This text is an original copy from http://www.skeptictank.org/treasure/GP1/ANTARC3.TXT
TL: GREENPEACE 1992/93 ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION REPORT
SO: Greenpeace Interanational (GP)
DT: April 11, 1994
Keywords: environment greenpeace antarctica conferences
agreements terrec /
GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL
Keizersgracht 176
1016 DW Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Phone: 31 (0)20 523 6555 Fax: 31 (0)20 523 6500
Printed on 100% chlorine-free paper
Contents
Section A Introduction
Section B Overview of Findings
1 ARGENTINA: Almirante Brown
Section C
SV Pelagic Voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula
2 ARGENTINA: Decepcion
3 ARGENTINA: Jubany
4 ARGENTINA: Refugio Naval Gousse, Peterman Island
5 ARGENTINA: Yankee Harbour
6 BRAZIL: Bardo De Teffe'
7 BRAZIL: Comandante Ferraz
8 BULGARIA: Refuge
9 CHILE: Teniente Marsh/Presidente Frei
10 CHILE: Capitan Arturo Prat
11 CHILE: Risopatron
12 CHILE: Gonzalez Videla (Abandoned Base)
13 CHINA: Great Wall
14 CZECH REPUBLIC: Vaclav Vojtek
15 ECUADOR: Maldonado
16 ECUADOR: Refuge, Admiralty Bay
17 ITALY: Italian Valley "Base Italiana Giacomo Bove"
18 REPUBLIC OF KOREA: King Sejong
19 PERU: Machu Picchu
20 POLAND: Arctowski
21 RUSSIA: Bellingshausen
22 SPAIN: Gabriel De Castilla
23 SPAIN: Juan Carlos I
24 CUVERVILLE ISLAND
25 UNITED KINGDOM: Danco Hut
26 UNITED KINGDOM: Faraday
27 UNITED KINGDOM: Port Lockroy (Abandoned Base)
28 UNITED KINGDOM: Whalers Bay (Abandoned Base)
29 URUGUAY: Artigas
Section D MV Greenpeace Voyage to the Ross Sea
1 GERMANY: Gondwana
2 ITALY: Icaro Field Camp
3 ITALY: Terra Nova Station
4 NEW ZEALAND: Scott Base
5 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: McMurdo
6 Kapifan Khlebnikov
Section E Greenpeace: World Park Base Site
ANNEX I: Expedition Science Projects
REFERENCES
A INTRODUCTION
The 1992/93 summer marked Greenpeace's eighth year of operation
in the Antarctic. The organisation undertook two expeditions, one
to the Ross Sea region and the other to the Peninsula. The
results are presented in this report.
For over ten years, the focus of the Greenpeace's Antarctic
campaign has been to have the southern-most continent and the
surrounding ocean declared a World Park. This would be a zone of
peace, dedicated to international scientific research, in which
wilderness values are paramount.
With the signing of the Madrid Protocol on Environmental
Protection in October 1991, the international community moved one
step closer to this goal. Since then, Greenpeace has been working
towards the ratification of the Protocol by all
Antarctic Treaty parties.
From 1987 to 1992, Greenpeace maintained a year-round base at
Cape Evans to monitor the impact of human activity on the
environment and to provide a continuous presence against
possible minerals exploitation. The base was constructed during
the 1986/87 summer season, and decommissioned and completely
removed during the 1991/92 summer season. The Cape Evans site
also underwent a thorough clean-up and is the subject of an on-
going human impact study.
1 Ross Sea Expedition Description
The Ross Sea leg of the expedition used the Greenpeace vessel MV
Greenpeace. Much of this trip was devoted to following the
Japanese whaling fleet to protest their activities and to
promoting the proposed Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. However, the
itinerary included several Antarctic bases in the Ross Sea, and
well as the site of the former World Park Base, at Cape Evans,
Ross Island.
1.1 Expedition Itinerary
The MV Greenpeace departed Fremantle, Australia, on 21 November,
1992, and arrived Hobart, Australia, on 29 November. The ship
left Tasmanian waters on December 8 and reached the ice edge at
64°46'S 153°06'E six days later.
During the next six weeks, the MV Greenpeace patrolled the
whaling grounds. On February 2, the ship headed for the Ross Sea,
but was delayed by storm conditions, during which a
helicopter was damaged. This resulted in a brief stop for
maintenance at Relay Bay, Cape Adare. No one went ashore.
On February 10, the MV Greenpeace reached Cape Evans, where the
crew established a temporary field camp. Three to five crew
members conducted further environmental monitoring at the former
site of World Park Base. During this time, the MV Greenpeace made
a brief trip across McMurdo Sound to Marble Point.
The MV Greenpeace left Cape Evans for McMurdo during the evening
of February 15. The expedition spent the following two days at
Scott Base and McMurdo Station and departed for the Bay of
Whales on February 17, in the late afternoon.
The Japanese whaling fleet's factory ship, Nishan Maru, was
intercepted on February 18, but the encounter, played out in
stormy weather, lasted only a few hours. On February 21, the MV
Greenpeace reached the Bay of Whales, and on February 25, the
ship had brief contact with one of the Japanese catcher boats,
the Toshi Maru No. 25.
The expedition's final stop in the Antarctic was Terra Nova Bay,
where the MV Greenpeace arrived on February 28. After brief
visits at the German and Italian stations, the ship left for
Auckland on March 1.
However, two days later, Greenpeace was asked to stop at
Campbell Island to evacuate a staff member who needed medical
attention. The ship arrived and departed Campbell Island on March
8 and reached Dunedin, New Zealand, on March 10. The
expedition concluded four days later in Auckland.
1.2 The MV Greenpeace and Crew
The MV Greenpeace is a 58-metre converted ocean-going tug,
registered in the Netherlands. The ship's hull was ice-
strengthened in 1985. She made trips to the Ross Sea region in
1986,1987, and 1988, to the Antarctic Peninsula in 1987/88, and
spent time in Antarctic waters during the 1991/92 season.
On this trip, the MV Greenpeace carried 30 crew from 12 nations.
Almost 90% of the crew had sailed with Greenpeace before and over
half had worked previously in the Antarctic.
The MV Greenpeace was skippered by Danish master Arne Sorensen,
with first mate David Iggulden. The expedition leaders were Naoko
Funahashi and Kieran Mulvaney, and Dana Harmon directed the shore
work. Scientific research was conducted by Grant
Harper.
Photographer Martin Leuders and cameraman Alex de Waal
documented the trip for Greenpeace, and their material is
available from Greenpeace Communications in London, UK.
2 Peninsula Expedition Description
In a change from previous expeditions, and with no base to
resupply, Greenpeace decided to trial a smaller and simpler
method of transport, chartering the yacht SV Pelagic rather than
using one of Greenpeace's own ships. This was seen as a more
environmentally friendly form of transport, as the amount of
fossil fuel burnt over the course of the voyage was a fraction of
that burnt by a ship, and the impact of eight people was less
than that of a crew of thirty.
The itinerary of a short ocean voyage followed by several weeks
around the Antarctic Peninsula, where shelter is always
available for a small yacht, made the plan feasible.
2.1 Itinerary
The SV Pelagic departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 31 December, 1992,
and arrived at Maxwell Bay, King George Island, on January 4,
1993. After spending nine days in Maxwell Bay, the Pelagic sailed
to Admiralty Bay, King George Island, where it remained for a
further five days. The yacht then headed, via Greenwich Island
and Livingston Island, to Deception Island, where it stayed for
four days due to bad weather.
After leaving Deception Island on 26 January, the yacht headed
south to the Antarctic Peninsula, calling in at Cuverville
Island, Paradise Harbour, and Peterman Island, before reaching
Faraday station (UK) on 30 January. From Faraday, the Pelagic
sailed north, visiting Port Lockroy and Yankee Harbour before
attempting to enter the Drake Passage. This attempt was
frustrated due to bad weather, and the Pelagic sheltered for two
days in the harbour behind Arturo Prat station (Chile) on
Greenwich Island. It finally entered the Drake Passage on 6
February, arriving in Ushuaia on 12 February.
2.2 Yacht Specifications and Crew
The SV Pelagic is a 25 tonne steel-hulled sloop, 16.5 metres
long, with a retractable keel and rudder.
Eight people sailed on board the Pelagic: the skipper, first mate
and six Greenpeace personnel. Six nationalities were
represented amongst the team, and all except one had previous
Antarctic experience.
The yacht was skippered by its owner, Skip Novak, with first mate
Julia Crossley. The expedition leader was Janet Dalziell; Ricardo
Roura carried out the science program; and camera
operator Bruce Adams and photographer Jorge Gutman documented the
trip.
3 Greenpeace Expedition Procedures
Prior to arriving in the Southern Ocean, everyone on board the MV
Greenpeace and the SV Pelagic received information and
training on the unique nature of the Antarctic environment and
the procedures to be followed to protect it.
Once the vessels entered Antarctic waters, all solid waste was
stored on board. North of the Antarctic convergence, only food
scraps were dumped overboard. All other waste was returned to New
Zealand and Argentina for disposal, and, where possible,
recycling. Sewage from the MV Greenpeace went through a
biological treatment process before it was released. Sewage from
the SV Pelagic was released directly into the sea.
More specific instructions were given to both crews before each
landing, and experienced field personnel accompanied all shore
parties. Safety information for shore activities and ship travel
was also covered extensively. In addition, crew members were
familiar with Treaty regulations and had access to official
literature.
Base inspections were carried out under the supervision of
expedition campaign staff. Inhabited stations were always
advised of Greenpeace's intent to visit the base area at least 24
hours prior to arrival. Crew members did not enter any
buildings without an invitation from station management or
personnel. Whenever time and weather permitted, base staff were
invited to board and tour the MV Greenpeace and the SV Pelagic.
B OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS
While this report concentrates on describing the stations
inspected during the 1992/93 austral summer, Greenpeace would
also like to highlight some broader observations made over the
course of the expedition.
