Pablo Osses

Fog measurements at the site “Falda Verde” north of Chañaral compared with other fog stations of Chile

Fog collection data registered through a Standard Fog Collector (SFC) installed by a local fishermens association at a height of 600 m at the “Falda Verde” site, north of the Chilean harbor Chanaral (26°17′S/70°36′W), from November 1998 to November 2000, are analyzed. Trying to give new lights on the dynamics of fog along the Chilean northern coast, this article compares, for the first time, the data obtained at Falda Verde with those obtained at five other Chilean fog stations. The total time period runs from 1987 to 2001. A mean of 1.46 l/m2/day was registered at the Falda Verde site after 2 years of measurements, one of the lowest yields along the north Chilean coast. After a brief historical recapitulation of fog researches in the study area, geographical explanations of the water yields obtained in different sites are discussed. The annual mean collection from Cerro Moreno and Paposo shows a clearly different behavior from all other sites, showing a greater stability throughout the year. Other stations have a marked difference between extreme seasons. Alto Patache yields, if not the best in Chile, are very high and offer unexpected possibilities for future applications in the coast. Stations located away from the seashore (Cerro Guatalaya) are clearly less productive. Ocean proximity, altitude, south and southwest orientations of the coastal ranges and local relief explain some of the differences noted.

Exclusión social asociada al transporte y su relación con la distribución de la densidad de población en la provincia de Melipilla, Región Metropolitana de Santiago de Chile

In the context of peri-urbanization processes and the territorial impacts that emerge from them, it is important to evaluate the levels of social exclusion associated with transport in the immediate surroundings of the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile (AMS). The case of Melipilla province has been chosen because it is a highly rural area with a privileged location in terms of connectivity to the main business centers and ports of the country. Overall, estimations of social exclusion associated with transport were calculated using socio-economic and socio-professional information from Chile’s Population and Housing Census of 2002 along with data on the time and cost of intra-provincial travel. Results were compared to the distribution of population density, in order to analyze the socio-spatial implications arising from this relationship. It was found that the two processes are not necessarily related.

El efecto de la distancia al mercado sobre la pobreza rural en la Región Metropolitana de Santiago

The national poverty headcount in Chile has declined considerably since 1990. In 2006, rural poverty rate fell below that of urban a reas, due in part to pop...

The effect of native forest replacement by Pinus radiata plantations on riparian plant communities in Chile

Background: As riparian habitats are legally protected, they have been maintained even in areas where extensive reforestation by exotic species occurred in areas surrounding riparian environments. However, the extent to which the riparian plant communities have been affected by the replacement of native forest on slopes has rarely been investigated.Aims: In this study, we evaluated the effects of replacement of native forest by Pinus radiata plantations, on the diversity and structure of plant communities of remnant forests preserved in riparian habitats.Methods: We selected five watersheds with native forest and five watersheds where the native forest had been replaced by pine plantations preserving riparian forests and compared composition, diversity and structure of riparian vegetation.Results: In watersheds with pine plantation, riparian forests had lower adult tree density, tree cover, diversity and regeneration and higher shrub cover, diversity of herb species and diversity and richness of exotic sp...Background: As riparian habitats are legally protected, they have been maintained even in areas where extensive reforestation by exotic species occurred in areas surrounding riparian environments. However, the extent to which the riparian plant communities have been affected by the replacement of native forest on slopes has rarely been investigated. Aims: In this study, we evaluated the effects of replacement of native forest by Pinus radiata plantations, on the diversity and structure of plant communities of remnant forests preserved in riparian habitats. Methods: We selected five watersheds with native forest and five watersheds where the native forest had been replaced by pine plantations preserving riparian forests and compared composition, diversity and structure of riparian vegetation. Results: In watersheds with pine plantation, riparian forests had lower adult tree density, tree cover, diversity and regeneration and higher shrub cover, diversity of herb species and diversity and richness of exotic species than riparian forests with abutting native forest. Conclusions: The results suggest that the replacement of native forest by pine plantations negatively affects the diversity and structure of riparian forest. However, in other respects (e.g. shrub and climber richness), these habitats are not affected and they contribute significantly to the biodiversity conservation.