Dr. Alex Cabral

• Cabral A., Reithmaier G.M.S., Yau Y.Y.Y., Cotovicz L.C., Barreira J., Viana B., Hayden J., Bouillon S., Brandini N., Hatje V., de Rezende C.E., Fonseca A.L., Santos I.R., Large Porewater-Derived Carbon Outwelling Across Mangrove Seascapes Revealed by Radium Isotopes, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 129, (9), 2024Journal Article, 2024, DOI
• Yau Y.Y.Y., Cabral A., Reithmaier G., Cotovicz L.C., Barreira J., Abril G., Morana C., Borges A.V., Machado W., Godoy J.M., Bonaglia S., Santos I.R., Efficient oxidation attenuates porewater-derived methane fluxes in mangrove waters, Limnology and Oceanography, 2024Journal Article, 2024, DOI
• Ljungberg W., Yau Y.Y.Y., Cabral A., Majtenyi-Hill C., Henriksson L., McKenzie T., Ruiz-Angulo A., Szymczycha B., Dittmar T., Ulber I., Santos I.R., Carbon Outwelling and Uptake Along a Tidal Glacier-Lagoon-Ocean Continuum, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 129, (6), 2024Journal Article, 2024, DOI
• Reithmaier G.M.S., Cabral A., Akhand A., Bogard M.J., Borges A.V., Bouillon S., Burdige D.J., Call M., Chen N., Chen X., Cotovicz L.C., Eagle M.J., Kristensen E., Kroeger K.D., Lu Z., Maher D.T., Perez-Llorens J.L., Ray R., Taillardat P., Tamborski J.J., Upstill-Goddard R.C., Wang F., Wang Z.A., Xiao K., Yau Y.Y.Y., Santos I.R., Carbonate chemistry and carbon sequestration driven by inorganic carbon outwelling from mangroves and saltmarshes, Nature Communications, 14, (1), 2023Journal Article, 2023, DOI
• Cabral A., Sugimoto R., Taniguchi M., Tait D., Nakajima T., Honda H., Santos I.R., Fresh and saline submarine groundwater discharge as sources of carbon and nutrients to the Japan Sea, Marine Chemistry, 249, 2023Journal Article, 2023, DOI
• Santos I.R., Burdige D.J., Jennerjahn T.C., Bouillon S., Cabral A., Serrano O., Wernberg T., Filbee-Dexter K., Guimond J.A., Tamborski J.J., The renaissance of Odum's outwelling hypothesis in 'Blue Carbon' science, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 255, 2021Journal Article, 2021, DOI
• Cabral A., Yau Y.Y.Y., Reithmaier G.M.S., Cotovicz L.C., Barreira J., Brostrom G., Viana B., Fonseca A.L., Santos I.R., Tidally driven porewater exchange and diel cycles control CO2 fluxes in mangroves on local and global scales, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 374, 2024, p121 - 135, p121-135Journal Article, 2024, DOI
• Cabral A., Bonetti C.H.C., Garbossa L.H.P., Pereira-Filho J., Besen K., Fonseca A.L., Water masses seasonality and meteorological patterns drive the biogeochemical processes of a subtropical and urbanized watershed-bay-shelf continuum, Science of the Total Environment, 749, 2020Journal Article, 2020, DOI
• Cabral A., Bercovich M.V., Fonseca A., Implications of poor-regulated wastewater treatment systems in the water quality and nutrient fluxes of a subtropical coastal lagoon, Regional Studies in Marine Science, 29, 2019Journal Article, 2019, DOI
• Cabral A., Fonseca A., Coupled effects of anthropogenic nutrient sources and meteo-oceanographic events in the trophic state of a subtropical estuarine system, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 225, 2019Journal Article, 2019, DOI
• Brauko K.M., Cabral A., Costa N.V., Hayden J., Dias C.E.P., Leite E.S., Westphal R.D., Mueller C.M., Hall-Spencer J.M., Rodrigues R.R., Rorig L.R., Pagliosa P.R., Fonseca A.L., Alarcon O.E., Horta P.A., Marine Heatwaves, Sewage and Eutrophication Combine to Trigger Deoxygenation and Biodiversity Loss: A SW Atlantic Case Study, Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 2020Journal Article, 2020, DOI
• Fonseca A.L., Newton A., Cabral A., Local and meso-scale pressures in the eutrophication process of a coastal subtropical system: Challenges for effective management, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 250, 2021Journal Article, 2021, DOI
• Henriksson L., Yau Y.Y.Y., Majtenyi-Hill C., Ljungberg W., Tomer A.S., Zhao S., Wang F., Cabral A., Asplund M., Santos I.R., Drivers of Seasonal and Diel Methane Emissions From a Seagrass Ecosystem, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 129, (11), 2024Journal Article, 2024, DOI
• Barros G., Fonseca A.L.D., Santos A.C.D., Fontes M.L.S., Varela A.R.D., Franco D., Nutrient distribution in a shallow subtropical lagoon, south Brazil, subjected to seasonal hypoxic and anoxic events, Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 65, (2), 2017, p116 - 127, p116-127Journal Article, 2017, DOI
• Tomer, Aprajita S., McKenzie, Tristan, Majtényi-Hill, Claudia, Cabral, Alex, Yau, Yvonne Y. Y., Call, Mitchell, Chen, Xiaogang, Correa, Rogger E., Davis, Kay, Jeffrey, Luke, Sadat-Noori, Mahmood, Tait, Douglas, Webb, Jackie, Maher, Damien T., Henriksson, Linnea, Bonaglia, Stefano, Zhao, Shibin, Cardenas, M. Bayani, Santos, Isaac R., Groundwater releases CO ₂ to diverse global coastal ecosystems, Science Advances, 11, (2), 2025Journal Article, 2025, DOI
• Politi, T., Yau, Y. Y., Santos, I. R., Cabral, A., Cheung, H. L. S., Majtényi"Hill, C., Ulfsbo, A., Wåhlin, A., Bonaglia, S., Global Fjords as Minor Sources of Nitrous Oxide to the Atmosphere, Geophysical Research Letters, 52, (4), 2025Journal Article, 2025, DOI
• Cabral, Alex, Dittmar, Thorsten, Call, Mitchell, Scholten, Jan, de Rezende, Carlos E., Asp, Nils, Gledhill, Martha, Seidel, Michael, Santos, Isaac R., Carbon and alkalinity outwelling across the groundwater"creek"shelf continuum off Amazonian mangroves, Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 6, (6), 2021, p369-378Journal Article, 2021, DOI
• Jatobá-Junior, Antoniwal A., Hatje, Vanessa, Masque, Pere, de Rezende, Carlos Eduardo, Cabral, Alex, Yau, Yvonne Y.Y., Barreira, João, Reithmaier, Gloria M.S., Santos, Isaac R., Carbon and mercury burial in mangrove soils across an anthropogenic gradient, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 318, 2025, p109226Journal Article, 2025, DOI
• Cabral, Alex, Hayden, Juliana, Viana, Bárbara, de Almeida, Marcos, Passos, Tiago, Barcellos, Roberto, Bonaglia, Stefano, Hatje, Vanessa, Santos, Isaac R., A mangrove nitrous oxide sink attenuates methane climate impacts, Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 2025Journal Article, 2025, DOI

