Antarctica's Pollution: Impact And Future Concerns

Antarctica is one of the cleanest places on Earth, but it is not untouched by pollution. The continent is affected by both internal and external pollution, with the latter being the primary source. Pollution in Antarctica is largely caused by human activity, including tourism, scientific research, and the use of pollutants such as lead, fossil fuels, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These pollutants have led to increased CO2 levels, ozone depletion, and the contamination of local wildlife, water, and soil. The clean and pristine nature of Antarctica makes it an ideal location for studying the spread of global pollutants and understanding their effects on the environment.

Marine litter and flotsam

Marine litter, flotsam, and debris that finds its way into the sea is an increasing problem in Antarctic waters. These items include discarded rubbish such as fishing nets, fishing lines, boxes, strapping bands, and remnants of fishing gear like bait straps, ropes, nets, floats, and buoys, as well as domestic rubbish like bottles, bags, shoes, and bottle tops. These items may sound harmless, but they can have a deadly effect on wildlife. Birds and seals can get tangled up in nets and lines, and fur seals often suffer as they are very playful and plastic bands can get stuck over their heads, cutting into their flesh, causing physical injury, infection, and ultimately a slow and painful death.

The amount of debris in Antarctic waters is directly proportional to the level of commercial fishing in the area. In addition, small floating plastic fragments, such as polystyrene beads and chips, can be mistaken for food by surface-feeding birds, leading to their ingestion and death. Oil and chemical spills in the Southern Ocean's cold waters can also cause irreversible harm to the local wildlife, including seals, penguins, and other animals living on its shores. These spills can take many years to break down due to the cold temperatures.

The Southern Ocean, despite being the most isolated body of water on the planet, is not exempt from pollution due to winds and ocean currents. Debris is common on its waters and shores, with tonnes of waste, mainly plastics, washing up on the shores of the subantarctic islands each year. This waste can remain in the environment for extended periods, with organic material taking decades to decay in the cold climate, leaving a lasting impact on the delicate ecosystem.

The impact of marine litter and flotsam in Antarctica highlights the importance of proper waste management and pollution prevention measures to protect this vulnerable environment and the wildlife that calls it home.

Oil spills

The impact of oil spills on Antarctica's unique ecosystem can be devastating. Oil spills affect a wide range of species, from seabirds like the Adelie penguin, which experienced a 16% population loss following the 1989 spill, to marine invertebrates like nematodes and copepods, which are crucial for recycling organic matter and providing food for larger organisms. These small invertebrates have been shown to be affected by oil spills for more than five years, indicating a long-term impact on the structure and diversity of the seafloor communities they inhabit.

To address the threat of oil spills, the Antarctic Treaty's Protocol on Environmental Protection mandates that all signatory nations develop contingency plans to swiftly and effectively respond to environmental emergencies, including oil spills, resulting from their operations in Antarctica. Additionally, organisations like the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have implemented measures to prevent oil spills from their research stations, ships, and aircraft. BAS stores bulk fuel in tanks with secondary containment and uses the lightest and least persistent fuel available to minimise the environmental impact in the event of a spill. They also conduct oil spill response exercises twice a year at each wintering station and coordinate joint exercises with other Antarctic operators to enhance preparedness.

Despite these efforts, the increasing human presence and shipping activity in Antarctica continue to elevate the risk of oil spills. With the Southern Ocean being so rich in animal life and any clean-up operation being challenging due to the remote location, oil spills remain a potentially catastrophic event for the fragile Antarctic environment.

Sewage and food waste

Antarctica is one of the cleanest places on Earth. However, human activities have contaminated the continent. Sewage and food waste have been discharged into the sea with little or no treatment, and this has had detrimental effects on the environment.

Historically, sewage was burned or discharged directly into the sea. This practice has contaminated areas around stations and field camps, with harmful effects on wildlife and the ocean. Today, there is growing awareness of the need to treat sewage and food waste before disposal. Biological treatment plants are now used to reduce the impact of raw sewage, although this is not a perfect solution as studies have shown that sewage discharge from the American McMurdo base in the Ross Sea region contains flame retardant chemicals known as HBCD. These chemicals have been found in high levels in the wastewater, comparable to those found in highly populated regions of Europe and the USA. HBCD has been shown to disrupt thyroid hormones and affect brain development and metabolism in fish and rats. It is likely that other stations in Antarctica also discharge similar chemicals into the ocean.

Under the Environmental Protocol, all waste generated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in its Antarctic Stations, except for sewage and food waste, is removed from the continent. BAS has implemented a waste management strategy that includes separating waste at the source and processing it through shredding or compacting to reduce volume before disposal or recycling. Hazardous waste, such as antifreeze, batteries, and laboratory chemicals, is sent to the UK for safe disposal by licensed contractors. Reusable or recyclable items are also sent to the UK.

Australia has also implemented effective waste management practices to protect the Antarctic environment. They have closed rubbish tips at all Australian stations and implemented a committed clean-up program, removing many tonnes of waste. Australian expeditioners follow specific guidelines for handling waste, with non-recyclable waste being returned to Australia for appropriate disposal, and metals, plastics, paper, cardboard, and glass separated and returned to Australia for recycling. Biological sewage treatment plants have been installed at all Australian Antarctic stations, and the UV sterilisation of the effluent is being trialled to ensure no harmful organisms are released.

Global warming and ozone depletion

Ozone depletion is a process where the total amount of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere is lowered, and a much larger decrease in stratospheric ozone occurs around the Earth's polar regions. This phenomenon is referred to as the "ozone hole". Ozone depletion is caused primarily by manufactured chemicals, especially chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which release chlorine atoms when they reach the stratosphere. These chlorine atoms catalyze the breakdown of ozone into oxygen.

The ozone layer prevents harmful wavelengths of ultraviolet (UVB) light from passing through the Earth's atmosphere. These wavelengths cause skin cancer, sunburn, permanent blindness, and cataracts. The ozone hole over Antarctica was first observed in the early 1980s, and it has been growing since then. The ozone hole has serious consequences for both animal and plant life in Antarctica, as they are exposed to higher levels of radiation.

Global warming, on the other hand, refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans, causing the polar ice caps to melt. This has led to a rise in sea levels and changes in weather patterns. Global warming is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Antarctica is particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming due to its large ice sheets. If the Antarctic ice sheets were to completely melt, sea levels would rise by 200 feet.

Both global warming and ozone depletion have far-reaching consequences for the planet and humanity. Efforts to mitigate these phenomena, such as the Montreal Protocol, have been put in place, but more action is needed to address these pressing issues.

Hunting and fishing

Antarctica is one of the cleanest places on Earth, but it is not untouched by human pollution. As the environment is pristine, any pollution is obvious, and the cold temperatures mean that natural processes that would remove pollution in other parts of the world occur much more slowly, allowing pollution to build up.

Fishing is the only large-scale commercial resource currently harvested in the Antarctic Treaty area. Major fisheries worldwide have faced over-exploitation, and there is a risk that fisheries in the Southern Ocean will face the same fate unless the established controls are enforced. The major negative effects of fisheries include the potential for over-fishing of target species, effects on predator populations that depend on the target species as a food source, mortality of non-target species caught by fishing equipment, and destruction of habitat. Long-line fishing, for example, is a particular risk to albatrosses. Oil spills from fishing boats are also an increasing form of pollution in Antarctica. In addition, remnants of fishing gear such as nets and ropes are often left behind, which can entangle and kill birds and seals.

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