Management and remediation of contaminated sites at Casey Station, Antarctica

AbstractThe Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty requires that past and present work sites be cleaned up unless removal would result in greater adverse environmental impact than leaving the contaminant in its existing location. In the early 1990s Australia began the documentation of contaminated sites associated with its research stations, which resulted in an extensive record of contamination at abandoned stations and waste-disposal sites. Currently the technical capability to remediate these sites does not exist because of environmental challenges that are unique to the cold regions. Investigations indicate that clean-up operations in the past have proceeded without adequate precautions and without effective monitoring. To address these problems, three research priorities have been identified to assist meeting international and national obligations to clean up these sites. They are: understanding contaminant mobilisation processes; development of ecological risk assessment for use in monitoring and setting priorities; and development of clean-up and remediation procedures. This study provides sufficient information to guide the completion of a clean-up at Casey Station and to indicate how other similar sites should be managed. The next stage is to develop the theory into an operational plan to include detailed protocols for clean-up, monitoring, site remediation, and management of the waste stream from site to final repository. To achieve this, the Australian Antarctic Division has established a contaminated sites taskforce to facilitate the transition from research and development of techniques to implementation of suitable clean-up options.

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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.

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Antarctic climate change and the environment: an update

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247413000296 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 237-259 ◽

Cited By ~ 220

Author(s):

John Turner ◽

Nicholas E. Barrand ◽

Thomas J. Bracegirdle ◽

Peter Convey ◽

Dominic A. Hodgson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Assessment Report ◽

The Past ◽

Key Points ◽

Form Part ◽

Antarctic Research ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Relevant Material

ABSTRACTWe present an update of the ‘key points’ from the Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment (ACCE) report that was published by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) in 2009. We summarise subsequent advances in knowledge concerning how the climates of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean have changed in the past, how they might change in the future, and examine the associated impacts on the marine and terrestrial biota. We also incorporate relevant material presented by SCAR to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings, and make use of emerging results that will form part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report.

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Antarctic Treaty Summit: Science-Policy Interactions in International Governance

The Yearbook of Polar Law Online ◽

10.1163/22116427-91000027 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 527-541

Author(s):

Paul Arthur Berkman

Keyword(s):

Science Policy ◽

50Th Anniversary ◽

International Governance ◽

Washington Dc ◽

Open Forum ◽

Policy Interactions ◽

The Past ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

The Antarctic ◽

The City

Abstract For the past five decades, the Antarctic Treaty has provided a firm foundation for ongoing international cooperation to successfully manage nearly ten percent of the Earth for “peaceful purposes only ... on the basis of freedom of scientific investigation.” Growing from seven claimant and five non-claimant signatories, the Antarctic Treaty now engages 47 nations, representing nearly 90 percent of humankind. To assess the legacy lessons of the Antarctic Treaty and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its December 1, 1959 signature in the city where it was adopted in “in the interest of all mankind” – the Antarctic Treaty Summit: Science-Policy Interactions in International Governance will be convened in Washington, DC at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, from November 30 to December 3, 2009. The Antarctic Treaty Summit will provide a unique open forum for scientists, legislators, administrators, lawyers, historians, educators, executives, students and other members of civil society to share insights. Together, this international and interdisciplinary group of stakeholders will explore science-policy achievements and precedents for sustained peaceful governance of international spaces that cover nearly 75 percent of the Earth’s surface beyond national jurisdictions.