1 Abandoned Sites
One of the striking things about the 1992/93 Peninsula
expedition was the number of clean-up tasks that a yacht crew of
eight was able to accomplish, in short periods of time and
without requiring specialised equipment. At one site, the crew
emptied rusting barrels of fuel that had started to leak into the
environment; at another site, they secured loose waste and
barrels of fuel; and at a third site, they picked up tangles of
copper wires that had trapped penguins and stored it inside a
building.
These tasks were small and simple, and it was difficult to
understand why they had not been done by one of the many ships
that ply the Peninsula waters every summer. One common reason
given for inaction is that government X does not have
jurisdiction over the abandoned property in question. This
excuse is particularly disturbing in cases of joint use such as
the hut at Peterman Island. This was originally an Argentine
facility, which is now used for recreation by personnel from the
UK's Faraday station and is frequently visited by tourist ships.
With respect to this problem, the Protocol's Annex III is quite
clear (Art 1(5)):
Past and present waste disposal sites on land and abandoned work
sites of Antarctic activities shall be cleaned up by the
GENERATOR of such wastes and the USER of such sites (emphasis
added).
2 Knowledge of the Protocol
Another disturbing trend noticed by Greenpeace was that, over a
year after the Protocol's completion and signature, station
personnel lacked information about the agreement and its
ramifications for Antarctic operations. In the worst case,
Greenpeace found that station personnel at the Uruguayan station
of Artigas did not even know of the Protocol's existence.
3 Protected Areas
Greenpeace once again checked and repaired the signs at
Deception Island that mark the Whalers Bay and Pendulum Cove
parts of the Deception Island Site of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSI). However, it is increasingly clear that the
Deception Island SSSI has become something of a farce;
Greenpeace has directly documented violations of two of the five
parts to the site (Whalers Bay and Telefon Bay), and has strong
anecdotal evidence that at least one other part (Pendulum Cove)
has been entered frequently by tourists.
4 Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements and
procedures appear to be among the aspects of the Protocol that
are least understood and followed. At several stations,
Greenpeace found that construction work was done in recent years
without any evidence of prior environmental impact assessment. At
most stations, leaders had little knowledge of the topic. This is
an area where exchanges between countries could be very
beneficial, so that nations with well-established domestic EIA
requirements could share their skills with other Treaty members.
C SV Pelagic Voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula
1 ARGENTINA: ALMIRANTE BROWN
1.1 Overview
Almirante Brown was built in 1951. It remained abandoned for a
number of years after a fire in 1984. Basic repairs and a clean
up were done during the 1988/89 season, and it is now used as a
summer science camp.
The station is run jointly by the country's Direccion Nacional
del Antartico (DNA), which owns and maintains the facility, and
the Instituto Antartico Argentino (IAA), which directs the
research program The Argentine Navy, the Armada Argentina (ARA),
provides logistical support for the resupply.
1.1.1 Location
Almirante Brown is located in Paradise Bay on the Antarctic
Peninsula. The station is sited on a small, rocky apron which
protrudes into Paradise Bay. Brown is confined to the ice free
area, bordered by a snow and moss-covered slope which rises
steeply behind its buildings.
1.1.2 Status
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the OIC was Lic. Jorge Gallo,
who is the head of the Marine Sciences department of IAA. He was
to be at Brown from December 1992 until March 1993.
There were 11 staff on station for the summer, comprising ten
scientists and one logistics person. The scientists were a mix of
IAA employees, researchers from Mar del Plata and La Plata
Universities, and a navy hydrographer. The logistics officer was
an employee of DNA. The station was therefore run by DNA,
although transportation is provided courtesy of the navy.
Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Almirante Brown on 28 January, 1993. The visit
consisted of a fairly brief and informal discussion with base
personnel.
1.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace's first visit to Brown took place in April, 1988,
during the 1987/88 expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula.
Greenpeace made three more visits to Almirante Brown in
November, 1989 and March and April, 1991, details of which may be
found in the expedition reports from those seasons.
1.2 Physical Structure
The station consists of seven structures of various sizes: an old
main house and lab facility, generator room, three sheds, an
emergency hut and an emergency generator room.
Most of these structures are derelict, having been destroyed by a
major fire in 1984. The emergency hut was in reasonably good
condition, although the paint was beginning to flake off.
The current summer camps occupy the emergency hut and use the old
laboratory and generator room. There are no roads within or
leading out of the station. The station's two jetties were in
poor condition. All transport is by boat; personnel were brought
in and retrieved by ship, and two inflatable boats are used to
travel around the immediate area.
The base is visited relatively frequently throughout the year, by
tourist ships and Chilean naval ships that patrol the area.
Water is obtained from the meltstream below the glacier, and,
when necessary, by melting ice.
1.3 Operations
Science under way at the station was mostly oceanographic work of
various types. One of the major projects studying samples of
seawater for contamination by hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and
pesticides. In the future, studies on contamination of limpets
and bivalves are to be added to this.
The OIC said that "sooner or later" the old ruins of the base
will be cleaned up. Apparently some clean-up had been under way,
but was interrupted when the Bahia Paraiso sank in early 1989.
Certainly, much more work would be needed before any rebuilding
of the station could be contemplated.
1.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
1.3.1.1 Separation
Waste is separated at source in the galley and laboratory into
burnables (wood, paper, cardboard and organics), plastics, glass
and tins. Over the summer, about two 200-litre drums of tins, one
of plastic, and two of glass were likely to be produced. Waste
for removal was either stored in plastic bags or in the wooden
boxes in which food supplies were brought.
Little attempt is made to reduce packaging prior to supplies
being brought to Antarctica. Food is sent to the base in its
usual packaging, inside plastic bags in wooden boxes. This
system is partially justified because food is stored outside and
the plastic bags therefore give the provisions some protection.
Laboratory chemicals in use included formalin and lugol. These
were disposed of into buckets which were then tipped into drums
for removal.
The OIC reported that a general clean-up of the station would be
done at the end of the summer.
1.3.1.2 Dumps
While there did not appear to be a dump per se, a lot of old
material was stacked around the site. Under the generator room
were the carcasses of at least 10 vehicle batteries. Several of
these had been knocked over, most were in poor condition, and one
was broken. Apparently four or five penguins had attempted to
nest amongst this rubbish. Eight barrels filled with waste oil
products could also be seen.
By the emergency hut (where the camp team now live), there were
22 200-litre drums full and half-full of waste oil and fuel,
alongside which were two plastic bags filled with garbage,
buried in the snow.
The base area was haphazardly littered with coal, sand, cement,
battery acid and fuel which had leaked from corroded drums.
1.3.1.3 Incineration
"Burnable" waste is burnt in a simple brazier located outside the
living quarters. The brazier comprises a 200-litre drum with a
grid near the bottom and holes to improve air circulation.
Emissions are neither filtered nor monitored.
As the brazier had a lid, organics were not accessible to
wildlife.
Burnable waste included some types of plastic, including plastic
rubbish bags holding organic waste.
The logistics person was in charge of burning waste.
In addition to the garbage burning, the station also has
barbecues over open fires, which are lit directly on the ground.
1.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Removal of garbage takes place at the end of the summer season on
the icebreaker Almirante Irizar. In addition to the main
logistics visit, the station sometimes receives visits from other
navy vessels and tourist ships, which occasionally remove some of
the station's garbage.
Besides 'non burnable' wastes, ash from the burn-drum reportedly
is also removed.
Garbage is returned to Argentina, although the actual port to
which it is shipped depends on the itinerary of the resupply
vessel. It is unclear whether any of the waste is reused or
recycled.
Base personnel reported that while the summer's waste tends to be
removed, a much lower priority is placed on the removal of old
waste. Several containers (bags and drums) of garbage, and stacks
of old building materials that had been there at the time of
Greenpeace's previous visit in April 1991 were still at the base
on this occasion.
1.3.2 Sewage System
Sewage and grey water are poured raw into the sea through a
sewage outfall that ended on the rocks by the shore, about a
meter above the high water mark. Human faeces could be seen on
the rock surface below the pipe.
1.3.3 Energy Systems
The base was using up to two drums of diesel each month. In
addition to the diesel currently in use, which was stored in
drums, there were about 20,000 litres of diesel left in the old
fuel tanks. The OIC said that this was slowly being removed by
yachties.
Fuel was transferred from ship to shore in drums, using
helicopters or inflatable boats. Within the base, fuel was
transferred using hand pumps. The generators were connected
directly to the drums in use.
A cluster of around 22 drums, in various conditions, sat in front
of the living quarters. Of these, at least one had rusted through
and released its contents into the ground. There were four newer
drums sitting on the glacier, several tens of metres from the
living quarters. Next to the old generator shed, there were a
further 35 drums in poor condition. Some of these had small
quantities of oily water inside. And finally, stacked along the
main jetty were around 30 drums containing waste fuel and oil. At
least two of these were leaking.
As reported from Greenpeace's last visit, one of the large old
fuel tanks was leaking. The drip tray that had been sitting
underneath the leak (and overflowing) at the time of
Greenpeace's previous visit could be seen lying in the sea
nearby. There was also at least one leaking fuel drum, and base
personnel said that they were waiting for another drum to be
emptied so that they could decant fuel out of the leaking one. A
pipeline that runs under the generator room was leaking fuel, and
substantial staining of the soil underneath the generator shed
was observed.
The base has one portable and two permanent generators, one by
the emergency hut/living quarters (15 kW), and one by the
laboratory (25 kW). The first was used for approximately four
hours each night, and the second was used on demand, on average
for about three hours a day. All work that required electricity
was done during those periods. Because little fuel was used,
transfer of fuel was rarely required. None of the generators had
drip trays or filters.
There was no alternative energy production at the base.
1.4 Tourism
During summer, the base is visited at least once a week by
tourist ships, as well as by the occasional yacht. By the date
Greenpeace called in, visits had been received from the
Molchanov, Vavilov, Explorer, World Discovery, Illiria, Northern
Ranger, and Vistamar. Base personnel reported that tourist
visits seem to be increasing.
1.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
When asked what he thought was the most serious environmental
impact of the station, the OIC said that he thought the worst
impact had probably come from the fire that destroyed the base.
