM researchers team led by Jacob Keizer. This work is part of the project "Mediterranean Agricultural Soils Conservation under Global Change (MASCC)", funded by FCT under the ARIMNET program, with João Pedro Nunes as Main Researcher from the Portuguese team.With the incorporation of biochar in the soil, ESP team expects a reduction in the water flow by 10 to 50 percent and a reduction of 20 to 60 percent in the soil erosion. This percentages, according to the researchers, "mean that more water will be stored in the soil after rainfall, a fact that can benefit both the vineyard and the quality of watercourses".The study of the use of biochar in agricultural production in Portugal is now taking the first steps through an interdisciplinary team of researchers from DAO, DBio and CESAM.More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=48160

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  • Publication from the departments of Biology, Physics and CESAM selected to be published by the Science for Environment Policy

    Published in 9/11/2016

    3/11/2016A publication from the UA department of Biology, Physics and CESAM, partnering with the University of Melbourne was selected to be published by the Science for Environment Policy, an information service provided by the European Commission’s Directorate-General Environment. This EU service carefully selects quality environmental research for evidence-based policy to connect researchers and policymakers, offering accessible summaries with the most up-to-date environmental research findings required to design and put into practice effective policies. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/newsalert.htmThis study used the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis to investigate connectivity between the Berlengas and Arrábida MPAs in Portugal, both of which are part of the Natura 2000 network of protected sites in Europe. The chemistry of mussel shells was used to trace the dispersal routes for larval mussels, demonstrating that the Arrábida MPA is an important source population in the area. Results from this study support the measures in the 2005 management plan for the MPA, which prohibited trawling, dredging and bivalve harvesting to preserve its role as a nursery for many marine species. Direct measures of habitat connectivity can be a powerful tool to inform policymakers on the conservation and management of networks of protected areas in coastal marine ecosystems. Source: Gomes, I., Peteiro, L.G., Albuquerque, R., Nolasco, R., Dubert, J., Swearer, S.E. & Queiroga, H. (2016) Wandering mussels: using natural tags to identify connectivity patterns among Marine Protected Areas. Marine Ecology Progress Series. DOI: 10.3354/meps11753More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=48170

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  • FUEGORED 2016 international conference, 23 to 26 November, University of Aveiro

    Published in 2/11/2016

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    2/11/2016FUEGORED 2016 International Conference23 to 26 November 2016, University of AveiroThe FUEGORED 2016 International Conference will be held from 24 to 26 November 2016, at University of Aveiro, and includes two days of technical visits and one day of seminar for scientists to present their works and discuss their ideas on different topics related to post-fire land management and also the effects of post-fire on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.Please find the Presentations detailed program attached.All the information is available at the meeting's website: http://fuegored2016.web.ua.pt/

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  • UA Spin-off is one of 12 Portuguese funded by the European Program for SMEs

    Published in 2/11/2016

    28/10/2016Competition of SME Instrument Program received nearly 2000 applications from 40 countries.After being awarded by the seal of excellence of the European Commission, under Horizon 2020 Program, the spin-off DNA TRUSTAG, born at the University of Aveiro (UA), was funded with 50,000 euros in Phase 1 of the SME Instrument Competition within another area of ​​the same program. This spin-off was one of 12 Portuguese funded from almost 2,000 candidates from 40 countries.The European Commission's seal of excellence have already certificated the innovative nature and the commercialization potential of this technology developed in the Department of Biology and CESAM, with a registered patent with the support from the Technology Transfer Unit of UA (UATEC), and licensed by the DNA TRUSTAG company. Now it is funded through the same program of the Commission, the SME Instrument, dedicated to supporting SMEs, and after an application of the business plan to the security area of ​​this program.The technology that enables the production of unique DNA codes presented by this spin-off was one of the applications with best score in the context of a highly competitive competition. Newton Gomes and Francisco Coelho form the hands-on team of this spin-off.More details:http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=48060

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  • Researchers from UA study dispersion of sludge after the tragedy of Rio Doce

    Published in 3/11/2016

    21/10/2016Research of Estuarine and Coastal Modeling Center from Department of PhysicsBuilt to accommodate waste from the iron mines of the Mariana region, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, the Fundão barrage rupture in 2015 caused one of the biggest environmental disasters in Brazil. The mud released by the disaster struck the Rio Doce and, and through this the Atlantic, with consequences that can only now be quantified. An important help to realize the real impact of the tragedy reached from the University of Aveiro, by satellite images analysis and by the development of a numerical model that simulates the spread of fluvial water in the Atlantic.This work, one of the first to be held on the tragedy of Rio Doce, involved researchers Renato Mendes and João Miguel Dias from Estuarine and Coastal Modeling Center from Department of Physics / CESAM in partnership with researchers Martin Marta-Almeida (former UA student and researcher), Fabiola Amorim from Federal University of Espirito Santo (also a former UA student and researcher) and Mauro Cirano from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.Since its publication in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, the most prestigious magazine on marine pollution, this joint work between Portuguese and Brazilian researchers was several weeks among the most read articles published by UA and was the most widely read from CESAM.More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=47997

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  • Jacob Keiser and Nelson Abrantes analyze the impact of fires

    Published in 17/10/2016

    14/10/2016Since the beginning of the year more than 160 thousand hectares of forest were consumed by fires, and the burned area more than doubled compared to 2015. After fighting the fires, with the temperature drop, it’s time to look at what's left. This was one of the main issues highlighted in the Click emission of 15th of October, the UA radio program transmitted on Saturdays after the 3pm news on Antena 1. In this edition, we hear the opinion of Jacob Keiser and Nelson Abrantes, experts of DAO and CESAM, on the impact of fires on land, water systems, biodiversity and ways to prevent erosion. More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47939&lg=pt

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  • Portuguese Dolphins have the largest concentrations of mercury in Europe

    Published in 22/11/2016

    19/09/2016Dolphins in Portuguese coast have the highest levels of mercury in the body when compared to populations in the rest of the European coast. The amount of this highly toxic heavy metal, whose values present ​​in national populations of dolphins were investigated by a team of UA biologists, is only surpassed by the same species that live on the shores of the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. This research gives an alert and says that we may be facing a "potential problem associated with mercury in the marine ecosystem in Portugal." Researchers point out that the main mercury and other chemical pollutants inlet by dolphins occurs by swallowing. Sylvia Monteiro, biologist at DBio/CESAM, points out that "some of the main prey of these dolphins are important commercial species, representing food often ingested by humans." Silvia Monteiro recalls that "there are already several studies showing that exposure to heavy metals affects the development and growth in neurological processes and reproductive success, and may cause mutagenic changes, immunosuppression and liver and kidney damage. "More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47676

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  • Work developed by DAO/CESAM researchers concerning forest fires and recovery of burning areas on published "Rede Rural Nacional" newsletter

    Published in 22/11/2016

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    16/09/2016The work "Scientific study on water erosion following forest fires", carried out by the CESAM Laboratory of Eco-Hydrology, was recently published in the Informative Sheet of the Rural Network journal - No. 70 - September 2016 - Special Forest. This is a special edition dedicated to good forest management practices.The team of the Eco-HydrologyLaboratory is presently conducting a scientific study, under field conditions, to test the effectiveness of the application of a layer of forest residues from the cutting of eucalyptus on recently burned soil as a protection action against water erosion.Newsletter: http://www.rederural.pt/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=archive&task=view&mailid=13&key=cFknVd8k&subid=1440-IwYimpDHim4t2W&tmpl=component&Itemid=224

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  • DBIO / CESAM leads European project of forestry education