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Identifying national interests in Antarctica: the case of Canada

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247400067553 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 32 (183) ◽

pp. 335-346

Author(s):

Peter J. Beck

Keyword(s):

National Interests ◽

The Past ◽

Policy Objectives ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

Politics And Law ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Antarctic Treaty System

ABSTRACTDuring the past decade, most publications on Antarctic politics and law have concentrated upon broader developments at the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) level. Less attention has been devoted to the nature of national interests in Antarctica and ways of balancing different policy objectives through time. Canada, though failing to accede to the Antarctic Treaty until 1988, offers a useful case study illuminating the broad range of interests influencing the policy of individual governments toward Antarctica, and particularly the reasons why states lacking clear national interests therein participate in the ATS. For Canada, Antarctica has always been viewed principally from an Arctic perspective. The resulting low priority of Antarctica explains Canada's initial non-involvement in the ATS. However, by the late 1980s, accession to the Antarctic Treaty was deemed desirable on policy grounds, even if Canada assumed only alow key role in the ATS, at least until 1994–1995, when the appointment of an Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs was apparently followed by a more active bi-polar strategy.

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Managing legacy waste in the presence of cultural heritage at Wilkes Station, East Antarctica

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247413000740 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 151-159 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Danielle Camenzuli ◽

Kirstie A. Fryirs ◽

Damian B. Gore ◽

Benjamin L. Freidman

Keyword(s):

Waste Disposal ◽

Contaminated Sites ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Historic Site ◽

Domestic Legislation ◽

Historical Importance ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

Environmental Considerations ◽

The Antarctic

ABSTRACTThe Antarctic Treaty has been the principal governing force in Antarctica since 1961. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Madrid Protocol) requires that all past and present work and waste-disposal sites are cleaned up unless doing so would cause greater environmental damage or the site is considered to be a monument of significant historical importance. Despite this requirement, legacy waste issues remain unresolved in parts of Antarctica. Clean-up operations in Antarctica are complicated by a combination of restricted access, extreme weather, financial limitations and logistical constraints. Further complications arise at sites such as Wilkes Station, where the requirement for clean-up coexists with the desire to preserve potentially valuable heritage items.Several buildings and artefacts with potential heritage value remain at Wilkes Station. However, Wilkes Station is not officially designated as a historic site or monument under the Antarctic Treaty, nor is it a national or world heritage place under Australian domestic legislation. Consequently the buildings and relics at Wilkes Station are afforded little protection under the existing relevant domestic and international legislative frameworks.This paper uses Wilkes Station as a case study of the complexities associated with conducting clean-up operations at contaminated sites with informal heritage value in Antarctica. The legislative and environmental considerations surrounding clean-up operations at Wilkes Station are also investigated. Furthermore, we argue the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to operations which facilitate the clean-up of legacy waste and preservation of the potential heritage values at Wilkes. Finally, we recognise that the complexities discussed in this paper have wider applicability and we investigate the relevance of these issues to other Antarctic contaminated sites with formal or informal heritage value.

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The need for geological protection in Antarctica?

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102090000402 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 285-285

Author(s):

K. Birkenmajer

Keyword(s):

Environmental Protection ◽

Waste Disposal ◽

Human Activities ◽

Terrestrial Plants ◽

The Past ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

Living Organisms ◽

The Antarctic

During the past 30 years or so, the primary objects of environmental protection in Antarctica were living organisms such as penguins and seals, and their breeding grounds, terrestrial plants and their habitats. The ever growing threats to the icy continent, resulting from increasing human activities, lead SCAR, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCPs), and recently also the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes (COMNAP) to seek improved measures for conservation of the Antarctic fauna and flora, to actively participate in the preparation of conventions for protection of seals and other marine living organisms, and to elaborate a mandatory code for waste disposal.

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Selecting Antarctic Specially Protected Areas: Important Bird Areas can help

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s095410200000016x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 129-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

John Cooper ◽

Eric Woehler ◽

Lee Belbin

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Scientific Investigations ◽

The Past ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

Habitat Matrix ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Specially Protected Areas ◽

Selection Of

A key element in Antarctic conservation over the past forty years has been area protection. In pursuit of this and the protection of continuing scientific investigations 59 protected areas have so far been agreed by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings. Although both flora and fauna have been protected under this regime there has only been the habitat matrix devised by SCAR as a guide to selection of areas. What could we do to improve the process of identification and selection?

