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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 investigate groundwater-surface water interactions and their influence on carbon and nutrient fluxes across freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments. My research uses isotope tracers and automated field instrumentation to quantify groundwater discharge, porewater exchange, solute transport, and greenhouse gas emissions. I am also interested in the role of coastal systems in enhancing ocean alkalinity and their potential as nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation. Combining hydrogeological and geochemical approaches, I study subsurface-driven biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems and assess their implications for water quality, resource management, and climate adaptation. I coordinate undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Hydrology and Groundwater Quality and teach field-based courses at each level. My teaching integrates a research-led approach, field methods, and data-driven learning to connect geoscience theory with current environmental challenges.
  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
2026
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. 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 impact of land use and climate change on groundwater quality.
Funding Agency
Environmental Protection Agency
Project Title
 Tracing inorganic carbon in Irish groundwater
From
2022
To
2026
Summary
This project investigates the sources and transformation of dissolved inorganic carbon in Irish groundwater. It focuses on how aquifer type and agricultural practices influence carbon cycling and buffering, using carbon isotopes to trace key biogeochemical processes.
Funding Agency
Environmental Protection Agency

Details Date
Reviewer for a broad range of scientific journals in hydrogeology and environmental geosciences, including Limnology and Oceanography, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Water Research, Marine Chemistry, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Estuaries and Coasts, Science of the Total Environment, Environmental Research Letters, Continental Shelf Research, Regional Studies in Marine Science, Frontiers in Marine Science, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Communications Earth & Environment, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Communications Sustainability, One Earth, Journal of South American Earth Sciences, and Scientific Reports. Present
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
Portuguese Fluent Fluent Fluent
Details Date From Date To
Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2021 Present
European Geosciences Union (EGU) 2023 Present
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
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), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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