Progress in the oceanographic knowledge of Chilean interior waters, from Puerto Montt to Cape Horn.
The fjords and channels of Chile form a complex geological and oceanographic system comprised of an estimated 84,000 km of coastline, much of which is glacial in origin. Ecologically and biogeographically, the distribution and abundance of macrobenthic organisms along the length of the South Pacific...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.546.2040 http://www.cona.cl/revista/english/8.2 Erika Mutschke.pdf |
| Summary: | The fjords and channels of Chile form a complex geological and oceanographic system comprised of an estimated 84,000 km of coastline, much of which is glacial in origin. Ecologically and biogeographically, the distribution and abundance of macrobenthic organisms along the length of the South Pacific slope is discontinuous (Viviani, 1979; Brattström & Johanssen, 1983; Camus, 2001). Consequently, differences can be seen in some aspects of biodiversity and community structure of the natural systems in central and northern Chile and at high latitudes (Antarctica). The first relevant study of this complex, extensive region was the Challenger expedition in 1872-1876 (Sladen, 1889). The Lund University expedition in 1948-1949 provided the first published results for the Campos de Hielo Norte and the Strait of Magellan (e.g., Leloup, 1956; Madsen, 1956; Menzies, 1962). A more recent cruise undertaken by the R/V Hero took place in 1972. This should be contrasted with the information available for Chilean glacial channel and fjord regions in the Northern Hemisphere (Kendall et al., 2003; Wlodarska-Kowalczuk & Pearson, 2004). More recently, extensive efforts have been made to sample the benthic macro-communities in the Magallanes region (Arntz & Ríos, 1999). The CIMAR Program sampled biotic and abiotic components of the systems associated with the fjords and channels from the Campos de Hielo Sur to Cape Horn. The channel and fjord area between Golfo de Penas and the Strait of Magellan (central zone) is highly influenced by glaciers and high sedimentation rates, which strongly affect the macrofaunal distribution and abundance values. To date, 131 macro-invertebrate species have been identified from the study area (Table I). Of these, Echinodermata was the most diverse (47 species) |
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