    Published in 15/9/2016

    14/09/2016Management of sustainable forest is the aim of the most recent international partnership led by UA biologistsFOREST-IN: INovative and Educational INformation for the Sustainable FOREST Management by Smallholders is the new European project recently approved for DBIO, UA. The Community funding, which exceeds 320,000 euros, was obtained by the Erasmus + program, the European Commission financial instrument of Education. In this case, the forest education of all actors in the forestry universe, from small forest owners and technicians to large makers, will be the main focus of this mission that will last for three years.FOREST-IN project emerged from the need to create an agreement platform to unite the various forestry agents from Portugal, Spain and France, which usually face similar forest problems. In these countries, the predominance of private forest property, of small dimensions and mostly under the non-technical proprietary management, lead to the proliferation of practices that sometimes threaten the integrity and forest productivity and affect the ecosystem services as a whole, being urgent to share good practices and to promote forestry education.More information:http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47643

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  • MARSH-C-LEVEL Project - Final Seminar at 29th September

    Published in 22/11/2016

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    13/09/2016UA researchers present conclusions of the project about sapal evolution in RiaWhat changes have occurred in the marshes of Baixo Vouga Lagunar (including juncal and caniçal) in the last decade? What is the importance of the marshes as a carbon sink? Will the carbon storage in the marshes of Baixo Vouga Lagunar be affected by the rise in sea level? These are the fundamental questions to which the project "MARSH-C-LEVEL - Role of the marshes of Baixo Vouga Lagunar in storing carbon as a service of the ecosystem: Effects of sea level rise" intends to respond. The conclusions will be presented at the final seminar of the project, on September 29, at 2:30 p.m., in the Municipal Library of Estarreja.More information about the project at:http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47673    http://www.cesam.ua.pt/index.php?menu=95&tabela=projectosdetail&projectid=648&language=pt

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  • Documentary " Deriva Litoral" showed in Aveirense Theatre

    Published in 13/9/2016

    6/09/2016On 27th September, at 9:30 pm, the documentary "Deriva Litoral" of Sofia Barata with participation of CESAM and Departments of Environment and Planning, Civil Engineering, Physics, and Geosciences will be displayed in Aveirense Theatre.Don't lose it!!

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  • European Commission selects project IMPRINT +, led by DBIO / CESAM, as a reference in the Youth Entrepreneurship

    Published in 6/9/2016

    5/09/2016The project “Imprinting an ecological compensation reasoning on society by means of young citizens - IMPRINT+” was the only Portuguese project selected by the European Commission to integrate a working group on Education for Entrepreneurship. The project, led by the Department of Biology/CESAM, is part of the international strategic partnerships for the School Education, funded by the Erasmus + program.With less than a year, the IMPRINT + project has been positioning itself as a reference project in environmental education and in participatory citizenship in the various countries of the consortium. Now it was the European Commission, which finances the project through the Erasmus+ program, to recognize its relevance in the area of ​​Young Entrepreneurship.IMPRINT+ project aims to promote an environmentally responsible behaviour through games and educational competitions. The primary target audience is children and young people, but the messages are aimed at society as a whole, assuming the mobilizing power of the youngest people to behavioural changes. The innovative character of the project is related to its multidisciplinary approach and to the fact of combining the conservation of natural resources and environmental education with the green entrepreneurship.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47564&utm_content=buffer8b52e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=bu

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  • Lisbon Oceanarium establishes partnership with the UA

    Published in 9/4/2019

    23/08/2016Partnership for the recovery, health and ecology of marine animalsThe University of Aveiro and the Lisbon Oceanarium signed a partnership agreement on  August 19th, consolidating the cooperation that already existed. The document provides a framework for cooperation in the field of marine science applied to rehabilitation, health and ecology of marine animals to be developed at the Centre for Research and Rehabilitation of Marine Animals (CPRAM), an integrated unit of ECOMARE-Laboratory for Innovation and Sustainability of Marine Biological Resources, under UA responsibility.The involvement of the Lisbon Oceanarium in CPRAM activities will broaden the scope of the partnerships that make the ECOMARE possible and that have already involved the Portuguese Wildlife Society, the Port Authority of Aveiro and the Municipality of Ílhavo.ECOMARE will include, in addition to CPRAM, the Centre for Extension and Environmental and Marine Research (CEPAM) and a library of living organisms - Marine Invertebrates and Microbial Simbiontes Library, among other facilities.Mais informação em: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47466

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  • Deriva Litoral - the impact of coastal erosion in Portugal

    Published in 22/11/2016

    26/07/2016" Deriva Litoral - the impact of coastal erosion in Portugal", a documentary co-produced and conducted by Fábrica Centro Ciência Viva and UA, will be presented in world premiere at the Film International Festival of Avanca, between July 27 and July 31. The premiere of this documentary is scheduled for July 30, at 17:00, in the Auditório Paroquial de Avanca.This documentary is based on interviews with researchers from the University of Aveiro, and brings together a wide range of real images, places and facts accompanied by scientific explanations. This is an analysis of the agents that are at the root of the problem and an exercise of reflection on future solutions. The film had the participation of Environment and Planning Department, Civil Engineering Department, Physics Department, Geosciences Department, University of Aveiro and CESAM.This production started from the winter 2013-2014, when the Portuguese coast was battered by heavy storms and prolonged sea waves. Coastal areas were reported for the worst reasons and, in recent years, there has been in Portugal a progressive advance of the sea, exposing the safety of people and properties - the Portuguese beaches are losing sand! For several factors. The information available did not seem to be enough for the understanding of all these phenomena. Make it better and accessible to all of us becomes essential now that scientific community debate the erosion problems and their causes.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47357

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  • Study area covers the entire continental shelf of the European Atlantic

    Published in 24/8/2016

    21/07/2016Biologists at the University of Aveiro participate in aerial census of cetaceansBiologists at the University of Aveiro (UA), Department of Biology (DBIO) and the Center for Research and Rehabilitation of Marine Animals (CPRAM), participated in the cetaceans aerial census campaigns integrated in SCANS III project, held between the 6th and July 14, and attended by the biologists team of LIFE + project MarPro, coordinated by Catarina Eira, a researcher at the DBIO and CESAM, and by biologists of CPRAM-ECOMARE team.The study area covers the entire continental shelf of the European Atlantic from the Strait of Gibraltar to Norway. Simultaneously, they are operating three ships dedicated to monitoring offshore areas and seven aircraft that will sample the area of ​​the continental shelf. In this campaign and for the Iberian Peninsula were sampled 75 routes from the Strait of Gibraltar to the border with the South of France.During this work 376 sightings of cetaceans groups were made, totalling 3870 individuals, with six individual sightings of common turtles.For more information about the SCANS III, visit the official page of SCANS III project.http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47326

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  • Air quality forecast system developed in collaboration with the UA integrates dispersion of dust coming from the desert

    Published in 21/7/2016

    19/07/2016Air quality forecast system is now more completeA dispersion forecasting module in the national territory of desert dust, coming from North Africa, was recently integrated in air quality forecasting system developed under a partnership between the Portuguese Environment Agency and the University of Aveiro (UA) – more precisely, the GEMAC research group of the Department of Environment and Planning. Accordingly, it is possible to make and integrate the forecasting of these natural events, so frequent in Portugal, allowing warnings to the population and avoiding health problems: http://previsao-qar.web.ua.pt/.In addition, summer and the desired sunny days can have a drawback: the quality of the air these days is not always the best ... Nonetheless, with the help of GEMAC Group of DAO/UA, it is possible to predict the quality of the air.The usefulness of this service, with benefits for the general population, could be of particular interest to the most sensitive groups. This is the case of children, the elderly, asthmatics and people with allergies, respiratory diseases or heart problems.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47280&lg=pt

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  • HidroRia: an application to not run aground in the Ria de Aveiro