Before coming to Antarctica, people staying at the base had
received two to three lectures at IAA which covered safety, other
aspects of Antarctic operations as well as environmental
protection. Each station or camp leader (OIC) had been given a
copy of the Protocol in a meeting with the director of IAA. There
was therefore a copy of the Protocol on the base. There is
abundant wildlife around the station (antarctic terns, Wilsons
storm petrels, sheathbills, blue-eyed shags, gentoos, crabeater
seals, humpback and minke whales). The terns and shags breed on
the cliffs near the station. There are also several species of
moss on the slopes of the hill behind the base. A path to the top
of the hill at times traverses these patches of moss.
Skuas were seen begging at the door of the kitchen, suggesting
that they are sometimes fed. Greenpeace was told that one or two
of the base personnel had been feeding skuas to try to tame them.
Apparently, penguins have tried to nest under the
generator shed, where acid and fuel has leaked.
The base personnel did not feel that they had jurisdiction over
the wildlife in the area, and therefore had no formal guidelines
to give visitors. However, base personnel expressed concern that
sometimes visiting tourist ships do not even bother to contact
the base or reply to their calls.
1.5.1 Comments and Recommendations
It was obvious that little has been done to improve the site
since Greenpeace's last visit. In particular, the same fuel leaks
were still dripping, and the same piles of rubbish and building
materials were still lying around. There is also a lot of more
recent litter lying around the station.
Therefore, many of the recommendations here are similar to those
presented after Greenpeace's previous visit two years ago.
The fuel storage situation demands immediate improvement. Fuel in
the old fuel drums and tanks should be decanted into sound
containers and the old tanks and drums should be removed to
prevent further leakage of fuel into the environment. Fuel
facilities that are kept for the use of summer camps should be
provided with containment facilities, as should the generators.
All other old materials and rubbish lying around the site,
particularly hazardous and toxic materials such as batteries,
should be removed. The whole site clearly needs a major clean-up
effort.
Further field camps should not burn their wastes; all wastes
should be removed from the Antarctic.
Should Argentina plan to operate this camp in the long term, the
possibility of cooperating with the Chileans in Paradise Harbour
should be investigated.
Feeding of skuas should be strongly discouraged.
2 ARGENTINA: DECEPCION
2.1 Overview
Decepcion was established by Argentina in 1947 but has only been
used sporadically since 1967, when it was evacuated during a
volcanic eruption. It has been used as a field camp since 1988.
Officially, the camp is run by the Armada Argentina (Navy).
2.1.1 Location
Decepcion is located at Fumarole Bay, Deception Island, and sits
on a flat area at the foot of a hill, surrounded on two sides by
a lagoon and on a third side by Port Foster.
2.1.2 Status
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the OIC was Dra. Corina
Risso, of the Earth Sciences Department, Buenos Aires
University. The team were scheduled to be there from late
November to late February. There were eight people in total (all
scientists), four of whom were Spanish researchers, led by Dr.
Ramon Ortiz, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones de Espana.
The station itself is in a state of disrepair and is not used as
a fully functioning station, but as a field camp.
2.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Decepcion on 23 January, staying for
approximately three hours.
2.1.4 Previous Visits
Previous visits to Decepcion took place during the 1987/88,
1989/90, and 1990/91 Greenpeace Antarctic expeditions.
2.2 Physical Structure
Decepcion consists of a main building which has several separate
additions, five small buildings of different sizes and
functions, and a large emergency building.
Volcanic activities have caused ash slides which have partially
buried several buildings, tanks, and many fuel barrels. The old
main station building is derelict and half filled with ice.
There are no formed tracks in the area. The station has a
rundown helipad and jetty.
2.3 Operations
Water for the camp is taken from a well protected by a small
shed.
Travel around the island is mostly done on foot, although the
base also had an inflatable boat.
Scientific programs underway at the camp were geological and
geophysical research on volcanology. Most of the program
involved placement and monitoring of sensors at various sites
around Deception Island, and monitoring volcanic gases.
2.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
Household waste was separated into burnables (organics, paper,
cardboard and wood) and non burnables, which were burned and
removed from Antarctica respectively.
A field chemical lab had been installed in one of the rooms of
the building used by the camp. There were no sinks in this lab.
Removal of waste was to be done by ship when the camp was taken
out. Waste was to be returned to Argentina. Bags and boxes of
glass and cans were stacked behind the boat shed on the beach
awaiting removal.
"Burnable" waste was burnt in an open drum. Emissions were
neither filtered nor monitored.
There were several old dumps in the vicinity--both near the old
main building, and along the shore to the southeast--that
appeared to be no longer used, and may have been partially
buried by volcanic ash. These contained glass, metal junk, fuel
drums, construction materials, electrical fitting, and a
solidified tarry substance.
Inside the old main hut were collections of laboratory and
medical chemicals. There were also glass vials in each room which
are conjectured to contain carbon tetrachloride for
firefighting.
2.3.2 Sewage System
Sewage and grey water were put into the three-stage septic
chamber belonging to the station.
2.3.3 Energy Systems
The camp was using around 400 litres of diesel fuel each summer
in two portable generators that were only run for a few hours
each day. Eight to ten drums of diesel were stored outside the
emergency hut in which the team was camping. These had been
transported ashore from the ship by helicopter. There was also
some petrol on site for the outboard engine.
The Spanish team had two small wind generators installed to run
the scientific equipment, as the portable generators provided
insufficient and unreliable power.
There were several drums and tanks left at the site which
belonged to the old station. Some were partially buried, and
there may be others that have been completely buried. These will
pose a threat to the local environment as they deteriorate and
leak, although it appears possible that most are already empty.
2.3.4 Resupply Operations
The camp is visited by a resupply ship twice a season, at the
beginning and the end of the summer.
2.4 Tourism
No tourists visit this station, although reportedly one company
earlier in the season had investigated the possibility of taking
groups of tourists over the island to the nearby penguin
rookery.
2.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
When asked what she considered to be the greatest environmental
impact of the station, the OIC said that the impacts of the camp
itself were very minor.
While this may be true, the old, essentially abandoned station
contains toxic and hazardous chemicals, and there is possibly
still a considerable amount of fuel at the site.
Decepcion is located in the part of Deception Island that the
vulcanologists think is most likely to erupt soon. This may be
contributing to a lack of clean-up action on the part of the
Argentine navy, who may be hoping that the problem will solve
itself by being blasted away in an eruption.
A document describing the concepts of the Protocol was available
at the camp, and computer printouts of cartoons about
environmental protection and Antarctic safety were pinned around
the walls of the living area.
The station is located near the Fumarole Bay section of the
Deception Island SSSI. The scientists visit the SSSI regularly to
monitor the fumaroles and collect gas samples.
2.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
As mentioned above, information about the Protocol was available
on station.
2.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
The possibility that the Decepcion site might be destroyed by
volcanism in the near future does not, in Greenpeace's opinion,
excuse Argentina from its obligation to clean up the site. In
fact, the likelihood that old garbage, fuel contamination, and
laboratory chemicals might be scattered through the area should
provide extra impetus to move toxic materials from the danger
zone.
A particularly easy job would be to remove the remaining
medical, science, and firefighting chemicals from the old
buildings. This should be done forthwith.
Burning should cease at Argentine field camps. Given their
inherently portable nature, it should not prove difficult to
devise systems for storing ALL garbage for removal at the end of
the summer season.
3 ARGENTINA: JUBANY
3.1 Overview
Jubany Station was constructed in 1953, and has been operated
since 1984 as a year-round station. It is the only civilian base
in the Argentine Antarctic program.
3.1.1 Location
Jubany Station is located in Potter Cove, King George Island,
South Shetland Islands (62°14'S,58°40'W). The station is built on
two levels, between five and 15 metres above sea level. As the
buildings are spread out along the shore, the total area covered
by the station is reasonably large. It was suggested by station
personnel that one of the reasons for this spread was to prevent
other countries from setting up a station nearby.
A stream, contained by a concrete dam and cement bags, runs
through the station area.
Approximately 500 metres from the main station complex is the
boundary of SSSI no. 13 (Potter Peninsula).
3.1.2 Status
The OIC at the time of Greenpeace's visit was Mayor (Major)
Victor Foster, from the army, Jubany's first military OIC. He was
to be in charge until July 1993. The Second-in-Command and base
manager was Suboficial-Mayor Miguel Paz.
Normally, there would be 30-40 people on station during the
summer, but in 1993 numbers had been swelled to 64 by
construction personnel. There were approximately 25 scientific
staff on station at the time of Greenpeace's visit, including
four German biologists.
In winter the team consists of 12 to 20 people.
The scientists are mostly employed by the Direccion Nacional del
Antartico (DNA). Base logistics are run by the army (Ejercito
Argentino, (EA)). The construction workers included a mix of
personnel from different army forces including EA, gendarmeria
(border police), prefectura (coast guards) and Argentine navy.
Jubany is the only Argentine station which has scientific
research as its primary function. It used to be entirely run by
DNA but during 1993 logistics were carried out by the EA. It was
not clear whether the army was has been called in to run the
logistics of the station permanently, or whether the army's
presence would be merely temporary for the duration of the
construction.
3.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Jubany on 6 January 1993. The visit included a
meeting with the OIC, lunch, and an extensive tour of the
station.
3.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace previously visited Jubany Station on two occasions. A
description of the first visit, carried out in early
April,1988, can be found in the report from the 1987/88
Greenpeace Antarctic Expedition. The findings of the second
inspection, undertaken in late October 1989, are contained in the
1989/90 Expedition Report.
3.2 Physical Structure
The main part of the station consists of three large buildings
that house the living quarters, as well as 12 smaller buildings
containing laboratories, generators, etc. In addition, there were
four fibreglass "apple" huts, tents, and a shipping
container that were used by one of the visiting German
scientists.
Most of the buildings are clad in wood, although one of the
larger buildings appears to have a metal frame with fibreglass
cladding. In general the structures seemed to be in reasonably
good condition.
