Scientists from the EOMAR Group of the ULPGC institute addressed the negative consequences of this waste on crabs and shrimps in the Atlantic Ocean
The Research Institute for Sustainable Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (ECOAQUA) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), through the Ecophysiology of Marine Organisms Group (EOMAR), recently participated in the 2nd International Workshop on the Origin, Distribution and Fate of Marine Litter in the Atlantic, Atlitter 2024, held at the Oceanographic Centre of the Canary Islands in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, part of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC).
This workshop, aimed at tackling the existing problem of marine litter in the Atlantic Ocean, especially in the Canary Islands, provided an opportunity to discuss the physical and chemical processes, among others, that influence both the transport and accumulation of this waste, as well as to try to find solutions for the future.
The event, organised by the ULPGC, the University of La Laguna and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, included an oral presentation by the young EOMAR Group researcher Anna Cunill i Sáez entitled ‘Impacts of Cigarette Butt Leachates on Palaemon elegans’.
In addition, during the workshop, the researcher, also from EOMAR, Sofía Huelbes Muñoz, presented a poster entitled ‘Analyzing the Presence of Microplastics in Cronius ruber and their Possible Relationship with Wastewater Discharges’.
Both presentations showed how microplastics and cigarette butts that end up on our beaches and in our oceans seriously affect marine ecosystems. In particular, the researchers addressed the negative consequences of these wastes on crabs and shrimps.
In addition, the workshop included the presentation ‘Microplastics in the Ocean: Emerging Perspectives in their Observation and Analysis’, by Francisco José Machín Jiménez, member of the Physical Oceanography and Applied Geophysics Research Group (OFYGA) of ECOAQUA and of the organising committee of this event.
The ULPGC lecturers Daura Vega Moreno, also a member of the organising committee of this scientific event, and Ludovit Schreiber, as well as the PhD student Álvaro Cubas, also participated in this second workshop on marine litter in the Atlantic.
The workshop also included presentations by Christopher Kim Pham, researcher at the University of the Azores (Portugal), and Pedro Sepúlveda, regional director of the Environment and Sea of Madeira (Portugal).
The scientific event culminated, under the chairmanship of Javier Hernández Borges, from the University of La Laguna, with the plenary presentation ‘Advancing Methods and Tools to Study, Survey and Monitor Marine Litter Pollution’, by João Monteiro, from the University of Madeira (Portugal).
The one-day Atlitter 2024 is a follow-up to the successful first edition, held in November 2023, bringing together leading researchers, practitioners and policy makers to discuss the pressing issue of marine litter in the Atlantic Ocean. It featured an extensive programme of lectures, oral presentations and poster sessions, all designed to foster collaboration between professionals and institutions, as well as to share the latest findings on marine litter research.
The workshop aimed to deepen the understanding of the global marine litter problem and contribute to the development of strategies for its management and reduction, serving as a platform for exchange on innovative solutions to mitigate its impact and highlighting the challenges and opportunities that exist in this important field of research.