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University of Minho – Department of Earth Sciences

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Raphael de Vicq Ferreira da Costa

Raphael de Vicq Ferreira da Costa

Summary

Raphael de Vicq Ferreira da Costa is a researcher at the Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT), University of Minho branch, and an Invited Assistant Professor at the University of Minho. He received his PhD in Environmental Geology and Conservation of Natural Resources from the School of Mines of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (2015), with a research stay at TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany), and completed an MSc in Environmental Engineering at the same university (2010). He also holds a degree in Animal Science Engineering from the Federal University of Viçosa (1994).

He taught at Faculdade Santa Rita (2010–2019) and is a researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology ACQUA, Federal University of Minas Gerais. His work covers environmental geochemistry: geochemical mapping, background values in sediments, soils and waters, metal contamination in the Iron Quadrangle (Minas Gerais) and the use of machine learning in environmental management.

He is a co-author of the Geochemical Atlas of Soils and Stream Sediments of the Iron Quadrangle and of geochemical distribution maps of several elements in that region.

Compiled from: CIÊNCIAVITAE, ORCID

Research interests

  • Environmental geochemistry
  • Geochemical mapping
  • Geochemical background values
  • Metal contamination
  • Hydrogeochemistry
  • Machine learning for the environment

Education

  • 2015
    PhD in Environmental Geology and Conservation of Natural Resources
    Federal University of Ouro Preto (Brazil)
    Thesis: «Mapeamento Geoquímico e Determinação de Valores de Background em Sedimentos Fluviais no Conceito Quadrilátero Ferrífero - Minas Gerais, Brasil»
  • 2010
    MSc in Environmental Engineering
    Federal University of Ouro Preto (Brazil)
    Thesis: «Desenvolvimento do Índice de Salubridade Ambiental (ISA) para Comunidades Rurais e sua Aplicação e Análise nas Comunidades Rurais de Ouro Branco»
  • 1994
    Degree in Animal Science Engineering
    Federal University of Viçosa (Brazil)

Current position

  • 2024 –
    Researcher
    Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT)
  • 2022 –
    Invited Assistant Professor
    University of Minho
  • 2015 –
    Researcher
    INCT ACQUA, Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil)

Recent publications

  1. Natural and Anthropogenic Controls on Chromium Distribution in Surface Waters and Sediments of the Iron Quadrangle, Brazil. Pollutants, 2026. doi:10.3390/pollutants6030038
  2. Hydrogeochemistry of Surface Waters in the Iron Quadrangle, Brazil: High-Resolution Mapping of Potentially Toxic Elements in the Velhas and Paraopeba River Basins. Water, 2025. doi:10.3390/w17162446
  3. Machine learning for land use change analysis in environmental protection areas. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2026. doi:10.1007/s10661-026-15280-7
  4. From geology to environmental management: Defining geochemical baselines for stream sediments in a mining-impacted Brazilian watershed. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2026.108044
  5. Comparative evaluation of machine learning strategies for short-term dengue forecasting in Brazilian capital municipalities. International Journal of Biometeorology, 2026. doi:10.1007/s00484-026-03300-7
  6. Groundwater Baseline Values Using the 95–95 Upper Tolerance Limit in an Iron Ore Tailing Disposal Pit, Iron Quadrangle, Brumadinho, Brazil. Mining, 2026. doi:10.3390/mining6010012

Publications since 2021 (ORCID and OpenAlex), ordered by the impact of the journal or series (two-year mean citedness in OpenAlex).

Information compiled from public sources: CIÊNCIAVITAE, OpenAlex, Instituto de Ciências da Terra (photograph), accessed on 20-10-2026. To correct or complete this profile, use the website’s content manager or contact the Department’s Director.