Research
Metal fluxes, coastal hydrogeology and ocean governance, from the Mediterranean to Antarctica
Carmina Virgili Award 2025 — Science and Technology Section, Institute for Catalan Studies
280 citations · h-index of 7 · 55.6% international co-authorship (Scopus)
Researcher in marine geosciences and Assistant Professor at the University of Barcelona. My research turns on two complementary axes: characterising the fluxes and spatio-temporal distribution of anthropogenic metals and metalloids in the water column and in sediment —including their remobilisation under climate change scenarios— and the dynamics of floating litter, with particular attention to plastics, microplastics and wet wipes, from rivers and sewer systems to beaches and coastal systems.
Methodologically I combine sedimentology, non-destructive techniques, elemental geochemistry and geochronology, complemented by instrumented moorings. In parallel, I contribute steadily to coastal hydrogeology, using radium and radon isotopes as tracers to quantify fluxes of nutrients, metals and emerging compounds into the sea.
In 2025 I was appointed Assistant Professor at the UB and started my first project as principal investigator, IMPAS-Garraf, funded by the Catalan Water Agency.
Research lines
Three complementary axes, from the sediment to the shore
Anthropogenic metals and metalloids
I characterise the fluxes and spatio-temporal distribution of anthropogenic metals and metalloids in the water column and in sediment, from coastal settings to the deep ocean.
Particular attention goes to how extreme weather events driven by climate change trigger the remobilisation of large volumes of these elements from contaminated coastal deposits —such as the Portmán mine tailings— towards the open sea, across continental margins.
Coastal hydrogeology
I use radium and radon isotopes as natural tracers to quantify submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and the fluxes of nutrients, metals and emerging compounds that reach the sea by this often overlooked pathway.
Governance and knowledge transfer
I bring research results into public management: I have provided technical support to the Barcelona Beaches Directorate and acted as an expert in legislative proceedings at the Parliament of Catalonia and in reports of the Catalan Council for Labour, Economic and Social Affairs.
Micro-computed tomography (μCT)
At the CORELAB laboratory of the Faculty of Earth Sciences (UB), I use the X-ray micro-CT scanner (MultiTom) to obtain and analyse 3D models of rock and sediment cores, with Avizo®, ImageJ and Matlab.
One notable application is our study of how ocean acidification and warming affect calcification and the microbiome of bryozoan colonies —sentinel organisms of global change— published in Communications Biology (2025).
3D reconstruction videos on my YouTube channel →Oceanographic campaigns
14 campaigns · over 160 days aboard national and international research vessels
Where I have sailed
Satellite imagery (Esri World Imagery, on the OpenStreetMap/Leaflet stack) · zoom in and click the markers
| Campaign | Area | Dates | Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHALLENGE-2 | Antarctica | 12/01/25 – 20/02/25 | B/O Hespérides |
| FAR-DWO-DS2 | Denmark Strait | 16/09/24 – 26/09/24 | R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa |
| FAR-DWO-DS1 | Denmark Strait | 15/07/23 – 13/08/23 | R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa |
| BACT-2 | Barcelona shelf | 12/10/21 – 13/10/21 | R/V García del Cid |
| TRANSMOW | Iberian margin (Spain–Portugal) | 27/04/21 – 16/05/21 | B/O Hespérides |
| FAR-DWO-CC1 | Cap de Creus | 23/02/21 – 03/03/21 | R/V García del Cid |
| NUREIEVA | Portmán Bay | 26/06/18 – 11/07/18 | R/V Ángeles Alvariño |
| NUREIEV-3 | Portmán Bay | 23/04/16 – 29/04/16 | R/V Ángeles Alvariño |
| GHASS-MIDAS | Black Sea, Romania | 14/09/15 – 30/09/15 | R/V Pourquoi pas? |
| NUREIEV-2 | Portmán Bay | 29/08/15 – 05/09/15 | R/V Ángeles Alvariño |
| NUREIEV-1 | Portmán Bay | 13/03/15 – 24/03/15 | R/V Ángeles Alvariño |
Full detail for the 11 best-documented campaigns. The most recent CV summary counts 14 in total.
Research projects
14 competitive projects, from 2014 to the present
As principal investigator
Impacts of submarine groundwater discharge on Mediterranean marine ecosystems: identifying and quantifying contaminant fluxes in the coastal waters of the Garraf (IMPAS-Garraf)
Principal investigator Project page →Atmospheric emissions from cruise ships in the port of Barcelona (EMICREUER-BCN)
In-house project Project page →Ongoing projects
EsTRAtegias participativas para la gestión de la contaminación por Plástico del litoral transfronterizo (TRAP)
Integrated Analysis of southEast Greenland ocean dynamics Influenced by bathymetric Relief — Kangerlussuaq Trough pilot study
Denmark Strait – Mixing and Sediment Dynamics (DS-MIXSED)
Presiones humanas y riesgos naturales: retos en ecosistemas marinos antárticos (CHALLENGE-2)
Catalan Maritime R&D&I Network (BlueNetCat)
Marine Geosciences Research Group (G-MAR)
Impactos de largo alcance de las cascadas de agua densa en el Océano Atlántico Norte y el Mar Mediterráneo (FAR-DWO)
Digital library of hand samples in earth sciences
Past projects
Tools for a better management of marine litter — tRAnsition to a Circular plastic Economy (TRACE)
Catalan Maritime R&D&I Network (BlueNetCat)
The As, Fe and S speciation in the sulphide mine tailings infill of Portmán Bay, SE Spain
Marine Geosciences Research Group (GRCGM)
Marine Geosciences Research Group (GRCGM)