General Description and Scientific Significance

The ETSP RR2310 expedition, conducted between April and May 2024 aboard the research vessel R/V Falkor (too) of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, aimed to investigate in situ the marine microbiology associated with the oxygen gradients of the Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) off northern Chile. Operations were carried out off the coast of Iquique, one of the most representative regions of the Humboldt Current System and home to one of the most intense Oxygen Minimum Zones in the global ocean.

The Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), hosted by the University of Concepción, participated in the expedition by contributing scientific personnel and oceanographic instrumentation, supporting observations and measurements designed to improve understanding of the microbiological and biogeochemical processes occurring in low-oxygen environments.

The expedition strengthened the international collaboration between IMO and the Schmidt Ocean Institute, creating new opportunities to investigate microbial dynamics and the biogeochemical functioning of the Southeastern Pacific Oxygen Minimum Zone.

Scientific Objectives

• Investigate in situ the marine microbiology associated with the oxygen gradients of the Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) off northern Chile. 
• Characterize the microbiological processes occurring in low-oxygen environments. 
• Obtain new insights into the biogeochemical dynamics of the water column within the OMZ. 
• Strengthen international scientific collaboration between the Millennium Institute of Oceanography and the Schmidt Ocean Institute. 

Onboard Technology

• R/V Falkor (too) research vessel. 
• Pumping Profiling System (PPS), a continuous water pumping and profiling system used to collect seawater samples at multiple depths for microbiological and biogeochemical studies across oxygen gradients.
• Oceanographic instrumentation provided by the Millennium Institute of Oceanography to support research activities. 
• Water-column sampling and measurement systems for microbiological and oceanographic studies. 

Participating Institutions

• Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO) 
• University of Concepción 
• Schmidt Ocean Institute