Araceli Rodríguez Romero

• PhD in Marine and Coastal Management
• Senior scientist at Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) in submarine geological formations has been proposed as a mitigation measure for the prevention of global warming. However, leakage of CO2 to overlying sediments may occur over time, leading to various effects on ecosystems. Laboratory-scale experiments were performed, involving direct release of carbon diox...

The Balearic Islands, a top tourist destination for sunny beaches, face physical and chemical pressures from human activities, impacting keystone species like the endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica and its associated microbiome. This study evaluated the effects of ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles and three commercial sunscreens with varying protection f...

An analysis of the “operations diaries” of the Spanish army on different Antarctic campaigns since 2002/2003 and the transversal cooperation with experts from the CSIC. The Learning and Service Projects carried out by the Literacy Center of the University of Cádiz in collaboration with members who participated in Antarctic campaigns. LEARNING AND...

Penguin guano contains high concentrations of bioactive Trace Metals (TMs), essential for several biological processes (i.e., Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn). However, high levels of non-biogenic metals (e.g. Cd and Pb) have also been reported (Espejo et al., 2014). Pygoscelis spp. represent about 90% of the seabird biomass in the Southern Ocean. During the Ant...

Microalgae play a crucial role in marine ecosystems as the basis of the marine trophic nets. The escalating production and application of sunscreens have raised scientific concerns regarding their potential ecological impact on marine microalgae. This study aims to evaluate ecotoxicological responses of marine microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum...

New cement-based materials such as alkali-activated binders (AABs) or geopolymers allow the incorporation of waste or industrial by-products in their formulation, resulting an interesting valorization technique. Therefore, it is essential to inquire about the potential environmental and health impacts throughout their life cycle. In the European co...

Iron plays a crucial role in the high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll Southern Ocean regions, promoting phytoplankton growth and enhancing atmospheric carbon sequestration. In this area, iron-rich Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and baleen whale species, which are among their main predators, play a large role in the recycling of iron. However, pengui...

Ecotoxicological analysis of construction products is a relatively unexplored area at international level. Aquatic toxicity tests on construction products has been recommended recently for freshwater environment. However, the biological effects of alternative materials on marine ecosystem are still not considered. In this study, the main aim was to...

Sunscreens have become a product based on increasingly complex formulations that include, among many ingredients, a mixture of UV filters to provide optimal sun ultraviolet radiation protection. A significant group of scientific works deals with the impact of UV filters in aquatic media. However, the knowledge of the mechanism and kinetics of the c...

Sunscreens contain ZnO particles used as a UV filter cause adverse effects in the marine environment through the release of this metal into seawater and its bioaccumulation in organisms. A mathematical model using sunscreen colloidal residues, seawater and R. philippinarum clams as differentiated compartments, is proposed in order to interpret both...

Iron plays a crucial role in the high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll Southern Ocean regions, promoting phytoplankton growth and enhancing atmospheric carbon sequestration(1–5). In this area, the recycling of biogenic iron is partially driven by the iron-rich Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), and baleen whale species as one of their main predators(6–1...

Surgical face masks are more present than ever as personal protective equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this work, we show that the contents of regular surgical masks: i) polypropylene microfibres and ii) some added metals such as: Al, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and Ba, may be toxic to some marine life. This work has got two objectives: i) to study th...

Monitoring water systems under extreme conditions or in remote areas poses a risk to scientists and staff involved, and can also result in disturbances to the local flora and fauna. In order to overcome these limitations, new techniques are being developed with the aim to gain more insight into how geochemical pathways of trace elements regulate th...

This study reports the only recent characterization of two contrasted wet deposition events collected during the PEACETIME (ProcEss studies at the Air–sEa Interface after dust deposition in the MEditerranean Sea) cruise in the open Mediterranean Sea (Med Sea) and their impact on trace metal (TM) marine stocks. Rain samples were analysed for Al, 12...

Aim Understanding how spatio‐temporal environmental variability influences stress tolerance, local adaptation and phenotypic variation among populations is a key challenge for evolutionary ecology and climate change biology. Coastal biogeographic breaks are natural laboratories to explore this fundamental research question due to the contrasting en...

Purpose The Limoncocha lagoon, inside a Ramsar site in the Ecuadorian Amazon, increasingly hosts ecotourism and energy development activities. This work estimates the local sediments’ baseline of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn using four methods. This makes it possible to apply single and integrated pollution indices to estimate the c...

