II Edition 2019 – Global Change and Marine Biodiversity
The 2019 edition was held, from September 2nd to 6th, and had the theme Global Change and Marine Biodiversity. The course was taught in English, with the presence of renowned professors and researchers from Chile, Italy, and Brazil. They addressed issues related to climate change on the planet and the repercussions on marine biodiversity. Among the foreign professors were Dr. Victor Cubillos and Dr. Oscar Chaparro, both from Universidad Austral de Chile (Valdivia), Dr. Sergio Rossi, from Università del Salento (Lecce), and Dr. Lucia Rizzo, from Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Naples), both in Italy, and PPGCMT visiting professor Luiz Carlos Cotovicz Junior. Professors Victor Cubillas and Oscar Chaparro are experts on climate change and its impact on marine invertebrates, particularly on their survival and reproduction. Prof. Sergio Rossi studies the ecological, social and economic effects of climate change. Professor Lucia Rizzo studies marine pollution, especially plastics, and how this pollution affects marine organisms. Professor Luiz Cotovicz studies biogeochemical cycles in the ocean, with emphasis on the carbon cycle and the effects of ocean acidification. During the course, the students carried out theoretical and practical activities, where they participated in the collection and treatment of data, besides analyzing real situations, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, in the Persian Gulf, analyzing the ecological, social, and economic implications of this work, and proposing mitigation solutions for the impacts. The school was supported by the UFC’s Geography and Law Graduate Programs. Besides the mentioned graduate programs, the school also had the support of the Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).
The structure of the course included theoretical and practical activities on the following topics:
- Ecophysiology of key organisms in the marine environment;
- Climate change and the effects of ocean warming on marine biodiversity, especially on the physiology and health of species;
- Climate change impact on marine ecosystems and species (mollusks, corals, among others);
- How to preserve the intrinsic values of the oceans;
- Is it possible for humans to survive without a healthy ocean?
- How marine debris affects biological systems and how they respond to these effects;
- What are the consequences of major coastal engineering works, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on ecological, social, and economic aspects; and
- Biogeochemical cycles in the ocean, with emphasis on the carbon cycle and the effects of ocean acidification.
Lecturing professors:
- Dr. Sergio Rossi, PhD in Biological Oceanography; Senior researcher at the Institut de Ciència I Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB); Full Professor of Università del Salento (Lecce, Italy);
- Dr. Lucia Rizzo, PhD in Biology; Senior researcher at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Naples, Italy); a world class specialist in the studies of climate change impacts on the microorganisms, mapping of the sea floor and metagenomic techniques;
- Dr. Oscar Chaparro, PhD Memorial University of NF, St. John´s, Canada 1996; Researcher at the Universidad Austral de Chile (Valdivia, Chile); a world class specialist in the studies of ecophysiology of reproduction and estuarine biology. The research uses as model of study, mollusk species whose reproduction includes the incubatory process, as it happens in the gastropods;
- Dr. Victor Cubillos, PhD University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, 2013; Researcher at the Universidad Austral de Chile (Valdivia, Chile); a world class specialist in cellular responses of aquatic invertebrates (oxidative damage and antioxidant response) against environmental stressors and the use of photo-protective compounds;
- Dr. Luiz C. Cotovicz Jr, PhD in Environmental Geochemistry and Environmental Sciences (UFF); Visiting Professor of Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC).
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