CEAZA
Parameterisation of incoming longwave radiation over glacier surfaces in the semiarid Andes of Chile.
MacDonell, S., Nicholson, L., & Kinnard, C.
A good understanding of radiation fluxes is important for calculating energy, and hence, mass exchange at glacier surfaces. This study evaluates incoming longwave radiation measured at two nearby glacier stations in the high Andes of the Norte Chico region of Chile. These data are the first published records of atmospheric longwave radiation measurements in this region. Nine previously published optimised parameterisations for clear sky emissivity all produced results with a root mean square error (RMSE) ~20 W m−2 and bias within ±5 W m−2, which is inline with findings from other regions. Six optimised parameterisations for incoming longwave in all sky conditions were trialled for application to this site, five of which performed comparably well with RMSE on daytime data <18 W m−2 and bias within ±6 W m−2 when applied to the optimisation site and RMSE <20 W m−2 and bias within ±10 W m−2 when applied to the validation site. The parameterisation proposed by Mölg et al. (J Glaciol 55:292-302, 2009) was selected for use in this region. Incorporating the proposed elevation modification into the equation reduced the bias in the modelled incoming longwave radiation for the validation site. It was found that applying the parameterisation optimised in the original work at Kilimanjaro produced good results at both the primary and validation site in this study, suggesting that this formulation may be robust for different high mountain regions.
Año: 2013
Palabras claves:
Referencia APA: MacDonell, S., Nicholson, L., & Kinnard, C. (2013). Parameterisation of incoming longwave radiation over glacier surfaces in the semiarid Andes of Chile. Theoretical And Applied Climatology, 111(3-4), 513-528.
Ecophysiological constraints on the larvae of Pleuroncodes monodon and the implications for its reproductive strategy in poorly oxygenated waters of the Chile-Peru undercurrent.
Yannicelli, B. & Castro, L.
Pleuroncodes monodon is a conspicuous component of the Humboldt Current ecosystem. Benthic adults south of ∼22°S are associated with low temperature (T) ∼11°C and low dissolved oxygen (DO) (<0.5 mL L−1) waters during the hatching period. Because P. mondon inhabits an oxygen minimum zone and larval release is assumed to match most favorable environmental conditions, larval performance under cold hypoxic conditions and its implications have not yet been assessed experimentally. We quantitatively assessed the effect of DO and T within environmental ranges, and initial starvation on survival, developmental time, and growth of P. monodon zoeae. Molting success from zoea I to zoea II was significantly and positively dependent on DO rearing levels. Age at molting was a negative power function of oxygen concentration. Initial exposure to low DO increased larval mortality by 3% per day of exposure. After ∼4 and ∼1.5 days of starvation after birth under normoxia and hypoxia, respectively, 50% of larvae failed to molt to zoea II. Rearing in 1 mL L−1 DO produced 50% lighter larvae after molting into zoea II. Mortality of larvae reared at 11°C was 40% higher than that at 15 and 20°C. Functions for development time and growth negative/positive dependence on temperature were also fitted. Pleuroncodes monodon zoea I are highly tolerant of low oxygen when compared with other crustacean. Nevertheless, DO and T conditions during hatching season are suboptimal for development. Early larval survival as an ultimate cause of reproductive/environmental coupling in this case should be critically revised.
Año: 2013
Palabras claves: Developmental time, growth, hypoxia, Pleuroncodes monodon, point-of-no-return, survival, temperature.
Referencia APA: Yannicelli, B. & Castro, L. (2013). Ecophysiological constraints on the larvae of Pleuroncodes monodon and the implications for its reproductive strategy in poorly oxygenated waters of the Chile-Peru undercurrent. Journal Of Plankton Research, 35(3), 566-581.
Linking human activity and ecosystem condition to inform marine ecosystem based management.
Menzel, S., Kappel, C., Broitman, B., Micheli, F., & Rosenberg, A.
There is growing consensus that integrated marine management is needed. However, implementation of ecosystem-based management (EBM) faces major operational challenges, including accurately delineating the links between ecosystem components and benefits to humans, and quantifying trade-offs associated with different management decisions.
It is suggested using human activity level as an indicator of the benefit provided by marine ecosystems at a certain location in comparison with other locations and establishing links between human activity levels and ecological conditions.
This approach allows for the determination of what ecological conditions may provide the greatest human benefits and thus may be targets for management action.
This approach is used to investigate the link between scuba diving in the Monterey Bay area, California, USA, and different ecological characteristics of kelp forests. Diving intensity levels correlate with kelp persistence, suggesting that kelp persistence may be used as an indicator of benefits from diving and for evaluating the impact of potentially competing activities through their effects on kelp.