Se trata de ofrecer una reflexión sobre proyectos de cooperación interdisciplinar teniendo el foco en la mejora de habilidades comunicativas escritas. Objetivos del Proyecto PiMetAn que repercuten en el diseño de los recursos didácticos. Contenidos curriculares que han de constar en los cuentos y el juego. Metodología en continuo feed- back para fa...

This study reports the only recent characterisation of two contrasted wet deposition events collected during the PEACETIME cruise in the Mediterranean open seawater, and their impact on trace metals (TMS) marine stocks. Rain samples were analysed for Al, 12 trace metals (TMs hereafter, including Co, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Ti, V and Zn) and...

This study quantifies the degree of pollution and assess the ecological risk of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in sediments and soils of the Limoncocha Biological Reserve (Ecuador), identified as a Ramsar site with high ecological and socioeconomic value. The hydrologic system of the Reserve is mainly formed by two rivers that drain i...

Penguins dominate the Antarctic avifauna. As key animals in the Antarctic ecosystem, they are monitored to evaluate the ecological status of this pristine and remote region and specifically, they have been used as effective bioindicators suitable for long-term monitoring of metals in the Antarctic environment. However, studies about the role of thi...

Alkali-activated binders (AABs) stand out as a sustainable alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as they can be formulated using by-products or waste as raw materials. However, the presence of hazardous compounds in residues can lead to an increase in AABs' toxicity due to the highly alkaline media. Therefore, it is extremely important to e...

Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) have a large impact on the climate-relevant properties of clouds over the oceans. Studies have shown that sea spray aerosols (SSAs), produced upon bursting of bubbles at the ocean surface, can be an important source of marine INPs, particularly during periods of enhanced biological productivity. Recent mesocosm exper...

Sunscreen is released into the marine environment and is considered toxic for marine life. The current analytical methods for the quantification of sunscreen are mostly specific to individual chemical ingredients and based on complex analytical and instrumental techniques. A simple, selective, rapid, reproducible and low-cost spectrophotometric pro...

Microplastic particles (MP) uptake by marine organisms is a phenomenon of global concern. Nevertheless, there is scarce evidence about the impacts of MP on the energy balance of marine invertebrates. We evaluated the mid-term effect of the microplastic ingestion at the current higher environmental concentrations in the ocean on the energy balance o...

Tens of thousands of anthropogenic chemicals and wastes enter the marine environment each year as a consequence of the ever-increasing anthropogenic activities and demographic growth of the human population, which is majorly concentrated along coastal areas. Marine ecotoxicology has had a crucial role in helping shed light on the fate of chemicals...

Ice nucleating particles (INP) have a large impact on the climate-relevant properties of clouds over the oceans. Studies have shown that sea spray aerosols (SSA), produced upon bursting of bubbles at the ocean surface, can be an important source of marine INP, particularly during periods of enhanced biological productivity. Recent mesocosm experime...

Contamination by sunscreens has become a serious environmental problem due to the increasing use of these products in coastal regions. Their complex chemical composition supposes an input of different chemical compounds capable of producing toxic effects and repelling organisms. The aim of the current study was to experimentally check the repellenc...

The Sea Surface Microlayer (SML) is known to be enriched by trace metals relative to the underlying water and harbor diverse microbial communities (i.e., neuston). However, the processes linking metals and biota in the SML are not yet fully understood. The metal (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Mo, V, Zn and Pb) concentrations in aerosol samples in the SML (di...

The Mediterranean Sea, which is considered a biodiversity hotspot, is, by far, the leading tourism destination in the world, receiving more than 267 million international tourists in 2017, and producing a high anthropogenic pressure on its natural environment. The arrival of these tourists is mainly concentrated during the summer season when the us...

Studies detailing the environmental impact of sunscreen products on coastal ecosystems are considered a high priority. In the present study, we have determined the release rate of dissolved trace metals (Al, Cd, Cu, Co, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Ti) and inorganic nutrients (SiO2, P-PO43-, and N-NO3-) from a commercial sunscreen in seawater, and the role...

The Sea Surface Microlayer (SML) is known to be enriched in trace metals relative to the underlaying water and to harbor diverse microbial communities (i.e. neuston). However, the processes linking metals and biota in the SML are not yet fully understood. In this study, we analyzed the metal (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Mo, V, Zn and Pb) concentrations in...

