The new room of the Millenium Institute of Oceanography’s (IMO) virtual aquarium “Sumérgete: una travesía por el Océano Pacífico” (Dive into the Sea! A Voyage through the Pacific Ocean) is now available.

What are the main features of the Southern Ocean? How did Antarctica form? Who were their first explorers? What lives in the waters? These are some of the questions asked in the new room, which is divided into six sections (Life under the Ice, White Giant, Antarctica’s Climate, Protecting Species, Antarctica Exploration, and Birds and Mammals), including videos, animations and diagrams that help to answer every question in a simple, contextualized way that can be understood by everyone.

Sumérgete originated in the need for accessible, interactive, fun tools for the public to learn about the ocean and also understand and value the amazing wealth of Chile’s marine ecosystems, which are very different from each other.

In order to browse this website, users must go up and down the map of Chile, where they will discover a number of rooms representing different marine environments, along with information about IMO projects. There is also a section for teachers, where they can sign up for IMO’s Teachers Network, which means that they will regularly receive relevant information and invitations.

The room “Southern Ocean” was designed by IMO in cooperation with the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), located in Punta Arenas, and joins the previously opened rooms “Intertidal Zone”, “Coastal Ocean”, and “Oceanic Islands”, the last-mentioned having been created with the collaboration of the Millennium Nucleus Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands (ESMOI).

It is important to mention that two new rooms for the virtual aquarium are currently being created. One of them is called “Open Ocean” and is being designed by IMO scientists, while the other is called “Channels and Fjords” and is being jointly created by IMO and the Center for Research in Ecosystems of Patagonia (CIEP). The first stage of this project will be completed with their inauguration.