The dam in the stream was once used as the water supply for the
station and for ships. The dam structure looked old and in poor
condition. The station's water supply now comes from two lakes
behind the station, which apparently provide ample water for
summer. In winter, trucks are used to collect ice from the
lakes, once a week.
Transportation facilities include an airstrip on the glacier, a
helipad, and two large mooring bollards on the beach.
The station maintains two field huts in the nearby SSSI. These
are reached along well-defined tracks through the SSSI, usually
on four-wheeled motor bikes.
In addition to the two tracks into the SSSI, there is at least
one track leading up onto the glacier, to the airstrip. Tracks
also lead to the SW navigation light, to the separation garbage
location/dump, to the heliport northeast of the main cluster of
buildings, and to a pond which is sometimes used as an
alternative water source.
As well as the formed roads, vehicle track marks could be seen
over most areas.
3.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
Two large buildings were under construction at the time of
Greenpeace's visit. One is intended to be a laboratory, and the
other will house generators. A substantial amount of
construction material was lying around in the vicinity of the
construction site. The new buildings are constructed of
insulated fibreglass panels on steel frames, with concrete
foundations. A document discussing this construction was
circulated at the XVIIth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in
Venice, in November 1992.
The new laboratory is a joint project between Argentina and
Germany, initiated because the existing laboratory facilities at
Jubany were too small for the Argentine scientists, let alone for
an additional German contingency. Germany was reportedly
consolidating all its Antarctic operations on King George Island
to Jubany.
At the time of the visit, the vehicle workshop was also being
enlarged. Elsewhere, excavations appeared to have been done for
more foundations, although this disturbance looked old.
3.3 Operations
The scientific program at Jubany includes studies on coastal
oceanography, ecosystem monitoring projects for CCAMLR, coastal
ecology (including a major baseline study of the area),
ichthyology, and satellite imagery. Some of these projects a re
run jointly with the German scientists on station, and Dutch
scientists were also collaborating on a couple of projects.
In addition, an ongoing program of psychological research is
under way.
The programs studying birds and mammals involved some handling of
animals--mainly weight measurements and stomach content
analysis. In the case of elephant seals, this included the use of
anaesthetics. Blubber cores were also being taken from live
elephant seals for pollution analysis. Small quantities of fish
were being taken for the ichthyology work.
Vehicles on station included at least two small trucks, some
four-wheeled motorbikes, and at least one tracked tractor. In
addition, a skidoo lay dismantled near the workshop. For water
transport, the station had four or five inflatable boats.
Scientists are transported in and out by Twin Otter aircraft, via
the airstrip at Marambio and sometimes via Marsh. Station
personnel are exchanged by the Irizar, which visits at least once
each season.
Waste Disposal Systems
3.3.1
3.3.1.1 Separation
Station personnel told Greenpeace that waste is separated into
metal, glass, plastics, and burnables. However, the only
material Greenpeace saw stacked for removal were drums of
crushed tin cans. Everything else appeared to be burnt.
The station's Second in Command (SIC), who is in charge of waste
disposal, said that food scraps are burnt. One of the biologists
added that this practice had only started that year, and that it
was adhered to reluctantly. Food scraps were seen lying on the
ground in the "separation" area a short distance from the main
part of the station. Numerous begging skuas were seen loitering
around the station, particularly behind the kitchen.
There are two areas where rubbish is handled. By the helipad was
a large collection of drums containing metal rubbish, which
appeared to have been there for several years. Further inland is
a natural depression in which rubbish appears to be sorted.
Station personnel said that this area is difficult to work in
when it is windy, as rubbish tends to scatter.
3.3.1.2 Dumps
There were no clearly defined dumps, but in some places the soil
contained significant quantities of glass and metal scraps, and
it seemed conceivable that these areas (in particular the bank
between the station and the shore) may be old dumps that have
been bulldozed over.
A pile of loose, rusty scrap wire, surrounded by broken glass,
lay in the sand below the sorting area. Around the station were
numerous heaps of solidified cement which appeared to be
stockpiles of cement bags that had gotten wet.
3.3.1.3 Incineration
Much of the waste appears to be burnt in the drums scattered
around the station, and particularly in the sorting area
described above. Station personnel said that only wood and
cardboard are burnt. However, other partially burnt objects seen
in the ashes included cans, lightbulbs, and aerosol cans.
3.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Stacked for return to Argentina were 170 barrels of crushed metal
waste. It was marked (in Spanish) "Packed rubbish to be returned
to the continent (03.02.89)." Also waiting removal were 52
cooking gas (Agipgas) canisters.
Several ships call at Jubany each summer, including the
Argentine's main resupply vessel, the navy icebreaker Almirante
Irizar. However, it appears that they seldom take on board
rubbish for return to Argentina. The SIC said that no rubbish had
been taken out since his arrival at the station in September
1992. However, he was confident that it would occur sooner or
later when the ship had enough space, and he said that most of
the rubbish awaiting removal had been generated since his
arrival (i.e. there is hardly any old rubbish on site). This
seems to be partly contradicted by the pile of material dated
1989 by the helipad.
Both the OIC and SIC seemed dissatisfied with the current waste
disposal system. The OIC said that he was keen to install a
garbage compactor (he said that one had been purchased, but was
waiting on adequate cargo space).
The OIC reported that station-wide clean-ups are done once a
week, with two parties alternating throughout the season.
3.3.2 Sewage System
Sewage, including grey water, is poured, untreated, directly into
the sea. Greenpeace was told that the Germans plan to build a
treatment plant once the science laboratory building is
finished. The OIC reported that the sewage system was stretched
to its limits coping with 60 people on station, and he hoped to
introduce a system whereby solid waste from toilets can be
collected and burnt.
The sewage pipe ends above the beach, and a trickle of sewage was
visible on the beach from below the pipe to the water.
3.3.3 Energy Systems
Approximately 100,000 to 120,000 litres of diesel are stored at
the station, in six 20,000 litre bladders. The bladders sit on a
plywood platform, which rests on concrete piles, about 1.5 metres
off the ground. A day tank stands by the engine room. There are
no containment structures around any of the tanks.
The station was equipped with rolls of rubber-covered flexi-
hoses, and this may be the method that is used to move fuel from
ship to shore. From the bladders to the generators, fuel is
pumped through a small-bore steel pipe lying along the ground.
Another fuel transfer method used by Argentina is by flying 2000
litre metal tanks by helicopter from the icebreaker.
In places, the bladders were seeping fuel. One bladder had a pool
of diesel sitting in the depression around the valve on the top
of the bladder. While there were no visible stains in the soil
below, the sandiness of the soil probably means that fuel is
absorbed very quickly. In addition, it appeared that the wood of
the platform on which the bladders sit soak up some of the
spilled fuel.
Station personnel said that one of the bladder tanks had leaked
in late winter and all through the 1991/92 summer, and that
enough fuel was spilt for some to migrate through the soil to the
sea, about 80 metres downslope.
It is planned to replace the bladders with steel tanks that will
sit on the same concrete foundations currently supporting the
bladders.
There are no alternative energy systems at Jubany.
3.4 Tourism
Jubany receives a few visits from tourists each summer. Tourists
are shown around the station and up to the boundary of the SSSI
(which they are not permitted to enter) by the station
scientists. A complaint heard from some station personnel was
that the station gives a high priority to these visits because
they provide an opportunity to promote Argentine sovereignty in
the region. However, guidelines are reportedly being written that
will clearly establish science as the priority activity.
3.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
The OIC and the SIC (who have been working as a team for many
years) were mostly concerned about the rubbish and its visual
impact. They said that they have undertaken a major clean-up of
the station to get rid of items like waste drums, and that they
had already removed a lot of rubbish since the beginning of the
1992/93 summer.
The blockage in the system seems to be ship space for removal of
wastes. The OIC said that there is a lot of competition among
Argentine Antarctic stations for access to space on ships.
A study of the environmental impact of the Argentine stations is
being addressed by a team of three scientists led by Jose Maria
Acero from the IAA.
Prior to their stint in Antarctica, the military personnel who
are wintering over receive about one year's training in the
Antarctic section of the army. The program covers survival,
safety training, etc., and approximately two weeks are
reportedly spent in training on environmental matters, courtesy
of the DNA. In addition, the scientists on station give some
training as to local wildlife and sensitive areas, with lectures
as soon as new people arrive on station. It was not made clear to
Greenpeace how civilian personnel are trained.
It seemed that the training was not completely successful, as,
for example, construction loads had been placed on top of
previously relatively undisturbed moss beds. In addition,
personnel were observed walking on the local plant cover.
The OIC had a copy of the Madrid Protocol ready to hand, and also
gave Greenpeace an IAA publication on the location of SSSIs and
SPAs and other Treaty rules. However, the OIC and SIC did not
seem to have a high degree of awareness about the role of
environmental impact assessments.
The station had a population of approximately 100 skuas. This
large number suggests that the birds are regularly fed. Terns
nest on the beach in front of the temporary summer
accommodation, and giant petrels breed in the nearby SSSI.
Vegetation is abundant around the station, and remains of plant
cover could be seen even in the middle of the station, albeit in
small patches. Vegetation was common in all areas except very
close to the beach.
The boundary of the SSSI was rather poorly marked with a sign
(placed quite high on the hillside) saying simply "Restricted
Area" in Spanish and English. There were no signs on the beach,
which would be a likely point of access. However, there was a
prominently displayed map inside the station showing the
boundaries of the area.
Station personnel are permitted to enter the SSSI as long as they
stay on the formed paths. During the visit, Greenpeace personnel
were encouraged to enter the SSSI to visit the
elephant seal colonies, although the OIC said that such a visit
should be accompanied by a scientist. Greenpeace staff did not,
however, enter the site.
3.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The main area where the station does not comply with the
Protocol is in its lack of sewage treatment.
The burning of plastics is also possibly a violation of the
Protocol, depending on the type of plastics that are burnt.
3.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
One of the station's biggest problems appears to be the waste
handling system. An immediate improvement that could be made is
much more effective sorting of garbage at source, with adequate
and clearly labelled containers available in all areas of the
station. Removal of waste needs to receive much more support,
program-wide, with a much greater emphasis placed on providing
adequate ship space and logistic time for removing garbage.