In the present study the model isopod, Cyathura carinata were exposed to four pH NIST treatments (control: 7.9; 7.5, 7, 6.5) in order to determine the tolerance and pH threshold value this estuarine species withstand under future acidification scenarios. Seawater acidification significantly affected the lifespan of C. carinata, where population den...

Numerous biogeochemical studies in the Southern Ocean have focused on the importance of trace metals in controlling primary production (e.g. Fe, Co) or as potentially toxic to the ecosystem (e.g. Ag, Cd). However, the reasons why Fe limitation is prevalent in the Southern Ocean or the concentrations of non-biogenic elements in surface waters are hi...

Carbon capture and storage has become a new mitigation option to reduce anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The effects of the CO2-related acidification, associated with unpredictable leaks of CO2 during the operational phases were studied using the Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin-liquid-phase-assays (fertilisation and embryo-larval development tests). B...

The capture and storage of CO2 in sub-seabed geological formations has been proposed as one of the potential options to decrease atmospheric CO2 concentrations in order to mitigate the abrupt and irreversible consequences of climate change. However, it is possible that CO2 leakages could occur during the injection and sequestration procedure, with...

The effects of the acidification associated with CO2 leakage from sub-seabed geological storage was studied by the evaluation of the short-term effects of CO2-induced acidification on juveniles of the bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum. Laboratory scale experiments were performed using a CO2-bubbling system designed to conduct ecotoxicological assays....

Little is known of the capacity that marine metazoans have to evolve under rapid pCO2 changes. Consequently, we reared a marine polychaete, Ophryotrocha labronica, previously cultured for approximately 33 generations under a low/variable pH regime, under elevated and low pCO2 for six generations. The strain usedwas found to be tolerant to elevated...

Appendix S1. Acclimation/selection to experimental conditions.

Table S1. Mean values ±95 % CI for all traits measured for the marine polychaete Ophryotrocha labronica at elevated (grey rows) and low (white rows) p CO 2 conditions across generations.

The effects of the acidification associated with CO2 leakage from sub-seabed geological storage was studied by the evaluation of the short-term effects of CO2-induced acidification on juveniles of the bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum. Laboratory scale experiments were performed using a CO2-bubbling system designed to conduct ecotoxicological assays....

The urgent need to minimise the potential harm deriving from global climate change and ocean acidification has led governmental decision-makers and scientists to explore and study new strategies for reducing the levels of anthropogenic CO2. One of the mitigation measures proposed for reducing the concentration of atmospheric CO2 is the capture and...

To assess the potential effects on metal mobilization due to leakages of CO2 during its injection and storage in marine systems, an experimental set-up was devised and operated, using the polychaete Hediste diversicolor as the model organism. The objective was to study the effects of such leakage in the expected scenarios of pH values between 8.0 a...

The potential toxicity of sediments from various ports was assessed by means of two different liquid-phase toxicity bioassays (acute and chronic) with embryos and eggs of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Performances of embryos and eggs of P. lividus in these bioassays were compared for their interchangeable applicability in integrated sediment qu...

The environmental quality of the southwest Iberian coast was assessed in different areas (Ria Formosa Lagoon, Guadiana Estuary and Cádiz Bay) focusing on metal contamination (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in Nereis diversicolor whole tissues. In addition, associated toxicological effects were assessed using a multibiomarker approach combining several conv...

CO(2) leakages during carbon capture and storage in sub-seabed geological structures could produce potential impacts on the marine environment. To study lethal effects on marine organisms attributable to CO(2) seawater acidification, a bubbling CO(2) system was designed enabling a battery of different tests to be conducted, under laboratory conditi...

Metal sediment concentrations (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) in surface sediments (0 to 5 cm) from 11 sampling stations in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (the Ria Formosa and the Guadiana River, the Ría de Huelva and the Bay of Cadiz) were determined in two seasonal periods (autumn 2006 and spring 2007). No seasonal metal concentration pat...

A 7 day in situ assay to assess sediment toxicity was carried out per replicate in two sites from Guadalete Estuary (Guad1 and Guad2) (South-West, Spain) using the polychaete Arenicola marina (n = 20) in benthic cages. After the exposure period, a battery of biomarkers were determined to asses the sediment toxicity. Five of them were exposure bioma...

The European Union is really conscious about the problem caused by anthropogenic activities at aquatic environment and at that moment is promoting a High Education Programmes Masters related to improve the research on new technologies. Because of that it has designed Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses as high-quality study programmes by a consortium of...