Protection of the Antarctic environment against marine pollution under the 1991 Protocol

ABSTRACT Through the Antarctic Treaty on Environmental Protection all of the Antarctic member nations are required to have in place contingency plans for oil spills including oiled wildlife response. The current risks for marine pollution incidents to the Antarctic environment include refuelling activities associated with Antarctic stations/bases; routine station/base activities; and shipping associated with stations/bases, tourism, commercial fishing and whaling. Between 1981 and 2011 there have been reported 33 spills or near spill incidents associated with the Antarctic marine environment. Wildlife at risk from oil spills include seabirds (flying birds and penguins), pinnipeds and cetaceans. Antarctic and polar environments both provide a number of logistical and practical complications given their climatic and geographic character. The key elements for response actions for Antarctic wildlife identified are divided amongst primary, secondary and tertiary oiled wildlife response activities. Primary activities identified include focussing containment and clean up efforts to protecting wildlife as a priority using tools such as sensitivity mapping, stochastic and real time modelling. Secondary activities specific to individual wildlife groups were identified and included specialised hazing, exclusion and pre-emptive capture mechanisms focussed to the Antarctic environment. Tertiary activities are considered with regards to the real capacity of Antarctic stations to respond, take and rehabilitate oiled wildlife given the Antarctic environment and its limitations. The paper identifies realistic mechanisms and systems considering the climatic, logistical and practical issues of the Antarctic environment. Although specific to Antarctic bases the paper outcomes can be equally applied to other polar environments.

Download Full-text

How do we know that the Antarctic environment is fine?

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102002000652 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 113-113

Author(s):

D.W.H. Walton

Keyword(s):

Ross Sea ◽

Leadership Role ◽

United Nations Environment Programme ◽

Holistic View ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

State Of The Environment ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Nations Environment ◽

Environment Programme ◽

Antarctic Environment

One might imagine that the only continent in the world devoted to peace and science would be certain to play a leadership role in global questions that needed a scientific answer. Indeed, to a dispassionate observer, the present situation with respect to reporting on the state of the Antarctic environment must seem bizarre. All the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties are members of the United Nations Environment Programme, and all are apparently committed to providing State of the Environment Reports for their respective regions. Why then have some of these very nations been so reluctant to accept that Antarctica is a key part of this world and, to provide the holistic view required, needs to be included in the reporting? The list of excuses for delay is lengthy: no money; no secretariat to organize through; likely to be too expensive; no clear reason to undertake it; not needed at present; who would be the audience; how would we maintain political oversight; etc. but none of them ever appeared insoluble. This has been clearly demonstrated by the recent publication by New Zealand of a State of the Environment Report for the Ross Sea Region.

Download Full-text

Treaty on Antarctic minerals and oil – what impact on science and environment?

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102089000301 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 191-191

Author(s):

John C. Behrendt

Keyword(s):

Mineral Resource ◽

Legitimate Concern ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Positive Effect ◽

Antarctic Environment

The Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (CRAMRA) was adopted in 1988. Of legitimate concern to all Antarctic scientists is CRAMRA's impact on the Antarctic environment and on the conduct of research; the treaty will have a positive effect on both.

Download Full-text

Antarctic politics and Antarctic science — are they at loggerheads?

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102091000160 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 123-123

Author(s):

John A Heap

Keyword(s):

Legal Framework ◽

Scientific Investigation ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

The Creation ◽

The Law ◽

The Many ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Antarctic Environment

“Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only …… Freedom of scientific investigation and co-operation toward that end …… shall continue, subject to the provisions of the present Treaty.”These are the fundamental objectives of the Antarctic Treaty as expressed in Articles I and II. What follows in the Treaty, and in most of the many “Recommendations” to the Governments of Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCPs), is aimed at securing these objectives by the creation of a framework of law. Unusually for a system of laws, most of this legal framework is hortatory rather than mandatory in character - it cajoles rather than orders. Perhaps not surprisingly this has given rise to damaging suggestions about its ability to provide adequate protection for the Antarctic environment. The response of the ATCPs to this criticism has been to embark on a review of existing Antarctic law, to make it more consistent, reduce overlaps and more especially, make much of it mandatory. This process began at the XIth Special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Chile last November. Since it aims to provide greater clarity, accessibility and certainty in the law, it must be welcomed. But within these admirable objectives a prospect of loggerheads begins to loom.

Download Full-text

Identification and assessment of contaminated sites at Casey Station, Wilkes Land, Antarctica

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247400015655 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 35 (195) ◽

pp. 299-316 ◽

Cited By ~ 68

Author(s):

Patrick P. Deprez ◽

Michael Arens ◽

Helen Locher

Keyword(s):

Contaminated Soils ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Contaminated Sites ◽

Disposal Site ◽

Lead And Zinc ◽

Wilkes Land ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Antarctic Environment ◽

