The seventh edition of Ambiente e Água journal demonstrated how specialized, open-access publications can achieve international impact through interdisciplinary research and global collaboration.
In the vast landscape of scientific publishing, where prestigious names often dominate conversations, a remarkable story was unfolding in 2008 within the academic corridors of Brazil's University of Taubaté.
The seventh edition of "Revista Ambiente e Água" – or "Ambi-Água" – quietly demonstrated how a specialized, open-access journal could achieve international impact despite its relatively modest origins. This particular issue represented a significant milestone for the publication, showcasing an unprecedented diversity of research that spanned continents and scientific disciplines. What made this achievement particularly noteworthy was that the journal was still in its "consolidation phase with just five years of circulation," operated by a small team working "part time" while balancing other academic responsibilities 1 .
Years in Circulation
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Increase in Published Articles
The seventh edition of Ambiente e Água marked a definitive moment in the journal's journey toward international visibility. The editors reported an "unprecedented number of submissions" for this issue, resulting in a 50% increase in published articles compared to the journal's earlier volumes 3 5 .
This expansion wasn't merely quantitative; it represented a qualitative shift in the journal's global engagement. Among the nine peer-reviewed articles published in this edition, five were written in English – the lingua franca of modern science – making the research accessible to an international readership 3 .
The journal's expanding reach was facilitated by its embrace of digital infrastructure and open-access principles. The publication was "powered by the OAI-PMH protocol," which significantly enhanced its visibility by making article metadata available to harvesting services 3 .
This technical foundation, combined with its appearance in "several international indexing systems" and its "free on-line availability with open access policy," made the journal increasingly accessible to researchers worldwide 3 .
The seventh edition of Ambiente e Água showcased a remarkable thematic breadth, reflecting the journal's commitment to interdisciplinary approaches in environmental science. This expansion beyond traditional silos allowed for a more holistic understanding of complex ecological challenges.
The published articles spanned fields from urban engineering to environmental chemistry, public health to hydrological modeling, demonstrating how water-related issues intersect with diverse domains of scientific inquiry 3 5 .
Examination of "chemical contamination in fish due to the improper land use in Amazonia" connected regional land management with local food safety and broader ecosystem health 3 .
Study of "sensibility to oil spilling charting in coastal islands" addressed universal concerns about environmental risk assessment in vulnerable coastal ecosystems 3 .
Research on "antimicrobial resistance in aquatic ecosystem" connected local observations to the growing global concern about antibiotic resistance 5 .
While the seventh edition covered diverse topics, contemporary research published in Ambiente e Água and similar journals has addressed the growing concern about microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.
To understand how such research is conducted, we can examine a representative study on "Floating microplastic pollution in the vicinity of a marine protected area and semi-enclosed bay of Peru" 7 , which exemplifies the methodological approaches used in this field.
Researchers typically use a manta trawl or neuston net with a specific mesh size towed behind a research vessel at calibrated speeds.
Collected materials undergo digestion using oxidizing agents followed by density separation with saturated salt solutions.
Suspicious particles are examined under stereomicroscopes and characterized by material type, color, and size.
Strict contamination control measures are implemented, including procedural blanks and air filtration.
The results from microplastic studies typically reveal concerning levels of pollution even in supposedly pristine environments. Research similar to what might appear in contemporary issues of Ambiente e Água has documented widespread contamination across aquatic ecosystems.
The Peruvian study 7 , for instance, likely found measurable quantities of microplastics in the majority of sampling stations, with variations based on proximity to urban centers, river mouths, and oceanographic conditions.
Findings from such microplastic research carry significant implications for environmental management and conservation strategies. The detection of microplastics in marine protected areas 7 underscores the pervasive nature of this pollutant and challenges the assumption that designated protected zones are immune to this form of contamination.
This revelation necessitates a rethinking of conservation paradigms and highlights the need for source control measures that extend beyond jurisdictional boundaries of protected areas.
Environmental research on aquatic systems relies on specialized materials and reagents designed to isolate, identify, and characterize pollutants and biological indicators.
| Reagent/Material | Function | Application Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen Peroxide | Organic matter digestion | Oxidizes biological material in samples to isolate microplastics |
| Sodium Chloride Solution | Density separation | Separates microplastics from denser mineral sediments |
| Filters | Particle collection | Captures microplastics of specific size ranges from water samples |
| FTIR Reagents | Polymer identification | Creates reference spectra for comparison with environmental samples |
| Preservation Solutions | Sample stabilization | Prevents biological growth in water samples during transport |
| DNA Extraction Kits | Genetic analysis | Identifies microbial communities or species from environmental DNA |
Beyond chemical reagents, modern aquatic research depends on sophisticated instrumentation for precise measurement and characterization.
This technique has emerged as a particularly valuable tool, allowing researchers to "identify polymers of plastic marine debris" through their unique infrared absorption signatures. This enables not only the confirmation of plastic particles but also the classification by polymer type.
These have revolutionized the monitoring of biological responses to environmental stressors. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Aquatic Resource Surveys, for instance, have employed "DNA metabarcoding to characterize national scale diatom-environment relationships" in streams and rivers.
The seventh edition of Ambiente e Água in 2008 represented more than just another journal issue; it marked the coming of age of a publication that would continue to contribute importantly to environmental sciences.
Today, the journal maintains its position in the scientific community, with a current SJR ranking of 0.245 and classification in Q3 quartile across multiple categories including "Aquatic Science," "Environmental Science (miscellaneous)," and "Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health" 2 4 . Its h-index of 22 2 6 reflects a sustained academic influence that has grown since that pivotal seventh edition.
The ongoing relevance of the research themes highlighted in that 2008 issue – from watershed management to environmental contamination – underscores the persistent challenges facing global water resources.
The journal's journey from its early editions to its current status illustrates how specialized, open-access publications can amplify diverse scientific voices and foster the international collaborations necessary to address complex environmental problems. As freshwater ecosystems face increasing pressures from climate change, pollution, and resource extraction, platforms like Ambiente e Água continue to play a vital role in disseminating the scientific knowledge needed to inform protection and sustainable management strategies for our planet's precious water resources.