Marcia Bicego

• PhD
• University of São Paulo

The Paranaguá Estuarine System (PES) plays a crucial ecological and economic role in the coastal zone of Brazil, containing significant remaining portions of the Atlantic rainforest, which is considered a World Heritage Site (WHS) by UNESCO. At the same time, the PES accommodates the largest bulk grain port terminal and is the leader in container h...

The paleotemperature equations based on the alkenone unsaturation index (UK’37) are valuable tools for reconstructing past sea surface temperature (SST). However, the unclear seasonal and depth distribution of the UK’37 signals in the SW Atlantic Ocean sediments challenges precise estimates of past regional SST from this biomarker proxy. We analyze...

The Intermediate Western Boundary Current (IWBC) is a critical component of the large-scale South Atlantic circulation, functioning as a northward carrier of the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) along the upper limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). This study examines the IWBC's flow speed variations over the last 45,00...

A multiproxy evaluation focusing on sedimentological, molecular, and isotopic proxies was used to reconstruct the environmental changes on the SW Atlantic Ocean margin enabling an integrated assessment of this basin’s Late-Holocene oceanographic and climatic dynamics. Variations in paleoproductivity, climate, and sea surface temperature (SST) indic...

Giant clams are invertebrates that form mutualistic associations with Symbiodiniaceae dinoflagellates. Despite their ecological significance, gaps persist regarding our understanding of their trophic ecology. Specifically, it is unknown whether Symbiodiniaceae-derived photosynthates are metabolized differently according to species and organ. Theref...

The coastal areas of Montevideo-Canelones, Uruguay, are strongly affected by anthropogenic activities. Poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of especial ecological concern due to their acute toxicity. The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between different pollution levels and the ecological structure of macro-benthic communities of t...

The discharge of sanitary sewage into the bays of the Florianopolis ´ Metropolitan Area (Southern Brazil), has led to the contamination of oyster farms. Consequently, linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) were quantified in the sediment, and the biochemical responses in gills and digestive gland of oysters from six farms were assessed. Our findings revealed...

This study examines the impact of the constant sedimentation-CS premise on sedimentation rates, mass accumulation rates and age-depth results obtained from unsupported 210 Pb models. The investigation is based on vertical profiles of 210 Pb, 226 Ra, 228 Ra, 40 K, and 137 Cs measured through gamma spectrometry from seven sediment cores collected fro...

Chrysene (CHR) is among the most persistent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in water and a priority compound for pollutants monitoring, due to its carcinogenic, mutagenic and genotoxic potential. Aquatic animals exposed to CHR may present alterations of biomarkers involved in the biotransformation and oxidative stress-related parameters. The...

Continental shelves hold ecological, environmental and economic importance. Mud depocenters found on continent shelves are able to adsorb and incorporate organic and inorganic pollutants into the surface of their grains, creating an effective record of anthropogenic influence and environmental changes in a region. The aim of this study is to perfor...

Pockmarks are circular or elliptical structures formed at the seabed by the expulsion of gas from the subsurface. They are widely distributed along the continental margin off southeastern Brazil and can be over a kilometer wide and 100 meters deep. However, studies concerning the organic characteristics of these pockmark areas are scarce. This stud...

The aim of the present study was to characterize the distribution and sources of terrigenous organic matter (OM) in surface sediments of a subtropical estuarine-lagoon system surrounded by the Atlantic Rainforest. n-Alkanes and their isotopic composition were evaluated in 20 surface sediment samples, as well as in leaves from nine representative pl...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) most likely derived from natural sources were observed in two sediment cores covering the last 100 years in an Amazon estuarine region. A considerable change in the PAHs main source was observed in the 1960s. Before the 1960s, the sources of PAHs seem to be related to biogenic and/or early-diagenetic processe...

Oysters are frequently used as sentinel organisms for monitoring effects of contaminants due to their sessile, filtering habits and bioaccumulation capacity. These animals can show elevated body burden of contaminants, such as pyrene (PYR). PYR can be toxic at a molecular level until the whole oyster, which can show reproductive and behavioral chan...

Despite the increased number of paleoceanographic studies in the SW Atlantic in recent years, the mechanisms controlling marine productivity and terrestrial material delivery to the South Brazil Bight remain unresolved. Because of its wide continental shelf and abrupt change in coastline orientation, this region is under the influence of several en...

The levels of linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) and the occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in the oysters Crassostrea gigas were evaluated in six farming areas in southern Brazil. The results revealed higher concentrations of LABs in oyster tissue from the Serraria (1977 ± 497.7 ng g−1) and Imaruim (1038 ± 409.9 ng g−1) sites. Plastic microfibers were fou...

