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  • Infusão tecnológica na oferta educativa do Centro Ciência Viva do Algarve
    Publication . Reis, Emanuel; Colaço, Ana; Miguel, Carlos; Veiga-Pires, C.; Ferreira, Clara; Dias, Filipe; Oliveira, Jorge; Gonçalves, Luís; Rodrigues, Miguel; Romão, Mónica; Gomes, Tiago; kisarauské, Vaiva
    Estatutariamente ”o Centro de Ciência Viva do Algarve (CCVAlg) tem por objeto o exercício da divulgação científica e tecnológica mediante a promoção da cultura científica e tecnológica junto da população e, em especial, junto da comunidade juvenil.” Numa sociedade (e ciência) cada vez mais digital, a utilização de ferramentas e canais tecnológicos para levar a cabo essa missão não pode ser desprezada, sob pena de dar uma visão amputada e obsoleta da realidade face às técnicas e metodologias a que comunidade científica do século XXI recorre. Fruto de uma parceria recentemente estabelecida com a empresa JP.Group, o Centro Ciência Viva do Algarve, tem vindo a incluir em diversas atividades que compõem a sua oferta educativa a utilização de 10 equipamentos portáteis do tipo tablet detachable que lhe foram oferecidos. Apenas quatro meses após o início da utilização destes equipamentos com público, cerca de quatro centenas de jovens já participaram em atividades lúdico cientificas dinamizadas pelos vários elementos da equipa e realizadas em contextos de ensino não formal e informal. A presente comunicação pretende dar a conhecer a metodologia desenhada para a integração dos equipamentos recebidos na oferta educativa do Centro, as atividades com o público já realizadas durante os primeiros 4 meses do projeto, os impactos já visíveis resultantes dessa introdução, bem como antecipar novas atividades e metodologias inovadoras de utilização dos equipamentos em Centros de Ciência cuja introdução está a ser preparada pela equipa do CCVAlg.
    2017-10-12Conference object Open access Show more
  • Prevalence and impacts of pollution by plastic debris along shores of south Portugal and Morocco
    Publication . Velez, Nadja Vanessa Rosa; Nicastro, Katy; Zardi, Gerardo
    Given the ongoing increase of plastic waste, plastic debris is now considered an emerging pollutant in the marine environment. Around the world, plastics make up the largest portion of marine debris. The presence of big-sized plastic (i.e. macroplastics; >5mm) in the marine environment represents an ecological and aesthetic concern, with economic repercussions for the tourist industry and a hazard for health and numerous marine-industries. Once in the marine environment, plastic debris is washed ashore where they are prone to fragmentation due to the combined photo-oxidative processes and higher temperatures (relatively to cool temperatures of the sea). There is increasing evidence that macroplastics can break down through UV radiation and wave action into small sized plastic particles, known as microplatics (<5mm). Because of their small size, they become bioavailable to organisms throughout the food-web where they can have direct adverse effects by not being digestible, containing harsh chemicals (persistent organic pollutants), and being transported to upper trophic levels. Few and geographically restricted studies on plastic contamination have been carried in southern Europe. Importantly, the incidence and impact of plastic debris targeting large stretches of coastlines and along southern Portugal and Morocco remains largely unknown. This thesis can be subdivided into two main studies: a large scale and a mesoscale study. Both sets of experiment considered various types of material with a particular focus on plastic. The general aim of the large scale study was to describe marine debris pollution on the beach, particularly plastic debris, along the south of Portugal and Morocco Atlantic coastline. This was done by assessing (a) the debris composition and (b) the prevalence of microplastics in sediment. The overall aim of the mesoscale study was to determine plastic pollution and marine debris within Ria Formosa Natural Park and its temporal variability. This was done by comparing coastal, exposed sites with lagoon beach locations and assessing the seasonal prevalence of the debris composition. For the large scale study, plastic was the most abundant debris material and most debris had an undifferentiated source. Predominant winds and coast exposure were the factors that best explained the distribution. Filament was the most consistent and abundant type of microplastic across the study. However fragment also contributed substantially at all sites, being predominant at MA, SA, PA and SB sites. Overall, plastic contamination on the form of debris and microplastic is abundantly present throughout the study area but its distribution is not even and lacks a geographical pattern. For the mesoscale study, exposure and site had a significant effect over debris material composition and source, while seasonality did not. Abundance of debris was very distinct between exposures, with sheltered sites having larger abundance than exposed sites. Debris was most abundant in sheltered PF, and least abundant in exposed PF. Exposed sites were dominated mostly by plastic material while sheltered sites were dominated mostly by ceramic. Sheltered sites were all statistically different while one pair of exposed sites was not statistically different in material composition. Most of the debris had an undifferentiated source across all levels (exposure, site, month). Also, most debris items belonged to smaller size categories (meso or macro) across all sites. On the sheltered side of the lagoon where wave action has less strength there is a potential for higher retention of debris, which would partly explain the disparity in abundance between exposures. In addition, the sheltered sites tend to have house constructions built above the beach, made of ceramic bricks with asbestos roofs (a potentially toxic material). Both materials were present on sheltered sites. This and the similarity between sources of debris and local activities at each site suggest that contamination on the sheltered side of Ria Formosa is highly linked to the land-based activities occurring at each site. Such knowledge suggests that tailormade local strategies for debris mitigation might optimize debris removal and prevention on sheltered sites of Ria Formosa.
    2017-10-12Master thesis Open access Show more