Burning of waste should be ceased immediately.
Plans to remove the fuel bladders are to be commended, and
should be carried out as soon as possible. However, containment
needs to be provided for all fuel facilities. Of course, the
amount of fuel that it is necessary to store on station could and
should be significantly reduced by the development and
installation of alternative energy systems.
Finally, the sharing of facilities with the German Antarctic
program is wholeheartedly encouraged. However, the increase of
personnel at the station will increase the urgency with which
Jubany must address its logistics problems discussed here.
4 ARGENTINA: REFUGIO NAVAL GOUSSE, PETERMAN ISLAND
4.1 Overview and Location
The hut on Peterman Island, Lemaire Channel, (65°11'S 64°10'W)
was built in 1955 by Argentina. It is located on the water's
edge, on a low rocky outcrop.
4.1.1 Status
The hut is now used for recreation by personnel from the UK
station Faraday, and is frequently visited by tourist ships.
4.1.2 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Peterman Island on 29 January 1993, for about
2 1/2 hours.
4.2 Physical Description
The hut is situated in the middle of a large gentoo penguin
colony, which is the main reason for tourist interest in the
site.
The refuge consists of a hut, and a small tin shed that is
missing its roof and two walls. The hut looked rough from the
outside, but was clean and tidy inside and appeared
weatherproof. Inside were some BAS stores, and some medicine from
an Argentinian medicine chest. There was also a large coal store
and a coal stove.
The shed contained various bits of junk, and three old
Argentinian fuel drums which still contained diesel fuel. Behind
the shed were a further three drums. All drums were.
deteriorating and two of those outside were beginning to leak.
Greenpeace personnel decanted the fuel from the two that were in
worst condition, and rolled all the barrels into the shed.
Near the hut was a burn drum, which showed signs of having
recently been used.
Greenpeace personnel discussed the problem of the fuel drums with
the OIC at Faraday, who said that the UK could not take
responsibility for removing abandoned fuel that belonged to the
Argentine government.
4.3 Conclusions and Recommendations
The hut at Peterman Island should be either properly maintained,
or removed completely. Argentina has primary responsibility for
the site, but the UK, which now uses the site most consistently,
should also take some initiative. If it is to be kept and
maintained, it should not be used during the breeding season.
Most urgently, remaining fuel and any other toxic substances
should be removed. This would not be a particularly arduous job,
and could be undertaken in a couple of hours by any ship in the
area.
Personnel visiting the hut should remove all their wastes with
them. The burning of rubbish seems completely unnecessary, and in
any case contrary to Annex III of the Protocol.
5 ARGENTINA: YANKEE HARBOUR
5.1 Location and Site Description
In Yankee Harbour, Greenwich Island, there is a small, one-
roomed hut, sitting in the middle of a large gentoo penguin
colony. There were also a few fur seals and elephant seals in the
vicinity of hut.
The hut is solid, but deteriorating. Its door was open, and
penguins had nested inside, covering the floor with guano. At
present, the hut is unusable and would require much work to make
it habitable.
Inside the hut were some Argentine navy plates, and the
navigation aid on the spit nearby was also Argentinian.
5.2 Comments and Recommendations
This structure should be completely removed and the area should
be cleaned up, by Argentina during the next summer season. This
operation should be undertaken after the wildlife in the
vicinity has finished breeding and has departed.
If there is a genuine need for a refuge in the area, one should
be built outside the penguin colony.
6 BRAZIL: BARAO DE TEFFE
6.1 Background Information
The Bardo de Teffe is the Brazilian resupply ship, run by the
Brazilian navy (Marinha Nacional do Brazil). It is a large ship,
carrying helicopters and a large helipad on the stern.
6.1.1 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace saw the Bardo de Teffe three times during January
1993; twice in Maxwell Bay, King George Island, on 7 and 9
January, and once in Admiralty Bay when it was resupplying the
Brazilian station, Ferraz, on 15 January.
A short but cordial radio conversation took place on 7 January.
However, attempts by Greenpeace to make contact during the
second encounter in Maxwell Bay (described further below) were
unsuccessful.
6.2 Compliance with the Protocol
On 9 January, when the Bardo de Teffe was stationed in Maxwell
Bay, Greenpeace watched and documented its helicopter operating
at low levels over Ardley Island, a designated Site of Special
Scientific. Interest (No. 33). Greenpeace saw the helicopter make
at least three passes over the island, including landing on the
highest point at least twice. It appeared to be deploying people
at the navigational mark at the peak of the island.
The Ardley Island SSSI management plan states (paragraph 2(vi)):
"Helicopters should not land on or overfly the island below 300 m
altitude."
Recommendation XVI-2, which annexes the management plan for
Ardley Island, says that the management plan should be
"voluntarily take[n] account of." The Madrid Protocol, Annex V
states that already-designated SSSIs be redesignated Antarctic
Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs), and that entry into the ASPAs
shall only be by permit, for purposes "in accordance with the
requirements of the Management Plan relating to that area."
6.2.1 Comments and Recommendations
Overflights of, and landing on, Ardley Island are a clear breach
of the Ardley Island SSSI management plan, and of the agreement,
made by governments in 1991 at the XVIth Antarctic Treaty
Consultative Meeting in Bonn, to apply the provisions of the
Madrid Protocol and its annexes even though they are not yet in
force.
The officers and crew of the Bardo de Teffe need urgent training
in the requirements of the Protocol and other Antarctic Treaty
requirements. Procedures should be implemented by Brazil to
ensure that such a violation of Antarctic Treaty System
agreements is not repeated.
7 BRAZIL: COMANDANTE FERRAZ
7.1 Overview
Brazil opened Comandante Ferraz Station in 1984. Logistics and
station maintenance are provided by the Brazilian navy (Marinha
Nacional do Brasil).
Brazil's National Committee for Antarctic Research, subsidised by
the National Research Council of Brazil, is responsible for the
liaison between the Brazilian Antarctic Program and the
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).
7.1.1 Location
Comandante Ferraz (62°05'S, 58°23'W) is situated in Admiralty
Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands. It sits on a
gently sloping gravel beach, less than 100 metres from the sea.
There are a couple of lakes behind and above the station.
7.1.2 Status
The OIC at the time of Greenpeace's visit was Capitao de Fragata
Jose Francisco Vasconcellos Gomes (Brazilian Navy). His term of
duty was from December, 1992 to March, 1993.
The station is staffed by two different crews per year, one for
the summer, and one for the winter, meaning that normally nobody
spends more than ten months at the station. Usually, there are 13
in the winter crew (8 navy and 5 scientists), while the
summer crew consists of 25 people (8 navy and 17 scientists).
However, at the time of Greenpeace's visit, there was an extra
crew of 25 construction workers (civilians working for the navy)
on station. Therefore, the total number of people sleeping at the
station on the inspection day was 48.
The navy personnel comprised three officers (the OIC, the second
in command, and the doctor) and five sergeants (mechanic, radio
operator, cook, etc.). Of the scientists, only men are permitted
to overwinter.
In running the station, the navy works in cooperation with other
government ministries such as the Comisao Interministerial de
Recursos do Mar (Interministerial Commission of Marine
Resources). Science is coordinated by the Conselho Nacional de
Desenvolvimiento Cientifico e Technologico (National Council of
Scientific and Technological Development).
7.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Ferraz on 15 January 1993. The resupply ship
Barao de Teffe had arrived, and they were doing their mid-summer
resupply. Greenpeace therefore offered to come back the next day,
but the OIC was willing to host a visit that day. Despite also
supervising a hectic resupply, the second in command and doctor,
Sebastiao Vieira, conducted a tour of the station, after which
Greenpeace personnel were invited to lunch. Later in the day,
some of the station personnel briefly visited the Pelagic.
7.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace previously visited Ferraz in November 1989, and
before that in April 1988.
7.2 Physical Structure
The station complex consists of 59 galvanised steel modules,
lined with wood and set in concrete foundations. Most modules are
linked by a common roof. Under the roof the ground is paved with
small, uncemented concrete blocks. Besides the central complex,
there are around eight other small buildings, including
laboratories, and the meteorological building. The structures
were all in good condition.
A road leads from the station to Point Plaza, some 900 metres
away, where there are several more laboratories. There is also
some tracking within the station area (from the station to some
of the labs up the hill).
Water is taken from the two freshwater ponds close to the
station.
7.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
The station has now reached its functional size and personnel did
not expect any expansion in the near future. At the time of
Greenpeace's visit, a new engine room was being installed within
the main complex. The main reason given for this was that the old
engine room had been located in the middle of the station and was
too noisy.
Another new project was the relocation of the helipad. Although
they were already using the new location, landing on the
unmodified ground surface, personnel said that an EIA would be
done when the time came to construct the new helipad.
7.3 Operations
There were 21 scientific programs at the station, in life,
atmospheric and earth sciences. At least half of the scientists
were from the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais.
One of the projects was addressing the environmental impact of
the station. Specifically, this project was assessing
hydrocarbon contamination, mostly in water bodies (sea and
lakes) but also in the terrestrial environment in the vicinity of
the fuel tanks. This project had been under way for several
years.
Botanical studies were being done in collaboration with
Canadian, Belgian and Japanese scientists.
In addition, other projects were addressing global change:
* mass balance of glaciers and its relation with global change;
* ozone measurements and hole displacement (in collaboration with
Magallanes University in Punta Arenas);
* ice coring to reconstruct evolution of environmental pollution
in the South Shetlands.
In summer, inflatable boats are the primary form of transport.
While there were seven on station, only three were in use at the
time of Greenpeace's visit, owing to a shortage of drivers. In
winter, they use three snow tractors, four snowmobiles with skis
available for recreation. There are also two bulldozers on
station.
7.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
7.3.1.1 Separation
Garbage is divided into five categories: plastics, metal, glass,
organics and paper/wood/cardboard. The latter two categories are
incinerated, and the others are removed from the Antarctic, cans
being compacted first. Separation is done at source, into well-
marked bins in the kitchens and toilets. Statistics on the
amount of waste produced in each category are reported to SCAR.
