Browsing by Author "Río López, Camilo del"

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    A Water Balance Approach to Estimate Fog Water Contribution to a Relict Forest in the Coastal Semi-Arid Region in Central Chile
    (2024) Pacheco Canales, Valentina J.; Lobos Roco, Felipe Andrés; Vicuña Díaz, Sebastián; Suárez Poch, Francisco Ignacio; Río López, Camilo del; Gaxiola Alcantar, Aurora
    The marine fog presence along Chile’s western coast, in the semi-arid and Mediterranean region, influences coastal vegetation patterns and constitutes a significant yet underestimated water source for basin water balance. While studies suggest that south-westerly winds transport marine fog inland, serving as a vital water source for coastal vegetation and relict forests, our understanding of fog dynamics in this context remains limited. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze coastal fog in the coast of the semi-arid and mediterranean region in central Chile addressing the temporal distribution of its frequency, liquid water content and water collection in relation to the presence of relict forests. This study is centered in a relict forest located in the semi-arid coastal Chile uphill 3.5 km far from the coast with an altitude of 650 meters (lat: -32.2°/long: -71.5°). This forest, dominated by Aextoxicon punctatum survives on less than 200 mm of annual precipitation which implies fog water is a critical water input. Our methodological approach is a water balance analysis tailored for fog-related water contributions, the balance considers precipitation, evapotranspiration (ET), soil accumulation, and fog input across various scales: from individual trees to the entire mountainous ecosystem. Specific methods for fog characterization, forest assessment, and fog capture efficiency are developed, incorporating factors such as forest characteristics and vertical variability. Our findings reveal that fog recurs 17% of the time and contributes up to 75% to the forest’s water evapotranspiration. Furthermore, it was estimated that forests can capture up to 10.5% of the available fog in the air. Considering soil moisture sensor data collected in the study area it appears that the captured fog does not penetrate deep into the soil and does not generate runoff from the forest area. Based on a sensitivity analysis we explored how forest’s fog capture efficiency varies with elevation, collection area (leaf area index), and evapotranspiration. These results underscore the importance of fog water as a vital water source for vegetation and emphasize the need for incorporating fog water inputs into broader assessments for improved water resource predictions and ecosystem conservation.
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    Caracterización de las condiciones atmosféricas en la captación de agua de niebla en el tillandsial del cerro Oyarbide en la Cordillera de la Costa, Desierto de Atacama Región de Tarapacá
    (2021) Abarca Paredes, Francisco Andrés; Río López, Camilo del; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Instituto de Geografía
    El desierto costero de la Región de Tarapacá se caracteriza por una abundante nubosidad. El clima se designa como Desértico con nublados abundantes (BWn) según la clasificación climática de Köppen. Aquí, nubes del tipo estratocúmulo provenientes del Océano Pacífico son interceptadas por los farellones y cerros de la Cordillera de la Costa, transformándose en niebla que al encontrarse con la tierra hiperárida del Desierto de Atacama, aporta humedad y permite la presencia de ecosistemas de niebla de alto endemismo y fragilidad. El cerro Oyarbide es un oasis de niebla, cuyas características geográficas permiten que la nube proveniente del océano sea confinada por los cerros circundantes, dando lugar a la presencia de una especie de bromeliáceas, la Tillandsia Lamdbecki. La presencia de niebla en el cerro Oyarbide es variable, depende de condiciones climáticas y meteorológicas no del todo bien comprendidas, cuyo comportamiento estacional y diario depende de factores tanto regionales como locales (oceanográficos y geográficos). Este estudio busca caracterizar las condiciones atmosféricas presentes en el Tillandsial de Oyarbide, en presencia y ausencia de eventos de niebla; como también las condiciones necesarias para la captación de agua de niebla, como una aproximación para entender mejor los volúmenes de agua que permiten la sobrevivencia del ecosistema de niebla. Es así, como entre otros, se busca respaldar cuantitativamente la afirmación de que la presencia de niebla, necesariamente, no es sinónimo de captación de agua niebla. Este estudio se proyecta como una investigación experimental basada en la integración de un método de registros de presencia de niebla, el sistema de monitoreo óptico llamado GOFOS y datos meteorológicos de dos estaciones climáticas que incluyen la colección de agua de niebla a través de neblinómetros (SFC). Se caracterizaron 24 y 22 eventos de niebla ocurridos. Se identifico para el área de estudio que la niebla posee un ciclo nocturno y matinal y que la mayor frecuencia se localiza en el mes de octubre durante la primavera. Se observaron divergencias entre los registros de presencia de niebla GOFOS y SFC para todos los meses del estudio, reconociendo que el registro de observaciones posee una mayor presencia de niebla por sobre registro de colecta de agua, estableciendo con ello que presencia no representa colecta de agua de niebla.
