Oceanography of the Chilean Patagonia

Chilean Patagonia is one of the most extended fjord regions in the world that covers nearly 240,000 km2 with an extremely complex coastline and topography in one of the least densely populated areas of the country (1–8 inhabitants every 10 km2). In recent years, the area has been undergoing somewhat intense pressure since several commercial projects in hydroelectricity, tourism, and commercial salmon and mytilid cultures have been developed, or are in progress. Concomitantly, several large research programs have been devised to study the physical, chemical, and biological environment of Patagonia, such as the CIMAR FIORDO, and recently COPAS Sur-Austral based at Universidad de Concepcion, that attempts to close the bridge between oceanographic knowledge and its use by society.In this introductory article we summarize the collection of papers comprising this Special Issue of Continental Shelf Research. These papers deal with aspects of regional oceanography and geology, inorganic and organic geochemistry, ecology of pelagic and benthic organisms, and past changes in productivity.

Research Highlights
► Chilean Patagonia is an extended fjord region covering ca. 240,000 km2 with a low population density (1–8 inhabitants per 10 km2).
► The fjord area is under intense pressure for industrial development that will impact landscape and natural resources.
► We summarize the most recent collection of research papers on the Chilean Patagonia that deal with regional oceanography and geology, inorganic and organic geochemistry, ecology of pelagic and benthic organisms, and past changes in productivity.