Underwater glider observations in the oxygen minimum zone off central Chile

Published in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, v. 97(10):1783–1789
Authors

Pizarro, O., Ramírez, N., Castillo, M., Cifuentes, U., Rojas, W. and Pizarro-Koch, M.
Publication year 2015
DOI https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00040.1
Affiliations
  • Department of Geophysics, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile, Millennium Institute of Oceanography, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile, and COPAS Sur Austral Program, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile
  • Department of Geophysics, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile, and Millennium Institute of Oceanography, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile
  • COPAS Sur Austral Program, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile, and Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
  • COPAS Sur Austral Program, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile
  • Department of Geophysics, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile, Millennium Institute of Oceanography, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile, and COPAS Sur Austral Program, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile
  • Postgraduate Program in Oceanography, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile
IAI Program

CRN3
IAI Project CRN3070
Keywords
Underwater glider
oxygen minimum zone
central Chile

Abstract

Gliders have become an efficient and reliable oceanographic platform for measuring physical and biogeochemical properties of the seawater, and the global glider fleet is rapidly expanding. In Chile, glider observations have been carried out in very different oceanographic environments, from the mild upwelling region of subtropical northern Chile to the channels of southern Patagonia. Herein, we briefly present observations and results obtained in the oxygen minimum zone off Concepcion (&sim36°30&primeS). Many new features have been observed in this region thanks to the relatively high resolution of the glider measurements. Future plans for the glider program include an oceanic time series off central Chile that will contribute to the regional observing system of the ocean and allow evaluations of low-frequency changes like those associated with El Niño and La Niña events.