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Petti MAV, Gheller PF, Bromberg S, Paiva PC, Mahiques MM, Corbisier TN. Glacier retreat effects on the distribution of benthic assemblages in Martel Inlet (Admiralty Bay, Antarctica). AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2023; 95:e20210622. [PMID: 37820120 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202320210622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The Antarctic environment has special characteristics that influence the local marine life. The benthic organisms, adapted to these extreme conditions of life, are subject nowadays to effects of climate change. Recently, the consequences of glacier retreat on these assemblages have been observed in many West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) regions, including King George Island (KGI). This study described the spatial variation of the benthic macrofauna in different areas of the Martel Inlet (Admiralty Bay - KGI), at depths around 25-30 m. Sampling was done in January 2001 at ten stations classified in localities according to their proximity to ice-margin/coastline in marine-terminating glacier (MTG), terrestrial-terminating glacier (TTG) and ice-free area (IFA). The total density and the abundance of annelids, nematodes, peracarid crustaceans and bivalves were higher at IFA stations. The locality discrimination by taxa and species was independent of available environmental/sedimentary conditions or was the result of unmeasured variables or species life history processes not assessed herein. Considering that our findings were obtained 21 years ago, they will be especially useful for comparing future studies of benthic assemblage responses to the influence of climate change and continuous glacier retreats in the WAP region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica A V Petti
- USP, Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto Oceanográfico, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, 05508-120 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Paula F Gheller
- USP, Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto Oceanográfico, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, 05508-120 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Sandra Bromberg
- USP, Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto Oceanográfico, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, 05508-120 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Paulo C Paiva
- UFRJ, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Av. Brig. Trompowski, s/n, CCS Bloco A, 21941-590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Michel M Mahiques
- USP, Departamento de Oceanografia Física, Química e Geológica, Instituto Oceanográfico, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, 05508-120 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Thais N Corbisier
- USP, Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto Oceanográfico, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, 05508-120 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Garza TN, Barnes DKA, Scourse JD, Whitaker JM, Janosik AM. Quantifying microplastics in fjords along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 193:115144. [PMID: 37331274 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics are ubiquitous around the world. Microplastics have been documented around the Southern Ocean, in coastal sediments and in Antarctic marine organisms, however microplastics data for Antarctic waters remain scarce. Microplastics concentrations were characterized from fjord habitats on the Western Antarctic Peninsula where most glaciers are rapidly retreating. Water samples were collected from 2017 to 2020 from surface and benthos, vacuum-filtered, quantified to determine the classification of microplastic, color, and size. Micro-FTIR spectrophotometry was utilized to confirm chemical composition. Comparisons over time and location were made for average microplastic per liter. Despite the new emergent youth and remoteness of these habitats, it was determined that all fjord habitats had microplastics present each year sampled and increased from 2017 to 2020 in each fjord. Despite physical 'barriers' such as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (and particularly its strongest jet, the Polar Front), microplastics are clearly present and increasing in even recent habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristyn N Garza
- University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States of America
| | - David K A Barnes
- British Antarctic Survey, NERC, Maddingley road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - James D Scourse
- University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Justine M Whitaker
- Nicholls State University, 906 East 1st St, Thibodaux, LA 70301, United States of America
| | - Alexis M Janosik
- University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514, United States of America.
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Nędzarek A, Stepanowska K. The excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus and changes in nitrogen content in the Antarctic amphipod Waldeckia obesa and isopod Glyptonotus antarcticus during long-term starvation. THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2022.2107721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A. Nędzarek
- Department of Aquatic Bioengineering and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Poland
| | - K. Stepanowska
- Department of Aquatic Bioengineering and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Poland
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Abstract
This review aims to understand the environmental impact that tailings produce on the land and marine ecosystem. Issues related to flora, fauna, and the environment are revised. In the first instance, the origin of the treatment and disposal of marine mining waste in Chile and other countries is studied. The importance of tailings’ valuable elements is analyzed through mineralogy, chemical composition, and oceanographic interactions. Several tailings’ treatments seek to recover valuable minerals and mitigate environmental impacts through leaching, bioleaching, and flotation methods. The analysis was complemented with the particular legislative framework for every country, highlighting those with formal regulations for the disposal of tailings in a marine environment. The available registry on flora and fauna affected by the discharge of toxic metals is explored. As a study case, the “Playa Verde” project is detailed, which recovers copper from marine tailings, and uses phytoremediation to neutralize toxic metals. Countries must regularize the disposal of marine tailings due to the significant impact on the marine ecosystem. The implementation of new technologies is necessary to recover valuable elements and reduce mining waste.