Casey Station ◽

Copper Lead

AbstractIn December 1993 a study of contaminated sites at Casey Station, Wilkes Land, Antarctica, was undertaken. The preliminary assessment of these contaminated sites is presented here. A register of contaminated sites for Casey Station was developed, based on a survey of past Antarctic expeditioners, relevant literature, and in-house reports relating to site usage and history. On this basis a sampling strategy was devised for the highest priority, potentially contaminated sites at Casey Station. Samples were collected from the refuse disposal site (tip site) at Thala Valley and the mechanical workshop/powerhouse areas of ‘Old’ Casey. The results indicated that copper, lead, and zinc were leaching from the tip site into adjacent Brown Bay, with ‘hot spots’ of high petroleum hydrocarbon levels. The mechanical workshop/powerhouse area was also shown to be contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and metals such as copper, lead, and zinc. Several recommendations were made, including the removal of rubbish mixed with soil at the bottom end of Thala Valley in such a manner as to prevent any further release of contaminants, with subsequent site monitoring to verify effective removal of contaminants to acceptable environmental levels. It was also recommended that further investigations be carried out on the ecosystem of Brown Bay, the large fuel spill site, the upper and lower fuel-storage areas, and the area around the incinerator. There is scope for monitoring the natural breakdown and migration of contaminants at the mechanical workshop/powerhouse site. This should include studies on bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. Mechanisms for arresting surface migration should be investigated in those sites identified. In addition to meeting some of the international obligations of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, this work also contributes towards the development of an approach to assessment and management of contaminated sites that is uniquely adapted to the Antarctic environment and could be applied at other Antarctic stations. to the assessment and management of contaminated sites that is uniquely adapted to the Antarctic environment. This approach could be utilised for site assessments at other Antarctic stations.

Download Full-text

Management of Antarctic baleen whales amid past exploitation, current threats and complex marine ecosystems

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102011000708 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (6) ◽

pp. 503-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Rebecca Leaper ◽

Cara Miller

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Marine Pollution ◽

Marine Ecosystem ◽

Current Status ◽

Baleen Whales ◽

Habitat Features ◽

Significant Relationships ◽

Management Approaches ◽

Anthropogenic Threats ◽

The Antarctic

AbstractAs baleen whales recover from severe exploitation, they are probably subject to a wide variety of threats within the Antarctic marine ecosystem, including directed take. Here we review both the management and current status of Antarctic baleen whales and consider those threats likely to impact on them. Threats range from global problems - marine pollution and climate change - to localized issues including shipping, habitat disturbance, unregulated wildlife tourism and fishery activities. We identify the most pressing anthropogenic threats to baleen whales including scientific whaling and climate change. It is unclear whether current management approaches will be able to effectively encompass all these threats while also accounting both for the differing levels of scientific understanding and for the differing recovery rates of the whale species. For management we recommend the following: 1) incorporation of both ecosystem considerations and the suite of identified threats not limited to direct take, 2) identification of measurable indicators of changes in whales that allow more certainty in monitoring of populations and the environment, and 3) recognition of significant relationships between baleen whales and habitat features to provide information on distribution and use.

Download Full-text

A dynamic biophysical fugacity model of the movement of a persistent organic pollutant in Antarctic marine food webs

Environmental Chemistry ◽

10.1071/en10108 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 263 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Roger Cropp ◽

Georgina Kerr ◽

Susan Bengtson-Nash ◽

Darryl Hawker

Keyword(s):

Organic Pollutants ◽

Organic Pollutant ◽

Ecosystem Model ◽

Seasonal Effects ◽

Long Distance ◽

Fugacity Model ◽

Long Distance Transport ◽

Antarctic Waters ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Antarctic Environment

Environmental contextPersistent organic pollutants (POPs) are potentially toxic chemicals capable of long distance transport and are often found far from their source. Little is known of their behaviour in Antarctica, where the marine plankton food web is driven by strong seasonal variations in solar radiation. Here the first dynamic coupled ecosystem–fugacity model to describe how POPs distribute through the Antarctic environment is presented. The model is used to identify the important processes that govern the presence of hexachlorobenzene in Antarctic plankton. AbstractPolar regions can be repositories for many persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, comparatively little is known of the movement and behaviour of POPs in Antarctic ecosystems. These systems are characterised by strong seasonal effects of light on plankton dynamics. This work describes a mass-conserving, fugacity-based dynamic model to describe the movement of POPs in the Antarctic physical and plankton systems. The model includes dynamic corrections for changes in the population volumes and the temperature dependence of the fugacity capacities, and was developed by coupling a dynamic Nutrient–Phytoplankton–Zooplankton–Detritus (NPZD) ecosystem model to fugacity models of the chemistry and biology of the Southern Ocean. The model is applied to the movement of hexachlorobenzene, a POP found in the Antarctic environment. The model predicts that the burden of HCB in the plankton varies with the seasonal cycle in Antarctic waters, and induces a seasonal variation in the biomagnification factor of zooplankton. This suggests that time series of POP concentrations in Antarctic biotic and abiotic systems should be measured over complete seasonal cycles. Furthermore, detritus is shown to be a key contributor to the movement of POPs in polar environments, linking physical and biological components of the model.

Download Full-text

Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities: a major addition to the Antarctic Treaty System

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247400009943 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 25 (152) ◽

pp. 19-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Peter J. Beck

Keyword(s):

Mineral Resource ◽

New Zealand ◽

Future Development ◽

Political Development ◽

Significant Development ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

Key Terms ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Antarctic Environment ◽

Antarctic Treaty System

AbstractIn June 1988, at the final session of the Fourth Special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Wellington, New Zealand, the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (CRAMRA) was adopted, bringing to a successful conclusion six years of negotiations. Christopher Beeby, chairman of the discussions, presented the convention as the most important political development affecting Antarctica since the 1959 treaty, especially as it established the ability of the Antarctic Treaty System to reach an internal accommodation even upon matters raising serious political, legal, environmental and other issues. There remain uncertainties regarding the future development of the Antarctic minerals question; for example, when will the minerals convention and the proposed institutional framework come into effect, will its ratification encourage mining, can the fragile Antarctic environment be adequately protected against mining, how will certain key terms and concepts be defined, and will the regime's operation bring latent tensions to the surface? It is also difficult to predict how other governments will react to the convention, in the light of recent UN resolutions on Antarctica. The convention is perceived within the Antarctic Treaty system as a significant development, but it will be some time before a considered evaluation of the Antarctic Minerals Regime can be conducted.

Download Full-text