Anthropogenic activities in coastal regions cause risks to the environmental and human health. Due to the carcinogenic and mutagenic potential, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are considered priority for monitoring. Most of the Brazilian production of Crassostrea gigas oysters are placed in the Bays of Santa Catarina Island. The aim of this...

Most marine mammal species and populations are listed as endangered, threatened, or depleted under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Organic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from anthropogenic activities are part of the threat to marine mammals. The evaluation of the potential bioaccumulation of t...

In this study, we interpret the role played by ocean circulation in sediment distribution on the southwestern Atlantic margin using radiogenic Nd and Pb isotopes. The latitudinal trends for Pb and Nd isotopes reflect the different current systems acting on the margin. The utilization of the sediment fingerprinting method allowed us to associate the...

A combined analysis of sedimentological, molecular, and microfossil proxies was used to determine paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic variations and assess sediment transport pathways along the last c.a. 6300 years in a sedimentary record collected on the inner shelf of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. The combined use of terrestrial and marine pro...

Organic biomarkers, as aliphatic hydrocarbons, are present in sedimentary organic matter and have been largely applied to the evaluation of recent environmental changes in the marine environment around the globe, including the Antarctic continent. Five sediment cores were taken in the Admiralty Bay, South Shetland Archipelago, Antarctica to evaluat...

The polychaete Capitella capitata is historically one of the most commonly used indicators of organic enrichment in marine benthic environments. However, this taxon has been used to refer to several cryptic species with distinct environmental tolerances, which may compromise ecological assessment and monitoring programs. In this study, we aimed to...

In this work, we provide an extensive inventory of Pb and Nd radiogenic isotopes in surface sediments from the Southwestern Atlantic margin, aiming to interpret the role played by ocean circulation in sediment distribution. There are latitudinal trends for Pb and Nd isotopes, reflecting the different current systems acting on the margin. The utiliz...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations were determined in four dated sediment cores collected in mud depocenters of the southern Brazilian continental shelf. Core dating results covered the interval between 1925 and 2017. The total PAH concentrations (ΣPAHs) ranged from 44.69 ng g⁻¹ to 305.43 ng g⁻¹ and were similar between the analys...

Sediment dredging impacts coastal environments by promoting the resuspension of fine particles and remobi-lization of contaminants that may trigger toxic effects. In this study, we evaluated the sediment quality in harbor areas of Mucuripe bay, a semi-arid ecosystem located in Ceará state (Brazil), which is subject to dredging activities. A samplin...

The Laguna Estuarine System (LES), southern Brazil, suffers impacts from anthropogenic activities, releasing contaminants into the ecosystem. This study evaluated changes in biochemical and molecular biomarkers and contaminants concentrations in oysters Crassostrea gasar transplanted and kept for 1.5 and 7 days at three potentially contaminated sit...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 32 surface sediment samples collected around three cities (Barcarena, Belém, and Santana) located on the coast of the Brazilian Amazon. The concentration of total PAHs ranged from lower than detection limit to 33,101 ng g⁻¹ in a sample from Barcarena and was related to a large aluminum indust...

Lead has been widely used since antiquity, but its uses drastically increased during the Industrial Revolution. The global emission of Pb into the environment was mainly due to tetraethyl lead added to gasoline as an antiknock additive. Because of its toxicity and neurological effects, the compound was phased out in the 1980s. Isotopic signatures a...

This study examines the role of deep pockmarks in acting as natural sediment traps. Multibeam bathymetry, single-channel seismic and sediment samples data were used for describing the morphology of pockmarks as well as the nature of sediments inside and outside these depressed features, in an area of Santos Basin (SW Atlantic upper slope), dominate...

Global warming and local disturbances such as pollution cause several impacts on coral reefs. Among them is the breakdown of the symbiosis between host corals and photosynthetic symbionts, which is often a consequence of oxidative stress. Therefore, we investigated if the combined effects of thermal stress and copper (Cu) exposure change the trophi...

Bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on São Paulo state coast (southeastern Brazil) was evaluated through the analysis of biliary metabolites in Spheniscus magellanicus (n = 79). The animals analyzed in present study were either found dead during beach monitoring procedures or died at rehabilitation centers. Analyses of naphthalene (...

Pyrene (PYR) and fluorene (FLU) are among the sixteen priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and are both frequently detected in contaminated sites. Due to the importance of bivalve mollusks in biomonitoring programs and the scarce information on the biotransformation system in these org...

