National Science Foundation

The U. S. Antarctic Program (USAP), the largest operator in Antarctica, has increasingly undertaken studies, plans, and tangible activities for environmental protection and management. These include improved materials and waste management, environmental monitoring, environmental assessment and remediation efforts. The efforts implement activities mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act, the Antarctic Conservation Act and the Madrid Protocol.

USAP is committed to estimating and interpreting antarctic environmental impacts associated with its activities. The commitment has led to adoption of approaches that introduce systems and institute procedures designed to minimize USAP's impacts on the antarctic environment. There are continuing impacts on the antarctic environment that require applied environmental research and evaluation to determine the USAP's long-term footprints as well as the adaptation or evolution of antarctic ecosystems to human presence. These applied research and evaluation needs are local and regional in nature and need to focus on disclosing the impact of antarctic research stations as well as logistic and field-based activities.

To date, the USAP has undertaken its environmental cleanup efforts in the following areas: remediating past waste disposal sites (and cleanup of abandoned facilities); minimizing potential fuels spills; identifying "orphaned" wastes for proper disposal; establishing appropriate areas for staging hazardous materials prior to removal from Antarctica; eliminating waste burning and landfilling operations; assuring maceration of sewage with release of effluents where rapid dispersion is likely; minimizing materials brought to Antarctica; and adopting alternative waste management methods to minimize, through recycling, salvage, or other waste handling techniques, amounts of material that need to be processed. Through these methods and basic/applied research, the USAP intends to increasingly prevent or mitigate its operational impact on antarctic environments, especially those near stations.

The antarctic environment is relatively pristine and contains unique and many undefined ecosystems that may require the establishment of new scientifically- defensible environmental benchmarks, standards or techniques. Therefore, the Applied Environmental Research Pprogram needs to be keyed to specific antarctic environmental decision-making, management needs and questions. Significantly, the antarctic basic research community's experience has been and will continue to be valuable in helping to define relevant parameters for analysis and interpretation in addressing these needs and questions. It is critical that such a program draw upon the experience and expertise of researchers who have been involved in basic academic, and in particular, antarctic scientific research. They can provide a baseline founded upon scientific research in, and understanding of, antarctic ecosystems. This applied research program should bring the basic science community into the process of program design and implementation.

Three peer-reviewed Cooperative Agreements were funded under the first solicitation. Two of the projects will take place in McMurdo and one on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Dr. Mark Tumeo, University of Alaska. The Prinicipal Investigator (PI) will test the feasibility PES-51 for the in-situ bioremediation of oil spill contamination using contaminated soil shipped from McMurdo to the University of Alaska. PES-51 is a surfactant derived from oil-degrading bacteria. A bench-scale test program using will be completed before field testing takes place. In addition, a survey to determine the extent and degree of contamination in McMurdo from past operations, horizontally and vertically has been designed. This survey consists of: 1) a compilation of documentation of fuel spills over the history of McMurdo Station, and 2) a sampling program that includes: a) preliminary mapping of areas around the station that are "clean" and to delineate contaminated areas; b) a detailed sampling program in known contaminated areas to determine the horizontal and vertical extent of contamination to the degree possible; and c) a "hot spot" sampling program for small spills or isolated contamination sites in otherwise clean areas.

Ronald Naveen, Oceanites, Inc. The PI will collect and inventory baseline information about the physical features, flora and fauna of a representative number of locations on the Antarctic Peninsula. These locations have never been inventoried, even though they are heavily visited by both tourists and scientists. The project will generate substantial information that is presently unavailable. These data will be extremely relevant to the preparation and evaluation of the environmental assessments as required by the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Protocol). This proposal is being split-funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Dr. John Oliver and Dr. Rikk Kvitek, San Jose State University. The PIs will map and characterize seafloor debris and associated benthic habitats and contour the seafloor in the vicinity of McMurdo. Large numbers of barrels with unknown contents and other debris have been dumped in the near-shore marine environment. This project will be the first critical step in determining the extent and risk to the environment in McMurdo. The PIs will use high resolution sidescan sonar, bathymetric profiling, scuba surveys, and photographic records to document the distribution and nature of the debris while also mapping local physical habitats. The work will produce the first detailed bathymetric contour chart of the McMurdo area. Depth contour data are key elements in the development of accurate nearshore current models needed to predict the movement of effluents from the new McMurdo sewer outfall.

These data sets will be incorporated as the foundation elements in a comprehensive benthic geographic information system (GIS) to be maintained on existing NSF computer facilities. Elements will include sidescan sonar images, depth, navigation tracks, habitat and community type, pollutant loads, species lists and photographs.