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Sea-Borne Tourism in Antarctica: Avenues for Further Intergovernmental Regulation

The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law ◽

10.1163/157180805775094454 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 247-295 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Erik Jaap Molenaar

Keyword(s):

International Association ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

International Regulation ◽

The Past ◽

Cruise Tourism ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Antarctic Treaty System

AbstractDuring the past 3,5 decades, sea-borne (cruise) tourism in Antarctica has steadily intensified and diversified. So far, the States involved in the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), who have collectively assumed a mandate as well as a responsibility for governing Antarctica, have been relatively passive as a collective and have largely relied on direct and indirect regulation from outside the ATS, most importantly on self-regulation by the tourism industry through the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). In view of the gradual intensification and diversification of Antarctic tourism, the abovementioned responsibility of the Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty (ATCPs) and the need to safeguard the international legitimacy of the ATS, this article examines avenues for further international regulation by the ATCPs. This is in part done by exploring the meaning of the acronym IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) in the sphere of Antarctic sea-borne tourism, to what extent it occurs and how some forms can be addressed.

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New Problems—Old Solutions

Cooperation and Conflict ◽

10.1177/001083677400900204 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 9 (2-3) ◽

pp. 91-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gunnar Skagestad ◽

Kim Traavik

Keyword(s):

Final Section ◽

The Novel ◽

International Court Of Justice ◽

The Past ◽

International Court ◽

Solution Models ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Opening Up ◽

General Regulation

The verdict in 1933 by the Permanent International Court of Justice in the so-called ‘Eastern Greenland Case’ brought to the fore the dilemma of adapting the traditional sovereignty concept to the novel political/legal problems characterizing the ‘new territories’. With the opening up of other ‘new territories’ for exploration and subsequent exploitation, this dilemma has grown ever more acute in recent years. This chapter highlights some general regulation problems in ‘new territories’, gives a description of attempts made to solve such problems in the past, and identifies the key elements in the various ‘solution models’ (notably the Svalbard Treaty, the Antarctic Treaty and the Continental Shelf Convention). These elements are described and analysed comparatively, with a certain emphasis on the somewhat divergent preconditions prevalent in the three separate examples. In the final section, the authors proceed to discuss the applicability of the old solution models to the present and emerging regulation problems in the new territories.

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The United Nations and Antarctica, 2002: ‘constructive engagement’ between the Antarctic Treaty System and the United Nations

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247403003103 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 231-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peter J. Beck

Keyword(s):

United Nations ◽

General Assembly ◽

The Past ◽

Draft Resolution ◽

Antarctic Treaty ◽

Un General Assembly ◽

The United Nations ◽

Constructive Engagement ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Antarctic Treaty System

At the close of 2002, the United Nations (UN), acting in accordance with its 1999 resolution A54/45, returned to the ‘Question of Antarctica,’ which is currently being placed upon the agenda of the General Assembly's First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) every three years. In 2002, the First Committee's discussions, informed yet again by a report produced by the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) updating members about recent Antarctic developments, reaffirmed the varying perspectives existing within the international community about the management of Antarctica. Following statements delivered by the Polish delegate on behalf of the Antarctic Treaty Parties (ATPs) and the Malaysian representative, the First Committee adopted another consensus draft resolution. Subsequently, the UN General Assembly, acting by consensus without a vote, formally adopted the First Committee's draft as resolution A57/51, which basically updated the wording of that adopted in 1999. Thus, the UNSG was instructed to produce another report to guide the next UN session on the ‘Question of Antarctica’ scheduled for 2005. Although the UN discussions on the topic in 2002 proved relatively brief and low key, the actions of Malaysia during the past year or so have raised a number of questions about the future course of the ‘Question of Antarctica,’ given its lead role in first raising the topic at the UN in 1983 and then maintaining pressure upon the Antarctic Treaty System.

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