The current study aims to do a comparative analysis of the results obtained with two End-Member (EM) grain-size modeling techniques (AnalySize and BasEMMA) and the Environmental Sensitive Grain-Size (ESGS) modeling for sediment samples collected in the mudbelts of the southern Brazilian shelf. The methods were compared using grain-size data from th...

The analysis of hydrocarbons in terms of individual compounds is relevant to understand the origin and source of these substances, as well as its distribution in environmental compartments, including sediments and biota. Hydrocarbons concentrations were determined in sediments and in whole-body soft tissues of the tropical clam Anomalocardia flexuo...

Trace metals, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDTs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified in surface sediments from mud depocenters located in the western South Atlantic upper continental margin. There was no anthropogenic trace metal pollution observed, and the higher As values were attri...

Few test organisms are employed for sediment toxicity assessments in Tropical regions, including Brazil. We assessed the ability of the clam Anomalocardia flexuosa to respond to contamination in sediment bioassays using dredging materials of a semi-arid region (Ceará State, NE Brazil), with attention to sublethal responses. Sediments were collected...

Depositional and paleoenvironmental studies using organic geochemical proxies often present the temporal evolution of several compounds. Despite the importance of using several proxies to understand how the surrounding environment changed through time, this large amount of data usually hampers interpretations. In this scenario, the use of statistic...

Living (stained) benthic foraminifera from the continental shelf of Santos Basin, southeastern Brazilian continental margin, were investigated to understand their distribution patterns and their relationship with chlorophyll-a and particulate organic matter contents. Sediments were collected from 44 to 203 m of water depth. This study analysis bent...

Superficial sediment samples of the Santos Estuary (SE Brazil) were analyzed for benthic foraminifera (dead fauna), aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and trace metals. The foraminiferal fauna results were related to estuarine hydrodynamics and pollution parameters. The resid...

In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of the shelf mud depocenters off South Brazil, between latitudes 27°30′S and 24°30′S. A combination of geochronological, textural (grain-size), and geochemical (metals and εNd values) analyses allowed to recognize different mud deposits in the area. It was possible to recognize changes in the sedime...

Citation: Burone, L., Franco-Fraguas, P., Mahiques, M.M., Lahuerta, N., Diaz de Rada, J.R. Rodríguez, M., Bícego, M.C., Marín, Y., Gómez-Erache, M., Ortega, L., 2019. The imprint of the geological inheritance and present dynamics on Uruguayan inner shelf sediments (South-Western Atlantic). Journal of Sedimentary Environments, 4 (4): 403-420. Abstra...

Estuarine ecosystems are increasingly being affected by pollution caused by anthropogenic activities. In this study, Crassostrea gasar oysters were transplanted and maintained for seven days at three sites (S1, S2, and S3) in the Laguna Estuarine System (LES)-situated in southern Brazil-that has been exposed to multiple anthropic stresses. On the b...

Dredging involves the sediment excavation in order to increase the bathymetry of harbors by different methods. In urbanized and Industrial areas, dredging pose risks of negative effects on the biota due to sediment contamination. The Brazilian criteria for characterizing dredged material include chemical analyzes and comparison with sediment qualit...

In this study, the performance of two native bivalves in responding to sediment resuspension was investigated during dredging operations of a semi-arid bay (Mucuripe, NE Brazil). The clam Anomalocardia flexuosa and the oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae were selected and caged in two sites influenced by the dredging plume. We assessed the bioaccumulati...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the main contaminants in aquatic environments. PAHs can affect organisms due to their carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or teratogenic characteristics. Depending on the PAHs, concentration, and period of exposure, biological damage can occur leading to histopathologic alterations. This study aimed to eval...

The brown alga Sargassum furcatum and three families of amphipods (Ampithoidae, Caprellidae and Hyalidae) associated to that algae were evaluated as bioindicators of petroleum hydrocarbons input into the marine environment of São Sebastião Channel, in southeastern region of Brazil. The n-alkanes pattern were mainly associated with the natural compo...

The Santos Estuarine System (SES) is a complex of bays, islands, estuarine channels, and rivers located on the Southeast coast of Brazil, in which multiple contaminant sources are situated in close proximity to mangroves and other protected areas. In this study, the composition and structure of the macrobenthic communities of SES were described and...

The urban growth has increased sanitary sewage discharges in coastal ecosystems, negatively affecting the aquatic biota. Mangroves, one of the most human-affected coastal biomes, are areas for reproduction and nursing of several species. In order to evaluate the effects of sanitary sewage effluents in mangrove species, this study assessed the hepat...

