| BELEN MARIA ALFONSO | Last modified date：2023.12.12 |
Associate Professor /
Center for Ocean Plastic Studies /
Research Institute for Applied Mechanics
Papers
| 1. | Corman, Jessica; Zwart, Jacob; Klug, Jennifer; Bruesewitz, Denise; De Eyto, Elvira; Klaus, Marcus; Knoll, Lesley; Rusak, James; Vanni, Michael; Alfonso, Maria Belen; Fernandez, Rocio Luz; Yao, Huaxia; Austnes, Kari; Couture, Raoul-Marie; de Wit, Heleen; Karlsson, Janne; Laas, Alo, Response of lake metabolism to catchment inputs inferred using high-frequency lake and stream data from across the northern hemisphere, Limnology and Oceanography, doi: 10.1002/lno.12449, 9999, 1-15, 2023.11, In lakes, the rates of gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R), and net ecosystem production (NEP) are often controlled by resource availability. Herein, we explore how catchment vs. within lake predictors of metabolism compare using data from 16 lakes spanning 39N to 64N, a range of inflowing streams, and trophic status. For each lake, we combined stream loads of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) with lake DOC, TN, and TP concentrations and high frequency in situ monitoring of dissolved oxygen. We found that stream load stoichiometry indicated lake stoichiometry forC : N and C : P (r2 = 0.74 and r2 = 0.84, respectively), but not for N : P (r2 = 0.04). As we found a strong positive correlation between TN and TP, we only used TP in our statistical models. For the catchment model, GPP and R were best predicted by DOC load, TP load, and load N : P (R2 = 0.85 and R2 = 0.82, respectively). For the lake model, GPP and R were best predicted by TP concentrations (R2 = 0.86 and R2 = 0.67, respectively). The inclusion of N : P in the catchment model, but not the lake model, suggests that both N and P regulate metabolism and that organisms may be responding more strongly to catchment inputs than lake resources. Our models predicted NEP poorly, though it is unclear why. Overall, our work stresses the importance of characterizing lake catchment loads to predict metabolic rates, a result that may be particularly important in catchments experiencing changing hydrologic regimes related to global environmental change.. |
| 2. | Veronica Nava, Sudeep Chandra, Julian Aherne, María B. Alfonso, Ana M. Antão-Geraldes, Katrin Attermeyer, Roberto Bao, Mireia Bartrons, Stella A. Berger, Marcin Biernaczyk, Raphael Bissen, Justin D. Brookes, David Brown, Miguel Cañedo-Argüelles, Moisés Canle, Camilla Capelli, Rafael Carballeira, José Luis Cereijo, Sakonvan Chawchai, Søren T. Christensen, Kirsten S. Christoffersen, Elvira de Eyto, Jorge Delgado, Tyler N. Dornan, Jonathan P. Doubek, Julia Dusaucy, Oxana Erina, Zeynep Ersoy, Heidrun Feuchtmayr, Maria Luce Frezzotti, Silvia Galafassi, David Gateuille, Vitor Gonçalves, Hans-Peter Grossart, David P. Hamilton, Ted D. Harris, Külli Kangur, Gökben Başaran Kankılıç, Rebecca Kessler, Christine Kiel, Edward M. Krynak, Àngels Leiva-Presa, Fabio Lepori, Miguel G. Matias, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Yvonne McElarney, Beata Messyasz, Mark Mitchell, Musa C. Mlambo, Samuel N. Motitsoe, Sarma Nandini, Valentina Orlandi, Caroline Owens, Deniz Özkundakci, Solvig Pinnow, Agnieszka Pociecha, Pedro Miguel Raposeiro, Eva-Ingrid Rõõm, Federica Rotta, Nico Salmaso, S. S. S. Sarma, Davide Sartirana, Facundo Scordo, Claver Sibomana, Daniel Siewert, Katarzyna Stepanowska, Ülkü Nihan Tavşanoğlu, Maria Tereshina, James Thompson, Monica Tolotti, Amanda Valois, Piet Verburg, Brittany Welsh, Brian Wesolek, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Naicheng Wu, Edyta Zawisza, Lauren Zink, Barbara Leoni, Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs, Nature, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06168-4, 619, 317-322, 2023.07, [URL], Plastic debris is thought to be widespread in freshwater ecosystems globally. We sample surface waters of 38 lakes and reservoirs, distributed across gradients of geographical position and limnological attributes, with the aim to identify factors associated with an increased observation of plastics. We find plastic debris in all studied lakes and reservoirs, suggesting that these ecosystems play a key role in the plastic pollution cycle. Our