The radio operator was in charge of waste disposal.
Apparently this system has always operated at this station.
There was no evidence of food being available to wildlife, and
there were only a couple of pairs of skuas hanging around the
station.
The laboratory sinks, into which chemical wastes are poured,
drain into plastic containers outside the laboratory.
7.3.1.2 Dumps
There was no dump visible at Ferraz. At the beginning and end of
each term of duty (summer and winter), station personnel carry
out what they call "Operacao pente fino" (fine comb operation) in
which they walk along the beach from Point Plaza about 900 metres
away, through the station, picking up litter. During the 1992/93
summer, the OIC reportedly had such litter patrols done every two
weeks.
The effectiveness of this regime was obvious in that, despite
being in the middle of a resupply and construction of an
extension of the station, there was almost no litter around the
station. Nor was there much beyond the station vicinity, apart
from around the abandoned British buildings on either side of the
station.
7.3.1.3 Incineration
Organics, paper, and wood were being incinerated in a hospital-
style high temperature incinerator located inside the roofed
complex. Emissions were filtered using "oxicatalyzers", which
eliminate carbon monoxide from the exhaust fumes by converting it
to carbon dioxide and water.
Ash is returned to Brazil.
7.3.1.4 Waste Removal
In addition to the other categories of waste, mentioned above,
that are removed, waste oil and fuel is stored in drums and
returned to Brazil.
7.3.2 Sewage System
Human waste and grey water were being treated in a three-
chambered septic tank, with filters between each chamber.
Filters were changed every two months. In the winter of 1992, a
new filtering system was installed that reportedly enables the
treatment of sewage produced by 150 people. After it has run
through the three filters, liquid seeps into the soil, and flows
in a small stream on the surface towards the sea, accumulating in
a 10-metre long pool at the top of the beach. A film of
grease could be seen on top of this pool, and algae had
accumulated on the rock surface over which the liquid flowed.
The specifications of the new filtering system require that it is
cleaned out after one year. However the OIC said that they would
clean it more frequently, experimenting to find the best
intervals.
7.3.3 Energy Systems
The station stored 330,000 litres of diesel, which is used in all
generators at the rate of approximately 20,000 litres a month.
Consumption will theoretically diminish with the new engines,
which had not yet been tried.
The inflatable boats used about 400 litres of gasoline a month
(in summer).
Diesel is stored in 17 cylindrical steel tanks of 20,000 litres
each. These are mounted horizontally on steel frames, sitting on
beach pebbles about 50 metres from, and ten metres above, the
shoreline. The tanks are connected to the generator room system
by steel pipes. There were no additional containment systems and
there were fuel stains in the soil around the tanks and most
other connections in the system.
Fuel is transferred in barges from the resupply ship to shore.
The barges are beached, and the fuel is transferred by flexible
hose to the tanks. Since Greenpeace's last visit, a new fuel
pipeline had been installed.
Previously, the station had three main generators plus two
emergency generators. These have been exchanged for five 150
kW/amp generators, housed in a new generator building, with two
extra ones for emergency use.
Along with the new generators, a filter has been installed on the
exhaust system. After going through the filter, exhaust passes
through a water tank to make use of the waste heat.
According to manufacturer's specifications, the filter has a low
initial and operational cost, as it does not require
electricity. It reportedly eliminates different substances in the
following percentages: 95% of carbon monoxide, 90% of soot, 85%
of formaldehyde, 10% of NOx, and 50% of noise. It does not
increase the production of NO2.
Fuel spills have occurred in the past. Two years ago, a spill
occurred in winter time. It was hidden by snow, and therefore
went undetected for some time. This spill was not cleaned up, but
its effects have been monitored. Apparently, little
biodegradation has taken place, and some compounds that
evaporated from the surface still persist deeper down.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, station personnel reported
that there was an oil spill contingency plan for the station
being developed by PetroBras (the Brazilian oil company) in
collaboration with Sao Paulo University scientists studying oil
contamination.
There were no plans to introduce alternative energy systems to
the station. The station seemed to be somewhat inefficient in its
use of energy, in that it was kept at a relatively high
temperature inside the buildings, through the use of electric
heaters.
7.3.4 Resupply Operations
The navy resupply ship Barao de Teffe normally visits the
station twice a year to exchange crews, although in the 1992/93
summer it also visited in January for a mid-summer change of
scientists. There are also seven flights a year, which use the
Chilean airstrip at Marsh. Another resupply ship, the Professor
W. Besnard, is also sometimes used.
7.4 Tourism
Ferraz received four tourist visits in the six weeks previous to
Greenpeace's visit. Apparently tourist companies tend to take
their ships to either Arctowski or Ferraz, but not both.
Tourists are briefed by the tour operators before coming ashore
and in general personnel do not consider them to be a problem.
Tourists are asked to follow a set route that takes them around
the station, to the abandoned British huts, and to visit the
whale skeleton. The moss bed on which the skeleton sits is
marked as off-limits, and is delimited on the ground by a
perimeter of small rocks.
7.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
When asked what he thought the greatest impacts of the station
were, the OIC said that the worst impacts had come during the
station's construction, and added that he did not expect them to
increase with time, due to the way the station is run.
The engineer in charge of construction said that a preliminary
assessment had been done prior to the construction of the
buildings.
The OIC told Greenpeace that station personnel are careful not to
feed wildlife, particularly as they had heard of other
stations having trouble with faecal contamination of water
supplies by the birds that are encouraged to hang around.
Prior to travelling to Antarctica, Brazilian personnel receive a
lecture about the systems in operation at the station, safety
issues and behaviour with respect to the environment. In
addition, preparations for the winter crew include survival
training and medical and psychological tests. The lecture is
reinforced with another given on arrival at the station,
although the one given to the new arrivals on the day that
Greenpeace visited referred only to domestic matters. However,
this may have been because most of the newcomers had been to the
station before.
On arrival at the station, three papers were given to Greenpeace
personnel. One was a visitors' introduction (in English) to the
history of the station, with a biography of C. Ferraz; another
was a map of the station (in English) showing a route for
touring the station and vicinity and the third was page of
instructions about protecting the environment, litter, safety and
science (in English and Portuguese). The last was very
similar to those given to us at Bellingshausen and Arctowski.
Near the station there are substantial moss beds, in particular
around the whale skeleton assembled several years ago by Jacques
Cousteau. These areas are forbidden to personnel and visitors.
7.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
There were copies of the Protocol on station, and personnel
generally seemed well informed about its implications. However,
some scientists complained that in their normal jobs back in
Brazil it was difficult to stay updated about what was happening
in the Antarctic Treaty system.
The station managers believed that only small adjustments in the
way the station is run will be needed to comply with the
Protocol. Mostly these will involve the way environmental impact
assessment is developed.
7.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
Overall, the impression was of a well-run station, with a high
level of environmental awareness, and a high degree of
importance placed on the science program.
All the personnel that Greenpeace talked to seemed to be aware of
their environment and of the new developments of the
Antarctic Treaty including the Protocol. The OIC and other
military personnel emphasised their role of support for science.
The use of uncemented bricks as a paving material would seem to
be sensible, as they will be able to be removed when the time
comes to take the base out.
Incineration of waste should be phased out, and all waste should
be removed from the Antarctic instead.
Fuel handling needs to be done with more care, and containment
should be provided around all fuel facilities. The amount of fuel
used by this station could be reduced by lowering the
temperature of the station, and by developing alternative
sources of energy.
7.6 Abandoned British Facilities
At either end of the beach on which Ferraz is located are
abandoned British facilities. One is part of an old whaling
station, and the other was Falkland Islands Dependency Survey
(FIDS) Base G. To the north, on a low headland, are two
buildings. One is quite small and contains a toilet but little
else. The other is large, and has a central corridor running its
length, with smallish rooms either side. It is still
structurally complete, but is decaying. The rooms contained much
rusting and decaying junk, the building smelt, and one room was
full of mouldering cans. Fortunately, there is little junk lying
around outside these buildings.
To the south, again on a small headland and next to three
Brazilian buildings (including the meteorological building), are
another two buildings. The smaller one is a shed, which now
contains mainly Brazilian construction materials and other junk
(including PVC piping lying on the ground). The large building is
a complex of rooms. The roof is falling in (and in fact has
disappeared) in several places, and the contents (mattresses,
food, remains of the workshop, etc.) were therefore in poor
condition and were scattered around the rooms. Outside there were
several places where stacks of coal had split and were spreading
over the ground. Inside one room were two vehicle batteries
decaying on the bench.
It looked as though the place had been looted because all the
drawers were open, and wiring had been pulled off the walls in
many places.
7.6.1 Recommendations
These buildings should to be tidied and either removed, or
declared and maintained as historic sites, by the UK government
as a matter of urgency. Of most urgency, hazardous materials such
as chemicals and batteries need to be removed, as well as any
tangled wiring or other junk that might prove a hazard to
wildlife.
8 BULGARIA: REFUGE
8.1 Overview
The Bulgarian hut on Livingston Island was installed by Sofia
University in April 1987. As far as can be established, it has
not been used since. The OIC at the nearby Spanish station, Juan
Carlos I, said that she had visited and documented the site
several times over the past few years, and that it is steadily
deteriorating.
Some of the construction materials and drums have disappeared
over time, and sometimes debris from the site are found on the
other side of the bay.
8.1.1 Location
This refuge is situated in the head of South Bay. It is set a
couple of hundred metres back from the shore, approximately 10
metres above sea level.
8.1.2 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited the site on 21 January 1993, for
approximately one hour.
8.2 Description of Physical Structure
The refuge consists of two buildings, both about the size of a
small shipping container. One, constructed of wood, sits
directly on the ground and the other, constructed of steel, sits
on short piles. The wooden hut is insulated, and the structure
was in a reasonable condition. However, the interior was very
damp, and most of the contents were sodden and decomposing. The
contents included six 20-litre cans of gasoline, a pile of
rotting food, three or four wet sleeping bags, a small fuel
stove, and some tools.
