Leire Kortazar

• PhD
• University of the Basque Country

Numerous studies have attempted to detect microplastic litter directly in environmental sediments via spectral imaging and powerful classification algorithms. Spectral imaging is attractive largely due to the benefits of adding a spatial element to spectral data, the relative measuring speed, and minimal sample processing. Despite this promise, imp...

While mercury (Hg) is a major concern in all aquatic environments because of its methylation and biomagnification pathways, very few studies consider Hg cycling in remote alpine lakes which are sensitive ecosystems. Nineteen high-altitude pristine lakes from Western/Central Pyrenees were investigated on both northern (France) and southern (Spain) s...

The speciation of both redox reactive and volatile selenium (Se) compounds, barely reported in pristine aquatic environments, has never been investigated in remote alpine lakes, considered as sensitive ecosystems to detect the effect of global change. This work presents an integrated investigation on Se distribution and speciation conducted in 20 h...

This work is focused on the development of sustainable stone conservation materials, based on BPA-free epoxy-silica hybrid resins, with consolidating and hydrophobic properties, for long-term treatments. For this purpose, a cycloaliphatic diol, with minor health and environmental associated issues with respect to classic phenolic derivatives, was s...

Lurraren %70a estaliz, ozeanoek zeregin handia dute planetaren prozesu gehienetan. Azken 200 urteetan CO2-aren emisioak gorakada handia izan du gizakien jarduera dela eta. Ondorioz, atmosferako CO2-aren kontzentrazioa 280 ppm-tik 415ppm ingurura igo da garai aurre-industrialetik gaur egunera. Zenbait ikerketen arabera, 2100. urterako kontzentrazioa...

Epoxy–silica hybrids (i.e., as such, enriched with TiO2 and cerium-doped TiO2 nanoparticles), based on a bisphenol (BPA)-free cycloaliphatic precursor, were designed for potential applications as stone conservation multifunctional materials. To this aim, nanoparticles were specifically prepared and their suitability for incorporation into the hybri...

One of the effects of the atmospheric CO2 increase is the ocean acidification. Over the past 20 years, accurate measurements of the seawater carbonate system have become a high priority because this is the main system controlling seawater acidity. However, this phenomenon has not been widely studied in estuaries, even if they are among the most pro...

In this study, the spatial and temporal-distribution of 41-multiclass organic compounds were assessed in three estuaries of the Basque Country, from winter 2016 to winter 2017 by grab (active) sampling methods and an extra campaign combining both, grab and passive sampling methods. Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents were also evaluated to...

This work is focused on the development of an innovative multi-analytical methodology to estimate the impact suffered by building materials in coastal environments. With the aim of improving the in situ spectroscopic assessment, which is often based on XRF and Raman spectrometers, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy...

A flow injection analysis (FIA) method, based on the molybdenum blue formation, has been adapted and successfully optimized in order to use it to measure phosphate in estuarine water samples. Matrix effects have been avoided using the highest peak, and the Schlieren effect (common in FIA analysis) has been minimized by injecting the ascorbic acid w...

Spectroscopic techniques are widely used in the field of analytical chemistry for the determination of a huge number of analytes. The use of diode array spectrophotometers involves the possibility of collecting the whole UV-Vis spectrum, which provides an opportunity to perform a multivariate analysis of the samples. The effectiveness of the use of...

In 1819 Alexander Marcet proposed that seawater contains small amounts of all soluble substances and that the relative abundances of some of them were constant. This hypothesis is nowadays known as Marcet's Principle or the principle of constancy of the composition of seawater. Based on this principle, the present research tried to prove that it is...