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Beth Polidoro

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Math & Natural Sciences Div
Assoc Professor
Faculty, WEST Campus, Mailcode 2352
Sustainability Scientists and Scholars
Senior Sustainability Scientist
Faculty, WEST Campus, Mailcode 2352
Center for Biodiversity Outcomes
Associate Director of Biodiversity Valuation and Assessments
Faculty, WEST Campus, Mailcode 2352
School of Life Sciences Adjuncts and Affiliates
Assistant Professor
Faculty, WEST Campus, Mailcode 2352
Biography: 

Beth Polidoro is an Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Aquatic Conservation in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at Arizona State University. She also serves as Associate Director of Biodiversity Assessment in the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, which is jointly housed in the School of Life Sciences and the Global Institute of Sustainability. Her primary research interests are in risk assessment and applied toxicology within the context of marine and freshwater biodiversity conservation, human health and international development.

Dr. Polidoro has a broad background in the marine, chemical and environmental sciences. Before to coming to ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences in 2012, she was a Senior Research Associate with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), where she worked with scientists around the globe to quantify the impacts of anthropogenic threats on more than 20,000 marine species for inclusion on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Currently, she works on various marine and freshwater conservation initiatives and risk assessments in the United States, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. Her current research projects involve the development of ecological and public health risk assessments for microplastics and other contaminants in aquatic environments, pollution vulnerability indices for marine biodiversity, and new methodologies to detect and assess the impacts of pollution and other threats to marine ecosystems across the globe. She also supports a long-term monitoring project for microplastics and other pollutants in aquatic resources and recreationally-caught fishes in metro-Phoenix. 

CV
Binary Data Curriculum Vitae
Education: 
  • Ph.D. Soil and Water Resources, University of Idaho and Centro Agronómico de Investigación y Enseñanza 2007. Dissertation: Impact of current-use pesticides on freshwater and marine resources in the Bribri-Cabecar Indigenous Territories and along the Caribbean coast in southeastern Costa Rica.
  • M.S. Environmental Science, Washington State University, Peace Corps Masters International -Togo, 2002
  • B.S. Geology, Portland State University 1997
  • B.A. Communications, Rutgers University 1991
Research Website URL: 
https://polidoro-swatlab.com/
Google Scholar URL: 
Google Scholar Profile
Research Interests: 

ecological and environmental risk assessment, water quality, toxicology, marine and freshwater conservation

 