Overall, an operational definition of marine ecosystem services is provided and it is suggested that this method could be extended to a suite of different activities and systems and thus may become useful in considering trade-offs among different activities that depend upon the same ecosystem.
Año: 2013
Palabras claves: Ecosystem services; natural resource management; ecological indicators; Monterey Bay; California; kelp forest ecosystem; scuba diving; ecological production function; human benefits from ecosystems.
Referencia APA: Menzel, S., Kappel, C., Broitman, B., Micheli, F., & Rosenberg, A. (2013). Linking human activity and ecosystem condition to inform marine ecosystem based management. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst., 23(4), 506-514.
The response of leaf respiration to water stress in Nothofagus species.
Sanhueza, C., Bascunan-Godoy, L., Corcuera, L., & Turnbull, M.
Nothofagus solandri is regarded as more tolerant to drought than Nothofagus menziesii in the field. However, the physiology of responses to water limitation in these species is not well understood. In this study, the thermal sensitivity of leaf respiration and its underlying metabolism in response to drought were investigated in mature trees and saplings. Respiration (R d) and photosynthesis (A max) were measured during drying and re-wetting cycles. In addition, respiratory pathway changes were evaluated by oxygen isotope fractionation and protein analyses. Under drought treatment in the glasshouse, both species showed similar photosynthetic performance, but under mild water stress N. solandri was able to increase A max. Under moderate water deficit (around −2 MPa), N. solandri increased respiration at a base temperature of 10°C (R 10) but then decreased it to initial values after re-watering. In N. menziesii, R 10 did not respond significantly to water-stress treatment. The temperature sensitivity of R d (Q 10 and E o) was unchanged for both species during the gradual deficit water treatment in the glasshouse. Although respiratory electron flow was mainly via the cytochrome pathway under all conditions, an increase in alternative oxidase/cytochrome oxidase protein content suggests that the alternative pathway is involved in modulating respiratory metabolism during the recovery after drought.
Año: 2013
Palabras claves: Alternative oxidase, cytochrome oxidase, drought, metabolism, New Zealand, trees.
Referencia APA: Sanhueza, C., Bascunan-Godoy, L., Corcuera, L., & Turnbull, M. (2013). The response of leaf respiration to water stress in Nothofagus species. New Zealand Journal Of Botany, 51(2), 88-103.
Analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates and biotic indices to evaluate water quality in rivers impacted by mining activities in northern Chile.
Alvial, I., Tapia, D., Castro, M., Duran, B., & Verdugo, C.
Catchments in the semiarid regions are especially susceptible to environmental perturbation associated with water scarcity, hydrological variations and overuse by anthropogenic activities. Using multivariate analysis to relate environmental and biological data, and diversity and biotic indices (ChBMWP, ChIBF), we analyzed the macroinvertebrate composition of 12 rivers of the semiarid region of northern Chile. A non-metric multidimensional scaling for macroinvertebrate taxa and a principal component analysis for environmental variables strongly separated upstream sites (e.g. Vacas Heladas and Malo Rivers), which presented low pH and high dissolved metal concentrations, from other sites. Effectively, CCA showed that metals and low pH, associated with the altitudinal gradient, determined the distributional patterns of macroinvertebrates in the Elqui catchment. The causes of these particular conditions could be related to geological processes and human impact. The biotic indices applied to the sampling sites corroborated and reflected these characteristics, with La Laguna and Turbio Rivers showing a diverse macroinvertebrate community and moderate to good water quality, and the Claro River showing favorable conditions for the development of aquatic biota, indicating its better quality relative to other stations. To the middle and low part of the basin, a change in the composition of the community was observed, with species that suggest an impact by an increase in organic matter, due to agricultural activities and urban settlements concentrated in this area. Our results suggest that macroinvertebrate taxa in northern Chile may be exceptional species, adapted to unfavorable geochemical conditions, and emphasize the need for protection of the semiarid basins of the region.
Año: 2013
Palabras claves: macro-invertebrates / biotic indices / multivariate analysis / semiarid region
Referencia APA: Alvial, I., Tapia, D., Castro, M., Duran, B., & Verdugo, C. (2013). Analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates and biotic indices to evaluate water quality in rivers impacted by mining activities in northern Chile. Knowledge And Management Of Aquatic Ecosystems, (407), 01.
Meteorological observations on the northern Chilean coast during VOCALS-REx.
Rutllant, J., Muñoz, R., & Garreaud, R.
