Hailing from France, the three young researchers joined various IMO research lines, combining laboratory and field work in an experience that also allowed them to discover Chile’s culture and landscapes.
For four months, the students Mathilde Oswald, Violette Lere and Augustin Carreau were part of the team at the Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO in spanish) and the Oceanographic Instrumentation Center (CIO in spanish) in Concepción as part of an international internship.
Hailing from France, Mathilde and Violette worked under the coordination of IMO principal investigator and CIO Scientific Director, Oscar Pizarro, while Augustin Carreau joined the team of the researcher Vera Oerder, focusing his work on analyzing simulations from the CMIP6 climate model.
Carreau, a Marine Engineering student, spoke positively about the experience, noting that he managed to "learn many new things during my internship and meet new people, despite the language barrier".
"As part of my second year, I am required to complete a four-month internship abroad. I immediately wanted to go far from home and discover another continent. Ultimately, I chose South America, which offered plenty of adventure, and Concepción, which had been recommended to me”, he added.
Practical work and field experience
As part of their internship, Mathilde and Violette worked through a program of practical activities that included: hands-on experience in the CTD calibration lab and salinity analysis, participation in a CTD usage course, work with a small wave-measuring tank, practice with software to simulate anchored mooring lines, as well as familiarization with and preparation for the deployment of an underwater glider.
Augustin Carreau, for his part, focused his work on comparing these simulations against real-world observations, with special emphasis on deep-ocean conditions. The goal was to identify which of the models used by the IPCC most accurately represent current oceanic conditions so that those models can subsequently be used to project climate change scenarios and assess potential alterations in the deep ocean of the Southeastern Pacific.
During his stay in Chile, Carreau also took the opportunity to visit iconic regions of the country, sampling local culinary culture and traveling through “Torres del Paine in Patagonia back in May, and then the Atacama Desert in early July. We also visited the surrounding areas, including several national parks and the capital".