    Published in 15/7/2016

    14/07/2016HidroRia: an application to not run aground in the Ria de AveiroIt is possible to accurately predict the tides of the Ria de Aveiro. Developed at the University of Aveiro to facilitate fishermen navigation, sightseeing agents or any 'sailor' the estuary, the HidroRia application allows for the first time and through a smartphone, an updated forecast of the tides in real time for the main channels of the lagoon. The new app, whose predictions are made independently without access to mobile networks, will allow to avoid the frequent strandings due to increased tidal range and siltation of few channels, including those that access to marinas and fisheries.Developed by researchers João Miguel Dias, Ana Picado, Carina Lopes and Renato Mendes, the Center for Estuarine modeling and Coastal Department of Physics (DFIs) and CESAM, the HidroRia want to pay a service to users of the Ria de Aveiro that "face enormous difficulties of navigation through various channels of the lagoon."The predictions made by HidroRia application are based on current observations of tide performed in several permanent sampling stations distributed across the main channels of the lagoon and whose data were collected in the Hydrodynamics Monitoring project of Ria de Aveiro running by the Port of Aveiro. More details in:http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47162&lg=pthttps://www.facebook.com/researchUA/?fref=ts

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  • CESAM Day 2016

    Published in 22/11/2016

    10/07/2016CESAM Day 2016CESAM Day was celebrated on 8 July with a shared lunch on the lawn space between the two DAO buildings. This year we had the presence of a Tai Chi instructor from the Confucius Institute of the UA to guide us in a 30 minute 'ZEN' session. The event was kindly sponsored by CAVE CENTRAL DA BAIRRADA and CAFÉ DEL ART.http://www.cavecentraldabairrada.com/http://www.cafedelart.com/

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  • CESAM Day 2016

    Published in 22/11/2016

    10/07/2016CESAM Day 2016CESAM Day was celebrated on 8 July with a shared lunch on the lawn space between the two DAO buildings. This year we had the presence of a Tai Chi instructor from the Confucius Institute of the UA to guide us in a 30 minute 'ZEN' session. The event was kindly sponsored by CAVE CENTRAL DA BAIRRADA and CAFÉ DEL ART.http://www.cavecentraldabairrada.com/http://www.cafedelart.com/

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  • CESAM researchers published in a special issue on fire effects

    Published in 24/8/2016

    5/07/2016CESAM researchers of the Eco-hydrological Lab, published 6 papers in a special issue on fire effects on Land Degradation & Development journal (Impact Factor: 8.145):Special Issue: Advances Towards an Integrated Assessment of Fire Effects on Soils, Vegetation and Geomorphological Processeshttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ldr.v27.5/issuetoc

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  • CASCADE Project Plenary meeting

    Published in 24/8/2016

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    28/06/2016The 5th Plenary meeting of the CASCADE Project took place May 24-28 at the EC’s Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy. The meeting covered research updates from all partners, plans for integration of results, and planning for the final year. In February 2017 there will be a final meeting in Matera, Italy, to share recommendations with stakeholders and policy makers, at both local and EU levels.CASCADE Project partners are completing experiments and modelling to obtain a better understanding of discontinuous shifts, or tipping points, in dryland ecosystems around the Mediterranean. The study sites in parts of dryland Portugal, Spain, Italy, Crete and Cyprus have been used to establish more precisely the details of changes to the soil and plant ecosystems due to forest fires, overgrazing and land abandonment.Research results are presented on the Information System CASCADiS as they become available: http://www.cascadis-project.eu/The Project Deliverables that have been completed may be viewed or downloaded from the project website: http://www.cascade-project.eu/index.php

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  • DNA TRUSTAG, an UA spin-off company founded by researchers from CESAM/DBio, received a Seal of Excellence by the EC

    Published in 15/7/2016

    27/06/2016The UA spin-off DNA TRUSTAG was awarded with the Seal of Excellence by the European Commission within the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (SME instrument). The seal certifies the innovative character and commercialization potential of the technology developed by the CESAM researchers Newton Gomes and Francisco Coelho, in the Laboratory for Molecular Studies of Marine Environments (LEMAM). The technological platform of DNA TRUSTAG enables cost-effective and scalable production of unique DNA tags (impossible to forge), which generate reading signals similar to a barcoded label. The DNA tags are then used to mark and authenticate raw materials and a range of products directly in the production line. DNA TRUSTAG company was founded in January 2016 with the objective to help European and worldwide knowledge-based companies, to protect their intellectual property and fight against the attractiveness of a 'look-alike product' with a cheap price.More details in: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=47188&lg=pt

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  • Best Poster Award in Sciences for CESAM – Research Day 2016

    Published in 27/6/2016

    17/06/2016Rita Bicho was awarded the Best Poster Award in Sciences for the poster:Bicho, RC, Gonçalves, M., Amorim, MJB (2016) Development of novel tools for environmental health assessment - fast screening for long term effects.presented at the Research Day 2016, held at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, June 15, 2016.Rita is a PhD student at CESAM, and has been developing research in the area environmental health assessment in the Stress Biology Group (Ecotoxicogenomics Lab). She has recently published the work presented, e.g. Bicho R.C., Santos F.C.F., Goncalves M.F.M., Soares A.M.V.M., Amorim M.J.B. (2015) Enchytraeid Reproduction Test(PLUS): hatching, growth and full life cycle test-an optional multi-endpoint test with Enchytraeus crypticus. Ecotoxicology. 24, 5, 1053-1063.

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  • NanoFARM kick off meeting held at UA

    Published in 22/11/2016

    13/06/2016The kickoff meeting of the ERA NET SIIN NanoFARM project - Fate and Effects of Agriculturally Relevant Materials, was held at the University of Aveiro on 6 and 8 June. Susana Loureiro (UA coordinator, Department of Biology) and Sónia Rodrigues (Department of Chemistry) organized the meeting held at CESAM which was attended by partners from the Universities of Carnegie Mellon (Greg Lowry, NanoFARM coordinator), Kentucky (Jason Unrine) and Vienna (Frank von der Kammer). Researchers from NERC (Steve Lofts and Marianne Matzke) were also present as observers.The NanoFARM project aims to study the behavior of nanoagrochemicals in soils, and to relate these characteristics to the potential effects and risks to the environment. The project will last 36 months and intends to provide crucial information that will enable the use of nanotechnology in favor of sustainability of agricultural productivity, which is extremely necessary in the context of exponential growth of the world's population.Mais informação em: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=46739

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  • UA shows skills in the field of the sea at Oceans Business Week

    Published in 22/11/2016

    6/06/2016The University of Aveiro was present at the Oceans Business Week exhibition, which took place at the Lisbon Congress Center from 2 to 4 June, reporting on its research and development expertise in the area of ​​the sea and economy of the sea. This is an event organized by the AIP Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of the Sea and highly sponsored by the President of the Republic.The UA stand evidenced the UA institutional structures working in this field: Aveiro Institute for Marine Science and Technology (AIMARE), Technological Platform of the Sea, ECOMARE and CESAM – and their valences.On exhibition were a few specimens from the UA deep-sea research as examples of the wide range of UA research related to the sea.More information: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=46587

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  • RICH DEEP-SEA FAUNA ON POLYMETALLIC NODULES TARGETED FOR MINING

    Published in 26/7/2016

    2/06/2016By highlighting the importance of nodules for the deep-sea biodiversity, scientists involved in the JPI Oceans pilot action on the ecological aspects of deep-sea mining call for criteria for designating preservation zones to be based on robust scientific knowledge.An international group of researchers from Germany (Senckenberg am Meer), Belgium (Ghent University), France (Ifremer), and Portugal (MARE/IMAR-Azores and CESAM/University of Aveiro) has published their results  from a recent research campaign (SO-239, March-April 2015) onboard the new German research vessel SONNE in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ, Central Eastern Pacific) in Nature, demonstrating that polymetallic nodule fields are hotspots of abundance and diversity for a highly vulnerable abyssal fauna.The results of this study underlie the need for careful considerations of strategies for biodiversity conservation. Especially the CCZ area is recently of growing interest for industry because of the high concentration of polymetallic nodules present at abyssal depths. However being one of the remotest areas on earth, very little is known on its biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.The paper shows that the fauna associated with polymetallic nodules is more abundant and diverse than in areas without or only low nodule numbers, a pattern which is consistent across the four areas licensed for nodule exploration which have been visited during SO239. They also provided, for the first time, ecological data from one Area of Particular Environmental Interest (APEI, Number 3) established by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to be safeguarded from mining. Finally, they also report on the high impact and lack of recovery of fauna on 2 trawling tracks and experimental mining simulations up to 37 years old, suggesting that mining impacts may be long-lasting or even permanent. Based on these observations, the researchers argue that preservation zones within mining areas should be established in areas rich in nodules. More information:Nature articleProject website