Surface coastal observations from two automatic weather stations at Paposo (~25° S) and radiosonde observations at Paposo and Iquique (~20° S) were carried out during VOCALS-REx (VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment). Within the coastal marine boundary layer (MBL), sea–land breezes are superimposed on the prevailing southerlies, resulting in light northeasterly winds from midnight to early morning and strong southwesterlies in the afternoon. The prevailing northerlies above the MBL and below the top of the Andes are modulated by the onshore-offshore (zonal) flow forced by the diurnal cycle of surface heating/cooling along the western slope of the Andes. The daytime phase of this diurnal cycle is consistent with an enhanced afternoon coastal subsidence manifested in afternoon warming near the top of the subsidence inversion (~1.8 K at 800 hPa), lowering (~130 m) of its base (top of the MBL), and clearing of coastal Sc (stratocumulus) clouds. Results from a numerical simulation of the atmospheric circulation in a mean zonal cross section over the study area capture the afternoon zonal wind divergence and resulting subsidence of about 2 cm s−1 along a narrow (~10 km) coastal strip maximizing at around 800 hPa. Day-to-day variability in the MBL depth during VOCALS-REx shows sub-synoptic oscillations, aside from two major disruptions in connection with a deep trough and a cutoff low, as described elsewhere. These oscillations are phase-locked to those in sea-level pressure and afternoon alongshore southerlies, as found in connection with coastal lows farther south.
From 24-h forward trajectories issued from significant points at the coast and inland at the extremes of the diurnal cycle, it can be concluded that the strong mean daytime Andean pumping prevents any possibility of continental sulfur sources from reaching the free troposphere above the Sc cloud deck in at least a one-day timescale, under mean conditions. Conversely, coastal sources could contribute with sulfur aerosols preferentially in the morning, provided that the weak daytime inland flow becomes partially blocked by the coastal terrain.
Año: 2013
Palabras claves:
Referencia APA: Rutllant, J., Muñoz, R., & Garreaud, R. (2013). Meteorological observations on the northern Chilean coast during VOCALS-REx. Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics, 13(6), 3409-3422.
Anthropogenic marine debris in the coastal environment: A multi-year comparison between coastal waters and local shores.
Thiel, M., Hinojosa, I., Miranda, L., Pantoja, J., Rivadeneira, M., & Vásquez, N.
Anthropogenic marine debris (AMD) is frequently studied on sandy beaches and occasionally in coastal waters, but links between these two environments have rarely been studied. High densities of AMD were found in coastal waters and on local shores of a large bay system in northern-central Chile. No seasonal pattern in AMD densities was found, but there was a trend of increasing densities over the entire study period. While plastics and Styrofoam were the most common types of AMD both on shores and in coastal waters, AMD composition differed slightly between the two environments. The results suggest that AMD from coastal waters are deposited on local shores, which over time accumulate all types of AMD. The types and the very low percentages of AMD with epibionts point to mostly local sources. Based on these results, it can be concluded that a reduction of AMD will require local solutions.
Año: 2013
Palabras claves: Anthropogenic marine debris; Local shores; Coastal waters; Plastics; SE Pacific.
Referencia APA: Thiel, M., Hinojosa, I., Miranda, L., Pantoja, J., Rivadeneira, M., & Vásquez, N. (2013). Anthropogenic marine debris in the coastal environment: A multi-year comparison between coastal waters and local shores. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 71(1-2), 307-316
Can a breakdown in competition-colonization tradeoffs help explain the success of exotic species in the California flora?
Molina-Montenegro, M., Cleland, E., Watts, S., & Broitman, B.
Determining combinations of functional traits that allow a species to colonize new habitats has been central in the development of invasion ecology. Species able to establish in new communities harbor abilities or traits that allow them to use resources or tolerate stress in ways that native species cannot. Tradeoffs among species functional traits along the competition–colonization (CC) continuum, where competitive ability is a decreasing function of dispersal capacity, may allow invasive species to establish themselves in new habitats. The California flora offers a well-characterized model system to examine whether native and exotic species differ in the distribution of functional traits and to examine whether a breakdown of the CC tradeoff is present. We used a random subset of 1000 plants and examined seed traits and life form characteristics along with their seed size and adult height using the Jepson Manual of the plants of California. To test the hypothesis that active dispersal strategies aid in the success of exotic species, we classified species into four seed types according to the presence/absence of mechanisms associated with efficient dispersal. In addition, for each species we compiled data on seed size and adult plant height. We conducted all comparisons between native and exotic species within the four most speciose families to control for potential taxonomic non-independence. Exotic species had smaller seed size but greater plant height than natives of the same families. On the other hand, exotic species also displayed significantly greater proportions of functional traits that enhanced dispersal ability. Additionally, certain sets of functional traits were significantly associated with exotic species, such as annual life histories with small seeds and high dispersal capacity. In the random subset of the California flora examined, exotics of the most speciose plant families show functional trait combinations that appear to violate the tradeoff structures observed in their California counterparts. Our results suggest that taxonomically controlled comparisons of the CC tradeoff structure between natives and exotic species may shed light of the capacity of those exotic species invasive ability to colonize new habitats.
