Salar de Surire un ecosistema altoandino en peligro, frente a escenario del cambio climático

Abstract

Este trabajo realiza un análisis al salar de Surire desde el punto de vista de la biodiversidad y sus implicancias producto del cambio climático. Como resultado se predice que los próximos años serán secos y la temperatura podría ir en aumento, lo cual afectará notablemente a la flora y fauna del altiplano. El salar de Surire es un cuerpo salino ubicado en el altiplano andino chileno, en un entorno geológico de características volcánicas. La climatología actual de aridez no permite una acumulación de agua superficial de gran extensión, y por lo tanto es posible diferenciar tres tipos principales de aguas: los aportes de drenaje, las acumulaciones de agua en la aureola pantanosa externa o “bofedales”, y las aguas del interior del cuerpo salino (surgencias termales y salmueras). Estas condiciones hidrológicas afectan factores abióticos, como anaerobiosis de suelos, disposición de nutrientes y salinidad, factores determinantes del desarrollo de la flora y fauna. Palabras claves: Salar de Surire; Biodiversidad andina; Cambio climático; Ecosistema andino DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/nexo.v24i1.593 Nexo, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 43-49, 2011

Boron Industry, Sources, and Evaporitic Andean Deposits: Geochemical Characteristics and Evolution Paths of the Superficial Brines

“…Chilean salt flats have only ulexite as an economic mineral, these deposits being related to a shallow saline lake, whose main contributions in boron are from thermal sources. Boron in Andean salars is mainly linked to the Cenozoic volcanic rocks that prevail in the eastern Andean territory, particularly in recent or latent volcanic centers, and there is an increase in boron in areas of active latent volcanism, such as the hot springs of Salar de Surire [47] and Salar de Aguas Calientes I [48].…”

“…The deposits that make up the salar correspond to carbonates, sulfates, chlorides, borates, and sinter deposits [19]. The Borax Chemical and Industrial Company operates the ulexite deposit in the Salar de Surire since 1985, producing a range of boron products, including boric acid, boron granules (known as granulex), and fertilizers and insecticides, which combine boron or boric acid with calcium sulfate and sodium borates [47]. The surface morphology of the salar is practically flat, although with a slight tilting toward the west, conditioning that the waters that access it go and accumulate in its western margin.…”

Living in extreme environments: a photosynthetic and desiccation stress tolerance trade-off story, but not for everyone.

“…The Atacama Desert is considered one of the most arid and extreme environments on Earth, and is characterized by high daytime solar radiation levels (average 600 W/m 2 , (Eshelet al , 2021)), strong thermal daily oscillation (absolute minimum temperatures of -5degC to -12degC, and absolute maximum temperatures of 35degC to 36degC), extreme drought (less of 50 mm of annual precipitations) and high soil salinity (0.3 to 1.0 m of saline crust in the soil) (Acevedo Hinojosa et al , 2007). The Surire Salar, located 4,300 meters above sea level (m a.s.l), in the Chilean Altiplano, is characterized by poor annual rainfall of about 200 mm concentrated during a few summer months, and strong thermal daily oscillation (absolute minimum temperatures of 0degC to 13degC, and absolute maximum temperatures of 18degC to 20degC) (Garces, 2011). Results from the first screening drive us to focus on three species of the woody genusProsopis because of their contrasting response to the mentioned trade-off.…”