The exhibition, which will be open to the community until the end of August in the Welcome room of the National Maritime Museum, located on Artillería Hill in Valparaíso, can be visited from Monday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
This is the temporary exhibition "Discovering our deep ocean", a joint initiative of the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN), the Andrés Bello University (UNAB), the University of Concepción (UdeC), the Center for Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands (ESMOI), Oceana in Chile and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy (SHOA), which opened its doors to the public in the run-up to World Oceans Day (June 8), on Friday, June 7, date in which the United Nations has made a call to "awaken new depths", making direct reference to scientific research into the deep ocean.
In recent years, important research cruises have been carried out in Chile in the depths of its sea, such as ATACAMEX, Atacama Hadal and, lately, the cruises carried out by the scientific vessel Falkor (too), which have involved different universities, centers research, NGOs and the Chilean Navy. The above has been key to knowing the rich ecosystems of underwater mountains and canyons, in addition to giving them different protection statuses; Part of the material collected in these expeditions is presented in this new exhibition, with biological and geological specimens and objects that allow us to contextualize this interesting topic, said the curator of the National Maritime Museum, Eduardo Rivera, who was in charge of curating this exhibition.
For his part, the director of the National Maritime Museum, Rear Admiral Andrés Rodrigo, said: “We are happy to be able to open to the community a new exhibition where its protagonist is the sea, an example that adds to the different initiatives that are being developed in the region to commemorate and value this date that is essential for a maritime country like ours. Activities that reaffirm the condition of this port city that not only looks towards the vast ocean that surrounds us, but also cares about these deep blue waters, which are synonymous with life and development for Chile".
The opening ceremony, which was attended by Senator Ricardo Lagos Weber, naval and civil authorities and representatives of institutions linked to the maritime and academic world, also included interventions by the director of ESMOI, Dr. Carlos Gaymer, the academic and researcher from UNAB, Dr. Cristián Rodrigo, from the director of the Millennium Institute of Oceanography of the University of Concepción, Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa, from the executive director of Oceana in Chile, Liesbeth van der Meer, from the head of the SHOA Operations Department, Lieutenant Commander Luis Montecino.
"The exhibition that we inaugurated today at the National Maritime Museum is a temporary exhibition about the deep ocean. The Millennium Institute of Oceanography is contributing material on the scientific work carried out in the Atacama Trench," said the director of the Millennium Institute of Oceanography, Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa. "This exhibition is very important for the IMO because it allows us to present our work in other regions of the country and thus give greater visibility to the scientific knowledge that is generated around the Deep Ocean", he added.
The exhibition, which highlights the scientific activity that has been developed from past times to the present, related to research, exploration, study and knowledge of the great depths of the sea, will be exhibited in the Welcome room of this historic heritage center on the hill. Artillery, which can be visited from Monday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., until the end of August.
Source: National Maritime Museum. Photo credit: courtesy of the Chilean Navy.
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