Browsing by Author "Morgado, Fernando"
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- Assessing high school students perceptions and comprehension of climate changePublication . Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Santos, Paulo T.; Nicolau, Leonor Bacelar; Morgado, FernandoThe purpose of this study was to investigate High School (HS) students’ perceptions of Climate Change (CC) and Global warming (GW). This work was conducted within Portuguese High School students and the results in this context should have meaningful implications for national CC policies in the future as well as HS curricula adaptation to the students’ perceptions. Research was conducted at a high school in Central Portugal. The survey was applied to all the high school students from the 10th to the 12th grade, enrolled in the areas of Sciences and Technology, Languages and Humanities, Socio-economical Sciences and Professionalization. The data were collected through a self-completion questionnaire consisting of 29 closed-ended questions and two open questions aiming at characterizing students from the socio-demographic, and from their perceptions, beliefs, motivations, attitudes, knowledge relating to the topic of CC. Google Drive was used to host the questionnaire and allow for the online survey. Statistical exploratory univariate and bivariate analyses were performed on the data collected (frequencies, total and column percentages, adjusted residuals). All statistical tests were two-tailed, with significance levels of 5%. Only statistically significant results were commented on the results section. Majority of students believed that CC was happening and also perceived that human activities were an important cause of CC. Still, the surveyed students hold some misconceptions about basic causes and consequences of climate change. Students’ gender influenced their perceptions of time scale of CC impact on both human and biotic communities. Most students state that their training had focused enough on the topic of CC and felt they had a moderate technical knowledge about the topic of CC (students’ knowledge of how their behaviour influenced CC followed a similar pattern). There was a large conviction that the main actions in mitigating CC effects should be taken by governments and regarding the perception of the importance of CC for their future professional carrier, 48% considered that this topic was “moderately important” and 29% considered it as “very important”. However as individuals, and globally, 74% had not taken actions to mitigate CC (only 26% of the respondents had taken some actions to mitigate the causes of CC). Further research is necessary so that curricula programs can be adequate to promote better knowledge and attitudes about climate change and an active engagement of future participative citizens, as part of the solution for climate change problems.
- Assessing university student perceptions and comprehension of climate change (Portugal, Mexico and Mozambique)Publication . Morgado, Fernando; Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Rendon von Osten, Jaime; Santos, Paulo; Nicolau, Leonor Bacelar; Farooq, Harith; Alves, Fátima; Soares, Amadeu M. V. M.; Azeiteiro, UlissesHigher education system has a critical role to play in educating environmentally aware and participant citizens about global climate change (CC). And, as shown by the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention on Climate Change – COP 21, held in Paris in December 2015, there is still a path to be followed regarding the role played by universities in the negotiations and in influencing decision-making on a matter of such global importance. The purpose of this first study conducted within Portuguese (Europe), Mexican (Spanish-speaking North America University) and Mozambican (Africa) universities is to investigate higher education system students’ perceptions on CC. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through a questionnaire aiming at characterising students from the socio-demography, and from their perceptions, motivations, attitudes and knowledge relating to the topic of CC. Statistical analysis was used to compare and characterise the three national groups under study. Findings This study did not show significant perception differences among the analysed subsamples, although there was a tendency for Mexican students to express lesser belief that CC was happening, and for Mozambicans to show a greater belief in CC issues and motivation to mitigate its effects which may be related to the specifics contexts. The results show that relevant differences among nationalities mostly concerned the magnitude of choices (e.g. most respondents of each nationality expressed interest in CC issues, but the magnitude of this expression differed according to nationality). The principal component analysis (second and third components) clearly embodied nationality profiles (discussed in the context of different cultures, educational structures and CC impacts). Research limitations/implications Further research is warranted to understand the integration of CC into higher education curriculum to improve and target educational efforts to suit students’ needs. Practical implications How CC perceptions vary cross-nationally and how research studies that examine the integration of CC into higher education curriculum are areas for which more research is needed. Originality/value The results highlight the importance of socio-cultural dimensions of each country in relation to the understanding or perception of CC issues, namely, in what concerns aspects related with gender roles, age, active learning and citizenship. This study’s data evidenced that despite the surveyed students being familiarized with CC phenomena, this knowledge does not translate necessarily into concrete mitigation practices and behaviours.