results indicate that two types of lakes are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination; lakes and reservoirs in densely populated and urbanized areas; and large lakes and reservoirs with elevated deposition areas, long water retention times, and high levels of anthropogenic influence. Plastic concentrations vary widely among lakes; in the most polluted concentrations reach or even exceed those reported in the subtropical oceanic gyres, marine areas collecting large amounts of debris. Our findings highlight the importance of including lakes and reservoirs when addressing plastic pollution, in the context of pollution management and for the continued provision of lake ecosystem services. |
| 3. | R P Mofokeng, A Faltynkova, M B Alfonso, I Boujmil, I R B Carvalho, K Lunzalu, N B Mohd Zanuri, E S Nyadjro, P S Puskic, D J Lindsay, K Willis, T M Adyel, C Serra-Gonçalves, A Zolich, T S Eriksen, H-C Evans, D Gabriel, S Hajbane, G Suaria, K L Law, D Lobelle, The future of ocean plastics: designing diverse collaboration frameworks, ICES Journal of Marine Science, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad055, 2023.04, [URL], This paper aims to guide the stakeholder engagement process related to plastic pollution research in marine environments. We draw on advice identified during an online workshop (Ocean Plastic Workshop 2022) organized by Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) from 11 countries, held in April 2022. International experts and workshop participants discussed their experiences in the collaborative development and implementation of ocean plastic pollution projects held worldwide, guided by three main questions: (i) What is the role of scientists in a multi-stakeholder project? (ii) How should scientists communicate with other stakeholders? (iii) Which stakeholders are missing in collaborative projects, and why are they missing? This multidisciplinary, co-learning approach highlights the value of stakeholder engagement for ocean plastic projects with an end goal to identify and implement ocean plastic solutions via innovative technologies, informing policy, community engagement, or a combination of all three approaches. The target outcomes of the workshop described in this paper include the identification of transdisciplinary (academic-stakeholder) engagement frameworks and specific suggestions that can serve as guidelines for the development of future plastic pollution projects.. |
| 4. | Stephanie E. Figary,Michael F. Meyer,Warren J. S. Currie, Alfonso, M.B, ZIG Participants, Building a Worldwide Freshwater Zooplankton Dataset to Synthesize Patterns of Zooplankton Community Structure and Change, Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.1002/lob.10515, 2022.09. |
| 5. | Josefina Zunino, Noelia S. La Colla, Andrea S. Brendel, Maria Belen Alfonso, Sandra Botte, Gerardo M. E. Perillo, Maria C. Piccolo, Water quality analysis based on phytoplankton and metal indices: a case study in the Sauce Grande River Basin (Argentina), Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 10.1007/s11356-022-21349-w, 2022.06. |
| 6. | Andres H. Arias, María B. Alfonso, Lautaro Girones, María C. Piccolo, Jorge E. Marcovecchio, Synthetic microfibers and tyre wear particles pollution in aquatic systems: Relevance and mitigation strategies, Environmental pollution, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118607, 2021.12, [URL], Evidence shows that the majority of aquatic field microplastics (MPs) could be microfibers (MFs) which can be originated directly from massive sources such as textile production and shedding from garments, agricultural textiles and clothes washing. In addition, wear and tear of tyres (TRWPs) emerges as a stealthy major source of micro and nanoplastics, commonly under-sampled/detected in the field. In order to compile the current knowledge in regards to these two major MPs sources, concentrations of concern in aquatic environments, their distribution, bulk emission rates and water mitigation strategies were systematically reviewed. Most of the aquatic field studies presented MFs values above 50%. MPs concentrations varied from 0.3 to 8925 particles m⁻³ in lakes, from 0.69 to 8.7 × 10⁶ particles m⁻³ in streams and rivers, from 