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    Climate and coastal low-cloud dynamic in the hyperarid Atacama fog Desert and the geographic distribution of Tillandsia landbeckii (Bromeliaceae) dune ecosystems
    (Springer, 2021) García B., Juan Luis; Lobos Roco, Felipe Andres; Schween, Jan H.; Río López, Camilo del; Osses, Pablo; Vives Ansted, Raimundo José; Pezoa Jadue, Mariana Ignacia; Siegmund, Alexander; Latorre H., Claudio; Alfaro, Fernando; Koch, Marcus A.; Loehnert, Ulrich
    Despite the extensive area covered by the coastal Atacama fog Desert (18-32 degrees S), there is a lack of understanding of its most notorious characteristics, including fog water potential, frequency of fog presence, spatial fog gradients or fog effect in ecosystems, such as Tillandsia fields. Here we discuss new meteorological data for the foggiest season (July-August-September, JAS) in 2018 and 2019. Our meteorological stations lie between 750 and 1211 m a. s. l. at two sites within the Cordillera de la Costa in the hyperarid Atacama (20 degrees S): Cerro Oyarbide and Alto Patache. The data show steep spatial gradients together with rapid changes in the low atmosphere linked to the advection of contrasting coastal (humid and cold) and continental (dry and warm) air masses. One main implication is that fog presence and fog water yields tend to be negatively related to both distance to the coast and elevation. Strong afternoon SW winds advect moisture inland, which take the form of fog in only about 6% of the JAS at 1211 m a. s. l., but 65% at 750 m a. s. l. on the coastal cliff. Although sporadic, long lasting fog events embrace well-mixed marine boundary layer conditions and thick fog cloud between 750 and 1211 m a. s. l. These fog events are thought to be the main source of water for the Tillandsia ecosystems and relate their geographic distribution to the lowest fog water yields recorded. Future climate trends may leave fog-dependent Tillandsia even less exposed to the already infrequent fog resulting in rapid vegetation decline.
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    Fog water collection for local greenhouse vegetable production in the Atacama Desert
    (2023) Albornoz G., Francisco; Río López, Camilo del; Carter Gamberini, María Virginia; Escobar Moragas, Rodrigo; Vásquez Gimeno, Lucas Simón
    Agricultural production in the Atacama Desert is restricted by extreme aridity and poor soil quality. Between 18° S and 30° S, low stratocumulus clouds regularly cover the southeastern Pacific Ocean reaching the Coastal Cordillera. Thus, marine fog is constantly present in the coastal areas of the desert. Fog can be harvested using fog collectors. However, limited information is available with regards to the variability of fog presence throughout the year and along the coast of the desert. Combining fog water harvest with hydroponic production under greenhouse facilities presents an alternative for sustainable and local fresh food production. In this article, we analyze the potential of fog water collection in two sites (Alto Patache and Falda Verde) distant by about 1000 km within the Atacama Desert. Additionally, in both locations, the environmental conditions within greenhouse structures, the potential energy requirement for environmental conditioning (including the energy production from photovoltaic panels) and the water requirements of vegetable crops under greenhouse conditions were modeled. The annual average of fog water collection registered was 2.9 and 3.3 L per day per m2 in Alto Patache and Falda Verde, respectively. During the most demanding season for crop evapotranspiration, 2.13 m2 of fog collectors can supply the water required for 1 m2 of greenhouse crops. The energy required for water and air pumps in the hydroponic systems can be supplied with photovoltaic systems including eight PV modules and a battery storage capacity of 9.4 kWh. In conclusion, the present study sheds light on the possibilities of massive water collection from fog to be used in local and sustainable food production in the Atacama Desert.
