Catarina Guerreiro in the 90 seconds of science

MARE researcher Catarina Guerreiro took part in the radio programme ‘90 minutes of science’ on Antena 1.  90 Seconds of Science is a project of the António Xavier Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology (ITQB NOVA), the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FCSH NOVA), both of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and Antena 1, with the support of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).

In episode no. 1854, broadcast on 3 October, Catarina Guerreiro spoke about her study on the impact of the deposition of dust from the Sahara desert on the ocean's surface. In 90 seconds, the researcher explained how this dust can serve as an alternative source of nutrients in the context of an increasingly warmer ocean and a weaker biological pump due to the impact of climate change.

This dust from the Sahara carries nutrients such as iron and phosphorus that have the potential to fertilise the marine phytoplankton that live in the ocean's photic zone, the most superficial layer of this ecosystem.
The MARE researcher found evidence to support this hypothesis based on the observation of an increase in the abundance of certain species of calcareous and more opportunistic nanoplankton in response to the deposition of nutrients from Saharan dust.

‘This makes us think that dust may in fact play an important role as an alternative source of nutrients for ocean productivity in the context of climate warming,’ concludes Catarina Guerreiro.

To listen to the episode click HERE