Sensitivity of a Large and Representative Sample of Antarctic Marine Invertebrates to Metals.

There are limited data on the sensitivity to contaminants of marine organisms in polar regions. Consequently, assessments of the risk of contaminants to marine biota in polar environments typically include extrapolations from temperate and/or tropical species. This is problematic because the taxonomic composition of organisms differs between polar and temperate/tropical waters, and both the toxicity of chemicals and the physiology of organisms are very different at the stable low temperatures experienced in polar marine systems.

The Roles of Sea-Ice, Light and Sedimentation in Structuring Shallow Antarctic Benthic Communities.

On polar coasts, seasonal sea-ice duration strongly influences shallow marine environments by affecting environmental conditions, such as light, sedimentation, and physical disturbance. Sea-ice dynamics are changing in response to climate, but there is limited understanding of how this might affect shallow marine environments and benthos. Here we present a unique set of physical and biological data from a single region of Antarctic coast, and use it to gain insights into factors shaping polar benthic communities.

The environmental impact of sewage and wastewater outfalls in Antarctica: An example from Davis station, East Antarctica.

We present a comprehensive scientific assessment of the environmental impacts of an Antarctic wastewater ocean outfall, at Davis station in East Antarctica. We assessed the effectiveness of current wastewater treatment and disposal requirements under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Macerated wastewater has been discharged from an outfall at Davis since the failure of the secondary treatment plant in 2005.

Dispersal and dilution of wastewater from an ocean outfall at Davis Station, Antarctica, and resulting environmental contamination.

The Antarctic Treaty permits the discharge of wastewater into Antarctic marine waters providing that conditions exist for initial dilution and rapid dispersal. We investigated the dilution and dispersal of macerated wastewater around Australia's Davis Station in East Antarctica and examined sediments for evidence of contaminants. Methods used to examine hydrodynamic conditions included current meters, dye release experiments and measurement of sewage-associated microbial markers and surfactants in the water column.

A sediment mesocosm experiment to determine if the remediation of a shoreline waste disposal site in Antarctica caused further environmental impacts.

A shoreline waste disposal site at Casey Station, Antarctica was removed because it was causing impacts in the adjacent marine environment (Brown Bay). We conducted a field experiment to determine whether the excavation created further impacts. Trays of clean, defaunated sediment were deployed at two locations within Brown Bay and two control locations, two years prior to remediation.

Antarctica's protected areas are inadequate, unrepresentative, and at risk.

Antarctica is widely regarded as one of the planet's last true wildernesses, insulated from threat by its remoteness and declaration as a natural reserve dedicated to peace and science. However, rapidly growing human activity is accelerating threats to biodiversity. We determined how well the existing protected-area system represents terrestrial biodiversity and assessed the risk to protected areas from biological invasions, the region's most significant conservation threat.

Climate change and Southern Ocean ecosystems I: how changes in physical habitats directly affect marine biota.

Antarctic and Southern Ocean (ASO) marine ecosystems have been changing for at least the last 30 years, including in response to increasing ocean temperatures and changes in the extent and seasonality of sea ice; the magnitude and direction of these changes differ between regions around Antarctica that could see populations of the same species changing differently in different regions. This article reviews current and expected changes in ASO physical habitats in response to climate change. It then reviews how these changes may impact the autecology of marine biota of this polar region: microbes, zooplankton, salps, Antarctic krill, fish, cephalopods, marine mammals, seabirds, and benthos.

Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems.

Some ecosystems can undergo abrupt transformation in response to relatively small environmental change. Identifying imminent 'tipping points' is crucial for biodiversity conservation, particularly in the face of climate change. Here, we describe a tipping point mechanism likely to induce widespread regime shifts in polar ecosystems.

Biogeographic partitioning of Southern Ocean microorganisms revealed by metagenomics.

We performed a metagenomic survey (6.6 Gbp of 454 sequence data) of Southern Ocean (SO) microorganisms during the austral summer of 2007-2008, examining the genomic signatures of communities across a latitudinal transect from Hobart (44°S) to the Mertz Glacier, Antarctica (67°S). Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of the SAR11 and SAR116 clades and the cyanobacterial genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus were strongly overrepresented north of the Polar Front (PF).

Global biogeography of SAR11 marine bacteria.

The ubiquitous SAR11 bacterial clade is the most abundant type of organism in the world's oceans, but the reasons for its success are not fully elucidated. We analysed 128 surface marine metagenomes, including 37 new Antarctic metagenomes. The large size of the data set enabled internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions to be obtained from the Southern polar region, enabling the first global characterization of the distribution of SAR11, from waters spanning temperatures -2 to 30°C.

Contrasting time trends of organic contaminants in Antarctic pelagic and benthic food webs.

We demonstrate that pelagic Antarctic seabirds show significant decreases in concentrations of some persistent organic pollutants. Trends in Adélie penguins and Southern fulmars fit in a general pattern revealed by a broad literature review. Downward trends are also visible in pelagic fish, contrasting sharply with steady or increasing concentrations in Antarctic benthic organisms.

