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Hughes KA, Boyle CP, Morley-Hurst K, Gerrish L, Colwell SR, Convey P. Loss of research and operational equipment in Antarctica: Balancing scientific advances with environmental impact. J Environ Manage 2023; 348:119200. [PMID: 37832295 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Antarctica has been subject to widespread, long-term and on-going human activity since the establishment of permanent research stations became common in the 1950s. Equipment may become intentionally or inadvertently lost in Antarctic marine and terrestrial environments as a result of scientific research and associated support activities, but this has been poorly quantified to date. Here we report the quantity and nature of equipment lost by the UK's national operator in Antarctica, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Over the 15-year study period (2005-2019), 125 incidents of loss were reported, with c. 23 tonnes of equipment lost of which 18% by mass was considered hazardous. The geographical distribution of lost equipment was widespread across the BAS operational footprint. However, impacts are considered low compared to those associated with research station infrastructure establishment and operation. To reduce environmental impact overall, we recommend that, where possible, better use is made of existing research station capacity to facilitate field research, thereby reducing the need for construction of new infrastructure and the generation of associated impacts. Furthermore, to facilitate reporting on the state of the Antarctic environment, we recommend that national Antarctic programmes reinvigorate efforts to comply with Antarctic Treaty System requirements to actively record the locations of past activities and make available details of lost equipment. In a wider context, analogous reporting is also encouraged in other pristine areas subject to new research activities, including in other remote Earth environments and on extra-terrestrial bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin A Hughes
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK.
| | - Claire P Boyle
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Kate Morley-Hurst
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Laura Gerrish
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Steve R Colwell
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Peter Convey
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK; Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa; Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Ecosystems (BASE), Santiago, Chile
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Dai J, Sha H, Wu X, Wu S, Zhang Y, Wang F, Gao A, Xu J, Tian F, Zhu S, Ptak M. Pulses outweigh cumulative effects of water diversion from river to lake on lacustrine phytoplankton communities. Environ Geochem Health 2023; 45:3025-3039. [PMID: 36136253 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-022-01383-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Due to the allochthonous input of nutrients and species, the cumulative effects of water diversion on water-receiving lakes deserve attention. Taking the water diversion project from the Yangtze River to Lake Taihu (WDYT) as an example, we explored the temporal effects of WDYT on the phytoplankton community and physicochemical habitat of Lake Taihu in autumn and winter from 2013 to 2018. Although the short-term diversion significantly increased the risk of importing nutrients, the relatively high quality of the diversion water compared with other inflow rivers had improved the water quality of the water-receiving lake region. The seasonal water diversion significantly increased phytoplankton diversity and community network complexity and reshaped the lacustrine community to be diatom-dominated with their relative proportions of 24.1-64.9% during water diversion periods. The contributions of physicochemical habitat changes induced by water diversion to variations in phytoplankton communities were 24.0-28.0%. The differences in phytoplankton diversity, community composition and physicochemical habitat in the water-receiving lake region between the diversion and non-diversion years were more evident than those between the non-diversion years in the same season, when comparing the multivariate dispersion indices among them. However, the lacustrine phytoplankton community during non-diversion periods still has not been essentially altered after several years of diversion, so the pulse effects of short-term water diversion were more obvious than the long-term cumulative impacts. Better control of allochthonous nutrients, appropriate increase in inflow water, adhering to the long-term operation, should be effective to enhance ecological benefits of such water diversion projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangyu Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Haifei Sha
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Xiufeng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China.
| | - Shiqiang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Fangfang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Ang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Jiayi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Fuwei Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Senlin Zhu
- College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China
| | - Mariusz Ptak
- Department of Hydrology and Water Management, Adam Mickiewicz University, B. Krygowskiego 10, 61-680, Poznań, Poland
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Lusseau D, Kindt-Larsen L, van Beest FM. Emergent interactions in the management of multiple threats to the conservation of harbour porpoises. Sci Total Environ 2023; 855:158936. [PMID: 36152860 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Human activities at sea are intensifying and diversifying. This is leading to more complex interactions of anthropogenic impacts requiring adaptable management interventions to mitigate their cumulative effects on biodiversity conservation and restoration objectives. Bycatch remains the dominant conservation threat for coastal cetaceans. Additionally, the indirect impact of repeated exposure to disturbances, particularly acoustic disturbances, can affect cetacean population growth and therefore conservation objectives. Pingers are used to ensonify nets to provide an effective mitigation of bycatch risk. As those become more prevalent across fisheries at risk to catch for example harbour porpoises, pingers become contributors to the anthropogenic noise landscape which may affect the vital rates of this species as well. Currently, we do not know how to best balance pinger prevalence to minimise both bycatch rate and the population consequences of acoustic disturbance (PCoD). Here we use an agent-based model to determine how pinger prevalence in nets can be adjusted to minimise bycatch rate and noise disturbance propagating to affect population growth for harbour porpoises. We show that counter-intuitively bycatch rate can increase at lower pinger prevalence. When ecological conditions are such that PCOD can emerge, higher prevalence of pingers can lead to indirect effects on population growth. This would result from condition-mediated decreased reproductive potential. Displacing fishing effort, via time-area closure, can be an effective mitigation strategy in these circumstances. These findings have important implications for current management plans which, for practical consideration, may lead to lower overall pinger prevalence at sea. This study also shows that estimating the reproductive potential of the species should be incorporated in bycatch monitoring programmes. We now need to better understand how physiological condition affect reproductive decisions and behavioural responses to noise in cetaceans to better appraise and estimate the cumulative impacts of bycatch and its mitigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Lusseau
- National Institute for Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Lotte Kindt-Larsen
- National Institute for Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Floris M van Beest