- Bacterioplankton dynamics in the Mondego estuary (Portugal)Publication . Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Nicolau, Leonor Bacelar; Marques, J. C.; Morgado, Fernando; Azeiteiro, UlissesIn this work, the density of bacterioplankton and environmental parameters were monitored over a 11 month period (July 1999-June 2000), and also during one tidal cycle (15 June 2000), at two sampling stations, in the estuary of River Mondego. These data were treated by multivariate analyses methods in order to identify the key factors that control the dynamics of the bacterioplankton in the estuary. Bacterial dynamics were dominated by temporal gradients (annual seasons and tide-related) and less by the spatial structure of the estuary. Three main metabolic groups of bacterioplankton—aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB)—involved in the cycling of organic matter, were present in the water column of the estuary.Their relative abundance depended on the particular physical, chemical and biological environment. The abundance of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, during the 11 month study, was modelled as a function of nitrate (the most important variable, with a negative effect), temperature, salinity and pH (with positive effects). SRB appeared to be limited to the water-sediment interface, where concentrations of sulphate and POM were greater.A competition between SRB and NRB for carbon has also been suggested.
- Climate change policies and agendas: facing implementation challenges and guiding responsesPublication . Alves, Fátima; Leal Filho, Walter; Casaleiro, Paula; Nagy, Gustavo J.; Diaz, Harry; Al-Amin, Abul Quasem; Farooq, Harith; Guerra, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade; Margot, Hurlbert; Klavins, Maris; Saroar, Mustafa; Lorencova, Eliska Krkoska; Suresh, Jain; Soares, Amadeu; Morgado, Fernando; O’Hare, Paul; Wolf, Franziska; Azeiteiro, UlissesClimate policies are essential to mitigate climate change and to develop successful adaptation processes. However, there is a paucity of international studies that analyse the status of climate change policies. This paper reports on research undertaken in a sample of 13 highly diverse countries, in regards to their geography, socioeconomic development, vulnerability elements, adaptation, and climate-risks. The results draw attention to the global spread and standardisation of climate change policies, namely through the adoption of comprehensive National Adaptation Plans/Strategies (NAPs/NASs) that include mitigation measures and evaluation mechanisms. Although NAPs tend to take into account different non-governmental stakeholders, they are still mainly state-centred (i.e. their steering and implementation are the responsibility of each country´s Ministry of the Environment) in most of the 13 countries in which this study was carried out. The results show that NAPs’ objectives mainly reflect more a global agenda and pay less attention to national/regional vulnerabilities and contexts. In fact, despite different socioeconomic levels of development, diverse climate-risks, and dissimilar vulnerability and readiness status among countries, the examined NAPs tend to focus on the same critical sectors and objectives. Notwithstanding their similarities, our results highlight two different logics of adaptation reflected on the NAPs: one focused on economic risks and opportunities, characteristic of developed countries; and others focused on natural resources and conservation, characteristic of developing countries.
- Composition and trophic structure of zooplankton in a shallow temperate estuary (Mondego estuary, western Portugal)Publication . Morgado, Fernando; Quintaneiro, Carla; Rodrigues, Elsa; Pastorinho, Ramiro; Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Vieira, Luís; Azeiteiro, UlissesThe south arm of Mondego Estuary, western Portugal is characterized by shallow depths and marked longitudinal spatial gradients, namely the tidally induced salinity gradient and an eutrophication gradient. The aims of this work were to study the zooplankton composition and trophic structure of the 335 μm taxocenosis in 2 different locations of the salinity and eutrophication gradients in the south arm. The 2 sampling stations displayed significantly different patterns of temporal variations in environmental variables. The total zooplankton density at each station showed significant spatial and temporal variabilities. However, the number of taxa did not show significant differences among months or between sites. The densities of the most abundant taxa significantly differed between the sampling stations and throughout the study period. The zooplankton assemblages were dominated by omnivores, representing 43.9% of the total zooplankton (with herbivores and carnivores representing 4.4% and 0.5%, respectively). Omnivores were significantly more abundant during autumn, winter, and spring, particularly in Oct., Mar., and May, at station 2, and during Jan., Mar., and Apr., at station 1. Herbivores were significantly more abundant during autumn, late winter, and spring particularly at station 1. Carnivores showed low densities throughout the year, being more abundant in summer and autumn. Despite the detected similarities to other temperate estuaries, the results of this work may indicate environmental stresses in this ecosystem: the spatial structure dominates seasonal patterns; and there are low diversities and high numbers of resident populations. This kind of ecological pattern has been previously reported for other biological communities. The prevailing conditions in Mondego Estuary, namely eutrophication, should result in the development of opportunistic adaptive strategies among invertebrates.
- Discusos: lingua, cultura e sociedade: tendências actuais em educação ambientalPublication . Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Pereira, M. J.; Leal Filho, Walter; Caeiro, Sandra; Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Morgado, Fernando; Gonçalves, F.