0.16 to 192000 particles m⁻³ estuaries, and from 0 to 4600 particles m⁻³ in the ocean. Textiles at every stage of production, use and disposal are the major source of synthetic MFs to water. Laundry estimates showed an averaged release up to 279972 tons year⁻¹ (high washing frequency) from which 123000 tons would annually flow through untreated effluents to rivers, streams, lakes or directly to the ocean. TRWPs in the aquatic environments showed concentrations up to 179 mg L⁻¹ (SPM) in runoff river sediments and up to 480 mg g⁻¹ in highway runoff sediments. Even though average TRWR emission is of 0.95 kg year⁻¹ per capita (10 nm- 500 μm) there is a general scarcity of information about their aquatic environmental levels probably due to no-availability or inadequate methods of detection. The revision of strategies to mitigate the delivering of MFs and TRWP into water streams illustrated the importance of domestic laundry retention devices, Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) with at least a secondary treatment and stormwater and road-runoff collectors quality improvement devices.. |
| 7. | María B.Alfonso, Andrés H.Arias, Ana C.Ronda, María C.Piccolo, Continental microplastics: Presence, features, and environmental transport pathways, Science of the Total Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149447, 2021.08, Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous contaminants of great concern for the environment. MPs' presence and concentration in the air, soil, marine, and freshwater environments have been reported as a matter of priority in recent years. This review addresses the current knowledge of the main pathways of MPs in air, soil, and freshwater reservoirs in order to provide an integrated understanding of their behaviors in the continental environment. Therefore, MPs' occurrence (as particle counts), sources, and how their features as shape, size, polymer composition, and density could influence their transport and final sink were discussed. Wind resuspension and atmospheric fallout, groundwater migration, runoff from catchments, and water flow from rivers and effluents were pointed as the principal pathways. MPs' size, shape, polymer composition, and density interact with environmental variables as soil structure and composition, precipitation, wind, relative humidity, water temperature, and salinity. Sampling designs for MPs research should further consider soil characteristics, climate variability and extreme events, time lag and grasshopper effects, morphological and hydrological features of aquatic systems, and water currents, among others. Furthermore, long-term monitoring and lab experiments are still needed to understand MPs' behavior in the environment. This information will provide a unified understanding of the continental MPs pathways, including the key main findings, knowledge gaps, and future challenges to understand this emerging contaminant.. |
| 8. | ALFONSO, M. B; BRENDEL, A. S.; VITALE, A. J.; PICCOLO, M. C., Impact of heatwaves events on latent and sensible surface heat flux and future perspectives in shallow lakes based on climate change models, Geographical Research Letters, http://doi.org/10.18172/cig.4456, 2021.01, According to model projections, increases in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves are expected all over the world. This study analyzed, for the first time, the effect of heatwaves events on long-term surface latent (LE) and sensible heat fluxes (H) from two shallow lakes: La Salada lake (LS - 39°27′ S, 62°42′ W) and Sauce Grande lake (SG - 38°57′ S, 61°24′ W). The main drivers of LE and H are wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and the difference between air and water temperature. We found that the daily values of both fluxes were highly fluctuating. Mean daily H values ranged between -309.4 to 200.5 W m-2 and -78.6 to 104.8 W m-2 in LS and SG, respectively. LE oscillated between -152 and 463.9 W m-2 and between -59.2 and 360.1 W m-2 in LS and SG, respectively. Both fluxes decreased with the passage of heatwaves events, presenting a high variation in its amplitude. Changes up to 96% in mean daily LE and 671% in mean daily H for LS and up to 25% in LE and 987% in H for SG were accounted in days with heatwaves respect to regular ones. We analyzed the air temperature increase for both lakes under future global warming scenarios (RCP 4.5 y RCP 8.5), expecting higher amplitudes in heat fluxes. These results contribute to the development of lake models, as well as to water resources management in the future.. |
