This was an event organized by IMO and the University of Antofagasta, attended by local authorities and the Antofagasta community to learn about the IDOOS system on the Atacama Trench, ecosystem ecology and large earthquakes.
The event entitled "The Atacama Trench: Ecology of Ecosystems and Large Earthquakes" was organized by IMO Senior Researcher, Dr. Marcelo Oliva, with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of the Atacama Trench and the seismic events associated with the subduction of tectonic plates.
"The seminar aimed to publicize the scientific activities that IMO and IDOOS are carrying out off the coast of the Antofagasta Region. Basically, we hope to raise awareness among the authorities in the region, but also in society as a whole, of these research efforts. Although the ATACAMEX 2018 and HADAL 2022 expeditions have had a media impact in the region, it is important to keep constant attention on what we are doing," said IMO Senior Researcher and academic at the University of Antofagasta, Dr. Marcelo Oliva. "At this event we raised aspects related to research activities, giving an introduction to the work of IMO and IDOOS, in the deep sea, in the field of deep sea ecology, as well as in the area of geosciences. SENAPRED also participated. The most important thing was to demonstrate how two areas of knowledge, apparently distant, such as oceanography and geosciences, can converge in common research interests," he added.
“It is a duty and at the same time a necessity to make known to the community the scientific discoveries and advances, and in particular, the explorations and development of research in the Atacama Trench, it must be made visible, because it has great relevance as a feat of recognition at an international level, in which the associative, transdisciplinary work of great discoveries and technological development converge, which must be known and valued by the public as an immense extreme natural laboratory and ours,” said the host of the event and coordinator of Science, Technology and Society of the Vice-Rectorate of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies of the University of Antofagasta, Gladys Hayashida Soiza.
“The idea was to convey the importance of the region in the research we are developing due to its strategic location with respect to the Atacama Trench and the models that suggest the accumulation of energy that could result in a large earthquake at some point in the next decades,” explains the IMO researcher and one of the speakers at the event, Igor Fernández Urruzola.
The presentations
After the welcoming remarks by the authorities present, the seminar began with a general presentation, history and achievements of the Millennium Institute of Oceanography, by IMO senior researcher and academic from the University of Antofagasta, Dr. Marcelo E. Oliva Moreno.
In his presentation, the researcher summarized the mission of IMO, highlighting the main milestones achieved in recent years with respect to the Atacama Trench and the importance of the IDOOS system in the near future of the Millennium Institute of Oceanography.
Then, the presentation “Functioning and challenges in the conservation of deep ecosystems in the Atacama Trench” was given by IMO researcher, Dr. Igor Fernández Urruzola, who spoke of the main scientific findings with a focus on biodiversity and the biogeochemical processes that determine life within the trench, sharing the scientific questions that have been answered to date. Finally, he outlined the new challenges that will be addressed based on the samples and data recovered from the IDOOS system.
“Since I arrived in Chile seven years ago, the research I have developed in the context of my two FONDECYT projects has involved work in the Atacama Trench. This means that, in one way or another, I have participated in many of the findings achieved by the Millennium Institute of Oceanography in relation to the hadal ecosystem. In this sense, I have made a small compilation of the most important results and how these have allowed us to better understand the functioning of an ecosystem as unknown as the one represented by the trench. Finally, I have presented the new questions that are still open, such as knowing what the relative contribution of the different sources of energy that would be sustaining life in the different environments of the Atacama Trench is. In this effort, the samples from the IDOOS system will be fundamental,” explains Dr. Igor Fernández.
After a break, the lecture “Monitoring of large earthquakes and oceanographic processes in the Atacama Trench” was given by IMO associate researcher and academic at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Dr. Marcos Moreno Switt. In this talk, Dr. Moreno explained the seismic dynamics of small and large earthquakes throughout the country, since records have been kept, and indicated the importance of the Antofagasta region as it represents a “seismic gap” that suggests a greater probability of a large earthquake occurring in that area in the coming decades, due to the accumulated energy.
Then, the presentation of the National Service for Prevention and Response to Disasters (SENAPRED) of Antofagasta was given, by the regional director of SENAPRED, Ricardo Munizaga Cuevas, who presented plans and protocols for prevention and action in the event of catastrophic events. These plans are being developed by the organization and have been successfully applied in recent years.
At the end of the presentations, there was a discussion and conclusions, which were moderated by the journalist from the University of Antofagasta, Javiera Leveque Alarcón.
Joint effort
The meeting was attended by regional authorities, representatives of the board of directors of the University of Antofagasta and the Armed Forces, academics, students and teachers from various educational establishments in the region, among others.
The event took place on August 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the auditorium of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) of Antofagasta. It was organized by: the CORE and Regional Government of Antofagasta, Regional Innovation Strategy (ERI), the University of Antofagasta (UA), C-TyS of the UA, the Millennium Institute of Oceanography of the University of Concepción. It was co-organized by SENAPRED and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
“From my point of view, the seminar achieved its objectives of raising awareness among authorities about the importance of science and the contributions it can make in terms of providing tools for the prevention of natural disasters,” stressed Dr. Marcelo Oliva of the University of Antofagasta.
This event was made possible thanks to the ANID center - AIM23-0003- Millennium Institute of Oceanography, the ANID IDOOS EQY200033 Project, the FONDECYT projects N° 11221079 and FONDECYT N° 1221507, Diagnosis and Monitoring of Marine Biodiversity in the Antofagasta Region” IDI Code N° 30486783-0”; and the Articulated Research System on Climate Change and Sustainability of Coastal Zones of Chile, ANTRED21992.
“The holding of this Seminar was very satisfactory, since the content addressed was presented in a precise manner and with interconnected and interrelated themes. Excellent speakers participated and a very diverse and truly interested audience was brought together, made up of regional and university authorities, academics, students of higher and secondary education, representatives of the Armed Forces and citizens in general, who were able to interact and ask questions to the speakers,” stressed Gladys Hayashida of the University of Antofagasta after the event.
Crédito de las fotografías: Felipe Bórquez, Universidad de Antofagasta.
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