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    Living at the dry limits: ecological genetics of Tillandsia landbeckii lomas in the Chilean Atacama Desert
    (2019) Koch, Marcus A.; Kleinpeter, Dorothea; Auer, Erik; Siegmund, Alexander; Río López, Camilo del; Osses Mc-Intyre, Pablo; García B., Juan Luis; Marzol, Maria V.; Zizka, Georg; Kiefer, Christiane
    The northern Chilean Atacama Desert is among those regions on Earth where life exists at its dry limits. There is almost zero rainfall in its core zone, and the only source of water is a spatio-temporally complex fog system along the Pacifc coast, which is reaching far into the hyperarid mainland. Hardly any vascular plants grow in these areas, and, thus, it is intriguing to be faced with a vegetation-type build-up by one single and highly specialized bromeliad species, Tillandsia landbeckii Phil., forming regular linear structures in a sloped landscape. We studied the genetic make-up of a population system extending an area of approximately 1500 km2 and demonstrated a fne-scale correlation of genetic diversity with spatial population structure and following an elevational gradient of approximately 150 m. Increase in genetic diversity is correlated with increased ftness as measured by fowering frequency, and evidence is provided that outbreeding is linked with a large-distance fying pollinator feeding occasionally as generalist on its fowers, but not using the plant as source for larvae feeding. Our data demonstrate that establishment of linear vegetation structure is in principle a process driven by clonal growth and propagation of ramets over short distances. However, optimal conditions (slope, elevation, fog occurrence) for linear growth pattern formation also increase sexual plant reproductive ftness, thus providing the reservoir for newly combined genetic variation and counteracting genetic uniformity. Our study highlights the Tillandsia vegetation, also called Tillandsia lomas, as unique and genetically diverse system, which is highly threatened by global climate change and disturbance of the coastal fog system.
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    Mammalian bioturbation amplifies rates of both hillslope sediment erosion and accumulation along the Chilean climate gradient
    (Copernicus Gesellschaft MBH, 2023) Grigusova, Paulina; Larsen, Annegret; Brandl, Roland; Río López, Camilo del; Farwig, Nina; Kraus, Diana; Paulino, Leandro; Pliscoff, Patricio; Bendix, Joerg
    Animal burrowing activity affects soil texture, bulk density, soil water content, and redistribution of nutrients. All of these parameters in turn influence sediment redistribution, which shapes the earth's surface. Hence it is important to include bioturbation into hillslope sediment transport models. However, the inclusion of burrowing animals into hillslope-wide models has thus far been limited and has largely omitted vertebrate bioturbators, which can be major agents of bioturbation, especially in drier areas.Here, we included vertebrate bioturbator burrows into a semi-empirical Morgan-Morgan-Finney soil erosion model to allow a general approach to the assessment of the impacts of bioturbation on sediment redistribution within four sites along the Chilean climate gradient. For this, we predicted the distribution of burrows by applying machine learning techniques in combination with remotely sensed data in the hillslope catchment. Then, we adjusted the spatial model parameters at predicted burrow locations based on field and laboratory measurements. We validated the model using field sediment fences. We estimated the impact of bioturbator burrows on surface processes. Lastly, we analyzed how the impact of bioturbation on sediment redistribution depends on the burrow structure, climate, topography, and adjacent vegetation.Including bioturbation greatly increased model performance and demonstrates the overall importance of vertebrate bioturbators in enhancing both sediment erosion and accumulation along hillslopes, though this impact is clearly staggered according to climatic conditions. Burrowing vertebrates increased sediment accumulation by 137.8 % +/- 16.4 % in the arid zone (3.53 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) vs. 48.79 kg ha(-1) yr(-1)), sediment erosion by 6.5 % +/- 0.7 % in the semi-arid zone (129.16 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) vs. 122.05 kg ha(-1) yr(-1)), and sediment erosion by 15.6 % +/- 0.3 % in the Mediterranean zone (4602.69 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) vs. 3980.96 kg ha(-1) yr(-1)). Bioturbating animals seem to play only a negligible role in the humid zone. Within all climate zones, bioturbation did not uniformly increase erosion or accumulation within the whole hillslope catchment. This depended on adjusting environmental parameters. Bioturbation increased erosion with increasing slope, sink connectivity, and topography ruggedness and decreasing vegetation cover and soil wetness. Bioturbation increased sediment accumulation with increasing surface roughness, soil wetness, and vegetation cover.