Millennial-scale oscillations are known to be important in the climatic evolution of the Atlantic basin, but which internal processes originates these oscillations are still uncertain. In this study, we investigated how the Greenland and Antarctic climates affect the SW Atlantic through basin-wide oceanographic features (such as the NADW formation...

Ocean acidification is a result of the decrease in the pH of marine water, caused mainly by the increase in CO 2 released in the atmosphere and its consequent dissolution in seawater. These changes can be dramatic for marine organisms especially for oysters Crassostrea gasar if other stressors such as xenobiotics are present. The effect of pH chang...

The present study assessed biochemical responses as sublethal endpoints in the polychaete Armandia agilis exposed to contaminated sediments to in order to assess its potential use as a test organism. Sediment samples from several locations at a dredging site were obtained and used in whole-sediment exposures. Samples were tested with A. agilis to d...

In this work, we analyze the origin, evolution, and recent sedimentation of the Rio Grande Terrace (RGT), the most prominent upper slope terrace of the SW Atlantic. We gathered data from deep to shallow seismic, echo-sounding and surface sediments in order to recognize the role played by the geological inheritance, the sediment origin, and the pres...

For the evaluation of PAH extraction techniques in adipose and liver tissues of marine tetrapod, samples of some species (Pontoporia blainvillei, Chelonia mydas, Thalassarche melanophris, and Balaenoptera brydei) were spiked with PAH standards and extracted using soxhlet system and microwave oven. The results of both extraction techniques for the t...

Microplastics are important vectors for the transport and accumulation of persistent organic contaminants in coastal and marine environments. We determined the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) associated with microplastic pellets collected along a 39-km stretch of Brazil's South Atlantic...

The performance of gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-HRTofMS) for characterizing geochemical biomarkers from sediment samples was evaluated. Two approaches to obtain the geochemical biomarkers were tested: (1) extraction with organic solvent and subsequent derivatization and (2) in-situ derivatizatio...

The Supplementary Material file contains the figure of the map showing the collection site at Cananéia-Iguape Estuarine-Lagunar System (São Paulo, Brazil).

The aim of this work is to verify the organic and inorganic contamination in Araçá Bay, which contains one of the last remnants of mangrove forest on the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil, to improve the environmental management of this area, which is part of the Marine Protected Area of the Northern Coast of São Paulo State (APAMLN) and th...

Many species of reef-building corals are mixotrophic, relying on both photoautotrophy performed by their dinoflagellate symbionts and heterotrophy from con sumption of zooplankton. Autotrophy and heterotrophy supply corals with specific w3 fatty acids, which can be used as trophic markers and record the contribution of each feeding strategy. This s...

Keywords: Dune-dammed lakes Paleoclimate Coastal eolian deposits Fluvio-eolian interplay Boqueir~ ao lake a b s t r a c t We analyzed the Late Quaternary coastal evolution of the easternmost tip of South America in Brazil in light of fluvial-eolian interactions controlled by relative sea-level, climate, and coastal physiography changes. The chronol...

Sediments represent an important environmental compartment, because they provide substrate for a range of species and may accumulate contaminants in high concentrations. However, the universe of methods to assess the quality of sediments is still small. This investigation aimed to assess the quality of sediments from some sites of Ubatuba (SE Brazi...

The depositional history of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was studied from surficial sediments and three sediment cores sampled in the Santos Estuary, an important industrial and urban centre in South America. The maximum concentration (190.7 ng g-1 dry weight) and inventory (295.50 ng cm-2) were detected in sediments related to the 1980s, repre...

Biochemical and molecular responses were evaluated in oysters Crassostrea brasiliana collected from three oyster farms, at Guaratuba Bay, southern Brazil, forming a pollutant gradient: Farm 1 (reference site - farther from the urban area), Farm 2 (intermediate site) and Farm 3 (nearest to the urban area). Oxidative stress markers, DNA damage and tr...

Exposure of aquatic organisms to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), such as phenanthrene (PHE), may increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause changes in the biotransformation systems. In addition, changes in water temperature can cause adverse effects in the organisms. Estuarine species, like the oyster Crassostrea bra...

Metal/Ca ratios and their corresponding enrichment factors (EFs) in bulk sediment samples collected at a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic continental slope setting with an extensive pockmark field were measured and analyzed to find evidence of lateral differences in the redox potential and recent seepage activity inside the pockmarks. The analyzed rat...

The sources and depositional history of OCPs (organochlorine pesticides), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) over the last 100 years were determined in two sediment cores collected in the Amazon region. It was possible to distinguish two depositional periods along the cores. The first period oc- curred befo...

Aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs and PAHs) were investigated in soil and meltwater stream sediments near the Uruguayan Artigas Research Station (BCAA). Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and gas chromatography mass spectrometry were used to determine the composition of AHs and PAHs, respectively. Total AH concentr...

We investigated the relationship between the AMBI index and different contamination proxies in an urbanized bay in South America (SE Brazil), and the effect of (a) abundance data transformation and (b) exclusion of lowreliability sites (high SD; low N) on the index' performance. Poor ecological quality and opportunistic species were related to an i...

Human activities in the Antarctica including tourism and scientific research have been raised substantially in the last century with the concomitant impact on the Antarctic ecosystems through the release of wastewater mainly from different scientific stations activities. The aim of this study was to assess the wastewater contamination of surface wa...

The presence of legacy contaminants in sediments from three Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) of the coast of São Paulo State was evaluated. Four sampling surveys were conducted between 2013 and 2015 in 10 sites, distributed along the Laje de Santos Marine and Xixova-Japui State Parks (PEMLS and XJSP, respectively) and Central Coast Marine Protection A...

In this study, the quality of sediments from three Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) located on the coast of São Paulo (Laje de Santos Marine State Park - PEMLS; Xixova-Japui State Park - XJSP; and Central Coast Marine Protection Area - APAMLC) was assessed. Four sampling surveys were conducted (September/October 2013; January 2014; July 2014; January...

This study evaluated the PAH bioavailability from Santos Bay (Brazil) in 4 species of fish, using PAH biliary metabolites. The collection was done monthly, between July and December, in three different regions of Santos Bay. The metabolites were analyzed through a high performance liquid chromatograph with fluorescence detectors. Total metabolites...

We report the distribution of selected lipid biomarkers specifically sterols and aliphatic hydrocarbons in sediment cores from Cabo Frio, SW Atlantic continental shelf, Brazil, corresponding approximately to the last 700 years. In the Cabo Frio region, a costal upwelling occurs as a quasi-seasonal phenomenon characterized by nutrient-rich bottom wa...

Phenanthnere (PHE) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon continuously discarded in the marine environment and bioavailable to many aquatic species. Although studies about PHE toxicity have been documented for adult oysters, the effects on early developmental stages are poorly characterized in bivalves. In this study, the effects of PHE (0.02 and 2.0...

This study assessed the concentration and composition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in plastic pellets, collected from sandy beaches and considered different resin and colour tones. Results showed that polyethylene pellets, while displaying a greater range of total PAH concentrations did not differ significantly from polypropylene pell...

Magellanic penguins, Spheniscus magellanicus, are the most abundant penguins living in temperate regions of South America and are good indicators of environmental pollution in the region. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were detected in the liver of Magellanic penguins found debilitated or dead on the beaches of Brazil (states of Rio de Janeir...

In this study, we use inorganic (metal) and organic (bulk and molecular) markers in sediment samples of the south-eastern Brazilian margin to investigate the response of geochemical fingerprints to the complex hydrodynamic processes present in the area. Results indicate the potential of export of terrigenous siliciclastic and organic constituents t...

In this study, we use inorganic (metals) and organic (bulk and molecular) markers in sediment samples of the southeastern Brazilian margin to investigate the response of geochemical fingerprints to the complex hydrodynamic processes present in the area. Results indicate the potential of export of terrigenous siliciclastic and organic constituents t...

O Sistema Estuarino de Santos e São Vicente (SESSV), localizado no litoral de SP, constitui um ecossistema sob grande pressão antrópica desde a década de 50 1. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar as concentrações de biomarcadores de petróleo (BMPs - hopanos, terpanos e esteranos) em testemunhos de sedimento obtidos em duas áreas de manguezal d...

Collective assessment of marine and terrigenous organic biomarkers was performed on a sediment core spanning the last 34,800 years on the upper slope southeast of Brazil to verify the signatures of climatic variations in sea surface temperature (SST), marine productivity, and the flux of terrigenous material in this region. This evaluation is based...

This work aimed to evaluate the use of Mugil curema as a biomonitor for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioavailability. Fish biliary metabolites from low-contaminated (Cananéia) and contaminated (Santos) Brazilian estuaries were analysed using a high-performance liquid chromatography apparatus coupled to fluorescence detectors connected in a...

The present article describes integration of environmental monitoring and discharge data and interpretation using multivariate statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), and partial least squares (PLS) regression. The monitoring was carried out at the Peregrino oil field off the coast of Brazil. One sensor platform and 3 sediment traps were pl...