Abstract

Vertical fluxes of particles have been estimated during the last decade in coastal and oceanic systems off central-southern Chile. Free-drifting, cylindrical sediment traps have been deployed below the mixing layer from coastal areas, while automatic, cone-shaped sediment traps have been anchored in deep oceanic areas. Vertical fluxes toward 2300 m depth off Coquimbo were dominated by calcium carbonate (~70 mg m-2 d-1) instead of particulate organic carbon (POC ~7 mg m-2 d-1), where foraminifers (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma) and faecal pellets of Euphausia mucronata and Oikopleura spp, played important roles as vehicles for carbonate and carbon, respectively. In coastal upwelling systems, (i. e. Concepci