After touring the fjords and channels of Chilean Patagonia, Tara Scientific schooner will arrive in Puerto Montt this Thursday on the 18th of March, for the second stop of the Tara Microbiomes expedition . This mission is done in collaboration between The Fondation Tara Océan and Ceodos Chile.
The main goals of the expedition is to carry out a comprehensive sampling of the Chilean coast, from Antarctica to Iquique, in order to have a better understanding of the impact of climate change, and to contribute to the Chilean capacity to adapt to it and mitigate its effects.
The mission is headed by the French fondation Tara Océan and 9 research centers of excellence in our country: Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM), Center for Climate and Resilience Science (CR2), Center for Dynamic Research on High Latitude Marine Ecosystems (IDEAL), Patagonia Ecosystem Research Center (CIEP), Oceanographic Research Center (COPAS Sur-Austral), Genome Regulation Center (CRG), Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), Associated International Laboratory “Multiscale Adaptive Strategies” (LIA MAST), and the French Institute for Research in Digital Sciences and Technologies (INRIA-Chile). These actors will carry out this interdisciplinary study.
“This mission is focused on studying oceanic microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses, as well as some crustaceans, emerging pollutants such as microplastic, pathogens, metals in the ocean and the behavior of greenhouse gases, among many others. things. It is a long-term initiative that seeks to monitor the Chilean ocean every five years and thus continue its transition towards the new normal that global change brings “, explains Camila Fernández, visiting professor at the Department of Oceanography at the University of Concepción, researcher of the CNRS and the INCAR, IDEAL and COPAS SUR AUSTRAL centers, and co-coordinator of the mission in Chile.
“This expedition has the virtue of adding an interdisciplinary group of researchers to the same objective, ranging from sampling to data analysis. The volume of biological, physical-chemical and environmental data produced by the TARA-Océan protocol associated with this ocean microbiome, allows us to look at them with sophistication from mathematical modeling and the use of modern AI tools, and get closer to understanding the Ocean-Climate-Biodiversity relationship in a quantitative way to be an increasingly robust support for decision-making ”, assures Alejandro Maass, director of the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM) of the University of Chile and co-coordinator of the mission in Chili.
Among the activities scheduled for this stopover, a series of talks will be held on Friday, March 19 with students from the regions of Los Ríos, Los Lagos and Aysén, and a webinar for the general public on Saturday, March 20 at 4p.m. via zoom. For both events, there will be the possibility to learn more about the mission, talk with the team of scientists and virtually tour the schooner.
The schooner will remain until Sunday, March 21, on the Puerto Montt coast. The next stopover will take place in the city of Concepción, where its arrival is estimated for the 7th of April.
