Marine and environmental biogeosciences (MERS)

Led by Patrizia Ziveri

We work on global environmental change on marine ecosystems, ecology, and biogeochemistry at various time scales and complexity focusing on multidisciplinary investigation on different target topics.  We address marine calcifying organisms at the base of the food web in relation to climatic and non-climatic drivers and link processes on the ocean in a changing climate and under human pressure, CO2 dynamics, climate change and marine systems. Interest on pressing threats to the marine environment and their societal relevance has led to developing research on ocean acidification, warming and oxygen loss in different regions. 

Carbonate production by pelagic calcifiers affect carbonate chemistry by removing alkalinity from the surface ocean and exporting it to the deep ocean, however estimates of how much calcium carbonate is produced, and how much reaches the ocean seafloor vary wildely. We quantify the carbonate produced by main pelagic calcifiers (foraminifera, coccolithophores, and pterpods) and how much of this sinks into the deep ocean. 

As a main threat of the marine system, we study marine litter and the cycle of marine microplastics. We set up a dedicate clean laboratory for microplastic studies opened recently at ICTA-UAB.  We are assessing the dispersion and impacts of micro- and nano-plastics in the tropical and temperate oceans, from the regional land-ocean interface to the open ocean. We aim to provide the missing knowledge concerning one of the main pathways of plastics to the ocean, their fate at the land-sea interface and the effects of smaller plastics on the ecosystems of different areas worldwide, by making projections to understand the impacts and dispersion of micro- and nano-plastics in the next decades of the Anthropocene.

These interactive global and local change processes alter the marine systems affecting economic activities and human welfare.  Another aspect of focus is the interaction of the natural and human components and sustainability challenges of coastal and marine systems. 
 

Led by Valentí Rodellas

The laboratory of Environmental Radioactivity (GRAB) is part of the SGR of Marine and Environmental Biogeosciences Research Group (MERS – 2017 · SGR · 1588). GRAB focuses the research on the use of artificial and natural radionuclides (e.g. ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Po, Ra, ²³⁸U, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, Pu) in the study of environmental processes at both terrestrial and marine environments. The four main research lines are: i) the submarine groundwater discharge processes and its significance on marine biogeochemical cycles, ii) sedimentation processes and recent pollution (100-200 years) in coastal and lagoon environments, iii) the impact of radionuclides in the environment and iv) improvements in the use of radionuclides as environmental tracers.

Other topics of interest are anthropic pollution, blue carbon, the use of tracers for the determination of C flows from permafrost and distribution of artificial radionuclides in oceans.

The different lines of research have been financed by several projects and contracts with private companies.

We also participate in several projects related to transference of knowledge with private companies such as ERCROS, ACA or AMPHOS 21. We work actively with various national and international groups such as SUNY (USA), LEGOS (France), AWI (Germany), UB, UPC, and CSIC (Spain).

Projects

• OPAL
• Terra-Mar
• MeDistraes