Afonso Ferreira, featured in the section “In conversation with an ecologist”

MARE researcher Afonso Ferreira was the guest on the latest edition of the program “À conversa com um Ecólogo” (In conversation with an ecologist), published by the Wilder platform in partnership with SPECO – Sociedade Portuguesa de Ecologia (Portuguese Society of Ecology). 

This year, Afonso Ferreira was awarded the Amadeu Dias Foundation Doctorate Prize in Ecology by SPECO for his research on climate change and marine phytoplankton, with a focus on Antarctica.

In the interview, the researcher shares his academic background and his passion for marine ecology, explaining the fundamental role of phytoplankton in carbon fixation and oxygen production. His research combines satellite data and fieldwork on scientific expeditions to Antarctica—an experience he describes as “always special.”

“As a marine ecologist, I seek to understand the ecology of marine phytoplankton, photosynthetic microorganisms that are the basis of our oceans' food chains, also contributing to carbon fixation and oxygen production. In this way, phytoplankton plays a role in the oceans analogous to that of higher plants on land,” explains the researcher.

During the conversation, Afonso Ferreira also reflects on the importance of ecology in a rapidly changing world, noting that “Antarctica seems distant, but we cause direct and indirect impacts that affect the balance of our oceans.”

At the end of the interview, the researcher also reveals his desire to extend his research to the Arctic, a polar region facing increasing human and environmental pressures. Despite its similarities with Antarctica, the Arctic has unique characteristics, such as its proximity to large urban centers and the increase in economic activities resulting from the thaw, including new shipping routes and resource exploration.

For Afonso Ferreira, studying this region would be a way to better understand the future of Antarctica itself and the impacts of global climate change.

See the full interview HERE

Photograph by CIÊNCIAS

Text by Patrícia Carvalho