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  • RICH DEEP-SEA FAUNA ON POLYMETALLIC NODULES TARGETED FOR MINING

    Published in 26/7/2016

    2/06/2016By highlighting the importance of nodules for the deep-sea biodiversity, scientists involved in the JPI Oceans pilot action on the ecological aspects of deep-sea mining call for criteria for designating preservation zones to be based on robust scientific knowledge.An international group of researchers from Germany (Senckenberg am Meer), Belgium (Ghent University), France (Ifremer), and Portugal (MARE/IMAR-Azores and CESAM/University of Aveiro) has published their results  from a recent research campaign (SO-239, March-April 2015) onboard the new German research vessel SONNE in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ, Central Eastern Pacific) in Nature, demonstrating that polymetallic nodule fields are hotspots of abundance and diversity for a highly vulnerable abyssal fauna.The results of this study underlie the need for careful considerations of strategies for biodiversity conservation. Especially the CCZ area is recently of growing interest for industry because of the high concentration of polymetallic nodules present at abyssal depths. However being one of the remotest areas on earth, very little is known on its biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.The paper shows that the fauna associated with polymetallic nodules is more abundant and diverse than in areas without or only low nodule numbers, a pattern which is consistent across the four areas licensed for nodule exploration which have been visited during SO239. They also provided, for the first time, ecological data from one Area of Particular Environmental Interest (APEI, Number 3) established by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to be safeguarded from mining. Finally, they also report on the high impact and lack of recovery of fauna on 2 trawling tracks and experimental mining simulations up to 37 years old, suggesting that mining impacts may be long-lasting or even permanent. Based on these observations, the researchers argue that preservation zones within mining areas should be established in areas rich in nodules. More information:Nature articleProject website

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  • Food Contaminants and Human Health - publicação de livro com participação de membros do CESAM

    Published in 27/6/2016

    15/05/2016As a result from ICFC2015 International Conference on Food Contaminants: challenges in chemical mixtures, the book “Food Contaminants and Human Health – challenges in chemical mixtures” is now available including some extended abstracts written by some invited speakers and also the abstracts presented at the conference.This Conference was organized by Paula Alvito and Ricardo Assunção, CESAM members from INSA, and Susana Loureiro (department of biology & CESAM, University of Aveiro) was one of the invited speakers, along with the participation of several other CESAM members, whose contributions are also available in this book.The book can be assessed through the repository of the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge at http://repositorio.insa.pt//handle/10400.18/3214.

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  • LAUNCH OF THE GLOBAL SOIL BIODIVERSITY ATLAS WITH UA CONTRIBUTIONS

    Published in 27/6/2016

    05/05/2016The Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas is an effort by the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission to raise awareness about the importance of soil biodiversity. It comprises 180 pages with amazing photos, maps, charts, statistics, and shared information that scientists, educators, policy makers, and non-specialists alike can use as a toolkit for knowing and understanding soil biodiversity globally. Key messages of the Atlas are:• Soil biodiversity is extremely diverse in shapes, colours, sizes and functions.• Soil biodiversity supports many services essential to human beings: plant growth, water and climate regulation, and disease control, among others.• Soil biodiversity is increasingly under threat due to several pressures acting on soils.• Interventions to reduce the impact of threats to soil biodiversity are available and should be widely adopted.• Policies to protect and value soil biodiversity are still at an early stage and need to be further developed.Out of the 94 authors from across the world, four are CESAM researchers at the UA. Ana Catarina Bastos and Susana Loureiro from the applied Ecology and Ecotoxicology R&D group (applEE) in the Biology Department, contributed with expertise on environmental biotechnology, including biomonitoring and bioremediation, as provisioning services of soil biodiversity. Frank Verheijen and Jacob Keizer from the Earth Surface Processes (ESP) lab in the Department of Environment & Planning, contributed with expertise about wildfire as a threat to soil biodiversity, and fire management as a way of benefiting soil biodiversity.  

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  • Ana Hilário, Researcher from CESAM/DBIO, gives training in Namibia in the Deep Sea Biology area

    Published in 6/5/2016

    05/05/2016Ana Hilário, UA Biologist, was in Namibia to participate in the organization of a workshop training and knowledge transfer in the area of ​​Deep Sea Biology, organized by Indeep, the international organization that emerged as a result of the "Census of Marine Life" aiming to share scientific knowledge between countries, particularly developing countries.The motivation for this workshop arose from the increasing pressure of mining companies to extract deep sea resources, which will most likely start to happen in the waters of African developing countries and Oceania. "The extraction of minerals from the deep sea is highly attractive to these countries for obvious economic reasons, but it may have excessive environmental costs if done in a not sustainable way," explains Ana Hilário. In many cases, "developing countries do not have the human resources with the necessary training to independently establish commitments between development and sustainability based on economic, social, cultural and ecological realities and priorities of each country."More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=46271

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  • Monica Amorim, CESAM/DBIO Researcher, participated in a meeting of the European Chemicals Agency

    Published in 6/5/2016

    05/05/2016Monica Amorim, researcher from CESAM/DBIO was invited to participate in the "Topical Scientific Workshop on New Approach Methodologies in Regulatory Science" held in ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) on 19 and 20 April in Helsinki, with industry, science and regulators participants.The researcher develops its work in the field of toxicogenomics, optimizing tools and results for risk assessment that allow the evaluation of chemical effects on the organisms genes, i.e., at the level of the mechanisms that precede apical effects. During this workshop it was discussed, for example, how this information can be integrate to be used use in risk assessment and chemicals legislation.ECHA has promoted the discussion of various topics under the (eco)toxicology scope, one of the strong research areas done in the Department of Biology, UA. In October 2015, the Researcher also participated in the "ECHA / EFSA Scientific Topical Workshop on Soil Risk Assessment" that promises to emphasize the "soil" on the European legislation agenda.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=46267&lg=pt

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  • Research work from CESAM/DBio team published in the journal "Fish and Fisheries"

    Published in 4/7/2017

    05/05/2016The work “Marine ornamental fish imports in the European Union: an economic perspective" coordinator by the CESAM/DBio Researcher Ricardo Calado, was recently published in the journal “Fish and Fisheries" (IF: 8.258) currently in the 1st position of 52 in the scientific field of JCR "Fisheries".This work intended to quantify, for the first time, the role of the import of ornamental marine fish for aquariums in the EU (Nemos, Dorys and company), as well as identify the main exporting and importing countries. This work intended to demonstrate that the EU, as an importer of these organisms, play a key role in maintaining this industry, which allows the livelihoods of many impoverished families in the Indo-Pacific area, having also additional responsibilities in promoting a sustainable industry that does not contribute to reefs destruction through the use of destructive fishing techniques such as fishing with cyanide.

