Geology

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Trinity College Dublin
Dublin 2
Ireland

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Dr. Alex Cabral

Dr. Alex Cabral

Assistant Professor, Geology

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3873-3432

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor of Hydrogeology in the School of Natural Sciences. I obtained my PhD from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where I investigated carbon and greenhouse gas fluxes from groundwater to the ocean and atmosphere, spanning study sites in Europe, South America, and Asia. I then moved to Ireland for a postdoctoral position at Trinity College Dublin, where I advanced research on Irish groundwater and contributed to teaching in marine biogeochemistry. My research demonstrates that groundwater is not a passive background component, but a key driver of carbon cycling and biogeochemical functioning across land-ocean interfaces. I coordinate Hydrology and Groundwater Quality modules at undergraduate and MSc levels and contribute to teaching in field courses, environmental change, and geoscience across multiple programmes.

Publications and Further Research Outputs

  • 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
  • Peixoto-Dias, Carlos Eduardo, Roca-Mora, Mar, Bercovich, Manuel Vivanco, Brauko, Kalina Manabe, Cabral, Alex, Sissini, Marina Nasri, Moreira, Bruna Rodrigues, da Silva Oliveira, Willian, Amaral, Hanna Brum François, Creed, Joel Christopher, Horta, Paulo, Pollution and climate change trigger seagrass losses in the southwestern Atlantic, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 227, 2026, p119527Journal Article, 2026, DOI

Research Expertise

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 (Irish EPA)
    Date From
    2022
    Date To
    2027
  • Title
    Connecting blue carbon ecosystems and coastal resilience under environmental change
    Summary
    This project will integrate large-scale synthesis with field-based and modelling approaches across coastal ecosystems to advance understanding of blue carbon dynamics. It will link biodiversity, sociobiodiversity, and carbon fluxes to identify the key drivers of ecosystem change, resilience, and vulnerability. It will deliver science-based indicators and strategies to guide restoration, management, conservation, and climate mitigation policy.
    Funding Agency
    Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)
    Date From
    2025
    Date To
    2028

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

Recognition

  • International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH Irish Group) Present
  • Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Present
  • European Geosciences Union (EGU) Present
  • Associate Editor, Ocean and Coastal Research 2026 - Present
  • Peer reviewer (more than 60 manuscripts) for 21 leading scientific journals in hydrogeology and environmental geosciences, including Communications Earth and Environment; Communications Sustainability; Continental Shelf Research; Environmental Monitoring and Assessment; Environmental Research Letters; Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science; Estuaries and Coasts; Frontiers in Marine Science; Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; Global Biogeochemical Cycles; Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans and Biogeosciences; Journal of Marine Systems; Journal of South American Earth Sciences; Limnology and Oceanography; Marine Chemistry; Marine Pollution Bulletin; One Earth; Regional Studies in Marine Science; Science of the Total Environment; Scientific Reports; and Water Research. 2020 - Present