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    Soil bacterial community structure of fog-dependent Tillandsia landbeckii dunes in the Atacama Desert
    (Springer, 2021) Alfaro, Fernando D.; Manzano, Marlene; Almiray, Cristian; García B., Juan Luis; Osses, Pablo; Río López, Camilo del; Vargas Vásquez, Constanza Giovanna; Latorre H., Claudio; Koch, Marcus A.; Siegmund, Alexander; Abades, Sebastian
    The interplay between plants and soil drives the structure and function of soil microbial communities. In water-limited environments where vascular plants are often absent and only specialized groups of rootless plants grow, this interaction could be mainly asymmetric, with plants supporting nutrients and resources via litter deposition. In this study, we use observational approaches to evaluate the impact of local distribution of Tillandsia landbeckii across elevation on soil bacterial community structure and composition in the Atacama Fog Desert. Tillandsia landbeckii is a plant without functional roots that develops on meter-scale sand dunes and depends mainly on marine fog that transports resources (water and nutrients) from the Pacific Ocean. Our data show that soil bacterial abundance, richness, and diversity were significantly higher beneath T. landbeckii plants relative to bare soils. However, these differences were not significant across T. landbeckii located at different elevations and with different input of marine fog. On the other hand, bacterial community composition was significantly different with T. landbeckii plants across elevations. Further, samples beneath T. landbeckii and bare soils showed significant differences in bacterial community composition. Around 99% of all operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were recorded exclusively beneath T. landbeckii, and only 1% of OTUs were observed in bare soils. These findings suggest that the presence of T. landbeckii promotes significant increases in bacterial abundance and diversity compared with bare soils, although we fail to demonstrate that local-scale changes in elevation can affect patterns of soil bacterial diversity and abundance beneath T. landbeckii.
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    Spatial dynamics in the urban-rural-natural interface within a social-ecological hotspot
    (Elsevier Sci Ltd., 2023) Moreira-Munoz, Andres; Río López, Camilo del; Leguia-Cruz, Marcelo; Mansilla-Quinones, Pablo; Peng, J.
    City-regions in sensitive environmental spaces such as globally recognized biodiversity hotspots face the chal-lenge of adopting land use planning strategies that facilitate the transition towards sustainability. Though landscape-scale patterns of land use changes have already been documented in central Chile, a critical spatial assessment of the dynamics and forces shaping current land use and the conservation landscape in the Valpar-aiso-Santiago city-region has not yet been undertaken. We applied a satellite-based survey of urban sprawl and the extension and recurrence of wildfires spanning a 35-year timeframe from 1985 to 2020. We compared their spatial occurrence with high ecological value areas (HEVA) and analyzed the resulting patterns within the framework of an ad-hoc centrifugal forces model. Results show a constant expansion of urban sprawl and direct impacts of wildfires affecting biodiversity values. La Campana-Pen & SIM;uelas Biosphere Reserve emerges as a relevant spatial feature that can facilitate the transition towards sustainability at the regional scale, although the laissez-faire stance of the dominant neoliberal economic model in Chile is the most evident threat to the transition toward sustainability. We conclude that the study area, with the attributes of a social-ecological hotspot, shows strengths such as a space capable of transformative change and the potential of a regenerative city-region.
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    Understanding Fog and Dew Dynamics for Assessing Non-Rainfall Water Potential Uses in the Atacama
    (2023) Lobos Roco, Felipe Andrés; Suárez Poch, Francisco Ignacio; Aguirre Correa, Francisca; Keim Vera, Klaus Kurt; Aguirre, Ignacio; Vargas Vásquez, Constanza; Abarca Paredes, Francisco Andrés; Ramírez Reyes, Carla; Escobar Moragas, Rodrigo; Osses, Pablo; Río López, Camilo del
    In (semi-)arid regions, harvesting fog and dew can become a complementary solution to traditional water supply. In the Atacama region, a territory of key and water-dependent economic activities, both fog and dew are driven by the advection of marine moisture from the Pacific. Still, little is described regarding the dynamics and water potential of these events. In this study, we analyze the spatiotemporal variability of fog and dew in the Atacama Desert to assess the potential of non-rainfall atmospheric water harvesting. Our research strategy combines three methods to achieve a comprehensive understanding of these phenomena: a satellite-spatial analysis of fog and low cloud frequencies; a thermodynamic characterization of the fog cloud vertical structure; and an observational analysis of fog and dew water collection. Our findings reveal that fog is a regular phenomenon in the area, occurring from 3% to 20% of the year. We estimate that fog cloud reaches 50 km inland and up to ~1100 m ASL, covering a vast territory where it can be harvested. Fog and dew represent 72% and 28% of the total collected atmospheric water (~0.2 L m-2 day-1). Both fog and dew represent a complementary natural water source with multiple uses for local industries.
