Tiago Cidade

My research is focused on understanding the intrinsic behavioural mechanisms and marine predator movements, mainly focusing on establishing an accurate link between environmental heterogeneity and the foraging and migrating patterns of pelagic sharks. Under the scope of my PhD, I will address the effects of mesoscale ocean structures, such as ocean eddies and frontal zones in modulating horizontal and vertical distribution of shortfin makos, highlighting the impacts of oceanographic features in restructuring mesopelagic ecosystems by promoting intricate connectivity between deep-scattering layer prey communities and deep-diving, epipelagic predators. By integrating satellite telemetry data within the context of mesoscale oceanography, I intend to analyze the short- and long-term consequences resulting from projected climate change scenarios, in conjunction with the escalating rates of fishing exploitation, that will pose a severe threat to the sustainability of pelagic shark populations.