# Brazil oil spill response: Protect rhodolith beds

Marina Nasri Sissini, Flávio Berchez, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, N. Ghilardi-Lopes, Fernanda Carvalho Cavalari, N. Schubert, Gabrielle Koerich, Guillermo Diaz-Pulido, J. Silva, E. Serrão, et al.

► To cite this version:

Marina Nasri Sissini, Flávio Berchez, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, N. Ghilardi-Lopes, Fernanda Carvalho Cavalari, et al. Brazil oil spill response: Protect rhodolith beds. Science, 2020, 367 (6474), pp.155-156.
10.1126/science.aba2582. mnhn-02966586

HAL Id: mnhn-02966586

https://mnhn.hal.science/mnhn-02966586v1

Submitted on 5 Sep 2024

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Brazil oil spill response: Protect rhodolith beds

In his News In Depth story "Mystery oil spill threatens marine sanctuary in Brazil" (8 November 2019, p. 672), H. Escobar highlights important ecosystems that have been affected by the spill. However, he did not mention the Brazilian rhodolith beds—the most extensive, abundant, and diverse biogenic carbonate habitats in the South Atlantic (1). The oil spill severely threatens these ecosystems, which comprise a staggering 2 x 1011 tons of carbonatic bank (2), stretch from 5°N to 27°S along the Brazilian coast, and cover a seabed potential area of 229,000 km2 (1). Brazil's rhodolith beds are recognized as an oasis of diversity (3). Although they harbor species of great economic and ecological value, they remain unprotected. The oil pollution will likely cause major socio-environmental and economic losses, similar to those caused by the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico (4). The contamination will compromise the region's food security as well as biodiversity conservation and efficient management. Moreover, the ongoing oil spill could have global consequences given the potential biogeochemical role of rhodolith beds in the oceanic carbon balance (1, 5). Thus, this event must not be downplayed or concealed, as has been attempted in the case of Brazilian mining accidents (6) and Amazon deforestation and fires (7). We advocate urgent action to evaluate and mitigate the oil spill and to remediate and restore areas on the oil slick route. Brazil must follow in the footsteps of Australia and Europe (8) and prioritize rhodolith bed conservation.

M. Nasri Sissini 1,2, F. Berchez 3, J. Hall-Spencer 4, N. Ghilardi-Lopes 5, V. F. Carvalho 1, 2, N. Schubert 1,6, G. Koerich 1,2, G. Diaz-Pulido 7, J. Silva 6, E. Serrão 6, J. Assis 6, R. Santos 6, S. R. Floeter 1,2, L. Rörig 1, J. B. Barufi 1, A. F. Bernardino 8, R. Francini-Filho 9, A. Turra 10, L. C. Hofmann 11, J. Aguirre 12, L. Le Gall 13, V. Peña 14, M. C. Nash 15, S. Rossi 16,17, M. Soares 17, Pereira-Filho 18, F. Tâmega 19, P. A. Horta 1,2*

1Laboratório de Ficologia, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-970, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. 2Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-970, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. 3CienTecPark and Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05422-970, São Paulo, Brazil. 4Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK. 5Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of do ABC, 09210-170, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil. 6Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal. 7School of Environment and Science, and Australian Rivers Institute-Coasts & Estuaries, Griffith University, QLD 4111, Australia. 8Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, 29075-910, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. 9Centro de Ciências Aplicadas e Educação, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, 58297-000, Rio Tinto, Paraíba, Brazil. 10Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-900, São Paulo, Brazil. 11Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany. 12Departamento Estratigrafia y Paleontologia, Universidad de Granada, 18001 Granada, Spain. 13Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle-Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, 75231 Paris, Cedex 05, France. 14BioCost Research Group, Universidade da Coruña, 15071, Coruña, Spain. 15Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National
University, Canberra, ACT, Australia. 16Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy. 17Instituto de Ciências do Mar (Labomar), Universidade Federal do Ceará, 60165-081, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. 18 Departamento de Ciências do Mar, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, 11070-100, Santos, São Paulo, Brazil. 19 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, 96203-900, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

*Corresponding author. Email: paulo.horta@ufsc.br

## REFERENCES AND NOTES

1. V. F. Carvalho et al., Mar. Environ. Res., 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104827 (2019).

2. J. D. Milliman, C. A. B. Amaral, Ann. Congr. Brasil Geo. 28, 335 (1974).

3. G. M. Amado-Filho, Ciencias Mar. 36, 371 (2012).

4. R. Kerr, E. Kintisch, E. Stokstad, Science 328, 674 (2010).

5. N. Schubert et al., Sci. Total Environ. 676, 455 (2019).

6. H. Escobar, Science 350, 1138 (2015).

7. C. A. Nobre, Nature 574, 455 (2019).

8. J. J. Kantun et al., in Rhodolith/Mäerl Beds: A Global Perspective (Springer International Publishing, Boca Raton, 2017), pp. 265–280.

## COMPETING INTERESTS

R.S., E.S., and J.A. are funded by Foundation for Science and Technology. E.S. is also funded by a Pew Marine Fellowship. P.A.H. and M.S. are funded by Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel. M.S. is also funded by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. N.S. is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.

10.1126/science.aba2582