Publications: 
  • Lucas D, Polidoro B. (2019). Urban recreational fisheries: implications for public health in metro-Phoenix. Chemosphere 225: 451-459
  • Hardesty BD, Polidoro B, Compa M, Shim WJ, Widianarko B, Wilcox C. (2019). Approaches to assessing the risk posed by anthropogenic debris. Marine Pollution Bulletin Impact Factor: 3.767
  • Linardich C, Ralph GM, Robertson DR, Harwell H, Polidoro BA, Lindeman KC, Carpenter KE. (2018). Extinction risk and conservation of marine bony shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1002/aqc2959
  • Polidoro B, Clement C. (2018). Beyond Citizen Science: Multigenerational education and mentoring in environmental monitoring – a case study. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 14: 521-522.
  • Noziglia AJ, Abbot JK, Polidoro BA, Gerber LR. (2018). Flame retardant contamination and seafood sustainability. Sustainability – Seafood Special Edition doi:10.3390/su10041070.
  • Allen T, Farley S, Draper J, Clement C, Polidoro BA. (2018). Variations in sorption of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs across six different plastic polymers.  Journal of Environmental and Toxicological Studies 2: 1-6
  • Pulford E, Polidoro BA, Nation M. (2017) Understanding relationships between water quality,recreational fishing practices and human health in Phoenix, Arizona. Journal of Environmental Management 199: 242-250.
  • Fernandes PG, Ralph GM, Nieto A, Garcia Criago M, Vasilakopoulos V, Maravelias CD, Cook R, Dulvy N, Pollom RA, Kovacic M, Pollard D, Farrell E, Florin AB, Polidoro BA, Lawson JM, Lorance P, Uiblein F, Craig M, Allen DJ, Fowler S, Walls R, Comeros-Raynal M, Harvey MS, Dureuil M, Conceicao Biscoito MJ, Pollock C, Nielsen J, McCully Phillips SR, Ellis JR, Papaconstantinou C, Soldo A, Keskin C, Clo S, Knudsen SW, Gil de Sola L, Serena F, Collette B, Nedreaas K, Stump E, Abella A, Chao N, Russell BC, Garcia S, Afonso P, Armelle J, Alvarez H, Mendes JM, Delgado H, Carpenter KE. (2017) Coherent assessments of Europe’s marine fishes show regional divergence and megafauna loss. Nature Ecology & Evolution DOI 10.1038/s41559-017-0170.
  • Polidoro BA, Ralph G, Strongin K, Harvey M, Carpenter K, Arnold R, Buchanan J, Camara KM, Collette B, Comeros-Raynal M, de Bruyne G, Gon O, Harold A, Harwell H, Hulley P, Iwamoto T, Knudsen S, Lewembe JD, Linardich C, Lindeman K, Montiero V, Munroe T, Nunoo F, Pollock C, Poss S, Russell B, Sayer C, Sidibe A, Smith-Vaniz W, Stump E, Sylla M, Tito de Morais L, Vie JC, Williams A. (2017). The status of marine biodiversity in the Eastern Central Atlantic (West and Central Africa). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems DOI 10.1002/aqc.2744.
  • Polidoro BA, Comeros-Raynal MT, Cahill T, Clement C. (2017) Land-based sources of marine pollution: pesticides, PAHs and phthalates in coastal stream water, and heavy metals in coastal stream sediments in American Samoa. Marine Pollution Bulletin 116: 501-507.
  • Comeros-Raynal M, Polidoro BA, Broatch J, Mann BQ, Gorman C, Buxton CD, Goodpaster AM,Iwatsuki Y, McDonald TC, Pollard D, Russell B, Carpenter KE. (2016) Key predictors of extinction risk in sea breams and porgies (Family: Sparidae).  Biological Conservation 202: 88-98.
  • Altabtabaee R, Chaudbury O, Clement C, Polidoro, B. (2016) Loss of chlorpyrifos from plastic bags used in commercial banana production.  International Journal of Environmental Science and Toxicology Research 4: 19-24.
  • Polidoro BA, Morra MJ.(2016) An ecological risk assessment of pesticides and fish kills in the Sixaola watershed, Costa Rica. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 23: 5983-5991.
  • Joppa LN, Butchart SHM, Hoffmann M, Bachman S, Akcakay R, Moat J, Bohm M, Holland R, Newton A, Polidoro B, Hughes A. (2015) The impact of alternative metrics on estimates of Extent of Occurrence for extinction risk assessment. Conservation Biology 30: 362-370.
  • Chao NL, Lucena Frédou F, Haimovici F, Brick Peres M, Polidoro B, Raseira M, Rosana Subirá R, Carpenter K. (2015) A popular and potentially sustainable fishery resource under pressure–extinction risk and conservation of Brazilian Sciaenidae. Global Ecology and Conservation 4: 117-126.
  • Butchart SH, Clarke M, Smith RJ, Sykes RE, Scharlemann JP, Harfoot M, Buchanan GM, Angulo A,Balmford A, Bertzky B, Brooks TM, Carpenter KE, Comeros-Raynal MT, Cornell J, Ficetola GF, Fishpool LDC, Fuller RA, Geldmann J, Harwell H, Hilton-Taylor C, Hoffmann M, Joolia A, Joppa L, Kingston N, May I, Milam A, Polidoro B, Ralph G, Richman N, Rondinini C, Segan D, Skolnik B, Spalding M, Stuart SN, Symes A, Talyor J, Visconti V, Watson J, Wood L, Burgess ND. (2015) Shortfalls and solutions for meeting national and global conservation area targets.   Conservation Letters 8: 329-337.
  • Purcell S, Polidoro B, Hamel J-F, Gamboa R, Mercier A. (2014) The cost of being valuable: predictors of extinction risk in marine invertebrates exploited as luxury seafood. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 281: 20133296.
  • Conand C, Polidoro B, Mercier A, Gamboa R, Hamel J-F, Purcell S. (2014) The IUCN Red List assessment of aspidochirotid sea cucumbers and its implications. SPC Beche-de-Mer Bulletin 34: 3-7.
  • Polidoro B, Carpenter K. (2013) Dynamics of Coral Reef Recovery. Science 340: 34.
  • Collette B, Polidoro B, Carpenter K. (2013) Corrected numbers for fish on Red List. Nature 495: 47.
  • Comeros-Raynal MT, Choat JH, Polidoro BA, Clements KD, Abesamis R, Craig MT, Lazuardi ME, McIlwain J, Muljadi A, Myers RF, Nanola CL, Pardede S, Rocha LA, Russell B, Sanciangco JC, Stockwell B, Harwell H, Carpenter KE. (2012). The likelihood of extinction of iconic and dominant components of coral reefs: the Parrotfishes and Surgeonfishes. PLoSONE 7(7): e39825.
  • González-Maya JF, Schipper J, Polidoro B, Hoepker A, Zárrate-Charry D, Belant JL. (2012). Baird’s tapir density in high elevation forests of Talamanca region of Costa Rica. Integrative Zoology 7: 381-388.  
  • Polidoro BA, Brooks T, Carpenter KE, Edgar GJ, Henderson S, Sanciangco J, Robertson DR. (2012) Patterns of extinction risk and threat for marine vertebrates and habitat species in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. Marine Ecology Progress Series 448: 93-104.
Research Activity: 

Polidoro, B. A Comprehensive Petrochemical Vulnerability Index for Improved Decision-making and Marine Biodiversity Risk Assessment in the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem. GoMRI (01/01/2018-06/30/2020).

