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Dr. Alex Cabral

Assistant Professor (Geology)
      
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Dr. Alex Cabral

Assistant Professor (Geology)

 alex.cabral@tcd.ie

 


I am an Assistant Professor in Hydrogeology in the School of Natural Sciences. I obtained my PhD in Natural Sciences 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. At Trinity, 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.
  Anthropogenic Impact on ecosystems   Carbon Cycle   Carbon sequestration   Climate Change Impacts on the Environment   CO2   Coastal Environmental Change   Earth science and hydrology   Environmental and analytical chemistry   Environmental Change   Environmental Chemistry   Eutrophication   Fresh water pollution   Geochemistry   Greenhouse gas emission assessment   Greenhouse Gases   Ground, surface water hydrology   Hydrogeology   Karstic Geomorphogy, Karst Hydrogeology,   Marine and Ocean Sciences   Marine Environment   Marine pollution   Nitrogen Cycle   River pollution   Turloughs   Water Pollution   Water Quality   Water Resources, Environmental Impacts   Wetland Ecosystems   Wetlands
Project Title
 Groundwater age distributions for the sustainable management of groundwater resources in Ireland
From
2022
To
2027
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

Details Date
Peer reviewer for a broad range of scientific journals in hydrogeology and environmental geosciences, including Limnology and Oceanography; Journal of Geophysical Research (Oceans and Biogeosciences); Global Biogeochemical Cycles; Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; Water Research; Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science; Estuaries and Coasts; Marine Chemistry; Journal of Marine Systems; Science of the Total Environment; Environmental Research Letters; Continental Shelf Research; Frontiers in Marine Science; Regional Studies in Marine Science; Marine Pollution Bulletin; Environmental Monitoring and Assessment; Journal of South American Earth Sciences; Scientific Reports; Communications Sustainability; and One Earth. Present
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
Portuguese Fluent Fluent Fluent
Details Date From Date To
International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH Irish Group) 2026 Present
Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2021 Present
European Geosciences Union (EGU) 2023 Present
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, p119527 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  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), 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  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), 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  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, p109226 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  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, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
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), 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  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, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  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), 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  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, p121-135 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  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), 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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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.