In the depths of the ocean, technology extends human senses to explore millenary movements and changes, as well as the impacts of industrial development on the seas and the atmosphere.
By: Alejandro Baño Oyarce, Department of Geophysics abano@udec.cl | Images: Courtesy of UdeC’s Department of Geophysics
One of the most fascinating missions of modern science is unraveling the mysteries of the Atacama Trench and the ocean floor. However, it is not a trivial task to endure conditions in the Earth’s submerged abysses. Therefore, since 2021, the University of Concepción’s Geophysics Department program called “Geophysical Measurement, Innovation and Development Laboratory (MidGEO)” has been leading the development of technologies capable of resisting pressure at great depths.
Engineer Víctor Villagrán Orellana is heading this program and leads a team of professionals at the Oceanographic Instrumentation Center (CIO, in Spanish). Among their achievements is creating a free-falling Ocean Lander-type underwater vehicle capable of diving down 8,000 meters and exploring the Atacama Trench.
The Lander makes seismic activity measurements using robust and precise electronics and monitors ocean processes in real time. This ambitious project, supported by an investment of one billion pesos from the Fondequip Mayor program of the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), seeks to obtain unprecedented information on the tectonic and climatic processes in the ocean’s confines. Its capabilities include activating a high-resolution video camera, closing oceanographic bottles for water sampling at predefined depths, deploying an organism trap, and actuating its release systems’ mechanisms.
In addition, with the support of a Medium Equipment Fund, MidGEO has also renewed its calibration infrastructure, strengthening its capabilities to make accurate measurements deep down in the ocean, which is crucial for high-resolution science in hostile environments.
MidGEO’s main activities are technical support, where they select instruments and collaborate in the formulation of research projects; engineering projects are also carried out, where observation platforms and, in some cases, sensors and instruments with R&D components, are developed. One of its most important milestones was obtaining a patent in 2018 for an automatic oxygen titrator, a crucial technology for accurate measurements in marine environments. Some instrument prototypes have also been developed, such as a platform that measures wave levels under different conditions and studies the effects of tsunamis.
Finally, MidGEO provides teaching and research support and has had a significant impact by contributing to two first-author articles in high-impact journals and co-authoring three key science articles.
Present and Future
MidGEO encourages learning for undergraduate students of different specialties through its open-door approach. These students receive comprehensive training that includes core courses in instrumentation, preparing the next generation of scientists to face the challenges of ocean exploration.
Looking to a future where the ocean depths become a strategic area for scientific and technological development, MidGEO, led by Dr. Villagrán, has an ambitious vision: to create environmental monitoring services to further research and development and, above all, to continue opening the door to discoveries in the confines of our planet.
Last modified: 23 de febrero de 2025
