Investigation of atmospheric water supply to the Atacama desert (Chile) from combined in-situ, ground-based and satellite remote sensing observations
| Scientific work is full of surprises. While collecting samples from the extremely dry ‘hyperarid’ core of the Atacama in 2018 it rained. |
The Atacama Desert contains many dry stream-beds that in the geological past contained flowing water. It is not clear if these streams were abandoned because of climatic changes, or blocked due to movements on tectonic faults. This project seeks to solve this question, using geochemical techniques able to measure when the streams became abandoned and geophysical techniques to map the faults above and below the ground. Our results are improving understanding of how tectonic processes can control the paths of streams and what the implications of this might be for life in the desert.
The Atacama Desert is one of only a handful of locations worldwide where studying million-year old landforms is possible using the techniques we are applying.
Contact
Dr. Steven Binnie
Phone: +49 (0) 221 470-89831
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
