Research

We conduct pioneering interdisciplinary oceanographic research, addressing scientific problems in a comprehensive and collaborative manner.
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Research Lines
228
Publications
39
Researchers

What is our main area of concern?

The eastern South Pacific Ocean is IMO’s main object of study because it has sharp hydrographic, biochemical and ecological gradients, ranging from extremely productive waters in the Humboldt Current to highly oligotrophic waters in the Subtropical Gyre.

Additionally, in the last decade, the scientific community has acquired an important understanding of the structure and functioning of the Humboldt Current. However, little is known about the vast region of oceanic waters and about the mesoscale activity connecting contrasting environments. At IMO we want to focus part of our research on this oceanic zone.

What is the impact of research in the eastern South Pacific?

It is clear that the dynamics of the eastern South Pacific have a global impact because it is a region where important Antarctic Intermediate Waters are formed. It has strong atmospheric-oceanic connections and coastal-ocean exchanges with the equatorial ocean and contains one of the world’s largest oxygen minimum zones (OMZs).

The peculiarities of the ecosystems in the eastern South Pacific make them natural laboratories for the study of the functioning of the ocean and for the prediction of the way in which ecosystems could react to future global changes. These studies will provide the basis for the management and conservation of the unique ecosystems in this oceanic region.

Research lines

The Deep Ocean

What are the community structures and the biogeochemical characteristics of deep and abyssal waters in the eastern South Pacific?

Adapting to a Changing Ocean

How do key functional groups of plankton adapt to chemical changes in oceans and how does this affect biochemical cycles?

Oceanic Variability

How do large-scale perturbations affect water transport, physical-chemical gradients and dynamics in the eastern South Pacific?

The Deep Ocean

What are the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of deep and ultra-deep waters of the eastern South Pacific, and which of those determine the diversity and functional structure of their pelagic communities?

Mesoscale Processes

What is the role of mesoscale activity in the regulation of energy-matter transfer and ecosystem dynamics in oceanic waters?

A Variable and Changing Ocean

Associate researchers

Osvaldo Ulloa, PhD.

Professor @ UDEC

Rubén Escribano, PhD.

Professor @ UDEC

Oscar Pizarro, PhD.

Professor @ UDEC

Wolfgang Schneider, PhD.

Professor @ UDEC

Cristian Vargas, PhD.

Associate Professor @ UDEC

Peter von Dassow, PhD.

Associate Professor @ PUC
Meet our researchers

Latest publications

Anthropogenic underwater vibrations are sensed and stressful for the shore crab Carcinus maenas*

Environmental Pollution | Volume 285, Pages 1-9

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117148September, 2021

Aimon, C.Simpson, S.DHazelwood, R.ABruintjes, R.Urbina, M.
AT

Uncovering the Composition and Diversity of Pelagic Copepods in the Oligotrophic Blue Water of the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre

Frontiers in Marine Science | Volume 8, Pages 2-18

doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.625842July, 2021

Medellín-Mora, JohanaEscribano, R.Corredor-Acosta, A.Hidalgo, P.Schneider, W.
TA

Age dependent physiological tolerances explain population dynamics and distribution in the intertidal zone: A study with porcelain crabs

Marine Environmental Research | Volume 169, Pages 1-8

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105343July, 2021

Lagos, M.ECastillo, N.Albarrán-Mélzer, N.Pinochet, J.Gebauer, J.Urbina, M.
AT

Plankton respiration in the Atacama Trench region: Implications for particulate organic carbon flux into the hadal realm

Limnology and Oceanography | Volume 9999, Pages 1-15

doi:10.1002/lno.11866June, 2021

Fernández-Urruzola, I.Ulloa, O.Glud, R.NPinkerton, M.HSchneider, W.Wenzhöfer, F.Escribano, R.
AT

Annual cycle of growth and population structure of the estuarine crab Hemigrapsus crenulatus (Brachyura: Varunidae) off central Chile.

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom | Volume 1, Issue 2, Pages 343-357

doi:10.1017/S0025315421000333June, 2021

Riquelme-Bugueño, R.Luppi, T.Saldías, G. S.Lagos, M. E.Urbina, M.Retamal, M. A.
AT
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