Passive air samplers consisting of polyurethane foam (PUF) disks, were deployed in six locations in Chile along a north-south transect to investigate gas-phase concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The study provides new information on air concentrations of these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which is lacking in this region. It also provides insight into potential sources and long-range transport (LRT). The samplers were deployed for a 2-month period in five remote sites and one site in the city of Concepción. Mean concentrations (pg m(-3)) for sigmaPCB were 4.7 +/- 2.7 at remote sites and 53 +/- 13 in Concepción. PCB levels at remote sites were related to proximity to urban source regions and/or air back trajectories. With the exception of endosulfan I, mean concentrations (pg m(-3)) of OCPs at background sites were consistently low: 5.4 +/- 1.4 for alpha-HCH, 7.0 +/- 1.1 for gamma-HCH, 2.5 +/- 0.5 for TC, 2.5 +/- 0.6 for CC, 1.9 +/- 1.2 for dieldrin, and less than 3.5 for toxaphene. Endosulfan I showed a decreasing concentration gradient from 99 to 3.5 pg m(-3) from the north to south of Chile. Concentrations of OCPs in the Concepción City were generally 10-20 times higher than at the background sites suggesting continued usage and/or re-emission from past use. For instance, at remote sites, the alpha/gamma ratio (0.76) was typical of background air, while the ratio in Concepción (0.12) was consistent with fresh use of gamma-HCH. Levels of sigmaPBDEs were below the detection limit of 6 pg m(-3) at all sites.

The Damas River Hydrographic Basin (40°39'S, 72°23' W) presents an intense agricultural and cattle ranching activities in 78.2 % of its surface, which has resulted in important inputs of nutrients into the aquatic ecosystem. The objectives of this study were: (a) to analyze the spatial distribution of the benthic macrofauna in the Damas basin, and (b) to determine the feasibility of using the Families Biotic Index (FBI) for the evaluation of water quality. The samplings were conducted in January 1998 using a Surber net (0.09 m 2 ) at 15 sites, distributed along the main course of the river and its tributaries. A total of 77 taxa was recorded, being the most diverse Plecoptera (16 %), Trichoptera (16 %), Diptera (14 %) and Ephemeroptera (12 %). A marked tendency to a decrease of specific richness was observed from the head of the basin towards downstream. The abundance, biomass and FBI presented an inverse trend to the species richness. The FBI was significantly and positively correlated with total phosphorous (r 2 = 0.71), temperature (r 2 = 0.66), nitrite (r 2 = 0.56), electrical conductivity (r 2 = 0.50), biological oxygen demand (r 2 = 0.46) and total nitrogen (r 2 = 0.46) and negatively correlated with dissolved oxygen (r 2 = 0.53). All of these variables are closely associated with the intense use of fertilizers in the basin. The results obtained suggest that the FBI is an appropriate indicator for determining the water quality of rivers of agricultural and cattle ranching basins in southern Chile.

Hydropeaking dam operation and water extractions for irrigation have been broadly stated as alterations to natural flow regimes, which have also been noticed in the Biobío Watershed, in Central Chile, since 1996. In the Biobío River, most of native fish species are endemic and very little is known about them. Their ecological and social values have never been estimated, and there is lack of information about their habitat preferences. Furthermore, changes on fish habitat availability due to natural and/or man-made causes have not been evaluated. In this study, eight native fish species, in a representative reach of the Biobío River, were studied and their preferred habitats were surveyed and characterized. A hydrodynamic model was built and linked to the fish habitat simulation model CASiMiR. Fuzzy rules and fuzzy sets were developed for describing habitat preference of the native fish species. CASiMiR was then used to simulate how physical habitat conditions vary due to flow control (i.e. upstream dams). Results show how overall habitat quality, expressed as weighted usable area (WUA) and hydraulic habitat suitability (HHS), changes and fluctuates due to the dam operation and how the daily hydropeaking is influencing quantity, quality and location of different habitats. The study suggests that the analysed fish are highly susceptible to flow control, as dams are currently operated, and fish habitat improvement suggestions are proposed.

ARTÍCULO DE INVESTIGACIÓNCambio del uso del suelo en el centro sur de Chile a fines del siglo XX.Entendiendo la dinámica espacial y temporal del paisaje RESUMENLos humanos han transformado gran parte de la superficie del planeta en los últimos 300 años. La tala de bosques, las prácticas agrícolas de subsistencia, la intensificación de la producción agrícola y la expansión de los centros urbanos han cambiado drásticamente el paisaje. En el centro y sur de Chile las transformaciones han estado asociadas, en un inicio, a la expansión de la frontera agropecuaria que permitió satisfacer tanto las necesidades internas como la creciente demanda externa por productos agrícolas. Posteriormente, un fuerte incentivo a la forestación, comandado por el Estado, generó un acelerado proceso de desarrollo forestal que explica, en gran medida, la actual configuración del paisaje en esta región. En este trabajo hemos analizados la dinámica espacial de los cambios en el uso del suelo ocurridos durante las últimas décadas en un área de 2.3 millones de hectáreas ubicada entre las regiones del Biobío y La Araucanía. Las coberturas del suelo fueron obtenidas a partir de dos imágenes Landsat correspondientes a los años 1979 y 2000. Los resultados confirman que las principales transformaciones del paisaje son consecuencia del desarrollo forestal, la mantención de los rubros agropecuarios y el crecimiento urbano e industrial. Asimismo, fue posible determinar que la pérdida del bosque nativo se debe, principalmente, a la expansión de las plantaciones forestales hacia los cordones montañosos andinos y costeros.Palabras clave: cambio de uso del suelo, Chile, desforestación, dinámica del paisaje. ABSTRACTLand use changes have transformed much of the Earth's surface in the last 300 years. Deforestation, intensification of agriculture, and urban sprawl have radically changed the preindustrial landscape. In southcentral Chile, landscape change was initially related to the expansion of farming to address national needs and the growing international demand for agricultural products. Subsequently, private forestry, subsidized by the State, promoted the accelerated expansion of industrial plantations, a process that largely determines the current landscape configuration. In this study, we document the spatial dynamics of land-use change in 2.3 million hectares of the Biobío and Araucanian regions during the last two decades of the 20 th century. Two land cover maps were developed from satellite imagery comparing a 20-year period (1979 and 2000). Results confirm that major changes in the landscape were due to exotic tree plantations for forestry purposes, agricultural activities, and urban and industrial sprawl. Accordingly, we conclude that substantial loss of native forest cover was driven by the expansion of commercial plantations towards mid-elevations in the Andes and Coastal ranges.Key words: dynamic landscape, land use and land cover change, native forest loss, south central Chile.