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  • Mónica Amorim: UA Researcher of the month

    Published in 22/4/2016

    22/04/2016Mónica Amorim graduated in Biology (1997, Univ. Coimbra), MsC in Ecology (2000), and a PhD in Biology (2004, Univ. Aveiro, split grant between Portugal and Germany). During 2005-6 she worked partly in Belgium and in Portugal, since then as researcher in CESAM, UA.She has established a new international recognised high profile area – ecotoxicogenomics (less than 10 labs in the world) forming her own group, presently comprised by 9 researchers (6 PhD and 3 Post-Docs, all fully funded by FCT or EU, plus MsC and degree students). She already completed the supervision of 4 PhDs, 2 Post-Doc, 5 MsCs and several degree students.Major scientific achievements include high throughput tools based on the transcriptome assembly for soil ecotoxicology model species (Enchytraeus crypticus) i.e. microarray platform [such tools are only available for 2 other soil and 3 aquatic ecotox species]. No such genomic tools were available for soil species, hence this represents a major step forward and with results in terms of understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms to stress. Other molecular tools were also developed e.g. cellular energy allocation, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, oxidative stress biomarkers. These are crucial tools to link responses at various levels of organization towards a systems biology approach.Besides the science activities she has been active in general international promotion of environmental sciences. She was SETAC Europe president (2014-15), the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry is probably the largest worldwide ecotoxicology society (>6000 members); chaired the SETAC Soil Advisory Group (2005-12); coordinates the Post-Graduation course "Practical approach to ecotoxicogenomics" since 2007-14; has been invited to evaluate grants (e.g. from FCT) and project proposals.More details in: http://www.ua.pt/research/page/21170Contact:Dr. Mónica AmorimDepartment of Biology & CESAMUniversidade de AveiroCampus Universitário de Santiago3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

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  • Sunlight destroys antibiotic in marine aquaculture waters - Research from Department of Chemistry and CESAM

    Published in 21/4/2016

    21/04/2016It is called oxytetracycline (OTC) and is one of the antibiotics used in aquaculture to combat a wide variety of infections in fish. If until now the respective removal is made using the diffusion of ozone in the water - an expensive method, inefficient and hazardous compounds generator to health when it comes to saltwater - a team of researchers from UA found that, alternatively, the antibiotic can be effectively destroyed with a simple and free resource: sunlight.The use of antibiotics in national aquaculture has been decreasing in recent years (OTC is one of the few antibiotics authorized in the country for use in aquaculture), and producers are increasingly opting for preventive measures such as vaccination. However, throughout the world there are countries where the use of antibiotics is not as upper and controlled, which, according to the researchers, "increases the potential application of the method" proposed by UA.The work was conducted by PhD student Joanna Leal, under the supervision of Valdemar Esteves and Eduarda Santos, and published in the latest issue of Environmental Pollution, a publication of Elsevier which is a world reference in the field of chemistry applied.More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=46118  

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  • Ecosystem services provided by wetlands: Anthropogenic impacts and Environmental chemistry

    Published in 21/4/2016

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    20/04/2016Advanced WorkshopMay 2-6, 2016This one‐week post‐graduate workshop aims to provide knowledge on the environmental biogeochemical processes supporting the Ecosystem Services (ES) provided by wetlands. Moreover, emphasis will be put on ES assessment endpoints for Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) and also on wetlands management and restoration. The course is addressed to PhD students with a background in Biology, Natural and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Engineering or Ecology.Coordinator: Ana I. Lillebø (DBio & CESAM)Lecture topics• Types of wetlands, ES & Human well­‐being• Biogeochemical processes supporting wetland ES• ES assessment endpoints for Ecological Risk Assessment• Multiple stressors affecting wetlands ES• Wetlands management and restoration

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  • João Carvalho, UA Biologist, published in Nature an alert for invasive species

    Published in 21/4/2016

    19/04/2016João Carvalho, PhD student at Wildlife Unit of the Department of Biology and CESAM, in collaboration with a group of researchers from the University of Porto (UP), published in the latest issue of the prestigious journal Nature one article that exposes the inertia of the European Union face with alien species and alert to the need for cross-border cooperation in the control of wasp-Asian."The number of alien species identified in the European territory exceeds currently the thousands," says João Carvalho. One of the most publicized cases is the wasp-Asian (Vespa velutina nigrithorax). "This species currently occupies a significant area of ​​the Mediterranean Basin, a recognized biodiversity hotspot. Its potential ecological impacts are already recognized by the scientific community. In areas where beekeeping is assumed as an important source of income, the economic impacts of the Asian wasp may be especially severe, "says the researcher.The authors stress the importance of environmental awareness as a tool for conservation of other pollinating insects. The widespread fear of beekeepers and the consequent indiscriminate use of some selective traps are factors that can determine the decline of many other species of pollinators.The article can be found via the link: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v532/n7598/full/532177b.htmlMore information: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=46087

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  • João Carvalho, UA Biologist, published in Nature an alert for invasive species

    Published in 21/4/2016

    19/04/2016João Carvalho, PhD student at Wildlife Unit of the Department of Biology and CESAM, in collaboration with a group of researchers from the University of Porto (UP), published in the latest issue of the prestigious journal Nature one article that exposes the inertia of the European Union face with alien species and alert to the need for cross-border cooperation in the control of wasp-Asian."The number of alien species identified in the European territory exceeds currently the thousands," says João Carvalho. One of the most publicized cases is the wasp-Asian (Vespa velutina nigrithorax). "This species currently occupies a significant area of ​​the Mediterranean Basin, a recognized biodiversity hotspot. Its potential ecological impacts are already recognized by the scientific community. In areas where beekeeping is assumed as an important source of income, the economic impacts of the Asian wasp may be especially severe, "says the researcher.The authors stress the importance of environmental awareness as a tool for conservation of other pollinating insects. The widespread fear of beekeepers and the consequent indiscriminate use of some selective traps are factors that can determine the decline of many other species of pollinators.The article can be found via the link: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v532/n7598/full/532177b.htmlMore information: https://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=46087

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  • CESAM research invited to organize the British Ornithologists’ Union annual conference in 2017.

    Published in 5/4/2016

    5/04/2016Dr. José Alves, CESAM (DBio/UA) member since 2013, is one of the organizers of BOU’s annual conference: “From avian tracking to population processes”. The organizing team is composed by researchers from three other institutions: University of East Anglia (UK), University of Iceland and Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UK), whom will bring together ornithologists and ecologists from academic and conservation organisations, to explore how tracking individuals can help to address key questions about population processes and their implications for conservation and management.Given recent technological breakthroughs in miniaturization, animal tracking has become widespread with incredible new patterns being discovered in recent years. For example, the continuous flight of a migratory wader between Alaska and New Zeeland, traveling 11 000 km without stopping to rest, feed or hydrate. GPS tracking devices can be as light as 5 grams allowing to follow individuals of many species. This conference aims to go beyond patterns and focus on their consequences. Several topics will be covered, including:Dispersal and settlement decisions, trade-offs and fitness consequencesDemography and carry-over effectsPopulation dynamics and migratory connectivityEvolution and ontogeny of movement and migration strategiesConservation and management implications of movement behaviourThe British Ornithologists’s Union (BOU), founded in 1858 is one of the world's oldest and most respected ornithological organisations with an international membership stretching all continents. Under its motto “Advancing Ornithology”, it organizes themed conferences, provides research grants (particularly for Early Career Researchers) and publishes the highest ranking scientific journal in the field, IBIS.http://www.bou.org.uk/conference/tracking-and-populations-2017/

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  • Bacteria discovered by the UA in radioactive sludge has the potential medicine

