We work in interdisciplinary research in the area of global change and coastal marine ecosystems in order to provide information for sustainable management of marine resources, and global change adaptation strategies of coastal communities dependent on ecosystem services provided by the ocean.
Credits cover photo: Mar. Biol. Hugo Carrillo
The âCoastal Ecosystems & Global Environmental Change Labâ (ECCA Lab) is Professor Cristian Vargasâs research lab at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences & EULA Environmental Sciences Center, Universidad de Concepcion, Chile. We work in interdisciplinary research in the area of global change and coastal marine ecosystems in order to provide information for sustainable management of marine resources, and global change adaptation strategies of coastal communities dependent on ecosystem services provided by the ocean.Â
Our methodological approaches combine observational oceanography & carbon biogeochemistry (e.g. sensors/loggers, satellite mapping and field campaigns), the use of field and laboratory experiments of different physiological traits (e.g. feeding, respiration, growth, among others), complemented with the use of different tools, such as, stable isotopes or fatty acid biomarker, as well as synthesis work.Â
Our experimental work focuses on a wide spectrum of marine organisms, from bacteria, phytoplankton, holoplankton (copepods), to larval stages and adult individuals of marine intertidal/subtidal invertebrates. Dr. Vargas and his lab group are specifically focused on understand whether and how coastal species can respond and/or adapt to future changes in the ocean, including changes driven by multiple-stressors, such as, ocean warming, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and their interactive effects with local/global pollutants.
Our laboratory group is also interested in using the scientific results to engage with industry stakeholders or policymakers for exploring potential adaptation strategies of local communities to climate and global change impacts.
Understanding current progress and the knowledge gaps that the industry perceives as important can help scientists and policymakers to trigger and support individual and collective actions towards sustainability.
For this purpose, we work closely with sociologists, socio-ecologists, and economists, aiming to understand the human dimension of global change impacts in coastal ecosystems.
In this context, we have emphasized the cross or multidisciplinary training for our Lab graduate students, which are typically co-tutored by colleagues from different areas (e.g. geographers, sociologists, economists, evolutive biologists, and so on); on this way, we allowed them to naturally develop a multidisciplinary perspective around their specific research interests.
Finally, we work collaboratively with different educational institutions for outreach activities with the active participation of our graduates and postdoc researchers.
We are very happy that this Perspective article has finally been published, together with our colleague and Director of the SECOS Millennium Institute, Dr. Stefan Gelcich. Ocean acidification is a...
From the first semester of this 2024 Paco Quintana is a new member of ECCA Lab. Paco is from PerĂș, has a Master degree from the Federal University of Rio...
We would like sharing with all of you this huge achievement of our ECCALab team and all the collaborators, co-authors, assistants, and professionals who participated in the different stages of...
As a laboratory we are happy and proud to be part of the new âMillennium Institute of Coastal Socio-Ecology (SECOS). In the new institute funded by the Millennium Scientific Initiative,...
Dr. Cristian A. Vargas has been invited to participate as a Plenary Speaker at the 5th International Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO2 World to be held in...
ECCA Lab has a new member. From the first semester of this 2020, Enrique Ascencio joins our working group as a student of the Master of Science Program with Mention...
Understanding biological responses of marine organisms is paramount to improve prediction of the fate of biological systems in coastal areas, and yet understanding the effects of both current exposure to...
The goal of SECOS is to advance social-ecological systems (SES) research by focusing on real world coastal challenges to inform transitions towards sustainability. The objectives of SECOS are to understand...
P.I. Dr. Montserrat Aldunate Coastal upwelling systems are very productive ecosystems and play a key role in the ocean carbon cycle. In northern Chile upwelliing process are stronger in summer...
On a global scale, there are extensive oxygen minimum zones (OMZ), areas that are expanding due to climate warming and the dynamics of greenhouse gases such as CO2. These are...
PI: Dr. Mauricio Urbina (UdeC) Dr. Cristian Vargas (UdeC), Dr. Nelson Lagos (UST), Dr. Erasmo Macaya (UdeC) Submarine forests of brown macroalgae are one of the most productive ecosystems on...
IMO is an institute dedicated to the investigation of oceanographic problems that require integrative and collaborative approaches ranging from processes of molecular to planetary scale, using the South East Pacific...