Applied Radioecological Tracers to Assess Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Health
Closed for Proposals
Project Type
Coordinated Research ProjectProject Code
K41019
CRP
2210
Approved Date
21 June 2018Project Status
ClosedStart Date
26 July 2019Expected End Date
31 December 2023Completed Date
28 November 2025Participating Countries
Australia, Brazil, Cuba, Germany, France, Mexico, Türkiye, United States of AmericaDescription
Sustainable management of coastal and marine resources requires extensive comprehension of the current health of these ecosystems as well as capacity for anticipating and predicting future impacts due to changing climate conditions and anthropogenic stressors. Radioecological tracers are invaluable for assessing many aspects of the marine environment, particularly with regards to external perturbations. However, to maintain relevancy and efficiency it is necessary to develop new and further refine existing radiotracers so that these techniques continue to best serve Member States in evaluating coastal and marine ecosystems. Through this CRP, the IAEA will support the development, refinement, and application of radioecological tracers to assist Member States in appraising their coastal and marine resources under both current and future environmental regimes.
Objectives
To develop, refine, and apply?radiotracer techniques specific for assessing the state of coastal and marine ecosystems, so that Member States may better evaluate these resources in the face of external perturbations and changing climate conditions.
Specific Objectives
The primary goal of this CRP is the development, refinement, and application of nuclear techniques to assess coastal and marine ecosystems and their biota, particularly with respect to societally relevant challenges from anthropogenic- and climate change-impacts, such as deoxygenation, HABs, pollution, ocean acidification, and marine plastics. More specifically, relevant nuclear techniques targeted in this CRP should be tailored approaches to respond to Member States’ needs and represent either a proxy of changing conditions in the environment or an ecological/biological response to these marine environmental stressors.
Impact
These coordinated research efforts collectively advance the world’s ability to confront major threats to coastal and marine ecosystems, including mercury contamination, radionuclide dispersion, organic carbon cycling disruption, climate-change stressors, and microplastic pollution. Together, they generate new knowledge, analytical tools, and monitoring capabilities that are essential for protecting marine life, ecosystem services, and human health.
Work focused on mercury pollution, especially from legacy chlor-alkali plants, directly supports global implementation of the Minamata Convention, helping nations detect, track, and mitigate Hg and methylmercury in coastal waters and seafood. Studies using natural and artificial radionuclides significantly enhance the global scientific community’s ability to trace contaminant pathways, understand sediment dynamics, and evaluate ecosystem exposure, improving environmental and radiological protection strategies worldwide.
Research in regions such as the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, Australia, Cuba, and Brazil contribute to a broader global understanding of organic carbon burial, hydrocarbon seep impacts, bioturbation, and deep-sea vulnerability, strengthening international management of sensitive marine habitats and offshore infrastructure. Experiments addressing combined effects of acidification, hypoxia, microplastics, and toxic metals offer rare, mechanistic insights into how multiple stressors interact, with major implications for fisheries, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience under climate change.
Innovative methodologies, including radiotracer applications, stable-isotope labelling, microplastic sediment-core reconstructions, and coupled watershed–coastal models—provide transferable, scalable tools that other countries can adopt. These advancements collectively elevate global capacity to assess environmental risk, predict ecosystem responses, and guide evidence-based policy.
Relevance
The significance of this body of work lies in its ability to address universally shared marine environmental challenges that transcend national boundaries. Mercury, radionuclides, microplastics, and climate-induced stressors circulate through international waters and global food webs, making the processes studied here directly relevant to environmental governance, public health, and sustainable development worldwide.
By strengthening scientific understanding of contaminant behaviour, from trophic transfer and sediment processes to organism-level physiological responses, these studies inform global guidelines on seafood safety, risk assessment, and coastal ecosystem protection. The research aligns closely with major international frameworks and agreements, including the Minamata Convention, UN Sustainable Development Goals, and global initiatives on marine plastic pollution.
Furthermore, the project outputs, provide decision-support tools that can be adapted to diverse coastal regions. They hold particular relevance for IAEA Member States facing increasing risks from coastal development, climate change, and legacy contamination.
Ultimately, this portfolio of work strengthens global scientific collaboration, enhances environmental monitoring capacities, and provides the foundation needed for nations to better safeguard marine ecosystems, protect food security, and build resilience in the face of ongoing marine environmental changes.
CRP Publications
Mexico
Scientific publication
2023
Particulate organic carbon in the deep-water region of the Gulf of Mexico
Mexico
Scientific publication
2020
Diaz Asencio, M., J. C. Herguera, P.T. Schwing, R.A. Larson, G.R. Brooks, J. Southon, P. Rafter. 2020. Sediment accumulation rates and vertical mixing of deep-sea sediments derived from 14C and 210Pb in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Geology, v. 429, 106288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2020.106288
France
Scientific publication
2023
In Vivo Mercury (De)Methylation Metabolism in Cephalopods under Different pCO2 Scenarios
Turkiye
Scientific publication
2026
The multiple responses of Mytilus galloprovincialis in the multi-stressor scenario: Impacts of low pH, low dissolved oxygen, and microplastics
Mexico
Scientific publication
2022
Corcho-Alvarado, J.A., Díaz-Asencio, M., R?llin, S., Herguera. J. C. 2022. Distribution and source of plutonium in sediments from the southern Gulf of Mexico, Environmental Science and Pollution Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18770-6.
France
Scientific publication
2025
Metabolomic and phenotypic effects of ocean acidification on cuttlefish differ across early life stages
France
Scientific publication
2022
Bioaccumulation of inorganic and organic mercury in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis: Influence of ocean acidification and food type
Brazil
Scientific publication
2022
A new look at the potential role of marine plastic debris as a global vector of toxic benthic algae