Carpenter, KE and Polidoro, B. Centennial Genetic and Species Transformations in the Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity. NSF PIRE (10/1/2017-09/30/2022)

Polidoro, B. A screening-level ecological risk assessment for microplastics in seafood in American Samoa. NOAA (8/1/2017 - 7/31/2020)

Polidoro, B. Community Monitoring of Pollutants in Urban Waterways and Recreational Fisheries. EPA (9/1/2016 - 10/31/2018)

Polidoro, B. Whats the Catch: Monitoring and Conservation of Urban Waterways and Recreational Lakes for Native Fishes Migratory Birds and Local Communities.  National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (7/1/2016 - 6/30/2018)

Spring 2021
Course NumberCourse Title
LSC 434Marine Ecology
ENV 485Environ Impact Assessment
LSC 492Honors Directed Study
ENV 492Honors Directed Study
LSC 493Honors Thesis
BIO 493Honors Thesis
ENV 493Honors Thesis
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
ENV 499Individualized Instruction
FOR 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
LSC 598Special Topics
BIO 599Thesis
SOS 799Dissertation
Fall 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
CHM 302Environmental Chemistry
BIO 492Honors Directed Study
LSC 492Honors Directed Study
ENV 492Honors Directed Study
ENV 493Honors Thesis
BIO 493Honors Thesis
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
ENV 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
LSC 598Special Topics
BIO 599Thesis
SOS 799Dissertation
Summer 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
Spring 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
ENV 385Environ Impact Assessment
LSC 434Marine Ecology
LSC 492Honors Directed Study
ENV 492Honors Directed Study
LSC 493Honors Thesis
BIO 493Honors Thesis
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
ENV 499Individualized Instruction
FOR 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
SOS 799Dissertation
Fall 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
CHM 113General Chemistry I
CHM 302Environmental Chemistry
LSC 492Honors Directed Study
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
ENV 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
Summer 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
Spring 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
LSC 493Honors Thesis
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
FOR 499Individualized Instruction
ENV 499Individualized Instruction
SOS 799Dissertation
Fall 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
LSC 484Internship
LSC 492Honors Directed Study
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
ENV 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
FOR 499Individualized Instruction
SOS 790Reading and Conference
SOS 792Research
SOS 799Dissertation
Summer 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
Spring 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
CHM 302Environmental Chemistry
ENV 385Environ Impact Assessment
BIO 412Conservation in Practice
LSC 493Honors Thesis
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
FOR 499Individualized Instruction
ENV 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
SOS 598Special Topics
BIO 598Special Topics
LSC 598Special Topics
GPH 598Special Topics
SOS 792Research
Fall 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
LSC 484Internship
LSC 492Honors Directed Study
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
FOR 499Individualized Instruction
ENV 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
SOS 790Reading and Conference
SOS 792Research
Summer 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
SOS 792Research
Spring 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
CHM 116General Chemistry II
ENV 385Environ Impact Assessment
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
FOR 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
SOS 792Research
Fall 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
CHM 113General Chemistry I
CHM 302Environmental Chemistry
LSC 484Internship
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
LSC 499Individualized Instruction
FOR 499Individualized Instruction
BIO 499Individualized Instruction
Summer 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
BIO 495Undergraduate Research
SOS 792Research
Honors / Awards: 

2016 New College Tenured/Tenure-Track Research Excellence Award

Service: 
  • ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Associate Director (2016 - Present)
  • Friends of the Sonoran Desert, Founding Member, Scientific Advisory Board Member (2014 - Present)
  • IUCN Reef-Building Corals Specialist Group, Red List Authority (2013 - Present)
  • IUCN Red List Technical Working Group, Marine Biodiversity Unit Representative (2012 - Present)
  • IUCN Marine Fish Species Specialist Group, Co-chair (2012 - Present)
  • IUCN Tuna and Billfish Species Specialist Group, Red List Authority (2012 - Present)
  • Old Dominion University, Affiliate Faculty in Marine Biology (2012 - Present)
  • University of Hawaii-Hilo, Affiliate Faculty in Conservation Biology & Environmental Science (2011 - Present)
  • Revista Latinoamericana de Conservación (Latin American Journal of Conservation) Editorial Board Member (2009 - Present)
  • Sierra to Sea Institute/ProCAT International, Co-Founder, Board Member (2004 - Present)
Expertise Areas: 
Marine and Freshwater Conservation Biology
Ecotoxicology
Environmental Chemistry
Water Resource Management
Fisheries Management
Environmental Science
Environmental Policy
International Education and Development