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García-Rodríguez F, Piccini C, Carrizo D, Sánchez-García L, Pérez L, Crisci C, Oaquim ABJ, Evangelista H, Soutullo A, Azcune G, Lüning S. Centennial glacier retreat increases sedimentation and eutrophication in Subantarctic periglacial lakes: A study case of Lake Uruguay. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 754:142066. [PMID: 33254911 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
High resolution XRF scanning documented inter-annual paleolimnological changes of a Subantarctic periglacial lake, during a process of centennial glacier retreat in King George Island, Antarctica. Two major paleoenvironmental stages were inferred from the combined analysis of elemental, molecular and isotopic biomarkers, with a boundary or transition set at about 3200 yr BP. The first stage was characterized by a relatively low allochthonous organic content, reduced productivity and nitrogen levels. Such paleoenvironmental conditions are interpreted as a terrestrial system under periglacial influence, where material influx was related to erosion process from the melt water discharge, because of the proximity to the Collins Glacier ice cap. After the major Holocene glacier advance dated at about 3500 yr BP, the ice cap retreat led to the formation of Lake Uruguay, which involved in filling processes leading to moraine deposits, proglacial meltwater channels, and lakes next to the land glacier. During the second stage, with the onset of the Current Warm Period, prior to 1900 CE the stabilization of the Zr/Rb ratio within the laminated sediments documented the origin of the lacustrine sedimentation system, with subsequent increases in the sedimentation rate and biomass content (total nitrogen and organic carbon). Time series analyses revealed that the lake displayed variability cycles related to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), as reflected by high resolution sedimentological proxies for grain size, weathering, allochthonous inputs from the watershed, increase of biomass and productivity, and changes in redox conditions, all of which displayed similar oscillation cycles from 2 to 6 yr. During this periglacial recession and associated eutrophication process, we detected a striking loss in both bacterial specific richness and diversity as inferred from preliminary selected ancient DNA analyses. Thus, the Antarctic warming scenario leading to glacier depletion appears to exert deterioration consequences on the Subantarctic microbial web.
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Affiliation(s)
- F García-Rodríguez
- Universidad de la República, Centro Universitario Regional Este, CURE Rocha y Maldonado, Uruguay; Universidade Federal de Rio Grande, Instituto de Oceanografia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanología, Rio Grande, Brazil.
| | - C Piccini
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Departamento de Microbiología, Av. Italia 3318, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
| | - D Carrizo
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - L Pérez
- Universidad de la República, Centro Universitario Regional Este, CURE Rocha y Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - C Crisci
- Universidad de la República, Centro Universitario Regional Este, CURE Rocha y Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - A B J Oaquim
- LARAMG/Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UERJ, Departamento de Biofísica, Maracanã 0550900, RJ, Brazil
| | - H Evangelista
- LARAMG/Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UERJ, Departamento de Biofísica, Maracanã 0550900, RJ, Brazil
| | - A Soutullo
- Universidad de la República, Centro Universitario Regional Este, CURE Rocha y Maldonado, Uruguay; Instituto Antártico Uruguayo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - G Azcune
- Universidad de la República, Centro Universitario Regional Este, CURE Rocha y Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - S Lüning
- Institute for Hydrography, Geoecology and Climate Sciences, Hauptstraße 47, 6315 Ägeri, Switzerland
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Kobusińska ME, Lewandowski KK, Panasiuk A, Łęczyński L, Urbaniak M, Ossowski T, Niemirycz E. Precursors of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in Arctic and Antarctic marine sediments: Environmental concern in the face of climate change. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 260:127605. [PMID: 32688319 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) and their precursors - pentachlorophenol (PCP) and triclosan (TCS), constitute a group of persistent, highly toxic multimedia pollutants, being easily transported via atmosphere over long distances, thus particularly threatening to the polar areas. The global fate of PCDD/Fs is temperature-dependent, and their transfer and immobilization at the Poles are described by the grasshopper effect and the cold trap phenomenon. The aim of this interdisciplinary study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the present state of pollution of Arctic and Antarctic marine sediments by PCP and TCS along with determination of PCDD/Fs contamination by immunoassay. Sediments from 20 stations were collected during two polar expeditions (2013-2016). The study area covered Hornsund Fjord and the southwest coast of Wedel-Jarlsberg Land (Arctic) - Skodde Bay, Nottingham Bay, Isbjørnhamna Bay and Admiralty Bay (Antarctica) - Suszczewski Cove, Halfmoon Cove and Herve Cove. The studied contaminants were quantified in 60% of the collected sediments, with almost half exceeding the environmentally safe levels according European regulations and worldwide literature. The determined levels of PCP, TCS and PCDD/F in Arctic and Antarctic sediments were to be comparable to those reported in the southern Baltic Sea located in the intense industrialized mid-latitudes. Maximum concentrations were observed in the vicinity of retreating, marine terminating glaciers. This observation confirms reemission of POPs into the global cycle with respect to the worldwide ocean warming. The results of this study should gain attention of the international and regional environmental agencies as well as the main chlorine production decision makers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Ewelina Kobusińska
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Konrad Lewandowski
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Anna Panasiuk
- Department of Marine Plankton Research, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdansk, Al. Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378, Gdynia, Poland
| | - Leszek Łęczyński
- Department of Marine Geology, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdansk, Al. Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378, Gdynia, Poland
| | - Magdalena Urbaniak
- European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Tylna 3, 90 364, Lodz, Poland; UNESCO Chair on Ecohydrology and Applied Ecology, University of Lodz, Poland
| | - Tadeusz Ossowski
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Elżbieta Niemirycz
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland.
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