Bibliography

"Atacama Desert." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Mar. 2012. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Desert>.


"Snow Falls in Atacama Desert!!! - Earth Changes and the Pole Shift." Snow Falls in Atacama Desert!!! - Earth Changes and the Pole Shift. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. <http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/snow-falls-in-atacama-desert>.

"Atacama Desert (desert, Chile)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/40326/Atacama-Desert>.

"Atacama Desert @ National Geographic Magazine." Atacama Desert @ National Geographic Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0308/feature3/>.

"EXPLORING THE ATACAMA." THE ATACAMA DESERT OF CHILE. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.musc.edu/cando/geocam/atacama/atacama.html>.

Data

Precipitation levels last year

Days of rain/drizzle last year

Ways to Improve

Seeing as i picked one of the most desolate uninhabited places on the planet, it is hard to come up with improvements that could be made in the area. Like most of the planet the best solution would be to eliminate human life in the area in order for the wildlife and ecosystem to be preserved. But realistically this isn't possible so the next viable solution would be to transition to clean energy, such as solar or hydro. One of the few problems in the areas inhabited in the Atacama desert is the pollution. Going solar and switching to clean energy would solve this problem. Even though there are some issues between the human population and the ecosystem, the Atacama is so far down on the list of ecosystems being destroyed that there is no need to worry. A viable solution would be to keep the status quo, because as of right now the ecosystem is in pretty good condition.

Laguna Verde, one of few lakes in the Atacama region

Future Prospects

From what i have seen on the current situation of the Atacama desert, the future looks just fine for the ecosystem. In comparison to most everywhere else on the world, the Atacama desert has minuscule environmental impacts. The reason for this is because it is considered to be the driest place on the planet, which makes it ideal for mining, but not ideal for living and thriving. I believe at the current pace the ecosystem is at, it will take a very long time (if at all) for human impacts to seriously effect the region. If you think about it, nobody will every have any interest in moving and occupying the driest most arid place on the planet. This fact alone will be a good enough deterrent to preserve the natural ecosystem the way it is for many years to come. As long as the mining industry doesn't grow too much larger than it already is, then there is no need to worry about the Atacama desert.

Birds flying across the Atacama

Current Status

This region has been moderately affected by roads and mining operations. The area that has been most affected is the Northern region of the Atacama because of overgrazing of domestic livestock and the commercial gathering of rare plants including the Chilean wine palm and various cacti. Most of the threats to the eco region are closely associated with the few human population centers including the port towns of Iquique, Caldera, and Antofagasta. These areas have done their tole on the land by urbanization, pollution, road construction, livestock grazing (in particular goats), and erosion. Since the regions wealth lies in the mineral resources, recent increased activity in the mining industry in the area has increased foot traffic and therefore magnified these activities effecting the region.

This is a picture of Antofagasta, one of the port towns that have recently blown up.

History of Atacama

The original inhabitants of the Atacama desert were the atacamenos, who are an extinct indian culture. During the 19th century the area was the center of a lot of conflict between Chile, Bolivia, and Peru because of its mineral resources, specifically sodium nitrate deposits. The mining industry was controlled by British and Chilean interests, but after the Treaty of Ancon the mining rights to all sectors of the Atacama belonged to Chile. This area was a chief source of wealth until World War 1, then the nitrate deposits were mined out. Prior to world war 1 Chile had a world monopoly on sodium nitrate. After the sodium nitrate ran out copper mining began which soon replaced it as the areas chief source of revenue.

Lithium mining in the Atacama

Location and Landscape of Atacama

The Atacama desert is located in the midwest of South America. It occupies 40,600 square miles in the northern part of Chile. Along the pacific ocean it takes up 600 miles of beach front real estate.

It is also known as the driest most arid desert in the world accumulating about 0.04 inches per year of rainfall. Most of the landscape consists of salt lakes, sand, and felsic lava flows.