Saturday we were supposed to fly out to Cape…, December 10, 2007, Monday collate human impacts research and mitigation in support of environmental protection in Antarctica based on developments since the Protocol was agreed; To do this scientists are investigating: tertiary treatment options for station sewage and effluent to reduce the impact on and risks to the environment Research stations in Antarctica could be affecting magnetic fields Protection of the environment is an essential premise of the Antarctic Treaty1. Tourists are also a big problem. These affect Antarctica at the largest scale. We have started to realise their enormous value to humanity. They are no longer endangered. As such, there is a scientific community of 53 active research stations operating in Antarctica to study the environment as well as evaluating and monitoring human impacts on the environment Within only a few decades, these activities caused major crashes in wildlife populations. Therefore, intensifying human activities are bound to have a detrimental effect on the environment’s sustainability. Removal of Antarctic soils may also present environmental issues. Cutting down trees and littering have a negative effect on animals and plants. As long as Antarctica remained beyond the reach of humans, there was nothing to be concerned of. Most other world fisheries have been over exploited even where controls are in place to prevent it, this is a concern for Antarctic fisheries too. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat: The Committee for Environmental Protection . Even though no humans actually live in Antarctica permanently, humans can do some bad things to the environment in Antarctica. The history of whaling is a repeated cycle. Fishing, for example, is a local activity whereas damage to the ozone layer is due to the release of synthetic ozone-depleting substances in other parts of the world. Antarctica is very important in ground for science on behalf of its clean water, fresh air, and uninhabited lands. The effects of climate change on humans are far reaching and include effects on health, environment, displacement and migration, security, society, human settlement, energy and transport. Humans can effect animals and plants and destroy the environment with waste. The seal populations of Macquarie Island have been protected since 1933, by the island’s status as a wildlife sanctuary. SCAR initiates, develops and coordinates scientific research in the Antarctic region and provides objective independent scientific advice to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings. Reports of abundant stocks drew the adventurous from the early 1800's onwards. His current research investigates the patterns of human disturbance at McMurdo Station. (Photo by Regina Campbell-Malone, WHOI) Enlarge » Half-buried remains of human occupation on volcanic Deception Island, which last erupted in 1970. 1. Introduced species have caused major environmental problems on every other continent of the world. McMurdo Station, Antarctica Impacts on sea level Although Antarctica is many thousands of miles away from most of us, the impacts of climate change are not only confined to the shores of the icy continent. The results of this research helped document and minimize the impacts of future science and support operations in Antarctica. Scientists fear that water that is currently stored in ice on land (including ice sheets but not ice shelves) may melt and contribute to sea level rise. So far, the scores for negative human impacts verses positive/ natural impacts on Antarctica are 2-1. Humans affect the environment in positive and negative ways. Human Impacts on Antarctica and Threats to the Environment - Overview About 10 teachers and 480 students joined the live event. Imagine you are a scientist on Antarctica and have been asked to develop an action plan to deal with waste at the research station. Last night we returned to Christchurch from McMurdo. Snowdonia and Antarctica have also seen rises in tourism. Antarctica is important for understanding the global impacts of the industrial world for a number of reasons. My next post will be about oil spills from tourist ships and how this affects sea birds and other wildlife. This vulnerability along with the pristine nature of much of Antarctica is what has motivated a number of protective regulations, many of which IceBridge personnel have to keep in mind every day. But we do much more. Global change may have deleterious effects that impact directly on the Antarctic environment and its fauna and flora. Fishing and hunting have more localised impacts, but still have the potential to cause region-wide effects. Science and tourism both have the potential to damage the very qualities that draws them to Antarctica. Winds: S8- 12 knts; Antarctica is under pressure from regional warming, ocean acidification and loss of sea ice, which are all linked to global levels of carbon dioxide, and human visitors, a study found. Impact on breeding birds - being made anxious by an influx of people that may cause them to abandon their nest or vacate an area all together if regularly disturbed. Scientific Research- Cool Antarctica . Affirmative It would be a great experience for people to see this amazing and massive continent. 11:00pm Since that moratorium, whaling has been limited to a handful of nations that harvest whales under the ‘scientific whaling’ provisions. Pollution is one of the most visible effects of human occupation across the planet. The high tide line traces a path along the beach to bleached whale bones on Deception Island, the site of many whaling stations in the early 20th century. Biodiversity of the Antarctic Region: Is it a Losing Battle? Whaling in the Southern Ocean began in earnest in the early 1900s and grew very quickly. I have been back in the world that I know now for almost 30 days and on many days I contemplate how others whose paths I crossed are doing, what the latest storm was like, how the sea looks with the sea ice melted, or yearn for the solitude and relative…, December 15, 2007, Antarctica is frequently thought of as an unblemished land immaculate by unsettling human influence. This can have a huge impact on shellfisheries. Ann Linsley has taught human and physical Geography for the past 19 years at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas. Major fisheries world-wide have faced over-exploitation. So even though there are some negative effects on the environment, with good management Antarctica can remain a unique and pristine environment and teach us a lot about the rest of the world. Strict biosecurity measures reduce the risk of introduction and spread of diseases to Antarctic wildlife. Among these threats, the researchers highlight the following – Depletion of atmospheric ozone (O 3). The significance of recent changes in climate can be judged against this record. She is particularly interested in helping students apply geographic concepts through field exercises including studies in urban, rural, and natural environments. | Oil, gas and mineral exploitation | Today, mining is prohibited but it could be reopened for discussion in 2048. if mining becomes legal many oil exploration companies would be interested in Antarctica which could alter the ecological balance. Article covering Ann Linsley's PolarTREC expedition. Working Paper 12 for XXXI Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting Kiev, Ukraine 2–13 June 2008. Temperature changes in Antarctica have not been uniform; some regions have experienced warming while elsewhere there has been little change—even cooling. Mahlon "Chuck" Kennicutt's research interests include environmental chemistry and organic geochemistry. The team’s conclusions are based on an extensive review of the impacts of a wide range of human activities on the ecosystems of Antarctica. For a little over 100 years, people have been travelling to Antarctica. One of the major categories of human activity is the establishment and operation of research stations, airstrips, and other facilities needed to support scientific work. Station Pressure: 28.7800” from Macalester College and a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from Cornell University. Results of this, it is highly vulnerable to human impacts verses positive/ impacts. 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