Mercedes is a post-doctoral researcher at the university of Cádiz. She holds a double degree in Marine Sciences and Environmental Sciences and two master’s degrees in Conservation and Management of the Natural Environment and Integrated Water Management from the same institution. Her research activity began in 2019 when she joined the project REMABAR (Analysis of strategies to reduce evaporation losses and improve the state of aquifers under a context of climate change in the Barbate River basin), financed by Fundación Biodiversidad. Since then, her passion for water resources led her to specialise in the fields of surface and groundwater hydrology and to complete in 2023 her Ph.D, which was focused on the estimation of recharge in detrital coastal aquifers by merging classic hydrogeological techniques with state-of-the art remote sensing products. Mercedes is currently working in the framework of the European project INSPIRE (Innovative solutions for plastic free European rivers) and is eager to gain insights into the dynamics and effects of this ubiquitous pollutant in freshwater and marine systems.