Image courtesy of Robert Wood

From: Dr. Robert Wood
Arica, Chile, October 23, 2008

El mar es la vida (the sea is life)

The birds high above on the cliffs feast on the offerings in the rich marine swells. Fishermen reel their heavy lines from the ocean at the base of El Morro. The small hotel owners in Arica provide rooms for tired sailors from across the seas. The ocean is the source of life here.

It has been this way for thousands of years for humans. It has been this way for millions of years for the various creatures that made northern Chile their home long before humans came here. In this part of the world, the sea is rich with life-sustaining nutrients and the land is a barren desert. All life here owes so much to the ocean.

Postcards from the Field: Climate Science from the Southeast Pacific

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