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Due to its high efficiency and zero direct greenhouse gas emissions, the direct utilization of geothermal energy could play a crucial role in addressing climate change. Low-enthalpy geothermal projects, such as geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), have the potential to contribute to greenhouse gases reduction and replace polluting systems like wood burning, which are extensively used in countries such as Chile. The implementation of this technology presents various challenges, encompassing not only economic and technical aspects but also cultural and social factors. This paper addresses the latter two, providing empirical findings from a social and qualitative perspective by examining three GHP projects in educational spaces in Chilean Patagonia. An inductive approach was employed to describe the social perception of GHP projects in three public buildings, specifically educational facilities, located in the Aysén region of Chile. The questions that guided the research were how users interact with technology in these environments and what factors influence their acceptance. Data were collected through various methods, including in-depth interviews and participant observation, with a focus on social perceptions and everyday practices. The paper argues that there is a general lack of information regarding GHP technology. This type of system is often perceived as an 'elegant' and almost 'untouchable' technology. Nevertheless, motivational factors such as preventing deforestation and reducing air pollution were identified as the primary drivers supporting this type of initiative. One of the cases studied, which demonstrated sustainability over time, revealed that the participants' main motivation was to see themselves as agents of change. This allowed them to build a coherent narrative around the project. Consequently, the cultural meaning attached to the new practice became central for change and sustained adoption of social practices. • There is a social distance between GHP technology and local communities. • There is a low level of information about geothermal energy. • Sustainable adoption of GHP requires cultural and social changes. • GHP projects require the development of new skills and monitoring activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Magallanes-Austral Foreland Basin preserves an important record of orogenesis and landscape evolution in the Patagonian Andes of Chile and Argentina. This paper evaluates the comparison between the thick Paleogene sequences in the Chilean Peninsula Brunswick (Chorrillo Chico and Agua Fresca formations) and the reduced Paleogene sequence (La Barca Formation) in the Punta Ainol locality, Argentina, by taking account of palynological and geochemical analyses. Warm and humid subtropical conditions (Subtropical Gondwanic Paleoflora) are inferred for the late Paleocene-Eocene interval studied. A new record of Lactoridaceae in the La Barca Formation expanded the known fossil range of this family in Patagonia. During the late Paleocene the Chorrillo Chico and La Barca formations would have been deposited mainly from hyperpycnal flows and this accumulation process continued until the Lutenian in the La Barca Formation. A relative rise in the sea level in the early Eocene would be recognized in both sections. In the middle Eocene a relative fall in the sea level would have occurred with increased terrigenous influx. The rate of sedimentation was similar in both sections during the Thanetian and Ypresian intervals according to the ages assigned by biostratigraphy, suggesting that the sedimentation rate would have been controlled mainly by relative changes in sea level during the Paleocene-Eocene transition. Paleoenvironmental changes during the Paleocene-Eocene transition were characterized at the La Barca Formation of the Punta Ainol section, considering the new geochemical and palynological data provided in this contribution. • A new register of early Paleogene flora of Patagonia. • Paleogeographic changes based on palynological and geochemical data. • New geochemical inferences of the Paleocene-Eocene transition in South America. • A new Paleocene-Eocene record from Southern Hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drylands occupy 31% of the South America. Although diverse, the soils in these environments are fragile and highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures. In this study, bibliometric techniques were used to analyze 3309 papers published on soil science in the Caatinga, Patagonia, Gran Chaco, and Atacama Desert, aiming to understand the evolution, map the produced knowledge, and identify future trends of soil science research in the dry environments of South America. The database was obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection, considering the period 1992–2022. Data analysis was performed using regression analysis, descriptive statistics, and cluster analysis. The results indicated that the Caatinga was the biome with the highest number of publications on soil science (n = 1203), followed by Patagonia (n = 1096), Atacama (n = 644), and Gran Chaco (n = 366). EMBRAPA in Caatinga (16.2%), CONICET in Patagonia (55.2%), and the Gran Chaco (42.9%), and NASA in Atacama (15.9%) were the institutions with the highest number of published studies. Citation analysis indicated the strong influence of soil science research conducted in the Atacama for global scientific research, especially in studies related to geochemistry, soil microbiology, and the existence of life on other planets, given the physical-climatic similarity between this environment and the planet Mars. In the Caatinga, research was more related to agriculture (58.0%), while in Patagonia (41.9%) and Gran Chaco (37.4%), research was related to environmental sciences and ecology, as a result of the high level of environmental degradation observed in these environments. In general, the