Penguin colonies as secondary sources of contamination with persistent organic pollutants.

Although long-range atmospheric transport has been described as the predominant mechanism for exposing polar regions to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), recent studies have suggested that bird activity can also contribute substantially to contaminant levels in some environments. However, because the species so far reported have all been migratory, it has not been demonstrated conclusively whether locally elevated contamination represents transport from lower latitudes by the migrating birds or, alternatively, redistribution and concentration of contaminants that were already present in the high-latitude environments. The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that several POPs are present in elevated concentrations in an environment frequented by a non-migratory species (Adélie penguins) that spends its entire life in the Antarctic.

Biodegradation of petroleum products in experimental plots in Antarctic marine sediments is location dependent.

Clean sediment collected from O'Brien Bay, East Antarctica, was artificially contaminated with a mix of Special Antarctic Blend diesel fuel and lubricating oil and deployed in two uncontaminated locations (O'Brien and Sparkes Bays) and a previously contaminated bay (Brown Bay) to evaluate whether a history of prior contamination would influence the biodegradation process. Detailed analysis of the hydrocarbon composition in the sediment after 11 weeks revealed different patterns of degradation in each bay. Biodegradation indices showed that hydrocarbon biodegradation occurred in all three bays but was most extensive in Brown Bay.

Monitoring the remediation of a near shore waste disposal site in Antarctica using the amphipod Paramoera walkeri and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGTs).

The water quality of a marine embayment (Brown Bay) was monitored during the remediation of an abandoned waste disposal site at Casey Station, East Antarctica, using a combination of biomonitoring and chemical methods. The Antarctic amphipod Paramoera walkeri, in field mesocosms suspended in the water column, was deployed adjacent to the site and at two reference sites for periods of 14 days, repeated three times during the remediation period (December to February). Diffusive gradients in thin film (DGT) samplers were deployed for the same periods to provide estimates of dissolved metals.

In situ lubricant degradation in Antarctic marine sediments. 1. Short-term changes.

A large-scale, in situ experiment was set up near the Bailey Peninsula area (Casey Station, East Antarctica) to monitor the natural attenuation of synthetic lubricants in marine sediments over five years. Here, we report the short-term changes after 5 and 56 weeks. The lubricants tested were an unused and used Mobil lubricant (0W/40; Exxon Mobil, Irving, TX, USA) and a biodegradable alternative (0W/20; Fuchs Lubricants, Harvey, IL, USA).

Investigation of evaporation and biodegradation of fuel spills in Antarctica: II-extent of natural attenuation at Casey Station.

In many temperate regions, fuel and oil spills are sometimes managed simply by allowing natural degradation to occur, while monitoring soils and groundwater to ensure that there is no off-site migration or on-site impact. To critically assess whether this approach is suitable for coastal Antarctic sites, we investigated the extent of evaporation and biodegradation at three old fuel spills at Casey Station. Where the contaminants migrated across frozen ground, probably beneath snow, approximately half the fuel evaporated in the first few months prior to infiltration at the beginning of summer.

Constraints on spatial variability in soft-sediment communities affected by contamination from an Antarctic waste disposal site.

A small-scale (<500 m length) transect-based survey was conducted in December 1998 to examine the spatial distribution of soft-sediment communities and of concentrations of heavy metals and hydrocarbons in sediments in Brown Bay, adjacent to an abandoned waste dump, at Casey Station, Antarctica. Samples were taken along three transects at increasing distances (nine stations) from the shore-line waste dump. A gradient of contamination was detected, but concentrations of contaminants were very variable with "hotspots" or high levels of contaminants at some stations.

Benthic diatom community response to environmental variables and metal concentrations in a contaminated bay adjacent to Casey Station, Antarctica.

This study examined the effects of anthropogenic contaminants and environmental variables on the composition of benthic diatom communities within a contaminated bay adjacent to an abandoned waste disposal site in Antarctica. The combination of geographical, environmental and chemical data included in the study explained all of the variation observed within the diatom communities. The chemical data, particularly metal concentrations, explained 45.

Management of exogenous threats to Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands: balancing risks from TBT and non-indigenous marine organisms.

The discovery of high levels of tributyltin compounds in Antarctic marine sediments has prompted managers to consider the banning of such substances in this region. We propose that the banning of antifouling coatings may result in an increase in the risk of non-indigenous species invasions. Our studies show that un-treated vessels carry a more diverse community of fouling organisms than treated hulls on which fouling is restricted to specific untreated niches.

Research Note: Measuring variability in chlorophyll-fluorescence-derived photosynthetic parameters in situ with a programmable multi-channel fluorometer.

A submersible device was constructed for simultaneous in situ measurement of the effective quantum yield of chlorophyll fluorescence (ΔF / F') of eight macroalgal samples. The device incorporated a commercially available PAM fluorometer. Four samples each of the macroalgae Iridaea mawsonii (Lucas) and Monostroma hariotii (Gain) were examined.