Año: 2012
Palabras claves:
Referencia APA: Molina-Montenegro, M., Cleland, E., Watts, S., & Broitman, B. (2012). Can a breakdown in competition-colonization tradeoffs help explain the success of exotic species in the California flora?. Oikos, 121(3), 389-395.
Characterization of the interactions between subterranean and superficial fluxes within an Andean catchment as a function of the spatio- temporal variability of climate.
Jourde, H., Blanc, M., Rochette, R., Ruelland, D., Hicks, E., & Oyarzun, R
In the semi-arid region of Norte Chico (Chile), climate variability, mainly controlled by ENSO and LNSO events, generates a high variability of both surface water and groundwater fluxes. Taking the upper Elqui catchment as an example, this study found that, during LNSO events, the abnormally high values of the runoff coefficient may be the consequence of a groundwater contribution to surface water flow. During ENSO events, however, the lower values of the runoff coefficient and the dynamics of the water table level highlight the recharge of the subsurface compartment. For the hydrological years characterized by a high pluviometric index during the 1977–2008 period, three dynamics of interaction between groundwater and surface water are identified : (i) the water table increases before the river discharge, and its logarithmic increase highlights a rapid recharge related to the concomitance of snowmelt and rainfall events ; (ii) the water table increases after the river discharge and its exponential increase shows a progressive intensification of the recharge over time ; and (iii) the water table and the river discharge increase are concomitant. Dynamics (i) and (ii) are observed during the ENSO events, when precipitation occurs over a long time period ; dynamic (iii) is observed during the neutral years, when high intensity precipitations occur over short periods. The analysis of these dynamics and runoff coefficients shows that when the mean annual precipitation is less than 70 mm, the relative equilibrium between runoff and recharge processes is broken, which may generate a high hydrological deficit; this threshold could thus be used as a warning for drought. Finally, the spatial variability of runoff coefficients shows a larger contribution of the subsurface compartment in catchment with a larger proportion of granites, suggesting a mountain front recharge from the alterites in the granitic watershed.
Año: 2012
Palabras claves: hydro-climatic variability, water resource, surface, subsurface interactions, snowmelt, Río Elqui, North-Central Chile.
Referencia APA: Jourde, H., Blanc, M., Rochette, R., Ruelland, D., Hicks, E., & Oyarzun, R. (2012). Caractérisation des interactions entre flux souterrains et superficiels dans un bassin andin en fonction de la variabilité spatio-temporelle du climat. La Houille Blanche, (2), 18-25
Activity patterns and predatory behavior of an intertidal nemertean from rocky shores: Prosorhochmus nelsoni (Hoplonemertea) from the Southeast Pacific.
Caplins, S., Penna-Diaz, M., Godoy, E., Valdivia, N., Turbeville, J., & Thiel, M.
Understanding the impact of environmental stressors on predator activity is a prerequisite to understanding the underlying mechanisms shaping community structure. The nemertean Prosorhochmus nelsoni is a common predator in the mid-intertidal zone on rocky shores along the Chilean coast, where it can reach very high abundances (up to 260 ind m−2) in algal turfs, algal crusts, barnacle crusts, and mixed substrata. Tidal and diurnal scans revealed that the activity of P. nelsoni is primarily restricted to night and early-morning low tides and is relatively low when air temperatures are high. On average, larger worms crawled faster than smaller worms, with their maximum velocity being influenced by substratum type. Their estimated rate of predation is 0.092 prey items nemertean−1 day−1, just below the laboratory rate of ~0.2 amphipods nemertean−1 day−1 previously estimated for this species. P. nelsoni consumes a diverse spectrum of prey items (i.e., amphipods, isopods, decapods, barnacles, and dipterans) and is possibly exerting a significant influence on its prey populations. We suggest that the opportunistic predatory behavior of this intertidal predator is caused by the trade-off between immediate persistence (e.g., avoidance of desiccation) and long-term survival through successful foraging.
