Maretec - Marine, Environment and Technology Center

📢 New publication!

A study led by Erival Prata from Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Pará, who was working on MARETEC for a six month period. Here the modelling work was done with Tânia Sousa and Gonçalo Marques - MARETEC/LARSyS (Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa).

Hydropower dams can provide renewable energy, but they can also reshape entire river ecosystems in ways that are not always immediately visible. In this study, researchers investigated how changes in the natural flood cycle caused by the Belo Monte dam are affecting a native Amazonian catfish. Using a bioenergetic model that links environmental conditions to growth and reproduction, they found that reduced food availability - driven by altered river dynamics - has a much greater impact than rising temperatures. The results suggest that fish may grow less, reproduce later, produce smaller eggs, and, under severe conditions, stop reproducing altogether. These findings highlight the importance of considering ecological consequences when planning and managing hydropower projects, and demonstrate how predictive modeling can support more effective conservation and environmental impact assessments in the Amazon forest.

Check the link in the comments to read the full article!

📢 New publication!

A study led by Maria Lagunes from MARBEC, IRD, Univ Montpellier, CNRS and Univ Brest, IRD, CNRS, Ifremer, LEMAR, IUEM, with the participation of Gonçalo Marques from MARETEC/LARSyS (Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa).

Massive blooms of floating Sargassum seaweed have become an increasingly visible challenge across the tropical Atlantic, affecting coastal ecosystems, tourism, and local communities. This study takes an important step toward understanding why these blooms occur by developing a model that connects environmental conditions - such as temperature, sunlight, and nutrient availability - to the growth and survival of Sargassum. Rather than simply predicting outcomes, the researchers also identified the critical knowledge gaps that limit our ability to forecast future blooms, showing which experiments would provide the most valuable new insights. By combining ecological modeling with targeted experimental design, the work offers a practical roadmap for improving predictions of Sargassum dynamics and highlights how closer collaboration between field scientists and modelers can accelerate progress in understanding complex environmental challenges.

Check the link in the comments to read the full article!

Join us on June 17 for another session of MARETEC Talks, where Carlos Faísca, Professor at the University of Évora and President of the Portuguese Association of Economic and Social History, will present
“An Anthropometric History of Portugal: State of the Art and Future Research Directions“.

MARETEC President Tiago Domingos was interviewed by João Sundfeld for a news piece in Expresso, exploring the energy transition and renewable energy sources in Europe. Check the link to read more: https://expresso.pt/revista/fisga/2026-05-14-e-depois-da-tempestade-quanto-custam-a-portugal-e-ao-mundo-os-fenomenos-meteorologicos-extremos-100626b7

In February, Gonçalo M. Marques from MARETEC/LARSyS gave an invited talk at the Fudan University in Shanghai, on why use a metabolic theory and showing two examples of its use. Thanks to Prof. Du Weigou and the Fudan University for the invitation.

During February and March, Ramiro Neves, Lígia Pinto and Gonçalo M. Marques, from MARETEC/LARSyS, were teaching at the Shanghai University (SHU) under the protocol between the SHU and ULisboa.

https://www.ulisboa.pt/info/ulisboa-school-shanghai

Thank you to everyone who joined us today for the MARETEC Talks!

The session was led by Ricardo Teixeira (MARETEC/LARSyS), who presented the Horizon Europe Project "TERRAMARE - Integrated Terrestrial and Marine Decision Support Tool for the Assessment of Resource Use Trade-offs in Europe".

We look forward to seeing you at the next MARETEC Talks! 💡

Last Friday, MARETEC was represented at the Renaissance Economics 3rd International Conference within a multi‑institutional working group. Our researcher Ricardo da Silva Vieira presented his work on "Composite indicators for measuring sustainable and inclusive wellbeing" - a crucial step toward better informed policies that go beyond GDP.

This work stems from an expert workshop held earlier this year at Ispa, organised by JRC and UCL, where four thematic papers were outlined. MARETEC, through Ricardo’s coordination, is leading one of these informal working groups, bringing together researchers from the University of Florence, University of Tampere, UCL, the Joint Research Centre, the OECD, national statistical offices, and others.

In Rome, there was a special session on Wellbeing Metrics, Measurement and Aggregation Issues: Coordinates to Move Beyond GDP (organised with MERGE - Measuring what matters) to share early insights and foster dialogue on how composite indicators can capture multidimensional wellbeing in a more holistic, policy‑relevant way.

At MARETEC, this effort connects to the ongoing MAPS (Models, Assessment, and Policies for Sustainability) project and its task exploring the resource‑use requirements for a good life.

A new paper published in Scientific Reports and titled "A novel bioenergetic model outlines the metabolism of a deep-sea clam and that of its sulfur-oxidizing symbionts" reveals how deep-sea clams survive in extreme environments thanks to a fascinating partnership with sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. This study was led by Marine Vandenberghe from Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences (LOG), Université de Lille, together with Gonçalo M. Marques (MARETEC/LARSyS) and Sylvie Gaudron.

By developing a novel bioenergetic model, researchers uncovered how both the clam and its symbiotic microbes coordinate their metabolism to thrive where most life couldn’t. The dynamics of the symbiont is such that it creates an assimilation homeostasis for the host. This insight not only deepens our knowledge of marine ecosystems but could also inform future research in biotechnology and extreme-environment survival.

🔬 Link for the full paper on the coments!

Lúcia Barão, researcher at MARETEC\LARSyS, was the Guest Editor of a new book published on Land. The book is a reprint of the Special Issue titled "Soil Ecological Risk Assessment Based on LULC".

It focuses on assessing the ecological risks associated with different LULC types, which is crucial for understanding and quantifying the losses of soil ecosystem services at local, regional, and global scales, as well as their social and economic impacts. The aim of this reprint is to quantify soil ecological risk (including soil functions, soil threats, and soil ecosystem services) and to evaluate the soil ecological risks associated with different LULC types across various soil types, parent materials, and geographical and climatic conditions. Leading experts in the field share their insights, research findings, and visions for the future.

You can find the link to the publication in the comments!