19 Mar. 2014 - Modenutti - Balseiro

Impact of a volcanic eruption on pelagic
communities of North-Patagonian Andean lakes

Presentano: Beatriz Modenutti and Esteban Balseiro ( CONICET - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina )

On 4 June 2011, an eruption in the Puyehue volcanic complex (40°35′S, 72°06′W, Chile) discharged massive amounts of ash and pumice into the surrounding landscape in Argentina (North Andean Patagonia). The ejected material affected nearby aquatic environments, producing an increase in total suspended solids. We combined field data and experimental data to determine the effect of the volcanic ashes suspended in the water column on pelagic communities. We analyze the consequences of this eruption from subcellular to ecosystem level and we found different effects on each one.

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