Blowin' in the Wind: Mapping the Dispersion of Metal(loid)s From Atacama Mining.

The Atacama Desert's naturally elevated metal(loid)s pose a unique challenge for assessing the environmental impact of mining, particularly for indigenous communities residing in these areas. This study investigates how copper mining influences the dispersion of these elements in the wind-transportable fraction (<75 μm) of surface sediments across an 80 km radius. We employed a multi-pronged approach, utilizing spatial modeling to map element distributions, exponential decay analysis to quantify concentration decline with distance, regime shift modeling to identify dispersion pattern variations, and pollution assessment to evaluate impact.

Making plant methane formation visible-Insights from application of C-labeled dimethyl sulfoxide.

Methane (CH) formation by vegetation has been studied intensively over the last 15 years. However, reported CH emissions vary by several orders of magnitude, thus making global estimates difficult. Moreover, the mechanism(s) for CH formation by plants is (are) largely unknown.

Vegetation growth and landscape genetics of lomas at their dry limits in the Atacama Desert show fine-scale response to environmental parameters.

Ecosystem dry limits have been studied in the context of species biology, fitness, and interactions with biotic and abiotic parameters, but the interactive effects of these parameters remain underexplored. Therefore, information on the putative effects of global climate change on these ecosystems is often lacking.We analyzed the interplay between fine-scale landscape genetics and biotic and abiotic factors of terrestrial lomas in the hyperarid Atacama Desert, characterized by a fog-dependent vegetation type almost entirely dominated by one single vascular plant species.