development and use of biological indicators of soil quality and health, subjected to various degradation types (agriculture, overgrazing, deforestation, burning, mining) and climate change, as well as the biotechnological potential of the soil microbiota found under conditions of greater water deficit (arid and hyper-arid regions), can be considered as the main trends of soil science research in the studied environments. The results of this study may be useful for conducting new research and collaborations that contribute to the sustainable use of soils in the dry environments of South America. • Soil science research in the dry environments of South America was reviewed. • Soil science research in the Caatinga accounted for 36.6% of the total studies. • Gran Chaco soils have been the least studied. • Soil science research in the Atacama has shown greater global interest. • Soil microbiology can be considered as the main research trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patagonia features the most extensive glaciers of the Southern Hemisphere, excluding Antarctica, and a vast inventory of glacial landforms, so it is thought to have played a key role in (paleo)glacier studies since the late 19th century. However, no systematic attempts to characterize the specific research trends and the scientific community focused on Patagonian cryosphere have been conducted so far. To fill this gap, we analyzed the metadata associated to 305 articles compiled from the Web of Science database following a bibliometric approach covering the period between 1976 and 2020. Our results point to an irregular but net increase on the number of contributions on Patagonian (paleo)glaciers. Mass balance analyses based on satellite data of present-day glaciers and the reconstruction of past glacier activity by dating glacial landforms formed during the Last Glacial Termination, were the most addressed topics during the analyzed period. Patagonian (paleo)glacier studies are mostly published in generic Earth Sciences publications, followed by Quaternary and glaciological journals. Most of the studies were led by scientists from the United Kingdom, followed by Chile, Argentina and United States. In terms of collaborations, these studies can be divided into two main clusters, one composed by researchers from United States, Chile and Argentina institutions, and another mostly composed by British researchers. So far, the most prolific authors are nearly equally distributed in nationality, yet gender inclusion and international collaborations are still caveats that must be solved. Even though our query on the Web of Science missed highly influential (so-called) grey literature, such as local scientific journals and technical reports, the reviewed scientific literature unambiguously indicates that Patagonia is a privileged location for (paleo)glaciers studies worldwide and that it will continue offering vast opportunities to tackle critical questions related to global cryosphere and past-to-present climate changes. • Patagonia is a privilege site for studying present and past glacier dynamics and the evolution of climate changes at hemispheric and global scale. • Glacier dynamics during the 20th century and and the Last Glacial Termination are the most common topics addressed in past decades in the WOS. • Patagonian (paleo)glacier studies has contributed to the development or improvement of diverse analytical techniques. • United Kingdom, United States, Chile and Argentina produced the largest number of WOS-listed papers on (paleo)glaciers in past decades. • The related scientific community is fairly heterogeneous. Although, inclusion and international collaboration issues still need to improve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Atlantic coast in Argentine Patagonia is an area where semi-arid to arid conditions predominate and coastal populations present serious water supply problems. The aim of the work was to evaluate the factors that condition the salinization processes of coastal aquifers from a hydrochemical and isotopic analysis of the groundwater located in Pleistocene and Holocene littoral ridges in the northern sector of Patagonia in Bahía San Blas. A geomorphological characterization of the area was carried out using digital elevation models, satellite image interpretation and field surveys. Groundwater chemistry was analyzed in 40 shallow wells and 2 tidal water samples. At each point, electrical conductivity, temperature and pH of water were measured and samples were taken for analysis of major ions and stable isotopes. The salinization processes were analyzed by means of ionic and isotopic relationship graphs and were subsequently modeled using free software. The results obtained allowed the identification of the factors that determine the salinization of coastal aquifers. Particularly in the Pleistocene coastal ridges, the cementation of the most superficial sediments reduces permeability conditioning rainwater infiltration. This, together with the presence of soluble salts on the surface and the mixing with sea water, determines the salinization of the groundwater. In contrast to these, in the Holocene coastal ridges without cementation, rainwater infiltrates forming freshwater lenses where salinization processes occur only at the edges of the lenses where the saltwater wedge is located. The data provided in this paper are useful in prospecting freshwater sources along the arid coast of Patagonia where freshwater availability is scarce. They can also be extrapolated to other sectors worldwide with similar geological and climatic environments. • Water supply problems exist in the arid coastal zone of Patagonia Argentina. • Freshwater lenses are formed in Pleistocene and Holocene littoral ridges. • Groundwater salinization is recognized in lenses of Pleistocene littoral ridges. • Salinization processes are due to cementation, salts dissolution and marine intrusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]