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Human occupation, impacts and environmental management of Bunger Hills

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2020

Damian B. Gore Open the ORCID record for Damian B. Gore [Opens in a new window] ,
John A.E. Gibson  and
Michelle R. Leishman
Damian B. Gore*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW2109, Australia
John A.E. Gibson
Affiliation:
27A Rialannah Rd, Mt Nelson, TAS7007, Australia
Michelle R. Leishman
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW2109, Australia
*
damian.gore@mq.edu.au
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Abstract

The types and distributions of anthropogenic rubbish have been documented at Bunger Hills, East Antarctica. The area has been the site of scientific research stations from 1958 to the present. Rubbish types include deliberately or negligently discarded items (gas cylinders, broken glass), abandoned unserviceable equipment (boats, vehicles, scientific equipment), spills (chemicals, fuel, oil) and the slow collapse of old buildings. Some rubbish remained where it was left, while other material was redistributed by strong winds. Modern expeditioner training should limit the production of new rubbish, while inadvertent wind dispersal of rubbish from old station buildings could be minimized by better management of these structures and their surrounds. Buildings and other constructed items need ongoing maintenance if they are not to break down and be distributed by wind, or they should be removed within a reasonable period.

Keywords

anthropogenic impactslitterrubbishwind dispersal
Type
Research Article
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 32 , Special Issue 2: Bunger Hills: the hidden Antarctic oasis , April 2020 , pp. 72 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2020

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