    Published in 5/4/2016

    4/04/2016It is not just a new bacterial species discovered by an investigating team from the University of Aveiro (UA). The NL19 is a 'super' bacteria that survive in extreme environments, such as the former uranium mine Quinta do Bispo, in Viseu, where it was identified. Isolated from sludge with high concentrations of radioactive metals, UA scientists have discovered that NL19 produces antibacterial that can be used in medicine, veterinary and food industry. The study concerning how this bacterium can be used by the man in the production of other bioactive compounds is already in progress.Baptized by Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory team (LBM) from Department of Biology with the scientific name Pedobacter portucalensis, a new species of the genus Pedobacter, the discovery of NL19 rests like a glove to one of the group's goals: study and discovery of microorganisms able to help Science in the production of new antibacterials.In addition to the characterization of antibacterial produced by this new bacterium is also ongoing evaluation of the important biotechnological potential that the microorganism has as a producer of antifungals, antivirals and anticancer, and other bioactive compounds. The work is being developed by PhD student Claudia Covas and with the collaboration of the postdoctoral researcher Tania Caetano and Pedro Domingues, researcher from Department of Chemistry at UA.More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=45855

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  • Researcher of CESAM will participate and co -chair two thematic sessions on MSEAS 2016 conference

    Published in 22/11/2016

    29/03/2016Dr. Cristina Pita, Researcher of CESAM, will participate in MSEAS Conference 2016 (Understanding marine social- ecological systems: including the human dimension in the ecosystem Ratings Integrated), held in Breste (France) from 30 May to 3 June) and co-chair two Thematic Sessions.The conference MSEAS addresses the theme of Integration and Multiple Evaluation OSU THE SEA, including: fishing, Renewable Energy, Coastal Development, Oil and Gas, Transportation and Conservation. A special emphasis will be given to methodological and empirical challenges involved in the inclusion of human dimensions in ecosystem integrated assessment. The conference has a global character, with special focus on regions that have developed Integrated Management Policies for the sea in recent decades.http://www.ices.dk/news-and-events/symposia/MSEAS/Pages/MSEAS.aspxDr. Pita chairs the thematic sessions:A: Identifying needs for managing multiple ocean use sectors  – policy, management and industry needsThis theme session will seek to identify the needs that arise from current and projected policy, management and industry developments in the marine domain. D:  Participatory assessment processes: opportunities and challengesTheme session D will investigate how the ways in which integrated (socio-ecological) assessments are/can be included in decision-making processes may determine the use/usefulness of the tools/information provided.

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  • CESAM team participated in JRC Technical Report

    Published in 5/4/2017

    25/03/2016Jacob Keizer and Frank Verheijen, researchres at CESAM/DAO, participated in a JCR Technical.  This report presents the result of WP2 of the RECARE project. One of the objectives of WP2 (Base for RECARE data collection and methods) is to provide an improved overview of existing information on soil threats and degradation at the European scale. The report is written by a group of experts from the RECARE team, coordinated by Bioforsk. In total, 60 persons were included in the process of writing, reviewing and editing the report. Eleven soil threats were identified for the report. These soil threats are soil erosion by water, soil erosion by wind, decline of organic matter (OM) in peat, decline of OM in minerals soils, soil compaction, soil sealing, soil contamination, soil salinization, desertification, flooding and landslides and decline in soil biodiversity.

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  • Viruses can replace antibiotics in fighting pathogenic bacteria - Research of Applied Microbiology and Environmental Laboratory at UA

    Published in 8/4/2016

    22/03/2016It is one of the cause of urinary infections. The bacteria is called Enterobacter cloacae, and until now has been controlled by use of antibiotics. But the prescription can come to change. A team of researchers at the University of Aveiro (UA) managed to eliminate these bacteria with use of phage therapy. Harmless to human beings and cheaper to apply than antibacterials, this therapy uses the action of specific virus that only destroy the bacteria. The work opens the door to a future where the harmful bacteria to human health, many of which resistant to antibiotics, can be disposed of quickly, effectively and without side effects. "Our research proves that cloacae Enterobacter, one of the bacteria most frequently responsible for urinary infections, can be inactivated by phages [virus that only destroy bacteria and are harmless to human health]," said Adelaide Almeida, Researcher at the Laboratory Applied and Environmental Microbiology of UA and CESAM and coordinator of the work published in the last issue of Virus Research. More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=45818          http://mundoportugues.pt/article/view/63786

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  • Viruses can replace antibiotics in fighting pathogenic bacteria - Research of Applied Microbiology and Environmental Laboratory at UA

    Published in 8/4/2016

    22/03/2016It is one of the cause of urinary infections. The bacteria is called Enterobacter cloacae, and until now has been controlled by use of antibiotics. But the prescription can come to change. A team of researchers at the University of Aveiro (UA) managed to eliminate these bacteria with use of phage therapy. Harmless to human beings and cheaper to apply than antibacterials, this therapy uses the action of specific virus that only destroy the bacteria. The work opens the door to a future where the harmful bacteria to human health, many of which resistant to antibiotics, can be disposed of quickly, effectively and without side effects. "Our research proves that cloacae Enterobacter, one of the bacteria most frequently responsible for urinary infections, can be inactivated by phages [virus that only destroy bacteria and are harmless to human health]," said Adelaide Almeida, Researcher at the Laboratory Applied and Environmental Microbiology of UA and CESAM and coordinator of the work published in the last issue of Virus Research. More information: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=45818          http://mundoportugues.pt/article/view/63786

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  • Fatima Lopes Alves, Professor at DAO / UA selected as 'expert' to collaborate on study of the European Commission on Marine Protected Areas in the Atlantic Area

    Published in 22/3/2016

    22/03/2016Fatima Lopes Alves, Professor in the Department of Environment and Planning (DAO) at UA and CESAM Researcher, was invited to join the team of 'Experts' in the European Commission study on 'Cooperation between North and South - the transatlantic dimension of Protected Marine Areas' (Cooperation with Northern and Southern Transatlantic Dimension - Protected Marine Areas).The European Commission has set up a new project to promote cooperation between managers of Protected Marine Areas (PMAs) in the countries of the Atlantic Basin. The study will take place over two years and aims to stimulate the exchange and sharing of good management practices, to improve the effective management of PMAs in coastal areas and offshore Atlantic space. This project aims to promote a broader transatlantic cooperation, centred on a new, comprehensive concept of 'Atlanticism', resulting from the growing importance of Africa and Latin America as key actors in the Atlantic space. The European Union is strongly committed to promoting this broader approach in the transatlantic dialogue, and selected the PMA as a pilot study of this new initiative of the European environmental policy. The project will also contribute to the EU's commitments in the fight against global loss of biodiversity, support for adaptation to climate change, and meet the EU's internal policies on the environment, regional cooperation and maritime dimension. The project will contribute to a strategic approach to EU (Atlantic Basin), in relations between the North-South and South-South.

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  • FRANK VERHEIJEN: UA RESEARCHER OF THE MONTH

    Published in 21/3/2016

    21/03/2016"Physical Geography is the study of the interactions between the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. I am a physical geographer (MSc) from the University of Amsterdam, located a few meters below sea level in the large delta that forms most of The Netherlands. My MSc research focused on interactions between plant species and soil water repellency, in the drylands of southeast Spain. For my PhD I moved to soils formed in the glacial sediments of the low hills of southeast England (Cranfield University) to study how soil organic matter may provide on-farm economic benefit. Since then, during the last ten years, I helped to design and test a harmonised EU soil monitoring system in a 38 partner project. I moved to the old floodplains of the river Thames in London (Queen Mary University of London) to study the effects of a wildfire on the recovery of an organic soil in a Scottish peatland. I moved to the southern foothills of the Alps in Italy to work at the European Commission Joint Research Centre, where I led a small team in publishing a major EU report on biochar (2010) that identified positive, negative and unknown effects. Finally, I moved close to a drowned river valley in Portugal (University of Aveiro) to push for more scientific discovery of those unknown effects."More details in: http://www.ua.pt/research/page/20986Contact:Dr. Frank VerheijenDepartamento de Ambiente e Ordenamento & CESAMUniversidade de Aveirotelefone: 234 370200 (ext. 22608)e-mail: verheijen@ua.pt       URL: http://www.cesam.ua.pt/frankverheijenBiochar Investigation Network of Portugal

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  • The Do*Mar doctoral programme