- Distribution, production histology and histochemistry in Acartia tonsa (Copepoda: Calanoida) as means for life history and determination in a temperate estuaryPublication . Pastorinho, Ramiro; Vieira, Luís; Ré, Pedro; Pereira, Mário; Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Morgado, Fernando; Marques, João C.; Azeiteiro, UlissesAcartia tonsa is a key species in the Mondego estuary and a widespread species in all temperate estuarine zooplankton communities; a fact that bestows high relevance upon the outcome of this study. One of the purposes of this study was to estimate the distribution, production and production/biomass ratio values of A. tonsa. Biomass/length relationship was estimated as follows: Y = 0.15e3.04x. Length-weight relationships were used to estimate production taking into account cohort growth and mortality. The annual production was calculated to be 43.12 mg Cm–3 year–1 and the production/biomass (P/B) ratio was estimated to be 10.56. The other purpose of this study was to use histology, histochemistry and biometry to determine as to whether fecundity is a limiting factor in itself or are zooplankters constrained to respond to an ever changing environment. Analyses of the maturation stage of oocytes in adult ovigerous females performed in two different periods of opposed abundance (February— high abundance, representing maximum fertility—and September—low abundance, representing “sterility”) demonstrated the presence of all three considered oocytical development stages: immature, vitellogenic and mature; with emphasis on the latter since it indicates a permanent capability for reproduction despite the registered population abundances. Taking into account the relevance of the species, this fact demonstrates the modulating influence of ecological parameters on general zooplankton reproductive traits.
- Population dynamics of Acartia clausi from a temperate estuary (Mondego estuary, Western Portugal)Publication . Vieira, Luís; Morgado, Fernando; Ré, Pedro; Pereira, M.; Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Marques, João C.; Azeiteiro, UlissesThe main purpose of this study was to estimate the distribution, production and production/biomass ratio values of Acartia clausi, one of the most representative taxa of the Copepoda community in the Mondego estuary. The following biomass/length relationship was estimated for specimens of Acartia clausi: AFDW = 2.27 BL 2.41. Length-weight relationships were used to estimate production taking into account cohort growth and mortality. The annual production was calculated at 63.44 mgC m−3y−1 and the production/biomass (P/[Bbar]) ratio was estimated at 25.50. These results indicate that Acartia clausi may play a significant role in transferring energy to higher trophic levels in the Mondego estuarine system.
- Promoting ecosystems conservation and community-based economic alternatives in a changing climate: impacts of tourism (Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil)Publication . Salgueiro, Joana; Vieira, José Guilherme Moreira Simões; Alves, Fátima; Soares, Amadeu M. V. M.; Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Morgado, FernandoCananéia is the southernmost city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is a municipality where the tertiary sector is the main contributor to the economy parallel to the maintenance of artisanal fishing activities. The authors perform a study on the impact of tourism in the municipality area (performed through surveys in an attempt to determine how the different population segments [residents, promoters, users] see the activity and its impacts on nature and on the local economy). The majority of tourists surveyed come from the state of São Paulo (83.3%) and the rest of Santa Catarina and Paraná, with ages from 19-25 (36.7%) (70% having higher education). 43.3% of the inquired stated that tourism is not correctly managed (however without relevant environmental impacts). 93.3% of the boaters and 66.7% of the interviewed referred lack of information about the sites ecology and the drivers of change of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate change. Questionnaires results clearly demonstrated the need for visitor information and interpretation envisaging sustainable tourism implementation.
- Tide-induced variations in the bacterial community, and in the physical and chemical properties of the water column of the Mondego estuaryPublication . Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Marques, João C.; Morgado, Fernando; Pastorinho, Ramires; Nicolau, Leonor Bacelar; Azeiteiro, UlissesThe bacterioplankton is a key component of the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. Yet, present understanding of the controls on microbial abundance and activity only highlights their complexity. In estuaries, the problem is further complicated by the high variability of environmental properties (salinity, temperature, pH, organic loading and other factors). The present study investigates the dynamics of three main metabolic groups of planktonic bacteria involved in the cycling of organic matter (aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, sulphate-reducing bacteria, and nitrate-reducing bacteria), over one tidal cycle in the estuary of the Mondego. The association of various physical, chemical and biological parameters with the composition of the bacterial community was assessed by multivariate analysis in order to identify key factors controlling the composition and tidal dynamics of the bacterial communities in the Mondego estuary. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified the sources of variability for the bacterial communities in the estuary, as being, on one hand, the different dynamics in the two stations under study (Foz and Pranto) and, on the other hand, the flood and ebb tide fluxes, by their effects in the environmental parameters.