Dr. C. Rita Yvelice Sibello Hernández explained to Prensa Latina that, “since the founding of the CEAC, different projects and scientific-technical services began to be executed, taking advantage of the advantages of nuclear techniques in environmental studies.”
One of the first techniques implemented and validated at the CEAC was the use of Cesium-137 in the quantification of soil losses due to erosion. This made it possible for our researchers to participate in working groups for its application in different sites of interest in the national territory.
The satisfactory results of the quantification of soil losses using the cesium technique demonstrated its applicability in our geographical conditions, said the CEAC Principal Researcher.
In Cienfuegos, about 250 kilometers from Havana, this technique allowed us to know the extent of erosion in important basins such as the Yaguanabo River and the Arimao River. These results have been published in agricultural and nuclear scientific journals and were excellently defended in master’s and doctoral theses.
More recently, the CEAC was designated counterpart by Cuba, in the regional project “Improvement in efficiency in the use of water associated with adaptation and mitigation strategies to climate change in agriculture”, of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the region of Latin America and the Caribbean (ARCAL).
Within the framework of this project, several Cuban researchers were trained in these techniques and in the use of modern scientific equipment, to be used in other research related to climate change, such as the Life Task.
The researcher stated that since 2018, the CEAC has also taken advantage of the existing analytical capabilities in its Environmental Testing Laboratory (LEA) and its highly qualified personnel, to support the management of food safety in the territory and in the country.
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