| 9. | ZUNINO, J.; ALFONSO, M. B; VITALE, A. J.; PICCOLO, M. C.., Effect of weather-related episodic events over chlorophyll-a in a shallow lake: an analysis based on high-frequency data. , WATER RESOURCES, 2021.01. |
| 10. | Alfonso María Belén, First evidence of microplastics in nine lakes across Patagonia (South America), Science of The Total Environment, 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139385, 733, 2020.09, Microplastics (MPs) on lakes have been reported mainly from Europe, Asia, and North America. Then, this study aimed to address the quantification and identification of MPs in nine lakes from the Argentine Patagonian Region. Blue colored fibers were dominant, with a size range between 0.2 and |
| 11. | ALFONSO, M. B; BRENDEL, A. S.; VITALE, A. J.; SEITZ, C.; PICCOLO, M. C.; PERILLO, G.M.E., Drivers of ecosystem metabolism in two managed shallow lakes with different salinity and trophic conditions: The Sauce Grande and La Salada Lakes (Argentina)., WATER (Switzerland), doi:10.3390/w10091136, 2018.08, Understanding the drivers and how they affect ecosystem metabolism is essential for developing effective management policy and plans. In this study, net ecosystem production (NEP), ecosystem respiration (R), and gross primary production (GPP) rates were estimated in relation to physicochemical, hydrological, and meteorological variables in La Salada (LS) and Sauce Grande (SG), two shallow lakes located in an important agricultural region with water management. LS is a mesosaline, mesotrophic-eutrophic lake, whereas SG is a hyposaline and eutrophic lake. GPP and R showed daily and seasonal variations, with R exceeding GPP during most of the study period in both lakes. Net heterotrophic conditions prevailed during the study period (NEP LS: 1.1 mmol O2 m2 day1 and NEP SG: 1.25 mmol O2 m2 day1). From data analysis, the temperature, wind speed, and lake volume are the main drivers of ecosystem metabolism for both lakes. Despite the significant differences between the two lakes, the NEP values were similar. The different hydrological characteristics (endorheic vs. flushing lake) were crucial in explaining why the two different systems presented similar ecosystem metabolic rates, emphasizing the importance of water management.. |
| 12. | ALFONSO, M. B; ZUNINO, J.; PICCOLO, M. C., Impact of water input on plankton temporal dynamics from a managed shallow saline lake., ANNALES DE LIMNOLOGIE-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIMNOLOGY, DOI: 10.1051/limn/2017023, 2017.09, La Salada is a shallow saline lake located in the SWof the Pampas subject to significant water management, so the primary objective was to assess whether the water input and physicochemical parameters have an impact on the plankton assemblages over a two year period (2013–dry and 2014–wet). The plankton community structure and physicochemical variables showed substantial changes over the study period. La Salada hosted a plankton community characterized by low diversity and small sized organisms. The nanoplanktonic fraction organisms (2–20 mm) dominate the phytoplankton community. Ochromonas sp. showed the maximum abundance throughout the whole study period. The zooplankton community was dominated by rotifers, with a lack of cladocerans. Halotolerant species, e.g. the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and the cyclopod Apocyclops sp. were the main species. The seasonal temperature and conductivity dynamics influence the plankton abundance dynamics in La Salada. The increment of nutrients and decrease of conductivity caused by the water input led to an increase in plankton biomass and shaped its composition. These findings emphasize that interactions between plankton, salinity, and nutrients are sensitive to the water input and they improve the understanding of the impact of adequate management decisions.. |
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