Benjamin O. Botwe [BSc, MPhil (Ghana), PhD (Netherlands)

Research interest 
Chemical oceanography with a focus on chemical pollution and ecotoxicological assessment in coastal and marine ecosystems; seafood safety and human health risk assessment; environmental radioactivity and modelling of particle fluxes and sedimentation rates in coastal environments;  Ocean acidification; fate of chemical pollutants in coastal and marine ecosystems.

Current research/project(s)
1. Distribution and health risk assessment of heavy metals in seafood from Ghanaian coastal waters.
2. Evaluation of chemical contamination in mining-impacted coastal systems of Ghana.

Past research projects
Sediments in the Tema Harbour (Ghana): Chemical Pollution and Sedimentation Rates (August 2012-August 2017)
Funded by the Dutch Government (Grant number CF8599/2012) and the University of Ghana (Grant number UGFD/7/2012-2013/004).

Awards
1. University of Ghana Faculty Development Grant (Grant number UGFD/7/2012-2013/004) for PhD research into “Sediments in the Tema Harbour (Ghana): Chemical Pollution and Sedimentation Rates” at Wageningen University/IHE-Delft, Delft, The Netherlands (17 May 2013 – 31 October August 2016).
2.  Netherlands Fellowship (Nuffic) Award (Grant number CF8599/2012) for PhD research into “Sediments in the Tema Harbour (Ghana): Chemical Pollution and Sedimentation Rates” at Wageningen University/IHE-Delft, Delft, The Netherlands (15 August 2012 – 15 August 2017).
3. IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Award for Scientific Fellowship in Radionuclides at ENEA Marine Environment Research Centre, La Spezia, Italy (20 October – 18 December 2009).

Recent publications
• Botwe, B.O., Nyarko, E., & Lens, P.N.L. (2018). Settling fluxes and ecotoxicological risk assessment of fine sedimentary metals in Tema Harbour (Ghana). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 126, 119-129
• Botwe, B.O., Abril, J.M., Schirone, A., Barsanti, M., Delbono, I., Delfanti, R., Nyarko, E., & Lens, P.N.L. (2017). Settling fluxes and sediment accumulation rates by the combined use of sediment traps and sediment cores in Tema Harbour (Ghana). Science of the Total Environment, 609, 1114-1125.
• Botwe, B.O., Alfonso, L., Nyarko, E., & Lens, P.N.L. (2017). Metal distribution and fractionation in surface sediments of coastal Tema Harbour (Ghana) and its ecological implications. Environmental Earth Sciences, 76(15), 514-530.
• Botwe, B. O., De Schamphelaere, K., Schipper, C. A., Teuchies, J., Blust, R., Nyarko, E., & Lens, P. N. L. (2017). Integrated hazard, risk and impact assessment of tropical marine sediments from Tema Harbour (Ghana).  Chemosphere 177:24-34.
• Botwe, B. O., Schirone, A., Delbono, I., Barsanti, M., Delfanti, R., Kelderman, P., Nyarko, E., & Lens, P. N. L. (2017). Radioactivity concentrations and their radiological significance in sediments of the Tema Harbour (Greater Accra, Ghana). Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences 10:63-71.
• Botwe, B. O., Kelderman, P., Nyarko, E., & Lens, P. N. L. (2017). Assessment of DDT, HCH and PAH contamination and associated ecotoxicological risks in surface sediments of coastal Tema Harbour (Ghana). Marine Pollution Bulletin 115:480-488

Professional membership(s)
1. University Teachers Association of Ghana
2. Ghana Science Association
3. Ocean Acidification Network for Africa (OA-Africa Network)
4.  Equatorial Africa Deposition Network (EADN)