    Published in 17/3/2016

    17/03/2016The Do*Mar is an international doctoral programme offered by a consortium of Portuguese and Galician Universities and Research Institutes: Universities of Aveiro, Minho, Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vigo, Santiago de Compostela and Coruña, the Instituto Español de Oceanografia and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas. The School of Biology of the St. Andrews University (Scotland), the Station Biologique de Roscoff of the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France) and the Instituto de Oceanografia of the Universidade de São Paulo (Brasil) are associated members of the consortium.Do*Mar has a duration of 3 years and has 4 curricular branches: i) Ocean Observation and Global Change; ii) Sustainable Use of Marine Resources; iii) Integrated Management of the Sea; and iv) Technological Progress, Engineering and Business Management. This doctoral programme requires a compulsory co-supervision by a professor or researcher at a Portuguese partner and at a non-Portuguese partner. Therefore, a mandatory mobility period and placement at a non-Portuguese institution is involved (minimum 6 months, maximum 24 months). Candidates that successfully complete the programme will receive a joint diploma issued by the Portuguese and Galician universities. A dual diploma may be issued if the mandatory away stay is in one of the associated partners.More details in: http://www.campusdomar-pt-domar.net/

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  • PhD Examination - David Filipe Ramos Silva

    Published in 10/3/2016

    10/03/2016Type: PhD Examination Date: 30-03-2016 2:30 pmLocal: Auditório do Edifício Central e da Reitoria, Universidade de AveiroStudent Name: DAVID FILIPE RAMOS SILVACourse: PROGRAMA DOUTORAL EM CIÊNCIAS E ENGENHARIA DO AMBIENTE (3º CICLO)Theme: Valorização das cinzas de combustão de biomassa na calagem e reciclagem de nutrientes no solo. 

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  • UA Biologists launch "Atlas dos pelos dos mamíferos terrestres ibéricos"

    Published in 9/3/2016

    9/03/2016Book will presented on March 10, at 5 pm, at the Library of the University of AveiroOne of the characteristics of terrestrial mammals is to have the body covered with hair. If we know what to look for and we use the right microscopic techniques we can see something amazing and surprising: the coating hair of each species has unique morphological characteristics. During 16 months biologists at the University of Aveiro (UA) observed and photographed more than 200 microscopic preparations, cross-sections and cuticular impressions of 67 species of land mammals of the Iberian Peninsula. A meticulous and patient work now published in the book "Atlas dos pelos dos mamíferos terrestres ibéricos" whose launch takes place March 10 at 5 pm in the Library of the AU.José Vingada , professor at the University of Minho and president of the Portuguese Society of Wildlife, has borne the presentation of the project at a ceremony , in addition to the authors , will be present Amadeu Soares, director of the Department of Biology AU. More details in://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=45693

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  • Advanced Course on Biomarkers - SETAC Summer School

    Published in 30/8/2016

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    9/03/2016II Edition 30 May - 3 June 2016This one-week course held at DBio & CESAM (University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal) aims to provide knowledge about using biomarkers and their advantages (and disadvantages) to assess the ecologically relevant impact of stressors in the environment. Moreover, the ecological relevance and ranges of applicability of biochemical tools will be shown for particular classes of pollutants by linking their biochemical effects with alterations at higher levels of biological organization. Furthermore, the practical use of a biomarker approach in distinct taxa will be demonstrated, showing the usefulness of this set of tools independently from the analyzed ecosystem. This new approach has been successfully used by staff members of this course in soil ecotoxicology, freshwater ecotoxicology, marine ecotoxicology, wildlife ecotoxicology, biomonitoring, characterization of drug toxicity and nanotoxicology. The course is composed by theoretical lectures, by the presentation and discussion of several of our own case studies, and by a strong complementary practical component, during which test procedures will be demonstrated and students will have the opportunity to handle real techniques and procedures. The course is targeted to scientists, PhD and MSc students (with a background in Biology, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Chemistry, or related fields) and other professionals involved in decision-making and environmental management. All lectures and training sessions will be held in English.CoordinatorsDr. Bruno Nunes, DBio & CESAM, University of Aveiro, PortugalDr. Carlos Gravato, DBio & CESAM, University of Aveiro, PortugalTeaching staffDr. Carla Quintaneiro, DBio & CESAM, University of AveiroDr. Inês Domingues, DBio & CESAM, University of AveiroProf. Dr. Alberto Teodorico Correia, CIIMAR, University Fernando PessoaDr. Miguel Santos, CIIMAR, University of PortoPlease find the event flyer and Registration Form attached.

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  • Advanced Course on Biomarkers - SETAC Summer School

    Published in 30/8/2016

    download file

    9/03/2016II Edition 30 May - 3 June 2016This one-week course held at DBio & CESAM (University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal) aims to provide knowledge about using biomarkers and their advantages (and disadvantages) to assess the ecologically relevant impact of stressors in the environment. Moreover, the ecological relevance and ranges of applicability of biochemical tools will be shown for particular classes of pollutants by linking their biochemical effects with alterations at higher levels of biological organization. Furthermore, the practical use of a biomarker approach in distinct taxa will be demonstrated, showing the usefulness of this set of tools independently from the analyzed ecosystem. This new approach has been successfully used by staff members of this course in soil ecotoxicology, freshwater ecotoxicology, marine ecotoxicology, wildlife ecotoxicology, biomonitoring, characterization of drug toxicity and nanotoxicology. The course is composed by theoretical lectures, by the presentation and discussion of several of our own case studies, and by a strong complementary practical component, during which test procedures will be demonstrated and students will have the opportunity to handle real techniques and procedures. The course is targeted to scientists, PhD and MSc students (with a background in Biology, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Chemistry, or related fields) and other professionals involved in decision-making and environmental management. All lectures and training sessions will be held in English.CoordinatorsDr. Bruno Nunes, DBio & CESAM, University of Aveiro, PortugalDr. Carlos Gravato, DBio & CESAM, University of Aveiro, PortugalTeaching staffDr. Carla Quintaneiro, DBio & CESAM, University of AveiroDr. Inês Domingues, DBio & CESAM, University of AveiroProf. Dr. Alberto Teodorico Correia, CIIMAR, University Fernando PessoaDr. Miguel Santos, CIIMAR, University of PortoPlease find the event flyer and Registration Form attached.

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  • CESAM/UA, Universidade de Southampton and CCMAR / Universidade do Algarve biologist takes his research to England Parliament

    Published in 8/3/2016

    8/03/2016Rui Vieira, 29, a PhD student at School of Ocean and Earth Sciences (University of Southampton), Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, and CCMAR/Universidade do Algarve, hailing from Marinha Grande (Portugal), attended Parliament to present his biological research to a range of politicians and a panel of expert judges, as part of SET for Britain on Monday 7 March.Rui’s poster on research about fisheries impact on deep-sea ecosystems will be judged against dozens of other scientists’ research in the only national competition of its kind. Rui was shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to appear in Parliament.On presenting his research in Parliament, he said, “science and society should, more than ever, be linked. SET for Britain is an excellent opportunity to bring our work to the society and policy-makers. I hope to contribute to change a bit the way we look at marine ecosystems, particularly the deep sea, which we still know very little about, but also to exchange some ideas with MPs about this issue.”The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee runs the event in collaboration with the Royal Society of Biology, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, The Physiological Society and the Council for Mathematical Sciences, with financial support from Essar, the Clay Mathematics Institute, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), the Institute of Biomedical Science, the Bank of England and the Society of Chemical Industry.

