Shippensburg University students gathered in the Grove Hall forum on Wednesday, Nov. 18, to hear professor Paul Marr speak on a study conducted in Chile.

The presentation was titled “the Enhanced Vegetation Index Trends of High-altitude Cushion Bogs in the Andes of Northern Chile.” The study took place from 2001 to 2013. This involved 50 separate bofedales, which are cushion bogs that were monitored over the course of this study. The study’s purpose was to answer the question of how green the bofedales can get.

Involved in the study were SU professors Marr and Claire Jantz as well as graduate student Maegan Ferry.

Marr explained that in order to conduct this study, the group used satellite images to track the greenness. Each month, for 13 years, an image was taken through the satellite. The results of the study found that 64 percent of the greenness found in the bofedales was caused by the people in the area.

The study focused on how green the fields in northern Chile tend to get. To start off the afternoon, Marr opened with a photograph of alpacas to lighten the mood.

According to Marr, there is not a lot of vegetation in northern Chile. Those residing in the south may not have seen rain in their lifetime.

To put the amount of rainfall the area gets into perspective, Marr compared Shippensburg to the northern Chile area. Shippensburg gets around 50 inches of rain per year and in northern Chile, it is about 5.7 inches per year.

He went on to explain that much of the water available in the area is held by snow, which is highly elevated. Due to the lack of water, many villages that were once present have been abandoned.

In the area, there are rural, brick houses; some without roofs. The occupations of many are either farmers or herders. Due to the presence of the Aymaran people, those people indigenous to the area of the Andes, the lifestyle is very poor and traditional.

Many of the people in the area have started moving toward coastal cities to try and escape the impoverished lifestyle.

Bofedals help create wetlands that keep life present in the northern Chile region. Without these wetlands, animals such as llamas and alpacas would not be able to be herded.

Once the hour-long presentation concluded, Marr took questions as well as encouraging students to stop by his office with any further questions about Chile and the lifestyle of that region. 

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