We
observed various forms of marine pollution in three different locations
during our 2006 Antarctic Diving Expedition.
On
our first encounter we observed pollution created by careless tourist
activities at a common mooring point alongside the wreck of the Governer
at Enterprise Island. This
site is a common mooring point for the many small vessels that visit
the area as they tie up next to the historical whaling wreck. We did
five dives in total at this site and discovered rubbish from recent
tourist based activities. On our last dive we took it upon ourselves
to remove what rubbish we could. The rubbish retrieved included beer
and food cans, clothes, and other general rubbish from recent years.
We subsequently found two other sites which require more extensive observation
before a clean up operation can take place. Pictured above, is an example
of the rubbish littering the area. We believe the environmental impact
of rubbish found at this particular site to be minimal, however to preserve
the once pristine environment, its removal is necessary.
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Our
second and third observations were made after meeting Dr. Mikhail Chesalin
from the Ukrainian Antarctic research station "Akademik Vernadsky".
After talking with Dr. Mikhail we decided to assist him in his research
program through the coordination of a number of exploratory dives focussing
on the collection of marine samples around Vernadsky Station and Wordie House. It was during these dives that we discovered various rubbish items in the waters surrounding both Vernadsky Station and Wordie House.
The rubbish observed consisted primarily of household and construction
materialsincluding batteries, pipes, rubber hoses, tires, wires, metal
sheets, timber, cartridge cases, bottles, foot-wear, etc. These same
observations were also previously made during exploratory dives conducted
by Ukrainian divers Dr. Ilyin and Dr. Utevsky in the summer season of
2002-2003.
Simple
analysis and research showed that the waste discovered around Vernadsky Station, near Marina Point, had accumulated
between 1954 and 1996, during the existence of "Station
F - Faraday", renamed in 1977. It is possible that some
of the rubbish items contributing to the increasing pollution in the
area, were discarded in the initial construction of buildings on Galindez
Island in 1954, however, most of the underwater pollution can be linked
to the intensive re-construction effort undertaken in the summer of
1979-80, when more than 800 tonnes of building materials were delivered
to the station.
The
underwater rubbish located near Wordie House, in Skua
Creek, is of Historical Significance and predominantly consists of building
materials and household items (pots, plates, boots etc) belonging to
the northern base of the British expedition to the Graham Land under
the leadership of Australian John Raymill. The base was constructed
on Winter Island in 1935 and fully destroyed in 1946 when it was washed
into the channel by high tide or tsunami. It is our intension to both
remove this rubbish from the waterways surrounding the Historical Site,
and to initiate the sites preservation through the cooperation of yet
to be determined authorities.
Pollution
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