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  • CESAM/UA, Universidade de Southampton and CCMAR / Universidade do Algarve biologist takes his research to England Parliament

    Published in 8/3/2016

    8/03/2016Rui Vieira, 29, a PhD student at School of Ocean and Earth Sciences (University of Southampton), Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, and CCMAR/Universidade do Algarve, hailing from Marinha Grande (Portugal), attended Parliament to present his biological research to a range of politicians and a panel of expert judges, as part of SET for Britain on Monday 7 March.Rui’s poster on research about fisheries impact on deep-sea ecosystems will be judged against dozens of other scientists’ research in the only national competition of its kind. Rui was shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to appear in Parliament.On presenting his research in Parliament, he said, “science and society should, more than ever, be linked. SET for Britain is an excellent opportunity to bring our work to the society and policy-makers. I hope to contribute to change a bit the way we look at marine ecosystems, particularly the deep sea, which we still know very little about, but also to exchange some ideas with MPs about this issue.”The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee runs the event in collaboration with the Royal Society of Biology, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, The Physiological Society and the Council for Mathematical Sciences, with financial support from Essar, the Clay Mathematics Institute, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), the Institute of Biomedical Science, the Bank of England and the Society of Chemical Industry.

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  • Special issue of “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health” edited by CESAM member

    Published in 3/3/2016

    3/03/2016Mónica Amorim, Researcher of CESAM, was the guest editor of the special Issue "Environmental Fate and Effect of Nanoparticles and Nanomaterials" published in the “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health”http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/special_issues/environmental_fateThis Special Issue published already 15 papers and focused on the effects of NMs in biological systems and their risk assessment in the environment and complex media.See the editorial: Amorim, M.J.B. The Daunting Challenge of Ensuring Sustainable Development of Nanomaterials. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2016, 13, 245. http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/2/245

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  • CESAM Researchers published feature article in the journal "Mammalian Biology"

    Published in 3/3/2016

    3/03/2016Mongoose is the prominent species in the latest number of Mammalian Biology journal. The Photography is from Tania Barros, CESAM Researcher, and refers to one of the studies as part of its doctoral thesis supervised by Prof. Carlos Fonseca, held at the University of Aveiro, which culminated in this publication. ”Mitochondrial demographic history of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), an expanding carnivore in the Iberian Peninsula” is the featured article in the March Editions of Mammalian Biology journal and had the participation of researchers from the University of Aveiro, University of Montpellier and the University Evora. By mitochondrial DNA analysis, the authors detected that the distribution of genetic diversity in the Iberian population reflects a pattern of historical diversity of subpopulations of southern Iberian Peninsula, as well as the presence of long-distance migrants from several southern source populations that had dispersed to colonize the center and north of the territory. Other tools used in this study also allowed a better understanding of the relationship between the genetic diversity of the Egyptian mongoose standards with its rapid expansion in the Iberian Peninsula in recent years, being mainly influenced by changes in land use and climate variations.This work was supported by numerous institutions, including the Foundation for Science and Technology, National Museum of Natural History in Paris, INIAV, IP, INIAV, IP., ICNF, FENCAÇA, ANPC and CNCP.More details:http://www.journals.elsevier.com/mammalian-biology/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/16165047/81/2http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1616504715000968

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  • Biologist of UA/CESAM is coordinator of the Wildlife Unit

    Published in 2/3/2016

    2/03/2016Carlos Fonseca reappointed in the National Commission for Trophy Homologation Carlos Fonseca, Researcher of DBio, University of Aveiro (UA), was reappointed by the Secretary of State for Forestry and Rural Development, Amândio Torres, to the National Commission for Trophy Homologation (NCTH). Carlos Fonseca is coordinator of the Wildlife Unit in Aveiro Academy and has devoted much of his work to the monitoring of populations of ungulates (deer, roe deer, wild boar, ibex, deer and mouflon) in Portugal.This reappointment is also the public recognition of the Researcher and Lecturer at the UA, for his extensive work at national and international level in the management of hunting resources, including populations of species of large game and their habitats.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?c=45597

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  • UA provides technical training in Angola in the planning area and sea management

    Published in 8/2/2016

    8/02/2016Fátima Lopes Alves, Professor of Department of Environment and Planning and Researcher of CESAM, was in Luanda (Angola) to enable the technical body of various Angolan ministries in the area of ​​planning and integrated management of ocean and coastal zone. The invitation came from the German institution GIZ and from the Commission of the Benguela Current, responsible for international project MARISMA.The large marine ecosystems of Benguela Current (BCLME) extend along the coast of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The MARISMA project - Spatial Management and Governance) is a regional initiative funded by Germany (through GIZ) to the Commission of the Benguela Current with a duration of five years (08/2014 - 04/2020). This project is directed to the present Commission Benguela Current, to its member States Angola, Namibia and South Africa and other stakeholders in the governance and management of the marine environment, including marine biodiversity and natural resources of BCLME. The main focus of the project is to develop, at different levels, technical and technological capacity to implement and institutionalize the "Planning of the Marine Area" and to identify the Biological Marine Areas and Ecologically Significant in this region of Africa.Fatima Lopes Alves belonged to the core of coordination responsible for preparing the Maritime Spatial Planning Plan in Portugal, promoted by the Ministry of Environment and Territory Planning (2008 - 2011) and was responsible at UA for the TPEA project - Transboundary Planning in the European Atlantic, financed by DG MARE (CE 2012-2014).

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  • Study led by researcher Ana Claudia Dias from the Department of Environment and Planning and CESAM reveals that the cork industry helps mitigate climate change

    Published in 3/2/2016

    1/2/2016The use of cork products, in addition to being trendy and serve the national economy, contributes to remove atmospheric gases with greenhouse effect. The results of the study coordinated by the University of Aveiro (UA), the first in the country to quantify the carbon footprint of the cork industry, leaves no doubt as to the ecological powers of the cork oak and the ecosystem that surrounds it: for each cork ton produced, more than 73 tons of carbon dioxide are captured, equivalent to the emissions of that gas released to go about 450,000 kilometers by car."This work has given the cork sector information and tools that enable support decision-making with respect to practices that can optimize the carbon footprint of the sector and strengthen the role of industry as an important element in mitigating climate change," says Ana Cláudia Dias.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=45245

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  • Opinion of Frank Verheijen and Ana Catarina Bastos published in Nature - CESAM researchers defend changes of transnational soils policy

    Published in 7/1/2016

    7/01/2016As the end of the International Year of Soils approaches, UA researchers argue, in a Nature Correspondence, for transnational soil policiesSoils form the nexus of the rock-water-air-life interface on our planet. The way that soils are managed has important implications for the ecosystems that they literally support. At the same time, soil management plays a crucial role beyond its physical boundaries in regulating the quality of our water and air, including climate change, human health and food security. Nevertheless, the main reason why transnational soil policy lags behind policies for air and water is a persistent idea that soil ‘do not move’ and therefore should be dealt with locally only, as discussed in a recent Nature opinion paper by Luca Montanarella of the European Commission Joint Research Centre. UA and CESAM researchers Frank Verheijen (DAO) and Ana Catarina Bastos (DBio) co-authored a Nature correspondence where they present a case for the transnational reach of soils. They call for the ‘local only’ argument to be buried and urge policy makers to include soils to effectively deal with global challenges.More details in: http://uaonline.ua.pt/pub/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=45020

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  • Opinion of Alfredo Rocha, Researcher at the Department of Physics and CESAM - The Science of Climate Change - The Conference of Paris ... and then?

    Published in 11/12/2015

    10/12/2015Alfredo Rocha, Climatology expert at the University of Aveiro, explains what is at stake at the Conference on the United Nations Climate Change, taking place in Paris, and leaves a certainty, "the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gas effect will increase during coming decades and climate changes will be felt over a longer period". The damage is done but our immediate action could mitigate the trend.The Climate Change Conference of the United Nations 2015 (cop21) runs between November 30 and December 11, 2015 in Paris. The main objective of this conference is to reach an international agreement on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to be implemented by 2020 in order to limit to + 2°C the increase in average global temperature at the earth's surface in 2100 relative to its value i