Trends in Planetary Science research in the Puna and Atacama desert regions: under-representation of local scientific institutions?

Abstract

In 2019 while launching a multidisciplinary research project aimed at developing the Puna de Atacama region as a natural laboratory, investigators within the University of Atacama (Chile) conducted a bibliographic search identifying previously studied geographical points of the region and of potential interest for planetary science and astrobiology research. This preliminary work highlighted a significant absence in foreign publications consideration of local institutional involvement. In light of this, a follow-up study was carried out to confirm or refute these first impressions, by comparing the search in two bibliographic databases: Web of Science and Scopus. The results show that almost 60% of the publications based directly on data from the Puna, the Altiplano or the Atacama Desert with objectives related to planetary science or astrobiology do not include any local institutional partner (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru). Indeed, and beyond the ethical questioning of international collaborations, Latin-American planetary science deserve a strategic structuring, networking, as well as a road map at a national and continental scale, not only to enhance research, development and innovation but also to protect an exceptional natural heritage sampling extreme environmental niches on Earth. Examples of successful international collaborations such as the field of meteorites, terrestrial analogues and space exploration in Chile or astrobiology in Mexico are given as illustrations and possible directions to follow in order to develop planetary sciences in South America.

Trends in planetary science research in the Puna and Atacama Desert regions: Underrepresentation of local scientific institutions?

“…This project, led by the University of Atacama in Chile, will be based on the implementation of a multidisciplinary high-altitude laboratory (Tavernier et al, 2020(Tavernier et al, , 2021a and the organization of joint campaigns with EMM program (Tavernier et al, 2021b(Tavernier et al, , 2021c). This study is part of a more general bibliographic inventory of high places of scientific interest in the Puna de Atacama and the Atacama Desert, which will be completed by fieldwork and remote sensing (Medina et al, 2022;Tavernier et al, 2021d). The ambition of such a project is to constitute, regionally and in the long term, a center of competence in planetary science open to the reception of international expertise and which could highlight, both locally and internationally, the exceptional natural heritage of the Central Andes.…”