Ocho mil metros de viaje submarino: descenso a la fosa de Atacama

Superando a Julio Verne, dos científicos chilenos y un explorador estadounidense bajaron más de 8 mil metros en la fosa de Atacama, un logro que por primera vez alcanza el ser humano en una de las mayores profundidades de los océanos del planeta.

Por Adriana Bastías

Veinte mil leguas de viaje submarino, quizás uno de los libros más conocidos de Julio Verne, publicado en 1869 en Francia, parece el preludio perfecto para imaginarnos la expedición que tuvo su punto cúlmine el jueves 20 de enero de este año, cuando tres personas bajaron por primera vez en la historia al fondo de la fosa de Atacama, que se encuentra a más de 8000 metros de profundidad. Se trata de dos científicos chilenos, Osvaldo Ulloa y Rubén Escribano, director y subdirector respectivamente del Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía en la Universidad de Concepción, y del explorador estadounidense Víctor Vescovo, quien pilotó el sumergible “DSV Limiting Factor”. La expedición tuvo dos inmersiones, en la primera bajaron Osvaldo Ulloa y Víctor Vescovo, en la segunda Rubén Escribano y Víctor Vescovo.

Las profundidades del mar siguen siendo un lugar muy poco explorado, y películas como “Buscando a Nemo” nos han mostrado parte de la diversidad de animales y organismos que se pueden encontrar en los mares del mundo. En esta película infantil muchos recordaremos al extraño pez de aguas profundas con una pequeña luz bioluminiscente en la parte superior de su cabeza que parece una linterna y que actúa como carnada o señuelo, se trata de El Diablo Negro o rape abisal (Melanocetus johnsonii) https://youtu.be/M8pep1gcRq8, que vive en profundidades de entre 500 – 4.000 metros. Pero ¿qué vive a 8 mil metros de profundidad en el fondo marino de la fosa de Atacama? ¿Vive algo o todo es inerte? ¿Es todo gris y oscuro? Esto es en parte lo que pretenden averiguar este grupo de científicos, viajando a las profundidades del mar.

Esta vez quisimos hablar con uno de los protagonistas de esta hazaña digna de libro, Osvaldo Ulloa, biólogo marino, doctor en Oceanografía y magíster en Biología Marina de la Universidad de Dalhousie (Canadá), quien realizó su posdoctorado en el Instituto Niels Bohr de la Universidad de Copenhague (Dinamarca). Actualmente, es miembro de la Academia Chilena de Ciencias y en la Universidad de Concepción también es profesor titular del departamento de Oceanografía,.

En esta entrevista con El Regionalista, las respuestas de Osvaldo Ulloa nos permiten imaginar parte de lo que significó esta travesía submarina.

Hace muy poco hizo noticia cuando tocó fondo en la Fosa de Atacama, convirtiéndose en el primer chileno y humano en llegar a más de 8.000 metros de profundidad en ese sitio. ¿Cómo se preparó para realizar esto?

En realidad, hicimos dos descensos, en el primero fui yo junto a Víctor Vescovo, llegando a una profundidad de 8.069 metros de profundidad. La invitación de participar en esta expedición se hizo en julio del año pasado, para lo cual tuve que hacerme chequeos médicos, lo que arrojó que tenía que operarme de la vesícula, lo cual hice. Además de mantener ejercicio regular y yoga, y obviamente cuidar la alimentación

Sin duda, un viaje de estas características requiere una seguridad importante. En este ámbito, ¿qué medidas se tomaron en la travesía submarina?

Bajé acompañado por Victor Vescovo, que además de ser el dueño del barco, del submarino y otros vehículos autónomos, era el piloto; para esto se necesita un piloto experto que pueda navegar el submarino en profundidad. Este submarino es el único de su tipo que está certificado comercialmente, incluso para las mayores profundidades del océano mundial, es decir, puede bajar y ha bajado a la Fosa de las Marianas que es la más profunda, con casi 11.000 m. Sin embargo, el submarino está certificado para una presión equivalente a los 14.000 m. Por lo mismo, al estar certificado tiene muchos sistemas redundantes para su seguridad, todo va en doble en caso de que falle un sistema, se activa el otro.

