Joana Freitas

The role of organic acids in assisted phytoremediation processes of salt marsh sediments

Some plants have high ability to absorb heavy metals in high concentrations. In this study, Spartina maritima was tested in conjunction with low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA), in order to evaluate the possible use of this plant in phytoremediation processes in salt marshes. Three different LMWOA (citric acid, malic acid and acetic acid) were applied to contaminated intact cores of S. maritima colonized sediment and several heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr and Ni) were analyzed in sediment and plant parts. Acetic acid application proved to be the most efficient, enhancing greatly the uptake of all metals analyzed. Citric acid also showed good results, while malic acid proved to be very inefficient in most of the cases. The highest enhancement was observed for Cr with a 10-fold increase of the uptake upon application of acetic acid, while improving the Pb uptake proved to be the most difficult, probably due to its low solubility.

1941 windstorm effects on the Portuguese Coast. What lessons for the future

ABSTRACT Freitas, J.G., and Dias, J.A., 2013. 1941 windstorm effects on the Portuguese Coast. What lessons for the future? On February 15, 1941, the Iberian Peninsula was struck by a devastating windstorm. Human and material losses were significant. Coastal areas were among the most affected. Storm surge caused by strong wind and low atmospheric pressures favoured overwash occurrence. Unlike other past catastrophic events, there is abundant information on the 1941 windstorm. Historical sources – newspapers, survivors testimonies and official institutions reports - allowed us to realize its impact on territory and on populations. Until today 1941 phenomenon is still the biggest known storm. However, what happened then is almost forgotten. But, it can happen again. Sesimbra and Ria Formosa coastal areas are excellent case studies to understand what happened on the windstorm day and to discuss what could happen if an event like this reaches those regions again. The analysed data lead to the conclusion that the consequences would be even more devastating. First, because the current urbanization level is much higher. Second, Sesimbra and Ria Formosa are as vulnerable (or even more) to extreme events as they were in 1941. Third, its inhabitants have no “risk memory” and therefore have no concept of the danger inherent to seashore occupation. Preserving the memory of such events can be a way of preparing people for new disasters and to get authorities to take concrete measures to mitigate their effects.

Climate: The Great Maestro of Life on Earth. History, Didactics and Case Studies

Vox populi says “weather isn’t what it used to be”! Climate change has been preferentially approached regarding the future. Most discussions focus on warming in recent decades and sea mean level rise, leaving aside the fact that climate has been varying over time with different impacts on Earth’s life. It is now possible through several proxies to reconstruct climatic variations in a long-term perspective. History allows to realize how humans faced climatic variations: adapting, migrating or succumbing to them. We are beginning to understand climate influence in the Crusades/Christian Peninsular Conquest and Iberian Discoveries, for example. The better we know the past the better we can have a realistic idea of present and future challenges. Having this in mind, the authors created the first Climate Change curricular unit, in a Portuguese History first degree course. The aim of this chapter is to talk about the experience of using historical examples as a tool to communicate climate change. Being optional in scholar curricula, the course had a good adhesion, attracting students from various areas. Students are eager for these diachronic studies on climate. It is up to professors and scientists to find the better way of giving them the knowledge they seek.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a Contribution to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: The Case of the Portuguese Coastal Populations

Climate change is responsible for mean sea level rise. Coastal flooding and erosion put at risk infrastructures and activities that humans have been developing in the littoral during the twentieth century. Perceptions about this space changed and people forgot that coasts are instable territories. Solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change in coastal zones are now being searched. Looking back, to the past, can help. For centuries, the fishing communities developed strategies to survive in this hostile environment. Their ecological traditional knowledge can provide practical responses to present challenges. The last IPCC report recognizes that local and traditional knowledge, being a major resource in response to climate change, have not been used consistently. The aim of this chapter is to address the case of the Portuguese fishing populations to show how they developed coping practices using the available resources and simple technical means. Fishers’ key-strategies included special architecture forms, seasonal activities and a specific local knowledge that permitted them to recognized climate and coastline changes. Their lessons are compared to mitigation and adaptation measures being proposed nowadays. This allows to establish which ones are more suited to the Portuguese coast specificity and therefore will probably be more effective. These examples are useful for improving communication with decision-makers and increasing public awareness of future changes stressing the need for a more sustainable development.