Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: THAYNÁ JEREMIAS MELLO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : THAYNÁ JEREMIAS MELLO
DATE: 29/09/2022
TIME: 08:30
LOCAL: Google Meet
TITLE:

Local and global impacts on the reefs of Fernando de Noronha Archipelago

KEY WORDS:

Coral reefs; conservation; pollution; climate change; tourism.

PAGES: 90
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Ecologia
SUMMARY:

Coral reefs are among the most threatened environments globally due to human impacts. These impacts can come from local sources, such as the dumping of effluents without proper treatment, disorderly tourism, and inappropriate waste disposal. On a global scale, the main impacts are related to climate change, causing ocean warming and acidification, as well as the occurrence of more intense and frequent extreme events (e.g. heat waves). Among the marine conservation strategies, the creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) stands out. The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha (FN) has been protected by two MPAs for over 30 years but has been suffering from increasing impacts due to climate change and the recent expansion of tourism. The general objective of this thesis is to evaluate the role of FN MPAs in the mitigation of multiple local and global impacts on reef environments. Specifically, in Chapter 1 we described the composition and abundance of marine debris in FN and verified the influence of oceanographic and tourism factors on the patterns of debris distribution. The windward uninhabited coast, inside a no-take area, presented higher abundance of plastic debris. The leeward coast, within the multiple-use area, presented more disposable plastics and cigarette butts. In Chapter 2 we investigated the temporal dynamics of the benthos of a tide pool and observed that temperature anomaly was the main driver affecting coral health and their endosymbionts community. Although seasonal burial was related to high temporal variability in benthic cover, coral health was not affected by it, nor by a higher number of tourists diving into the site, indicating that the negative effects of tourism can be reduced if properly managed. In Chapter 3, we mapped and quantified marine pollution in FN (nutrients, metals, microplastics, sterols, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), characterizing its sources and assessing its impacts on reef communities. Preliminary results indicate that the water quality is satisfactory on the reefs, although the observed nutrient concentrations were higher compared to previous studies and the quality of effluents discharged into the sea is below the standards required by legislation. We observed a high concentration of metals in the sediment at some sampling stations, which may be related to anthropic sources and to the volcanic origin of the archipelago. Further analyses are in progress and the integrated assessment of all variables will provide a better  understanding of the current marine environmental quality in FN. The information generated by this work will serve as an important reference for monitoring initiatives and for improving management strategies for the conservation of FN and other MPAs.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo à Instituição - CARLOS EDUARDO LEITE FERREIRA
Externo à Instituição - Fabian Sá
Presidente - 2319234 - GUILHERME ORTIGARA LONGO