Thermal anomalies across Ecuadorian Pacific waters continue to trigger profound disruptions in coastal oceanographic and biological dynamics. Against this backdrop, marine biologist and Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS-ESPOL) research professor Félix Morales, Ph.D., weighed in as a scientific expert to assess the ecological toll that El Niño exerts on marine populations.
From August 24 to September 15, 2026, Raquel Ruiz Araujo, a graduate student in the Master’s Program in Applied Biosciences with a concentration in Biodiscovery at the Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS-ESPOL), completed a research internship at the School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM), within the Faculty of Environment at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, Canada.
Developing biotechnological solutions to enhance aquatic animal health and controlled breeding protocols for species of high commercial and ecological value represents a vital priority for mangrove ecosystems. Within this domain, the oral defense was held for the postgraduate thesis in the Master’s Program in Applied Biosciences with a concentration in Biodiscovery, presented by researcher Monica Adriana Rivera Jaramillo.
Diversifying sustainable aquaculture and advancing hatchery production of bioaquatic species with high socioeconomic value represent pivotal challenges for Ecuador's coastal region. Within this domain, the oral defense was held for the postgraduate thesis in the Master’s Program in Applied Biosciences with a concentration in Biodiscovery, presented by researcher Leandro Javier Parrales Choez.
On August 31, 2026, the ESPOL Administration Building Auditorium (Auditorio de Rectorado) hosted a major edition of #5MinPitch, an academic initiative directed by Valeria Guzmán that challenges undergraduate students to present the technical relevance, methodology, and impact of their capstone projects (materias integradoras) within a strict five-minute limit.
Over the past few weeks, beachgoers at destinations such as San Lorenzo and Chipipe (Salinas), as well as coastal resorts in Manta, reported intense skin irritation after entering the sea, characterized by a stinging, prickling sensation followed by rashes.
On August 12, 2026, students from the Invertebrate Zoology course at the Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS) conducted a technical visit to the facilities of the National Center for Aquaculture and Marine Research (CENAIM). The visit was organized by Ana Tirapé, Ph.D., and teaching technician Michelle Vela, Biologist, during an intensive session held from 09:30 to 14:30.
Beyond the immediate mortality of seabirds observed along the nation's coastlines, the most critical and silent toll driven by El Niño conditions strikes marine wildlife reproductive cycles. Faced with the deepening of prey fish and the depletion of surface nutrients, adult birds endure negative energy balances that compromise colony viability.
Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) and the National Toxicology Reference Center of the National Institute of Public Health Research (INSPI – Dr. Leopoldo Izquieta Pérez) held a keynote lecture dedicated to disseminating critical research on heavy metal pollution and its implications for community health.
The emergence of disoriented, dead, or severely emaciated seabirds across both the beaches of Tumbes (Peru) and the coastline and urban areas of Ecuador has raised alarms among the scientific community and environmental authorities. The phenomenon is linked to ocean thermal anomalies and conditions associated with El Niño, which force forage fish away from surface waters or drive them into deeper layers of the water column.