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    Understanding inland fog and dew dynamics for assessing potential non-rainfall water use in the Atacama
    (2024) Lobos Roco, Felipe Andrés; Suárez Poch, Francisco Ignacio; Aguirre Correa, Francisca; Keim, K.; Aguirre, I.; Vargas Vásquez, Constanza; Abarca, F.; Ramírez Reyes, Carla; Escobar Moragas, Rodrigo; Osses, Pablo; Río López, Camilo del; CEDEUS (Chile)
    In (semi-)arid regions, harvesting fog and dew can become a complementary solution to traditional water supply. In the Atacama region, a territory of key and water-dependent economic activities, both fog and dew are driven by the advection of marine moisture from the Pacific. Still, little is described regarding the dynamics and water potential of these events. In this study, we analyze the spatiotemporal variability of fog and dew in the Atacama Desert to assess the potential of non-rainfall atmospheric water harvesting. Our research strategy combines three methods to achieve a comprehensive understanding of these phenomena: a satellite-spatial analysis of fog and low cloud frequencies; a thermodynamic characterization of the fog cloud vertical structure; and an observational analysis of fog and dew water collection. Our findings reveal that fog is a regular phenomenon in the area, occurring from 3% to 20% of the year. We estimate that fog cloud reaches 50 km inland and up to ∼1100 m ASL, covering a vast territory where it can be harvested. Fog and dew represent 72% and 28% of the total collected atmospheric water (∼0.2 L m−2 day−1). Both fog and dew represent a complementary natural water source with multiple uses for local industries.
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    Vegetation growth and landscape genetics of Tillandsia lomas at their dry limits in the Atacama Desert show fine-scale response to environmental parameters
    (2020) Koch, Marcus A.; Stock, Clara; Kleinpeter, Dorothea; Río López, Camilo del; Osses, Pablo; Merklinger, Felix F.; Quandt, Dietmar; Siegmund, Alexander
    Ecosystem dry limits have been studied in the context of species biology, fitness, and interactions with biotic and abiotic parameters, but the interactive effects of these parameters remain underexplored. Therefore, information on the putative effects of global climate change on these ecosystems is often lacking.", "We analyzed the interplay between fine-scale landscape genetics and biotic and abiotic factors of terrestrial Tillandsia lomas in the hyperarid Atacama Desert, characterized by a fog-dependent vegetation type almost entirely dominated by one single vascular plant species.", "We showed that metapopulations of Tillandsia landbeckii are genetically connected over many hundreds of square kilometers, and despite having a large potential for clonal propagation, genetic diversity is regionally and locally structured. At the landscape level, genetic diversity correlates well with fitness parameters such as growth, flowering, and vegetation density. We also observed fine-scale correlation with a 3-D landscape model indicating a positive feedback with seasonal fog occurrence and availability. The various interactions of biotic and abiotic factors resulted in regular linear banding patterns of vegetation arranged orthogonally toward the landscape slope. Ex situ growth experiments indicated that T. landbeckii grows at optimal rates in this extreme hyperarid environment, and we can extrapolate mean biomass production for this ecosystem.", "Synthesis. Our results suggest that the unique ecosystem of terrestrial Tillandsia lomas in the hyperarid Atacama Desert is an evolutionarily balanced and fine-scaled system. The vegetation itself is composed of long-lived and persistent modules. We developed a descriptive model of the various interacting factors, thereby also highlighting the severe threat caused by global climate change potentially associated with fog disturbance patterns along the Chilean Pacific coast.