¿Qué equipos se requieren para bajar a dicha profundidad?

Para bajar a esa profundidad se requirió de un sumergible capaz de subir y bajar por la gravedad de forma autónoma, es decir, que no lleva ninguna conexión con el barco. Este vehículo además puede desplazarse por el fondo del mar, tiene una capacidad para 2 personas, el piloto y el científico en este caso. Cada inmersión dura del orden de 10 horas.

¿Dónde queda la fosa de Atacama? ¿Cuánto tiempo de navegación requiere para llegar?

La fosa de Atacama es una estructura que tiene alrededor de 5.900 km, nace en Ecuador y llega hasta la región de Aysén. Su zona más profunda está frente a la península de Mejillones, en la región de Antofagasta, que fue donde estuvimos trabajando. Zarpamos desde Valparaíso y nos tomó 2 días en llegar a la zona de estudio.

¿Cuánto tiempo se demoraron en llegar al fondo de la Fosa de Atacama y cuánto tiempo permanecieron allí?

Demoramos 3,5 horas, después navegamos otras 3 y nos tomó alrededor de 2 horas el ascender.

¿Qué quieren investigar desde la Fosa de Atacama?

Además de ser los primeros seres humanos que llegamos al fondo de la Fosa de Atacama, nuestro interés científico es conocer la biodiversidad, los organismos que existen a 8 mil metros de profundidad, que posiblemente son muchas especies nuevas. Además, nos interesa entender la geología del fondo marino para poder instalar en los próximos meses un sistema de observación de océano profundo para monitorear procesos oceanográficos y también geológicos mediante sensores geofísicos que permiten medir la deformación del fondo marino debido a la acumulación de energía, que da origen a grandes terremotos.

¿Tomaron algún tipo de muestra?

El submarino en sí mismo no tomó muestras, sino que llevaba cámaras de alta resolución con las cuales se grabaron videos, pero simultáneamente con el submarino se arrojaron 3 módulos de descenso autónomos, conocidos en inglés como landers que son muy similares a los que usamos el 2018 en la expedición Atacamex. Estos módulos llevan sensores de salinidad, humedad y presión. Llevan, además, cámaras de video y trampas a las cuales se les pone carnada para atraer organismos y colectarlos desde el fondo. Llevan también unas botellas abiertas de pvc que se cierran una vez que están en el fondo y nos permiten colectar muestras de agua.

¿Qué fue lo que más le sorprendió cuando bajo a la fosa de Atacama?

Los colores, tanto de los organismos como de las estructuras rocosas (me lo imaginaba todo gris), y la gran abundancia de vida.

¿Cómo se asocia su investigación, la fosa de Atacama y el cambio climático?

Esta expedición en sí misma no era para ver el cambio climático, pero en el observatorio que vamos a instalar en los próximos meses o durante el próximo año, vamos a incorporar sensores de temperatura y salinidad, además de CO2 (dióxido de carbono), lo que nos va a permitir conocer cómo las señales de cambio climático y el aumento de CO2 están llegando hacia al interior del océano profundo.

Nos habló del documental Atacamex, ¿de qué se trata?, ¿dónde podemos verlo? ¿También se filmó para esta expedición?

El documental Atacamex se hizo el 2018 y está disponible en onda media, https://ondamedia.cl/show/atacamex-explorando-lo-desconocido. Lo que ocurrió esta vez es que llevamos el mismo equipo de documentalistas que van a montar un nuevo documental sobre esta hazaña. Todavía no tenemos el título, pero esperamos esté disponible en los próximos meses.

Registros del viaje al fondo de la fosa

La bitácora del viaje a la fosa de Atacama la puede encontrar en: https://www.imo-chile.com/blog

El registro documental de la expedición Atacamex de 2018 a la fosa se encuentra en https://ondamedia.cl/show/atacamex-explorando-lo-desconocido. Una hora con la crónica de cómo se armó la expedición, cómo obtuvieron el vehículo clave para la exploración, el lander, las pruebas que hicieron y una fotografía extraordinaria. El descenso, entonces realizado sólo por un vehículo, es el precedente de la exploración de Ulloa, Escribano y Vescovo.

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