t.limabarros@unsw.edu.au
Thayanne Barros
PhD Student
Centre for Marine Science and Innovation and Evolution & Ecology Research Centre
Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences
Barros is an environmental scientist and marine biologist currently investigating the impacts of wildfires on waterways.
With experience in estuarine ecology, ecotoxicology, and zoology, she has a special interest in coastal management and the impacts of anthropogenic activities on marine ecosystems (plus a weird obsession for polychaetes).
Project: The impacts of bushfire disturbances on estuaries
Supervised by: Emma Johnston, Katherine Dafforn, Mariana Mayer Pinto, Stuart Simpson
Project Description: The 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfire season was declared the worst in Australian history by the NSW Rural Fire Service; the burnt area covered 13.6 million acres just here in NSW (NSW Department of Planning, 2020). Major bushfire events like the Black Summer are predicted to become more frequent and of greater ‘peak’ magnitude over the next century. In addition to their impact on land, bushfires can also affect aquatic systems by increasing the inputs of fire-derived substances and sediment through increased post-fire soil erosion rates and atmospheric deposition of ash. However, there is little scientific information available describing the short- and long-term effects of bushfires on aquatic systems, particularly estuaries. This impedes our ability to take proactive management actions.
Aiming to fill this knowledge gap, this project aims to develop the fundamental knowledge of how bushfires alter the sediment characteristics of estuaries and therefore predict its potential to affect the biodiversity and functioning of these systems.
Contact Details
- Publications
Scientific Papers
Bracewell, S.A.; BARROS, TL; Mayer-Pinto, M.; Dafforn, K.A.; Simpson, S.L.; Farrell, M; Johnston, E.L 2023. Shifts in estuarine community composition by unprecedented wildfires extend aquatic biodiversity impacts. Environmental Pollution. (Accepted for publication).
BARROS, TL; Bracewell, S.A.; Mayer-Pinto, M.; Dafforn, K.A.; Simpson, S.L.; Farrell, M; Johnston, E.L 2022. Wildfires cause rapid changes to estuarine benthic habitat. Environmental Pollution. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119571
BARROS, TL; Klein, RD; Assis, JE; Sandrini-Neto, L;Bianchini, A; Martins, CC; Lana, P. 2018. Testing biomarker feasibility: a case study of Laeonereis culveri (Nereididae, Annelida) exposed to sewage contamination in a subtropical estuary. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1–11. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-2470-8
BARROS, TL; Santos, CSG; Assis, JE; Souza, JRB. 2017. Morphology and larval development of Polydora websteri (Polychaeta, Spionidae) in a tropical region of northeastern Brazil. Journal of Natural History 51:19-20, 1169-1181. doi:10.1080/00222933.2017.1316426
Sette, CSC; Shinozaki-Mendes, RA; BARROS, TL; Souza, JRB. 2013. Age and growth of Alitta succinea (Polychaeta; Nereididae) in a tropical estuary of Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 93(8), 2123-2128. doi:10.1017/S0025315413000854
Book chapters
Lana, P; Christofoletti, R; Gusmao, JB; BARROS, TL; Spier, D; Costa, TMS; Gomes, AS; Santos, CSG. 2018. Benthic estuarine assemblages of the Southeastern Brazil Marine Ecoregion (SBME). In: Lana, PC; Bernardino, AF (Eds.). Brazilian Estuaries: A Benthic Perspective, 1ed., Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-77779-5.
Barboza, LGA; Cózar, A; Gimenez, BCG; BARROS, TL; Kershaw, PJ; Guilhermino, L. 2018.The threats from plastic pollution on marine environment: An analytical overview. In: C. Sheppard (Ed.). World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation, Vol III: Ecological Issues and Environmental Impacts, 2 ed., Elsevier. ISBN: 9780081008539