One of the windows of the uninsulated steel hut was broken.
Inside the hut were some building materials, plastic hose, and
sheets of polystyrene.
Some materials were also scattered around the buildings and down
the slope towards the sea. These included steel pipe, angle iron,
a coil of electric cable, a broken wooden table and four 200-
litre drums which had been scattered by the wind down the slope
and were lying in a snow-covered stream bed. These four drums
were full of fuel, and decaying. Greenpeace personnel moved one
of the drums into the lee of the steel building and put it on
edge so that it would no longer leak from its seal. The other
drums were iced in and were too fragile to move.
In addition, other bits of loose trash and some half-buried gas
bottles were collected and moved into the wooden hut to prevent
further scattering.
8.3 Comments and Recommendations
This hut should be removed and the site cleaned up. Obviously,
Bulgaria should take responsibility for ensuring that this is
done. However, failing this, other Treaty parties should take
responsibility. The entire operation would not be particularly
large or difficult.
The most urgent need is for the contents of the 200 litre drums
to be removed. This could be done very easily by a shore-party
with a few fuel containers, a hand-pump, and some absorbent
material to mop up any small spills. In fact, in a later radio
conversation with the OIC of Juan Carlos I, Greenpeace asked her
if a party could be sent to do this during the end-of-season
visit from the Spanish resupply ship. However, she said that she
did not think it would be possible.
9 CHILE: TENIENTE MARSH/PRESIDENTE FREI
9.1 Overview
The meteorological station Presidente Frei was opened by Chile in
1969, adjacent to Russia's Bellingshausen Station. In 1980,
Teniente Marsh was established as part of the complex and a 1300
meter airstrip was constructed to service the station. This
airstrip is regularly used by other nations and by private,
commercial tourist operations. Las Estrellas, a village within
the station that contains married quarters, was inaugurated in
1984, and several children have since been born there.
9.1.1 Location
Teniente Marsh/Presidente Frei Station (62°12'S, 58°54'W) is
located on the Fildes Peninsula, Maxwell Bay, King George
Island, South Shetland Islands. Marsh/Frei and the then Soviet
Union's Bellingshausen were built in an area which had been
designated as a Specially Protected Area (SPA). With their
construction, the SPA designation of the Fildes Peninsula and
Ardley Island was abandoned.
9.1.2 Status
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the OIC was Julio Escobar
Vias, Comandante del Grupo de Exploracion Antartica 19, whose
term of duty was for two years--1992 and 1993. During the 1992
winter, there had been 50 people on station, half of which were
children. Most of the residents are air force personnel (and
their families) although there are also scientists, a post
office employee, and a teacher.
Officers stay two years with their families, subordinates one
year.
Generally, from mid-November to mid-March the station has 80 to
90 employees plus 30 dependents (wives and children) on site.
During the rest of the year, the staff number around 30 with
another 30 dependents. The Chilean Air Force employs personnel
(including a small civilian staff for its office) and runs the
station on behalf of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH).
9.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace anchored off Marsh from 7 to 13 January, 1993. A
formal meeting was held with the OIC on 11 January, followed by a
tour of the station complex (including the airfield). The
following day, a small group of Greenpeace personnel visited
parts of the station to carry out a scientific sampling program.
9.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace's initial visit to Marsh/Frei occurred in April,1988,
during the organisation's 1987/88 Expedition. Further
inspections were carried out in October 1989 and in March,1991
and the findings from these visits can be found in the
Expedition Reports from those years.
9.2 Physical Structure
This station is described comprehensively in Greenpeace's
Expedition Report of the 1990/91 expedition. There are around 20
buildings, including a central office building, dormitories and
family housing, a bank, hostel, school, and utility buildings.
These facilities were generally in good condition.
The station's fresh water supplies come from three different melt
lakes: one by the airport, one behind the village, and one,
shared with the Russians, at the head of the stream that divides
Bellingshausen from Marsh. Each had its own pumping station.
The station has a 1300 metre long airstrip. In the hangar were
two helicopters. Jeeps are used to transport personnel between
the airfield and the main station.
9.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
It is not planned to expand Marsh in the near future,
particularly as funding for the Chilean armed forces has been
reduced in recent years. Station personnel commented that
ideally INACH would take over the station, leaving the air force
to run only the flights.
9.3 Operations
According to the OIC, science under way at the station included
corrosion experiments, cosmic radiation, upper atmospheric
studies, and measurement of UV radiation.
9.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
Garbage is separated at source into glass, metal, plastic and
burnables, and is then taken to the incinerator building for
burning or stowage. Waste for removal, including the remains of a
small aircraft that apparently crashed on the airstrip in
February 1992, was piled on the beach in an untidy heap.
Waste oil and grease are stored in drums (10 to 12 a year) for
return to Chile.
9.3.1.1 Dumps
The old dump behind the station has been bulldozed over, but
pieces of junk, including steel, glass, plastic, and pipes of all
sizes, stick out of the ground throughout the site.
9.3.1.2 Incineration
During Greenpeace's 1990/91 visit to the station, the OIC said
that filters would be installed on the incinerator. During the
1993 visit, the OIC reported that these filters had been
purchased, but could not be installed until some refurbishing of
the incinerator had been done. At the time of the visit, the
incinerator looked to be in a very similar condition to that of
two years before.
There was also some evidence of a bonfire behind the control
tower at the airfield.
9.3.2 Sewage System
The sewage system of the buildings associated with the airfield
consists of a single-stage settlement tank, the overflow from
which is piped into a stream that runs into the plain to the west
of the airfield. A new settlement tank has been built next to the
old one, which was full of waste. A similar system,
except with the addition of a gravel filtration system, operates
in the main part of the base; the liquid effluent is then pumped
to the sea.
9.3.3 Energy Systems
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the station had a total of
450,000 litres of diesel stored, although the annual consumption
is approximately 700,000 litres. In addition to the diesel,
180,000 litres of JP1, for refuelling aircraft, was stored at the
airfield.
Between the main station and the airfield there was a large
storage area for fuel drums, in which there were 500-600 200-
litre drums, most of which were plastic (these plastic drums were
apparently introduced two years ago). The few remaining metal
drums are in very poor condition, being at least four years old.
The plastic drums seem to be a successful innovation, in that the
area where they are all stored is quite clean.
Station personnel said that while they were slightly harder to
handle than steel drums, they are more watertight, and thus
reduce contamination of fuel with water (and hence wastage).
Refuelling is carried out several times each year, and these days
involves a ship hooking up to the fixed underwater pipe that
surfaces at the small island in Maxwell Bay.
There are two generator buildings, one in the main station, and
one at the airfield. The OIC reported that they plan to move all
the generators into a single building, which is hoped will
reduce fuel consumption.
As reported from Greenpeace's last visit, there is substantial
fuel spillage around all fuel handling facilities. This is
particularly severe around the fuel tanks by the shore, where the
soil between the tanks and the shoreline is soaked in fuel, and a
sheen of oil is constantly visible on the sea water. When the
Pelagic raised its anchor in the vicinity of this beach, fuel
appeared to be released from the sediments in the bottom of the
bay. In the past, fuel has been transferred by hose from ship to
shore at this site and this practice may account for much of the
spillage.
Another serious spill site was visible behind the hangar at the
airfield, as reported from Greenpeace's previous visit to this
station. Contamination in this area has spread several hundreds
of metres downslope onto an outwash plain (Elephant Valley) that
is covered in mosses and supports Antarctic tern and skua
nesting sites and elephant seals (this area had also been
substantially damaged by vehicle traffic).
The ground around the generator exhaust outlets was also heavily
stained with fuel.
There were still no drip pans or containment systems under any
fuel handling facilities. However, wooden wedges for plugging
fuel pipes had been brought to the station. Once the pipe is
plugged, the rest of the fuel in the faulty line can be removed
in a controlled way. The OIC also said that tanks were checked
weekly, so that any significant fuel losses through leaks could
be spotted. The pipelines were also checked at the same time. The
OIC felt that, due to this system, the likelihood of a
serious leak had been reduced to zero.
Several spill sites by the shore, one by the fuel tanks and
another on the other side of the jetty, seemed to have been
partially excavated, leaving large holes. In addition, an
attempt appeared to have been made to cover some of the
contaminated soil with clean soil, both behind the tanks by the
shore, and behind the hangar.
A four-inch steel pipeline, coated with concrete and plastic, had
recently been laid underwater along the sea floor between the
main tanks on the shore and a large rock a few hundred
metres offshore. On shore, the pipeline runs underground for
about 20 metres to the pumphouse. At the seaward end, the pipe is
connected to a buoy, and when the refuelling ship arrives, it
hooks up to the permanent pipe by a flexible hose.
This construction was done by the Chilean national oil company.
As far as Greenpeace can ascertain, no EIA was done for this
work.
One of the concerning aspects of this system was that no warning
was given against anchoring in the vicinity of the pipe, even
when Chilean port authorities from the station came aboard the
Pelagic on arrival in the bay.
The OIC was unable to give Greenpeace much information about the
progress of a project (reported from Greenpeace's previous
visit) to study the development of wind generation at the
station.
9.4 Tourism
The OIC said that approximately 4000 tourists had visited the
station over the previous year. However tourism is perhaps on the
decrease at the station, as tourist flights from Chile to Marsh
had recently been discontinued (and hence it is no longer
possible to get a flight to or from Marsh on a purely commercial
basis). The hostel near the airstrip is now used more for
transient scientists and maintenance personnel, and most
tourists now arrive by ship.
The OIC commented that tourists seemed to be becoming better
informed these days about standards of behaviour, and that this
was reinforced by instructions transmitted over FM Radio
Soberania (broadcast from Marsh). Ardley Island is off-limits to
tourists.
Evaluation of Environmental Impact
The OIC was not prepared to describe what he considered to be the
most serious environmental impacts of the station. Instead, he
expounded his plan to minimise impact little by little. No
studies on the impact of the station are being carried out.