Año: 2012
Palabras claves:
Referencia APA: Caplins, S., Penna-Diaz, M., Godoy, E., Valdivia, N., Turbeville, J., & Thiel, M. (2012). Activity patterns and predatory behavior of an intertidal nemertean from rocky shores: Prosorhochmus nelsoni (Hoplonemertea) from the Southeast Pacific. Marine Biology, 159(6), 1363-1374.
The trade-off between cold resistance and growth determines the Nothofagus pumilio treeline.
Molina-Montenegro, M., Gallardo-Cerda, J., Flores, T., & Atala, C.
The upper and poleward limit of tree distribution are usually determined by abiotic factors such as low temperature and strong winds. Thus, cold resistance is a key element for survival in high altitudes and latitudes where conditions can reduce plant growth. A trade-off between resource allocation to cold resistance and growth could emerge in populations frequently exposed to low temperatures like those in the treeline zone. We studied annual height growth and ice nucleation temperature in Nothofagus pumilio (Nothofagaceae) populations growing in its extremes of altitudinal distribution and in 3 sites situated on a latitudinal gradient in the Chilean Andes. Additionally, gas exchange, water and nitrogen use efficiency and total soluble sugar (TSS) were also measured as possible mechanisms for survival in high altitudes. Individuals from the treeline populations showed lower annual height growth and lower ice nucleation temperatures compared with those from lower populations. In the same way, individuals from more poleward populations showed lower annual height growth and lower ice nucleation temperatures. Gas exchange, water and nitrogen use efficiency and TSS were also higher in the high altitude populations. The results obtained support the hypothesis of trade-off, because the upper and poleward populations showed more cold resistance but a lower height growth. Additionally, we show that cold resistance mechanisms do not impact the physiological performance, suggesting possible adaptation of the high altitude populations. Low temperatures may be affecting cellular growth instead of photosynthesis, creating a pool of carbohydrates that could participate in cold tolerance. Other abiotic and biotic factors should be also assessed to fully understand the distributional range of Nothofagus species.
Año: 2012
Palabras claves: Height growth, Los Andes, Photosynthesis, Treeline, Environmental gradients, Ice nucleation.
Referencia APA: Molina-Montenegro, M., Gallardo-Cerda, J., Flores, T., & Atala, C. (2012). The trade-off between cold resistance and growth determines the Nothofagus pumilio treeline. Plant Ecol, 213(1), 133-142.
Upwelling response to atmospheric coastal jets off central Chile: A modeling study of the October 2000 event.
Renault, L., Dewitte, B., Marchesiello, P., Illig, S., Echevin, V., & Cambon, G., Ramos, M., Astudillo, O., Minnis, P., Ayers, J.K.
The spatial and temporal variability of nearshore winds in eastern boundary current systems affect the oceanic heat balance that drives sea surface temperature changes. In this study, regional atmospheric and oceanic simulations are used to document such processes during an atmospheric coastal jet event off central Chile. The event is well reproduced by the atmospheric model and is associated with the migration of an anomalous anticyclone in the southeastern Pacific region during October 2000. A robust feature of the simulation is a sharp coastal wind dropoff, which is insensitive to model resolution. As expected, the simulated oceanic response is a significant sea surface cooling. A surface heat budget analysis shows that vertical mixing is a major contributor to the cooling tendency both in the jet core area and in the nearshore zone where the magnitude of this term is comparable to the magnitude of vertical advection. Sensitivity experiments show that the oceanic response in the coastal area is sensitive to wind dropoff representation. This is because total upwelling, i.e., the sum of coastal upwelling and Ekman pumping, depends on the scale of wind dropoff. Because the latter is much larger than the upwelling scale, coastal wind dropoff has only a weak positive effect on vertical velocities driven by Ekman pumping but has a strong negative effect on coastal upwelling. Interestingly though, the weakening of coastal winds in the dropoff zone has a larger effect on vertical mixing than on vertical advection, with both effects contributing to a reduction of cooling.
Año: 2012
Palabras claves: atmospheric coastal jets; eastern boundary current systems; numerical simulation; ocean/atmosphere interactions; upwelling; wind dropoff
Referencia APA: Renault, L., Dewitte, B., Marchesiello, P., Illig, S., Echevin, V., & Cambon, G., Ramos, M., Astudillo, O., Minnis, P., Ayers, J.K. (2012). Upwelling response to atmospheric coastal jets off central Chile: A modeling study of the October 2000 event. J. Geophys. Res., 117(C2), n/a-n/a.