I am fascinated by the role of groundwater as a hidden but fundamental component of the Earth system. Groundwater is a major pathway for carbon and nutrient transfer from land to rivers, estuaries, and the ocean, yet its contribution to solute fluxes and greenhouse gas dynamics remains poorly constrained. I examine the role of groundwater-surface water interactions in biogeochemical cycling and whether groundwater can act as a source of environmental pressure or as a lever for climate mitigation. To address these questions, I combine hydrological and geochemical approaches, including field-based observations, sensor deployments, radioactive and stable isotope tracers, laboratory analyses, and modelling, across Ireland and internationally. Understanding these hidden subsurface pathways is essential for effective water quality management, ecosystem protection, and climate adaptation strategies.

• Title

  Groundwater age distributions for the sustainable management of groundwater resources in Ireland
  Summary

  This project will quantify groundwater residence and travel times in Irish catchments to improve understanding of nitrate transport and support sustainable groundwater management. It combines multiple environmental tracers, including stable and radioactive isotopes, to trace water from recharge to discharge. The project also investigates the sources and transformation of dissolved inorganic carbon in Irish groundwater, examining how aquifer type and agricultural practices influence carbon cycling and buffering capacity using carbon isotopes to trace key biogeochemical processes. A nationwide isotopic map of the water cycle will be developed, alongside a citizen science network to enhance monitoring coverage and public engagement. The findings will inform policy and help assess the impacts of land use and climate change on groundwater quality.
  Funding Agency

  Environmental Protection Agency
  Date From

  2022
  Date To

  2027

Oceanography, Isotope geochemistry, Groundwater hydrology, Carbon sequestration science, Chemical oceanography, Hydrology, Ecohydrology, Surface water quality processes and contaminated sediment assessment, Surface water hydrology, Groundwater quality processes and contaminated land assessment, Environmental biogeochemistry,

• International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH Irish Group) Present
• Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Present
• European Geosciences Union (EGU) Present

• Peer reviewer for a broad range of scientific journals in hydrogeology and environmental geosciences, including Journal of Geophysical Research (Oceans and Biogeosciences); Global Biogeochemical Cycles; Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; Limnology and Oceanography; Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science; Estuaries and Coasts; Marine Chemistry; Journal of Marine Systems; Water Research; Science of the Total Environment; Environmental Research Letters; Continental Shelf Research; Regional Studies in Marine Science; Frontiers in Marine Science; Marine Pollution Bulletin; Environmental Monitoring and Assessment; Journal of South American Earth Sciences; Scientific Reports; Communications Sustainability; and One Earth. Present