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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Gao Y, Li R, Gao H, Hou C, Jin S, Ye J, Na G. Spatial distribution of cumulative impact on terrestrial ecosystem of the Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica. J Environ Manage 2021; 279:111735. [PMID: 33310236 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Antarctica, an area that is devoted to global peace and research, is being challenged by climate change, human activities, and pollution. There have been a number of studies concerning the state of the Antarctic ecological environment. However, a comprehensive and quantitative assessment of the impact of threats on the Antarctica ecological environment is still lacking. In this study, a cumulative impact assessment performed on the basis of expert judgement was used to estimate species-specific differences on the impact of seven threats: climate change, organic and nonorganic pollutants, station construction, power generation, oil spilling, and tourism. The terrestrial area of the Fildes Peninsula was divided into 103 cells using a raster grid of 0.25 km2, and cumulative impact assessment was applied to each cell. The analysis results indicated that cumulative impact scores (IC) ranged from 0 to 39.4, and the cumulative scores were divided into six categories ranging from very low impact (IC ≤ 7.08) to very high impact (IC > 20.54). More than half of the terrestrial area (57.3%) experienced "Very Low Impact" or "Low impact" scores. For single factors, climate change was identified as a rapidly growing and significant threat facing the terrestrial ecosystems of Antarctica. In addition, tourism had the greatest impact among all human activities. The analytical process and resulting map indicate that it is necessary to develop international policies on the restriction of tourist activity space and strength the organic pollutant controls for terrestrial ecosystem protection in the Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunze Gao
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China; Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Ruijing Li
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Hui Gao
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Chao Hou
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China; Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Shuaichen Jin
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Jiandong Ye
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China; Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Guangshui Na
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation for Tropical Marine Bioresources, Ministry of Education, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya, 572022, China; Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
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Dinh KV, Nguyen QTT, Vo TMC, Bui TB, Dao TS, Tran DM, Doan NX, Truong TSH, Wisz MS, Nielsen TG, Vu MTT, Le MH. Interactive effects of extreme temperature and a widespread coastal metal contaminant reduce the fitness of a common tropical copepod across generations. Mar Pollut Bull 2020; 159:111509. [PMID: 32763562 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Tropical coastal areas are increasingly exposed to temperature extremes from marine heatwaves and contaminants from anthropogenic activities. The interactive effects of these environmental changes on marine life are understudied. We investigated the direct and cross-generational effects of copper (Cu) on F0 and F1 generations of the common tropical copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei under extreme temperatures (30 and 34 °C). In F0, Cu exposure reduced survival and nauplii production; these patterns were more pronounced at 34 °C and in females. F0 Copepods produced more faecal pellets at 34 °C than 30 °C, indicating a higher energetic demand. In F1, the number of F1 adults was lower in CuF0 and at 34 °C. Cu-exposed F0 produced larger adult F1, while exposure to 34 °C resulted in smaller adult F1. Our results show that tropical copepods are highly vulnerable to the interactive effects of contaminants and extreme temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khuong V Dinh
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam.
| | - Quyen T T Nguyen
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Thi-My-Chi Vo
- Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Viet Nam
| | - Trung Ba Bui
- Institute for Environment and Resources, Vietnam National University - Hochiminh City, 142 To Hien Thanh St., Dist. 10, Hochiminh City, Viet Nam
| | - Thanh-Son Dao
- Hochiminh City University of Technology, VNU - HCM, Hochiminh City, Viet Nam
| | - Duc M Tran
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Nam X Doan
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Trinh S H Truong
- Institute of Oceanography, VAST, 01 Cau Da street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Mary S Wisz
- World Maritime University, Fiskehamnsgatan 1, Malmö, Sweden
| | | | - Minh T T Vu
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Minh-Hoang Le
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
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Brodersen MM, Pantazi M, Kokkali A, Panayotidis P, Gerakaris V, Maina I, Kavadas S, Kaberi H, Vassilopoulou V. Cumulative impacts from multiple human activities on seagrass meadows in eastern Mediterranean waters: the case of Saronikos Gulf (Aegean Sea, Greece). Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2018; 25:26809-26822. [PMID: 29209967 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0848-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem-based management (EBM) addresses the fundamental need to account for cumulative impacts of human activities with the aim of sustainably delivering ecosystem services. The Saronikos Gulf, a large embayment of the Aegean Sea, provides a wide range of ecosystem services that are impacted by multiple human activities, deriving from the metropolitan area of Athens (situated at the northeast part of the Gulf). The anthropogenic impacts affect the status of several marine ecosystem components, e.g., seagrass meadows. Cymodocea nodosa meadows are only present at the most confined western part of the Gulf, whereas Posidonia oceanica meadows are mainly distributed in the inner and outer part of the Gulf. The aim of this study is to assess the cumulative impacts from multiple human activities on the seagrass meadows in the Gulf. The main results indicated that most impacted meadows are P. oceanica in the inner part of the Gulf, adjacent to the most urbanized coastal areas, and near port infrastructures. Land-based pollution, as well as physical damage and loss seem to be the main pressures exerted on the meadows. Understanding cumulative impacts is crucial for informing policy decisions under an EBM approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren Myrto Brodersen
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece.
| | - Maria Pantazi
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Athina Kokkali
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Panayotis Panayotidis
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Vasilis Gerakaris
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Irida Maina
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Stefanos Kavadas
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Helen Kaberi
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Vassiliki Vassilopoulou
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, PO BOX 712, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
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Abstract
The European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) aims to achieve good environmental status (GES) in European seas by 2020. One of the features of GES is that underwater sound should not adversely affect the marine environment. Direct injury of marine life may occur, but a more pervasive effect is likely to be through the cumulative indirect effects on behavior. Assessing the significance of these effects on an ecosystem scale is difficult. If subsequent management of these effects is required, complex and challenging international decisions will be required.
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