The concept of EIA was known by the OIC, but he did not know
about the Chilean system for carrying them out.
The station has a (reportedly) widely distributed map which
identifies local wildlife concentrations, over which flying is
restricted.
When tourists are around, the station's radio broadcasts, in both
Spanish and English, exhortations about safety and the
environment, such as:
* do not remove rocks, lichens, or animals
* don't waste water
* tell your tour where you are going
* don't go onto the airfield or around the hangar when planes are
operating or during loading and unloading of cargo.
According to the OIC there have been some changes introduced to
reduce environmental impact of the Chilean program, comprising:
* procedures to control spills from pipelines;
* procedures for separation and collection of garbage;
* the submarine pipeline to minimise spills in the transport of
fuel from ship to shore;
* maintenance of drums;
* annual clean-up of the station; and
* clean up of Gonzalez Videla.
9.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The OIC had a well-thumbed and highlighted copy of the Protocol,
and seemed to be very familiar with its provisions. He said that
changes would have to be made to comply with the Protocol, but
that he was not aware of what those changes are. In the
meantime, he said that he was following the Protocol as much as
possible.
9.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
Much of the impact of the Marsh/Frei complex arises from its
size--both from the number of people present on the station, and
from its sprawl over the landscape. Because of substantial fuel
spillage, the footprint from this station is significantly
larger than the immediately visible spread of buildings and
facilities. The number of people should be reduced in the short
term, and the sprawl addressed over a longer term.
Greenpeace repeats most of its recommendations from the previous
visit:
* Chile's policy of having large numbers of people, including
children, in Antarctica to further territorial interests should
be reassessed in the light of the Madrid Protocol. The number of
residents should be reduced to essential science and support
personnel.
* Incineration should be phased out, and all wastes removed from
Antarctica.
* Containment should be provided for all fuel facilities, and a
study of existing fuel contamination of the environment should be
undertaken to assess the best way of dealing with
contaminated soil. Fuel usage should be reduced through
efficiency measures and the introduction of alternative sources
of energy.
10 CHILE: CAPITAN ARTURO PRAT
10.1 Overview
Capitan Arturo Prat was the first Chilean station established in
Antarctica, in 1947. On the two occasions that Greenpeace has
previously visited Arturo Prat (see below), staff have clearly
indicated that the station's mission is to reinforce Chile's
territorial claims in Antarctica. Scientific research programs
have been minimal and limited to basic meteorological records and
glaciological observations.
10.1.1 Location
Arturo Prat is situated in Discovery Bay, Greenwich Island, South
Shetland Islands. It is located on a low gravel spit that
separates Discovery Bay from a small harbour. The entire spit is
probably no higher than five metres above sea level at any
point. There is a large brackish lagoon between the station and
the main jetty, and a smaller lake from which fresh water is
pumped.
10.1.2 Status
At the time of the visits, Capitan de Corbeta Jaime Abarzua Riffo
was in charge of the station. He was to be there until December
1993. Capitan Abarzua is also Maritime Governor of the Chilean
Antarctic (Gobernador Maritimo de la Antartica Chilena). Capitan
de Corbeta Moises Fernandez was in charge of the
maintenance team.
The winter crew consisted of nine men, including one officer. For
the summer (November to March) there is a maintenance crew of 32,
giving a total of 41.
10.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
During the 1992/93 season, Greenpeace visited Prat twice. The
first visit took place from 17 to 19 January, during which
sampling for a scientific analysis of contamination in the area
was carried out, meetings were held with senior station staff,
and a presentation was given to station personnel.
On 18 January, a fire broke out in the ceiling of the main
building. Greenpeace personnel rendered what assistance they
could; fortunately it was extinguished without too much damage,
and no-one was hurt.
On 19 January, the Pelagic crossed Discovery Bay to visit the
Ecuador's Maldonado station (see section 15). At the request of
the OIC of Prat, a member of the Prat team came along to inspect
the station.
The second visit to Prat took place from 3-6 February, when bad
weather forced the Pelagic to seek shelter in Discovery Bay.
During this visit, a meeting was held between Pelagic crew,
senior station officers, and the scientists mentioned above.
During both visits, Greenpeace personnel were treated with great
cordiality and hospitality by senior staff at the station, who
expressed an interest in Greenpeace's opinions and said that they
were concerned to reduce the impact of the station on the
environment.
10.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace first visited Arturo Prat Station in late April, 1988,
during its 1987/88 Expedition. The station was inspected a second
time in April 1991 during the second leg of
Greenpeace's 1990/91 Expedition. These visits are described in
the reports from those expeditions.
10.2 Physical Structure
Arturo Prat is thoroughly described in the Expedition Report of
Greenpeace's 1990/91 expedition. The main buildings, which are
clustered together, are obviously very old. They seem to be
reasonably well-maintained structurally--at least they are
painted regularly. The two steel and wood jetties (one in the
lagoon and one in Discovery Bay) are also old and deteriorating.
The exterior piping, particularly the water pipes, is insulated
with half-hemisphere polystyrene sections and covered with cloth
tape. In many places around the station, the cloth tape has
deteriorated and the polystyrene is eroding, scattering small
polystyrene kernels around the area and along the shore of the
lagoon.
10.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
Two new storage buildings, one of which is not yet finished, have
been added to the station. A further building, intended to join
two existing buildings together, was in the process of
construction. These buildings are not particularly large, and are
close to existing buildings.
If a bulldozer could be brought to the station the OIC said he
would get rid of the dump and enlarge Pozo Rojas (the artificial
lake).
10.3 Operations
A session of the Chilean Congress was held at Prat during 1992,
attended by about 30 congress members and the President of the
Senate.
Prat is intended to be a sub-station for responding to marine
pollution (there are 5 such stations in Chile). To fulfil this
role, Prat will store dispersants, 1000 metres of boom and
absorbent pads, to be used, in case of a fuel spill, by any ship
operating in the area. However, contrary to a Chilean report at a
1992 SCALOP meeting, this equipment was not yet at Prat at the
time of Greenpeace's visit.
In contrast to Greenpeace's last visit (in 1991), the OIC stated
that the station has the purpose of giving support to scientific
studies. He said that they carry out three programs:
meteorology, glaciology (daily observations on the quantity and
type of ice in the vicinity of the station) and biology (daily
observations of fauna in the vicinity of the station).
Between Greenpeace's two visits to the station, a research team
of two scientists, one from the Universidad Catolica del Norte
and one from INACH, arrived to begin what would be an ongoing
scientific program at the station. Apparently there has been an
agreement, signed in 1992, between the Universidad Catolica del
Norte and INACH to start year round scientific research at the
station. This was to involve refitting a building to house
scientists in the 1993/94 summer, and two scientists were to stay
for the following winter. In honour of this program, the words
"Antarctic Marine Science" have been added to the name of the
station.
103.1 Waste Disposal Systems
10.3.1.1. Separation
As stated in Greenpeace's previous report on this station, waste
is sorted behind the galley into organics, plastics and glass and
tins. The procedure is rather inefficient, as all the galley
waste is initially put together into one bin and later separated
by hand each day. This task rotates amongst station personnel.
Organics are stored in plastic bags which are returned to Chile
in 200 litre drums cut in half, with the upper 15 cm cut to make
flaps that are then folded over to seal the container. The drums
are brought from Chile for this purpose and cut down on site.
Once returned to Chile, the waste is incinerated or disposed of
in a landfill. Food scraps appeared to be stored well out of
reach of wildlife, and there was no evidence in the behaviour of
the local skuas that they were being fed at the station.
Tins and glass are compacted in an industrial compactor, and
stored in the rough cut packing crates used for incoming
supplies.
Paper (including used toilet paper) and cardboard is burnt, both
to reduce the amount of flammable material at the station and to
prevent spread of disease. Wood appeared to be reused or
removed. The OIC agreed that it would not be very difficult to
return paper to Chile, and that he could easily institute that
change.
Waste oil and grease is reportedly returned to Chile.
10.3.1.2 Dump
As reported in previous years, the dump did not seem to be in
use, but covered an extensive area of the moss beds between the
station and the sea. The OIC said he wanted to bring a bulldozer
in to get rid of the dump.
At another site (near the water supply), a spill of paint was
visible on the snow, looking as if half a can had simply been
dumped there.
One of the improvements cited by station personnel was the use of
large magnets to pick up nails from the ground outside.
10.3.1.3 Waste Removal
Reports on the amount of rubbish removed from the Antarctic
varied, according to who was asked, from 50-70 drums per year to
200 drums per year, plus wooden boxes. They are transported by
ship to Punta Arenas, but it was unclear how they are treated in
Chile. One source said that cans, glass, cardboard and scrap
metal are recycled.
Over the month before Greenpeace's visit, 30 drums with garbage
and waste fuel had been returned to mainland Chile.
10.3.1.4 Incineration
Waste classed as burnable is burned in an open drum, although a
slightly more solid and enclosed steel structure (essentially a
steel box with a door and a chimney, sitting on a concrete pad)
was being constructed during Greenpeace's visit. Station
personnel said that only toilet paper and occasionally organics
were burned. Emissions are not filtered or monitored.
The presence of oil on and in the ground between the burn-drum
and the lake suggested that fuel or waste oil is used to start
the burn-ups.
There was some ash lying around the site, but most of it is
apparently removed to Chile.
10.3.2 Sewage System
As in previous years, raw sewage and grey water is poured into
the harbour (Iquique Cove) through two 8 centimetre PVC
pipelines. One of these, leading from the main building, exits
underneath the jetty. The water in this area had bits of toilet
paper floating in it, and the substrate appeared partially
anaerobic. The pipe leading from the emergency building/summer
accommodation was broken at its lower end, which was exposed at
low tide, and a pile of faeces was visible at its outlet.
The OIC displayed plans for the installation of a treatment plant
("Ecojet 20") and said that it would be installed in the 1993/94
season. These were the same plans that had been shown to
Greenpeace two years ago. The OIC said that the system had not
been installed yet due to economic problems.
Toilet paper is kept separate and is incinerated, and toilets are
flushed with hot water.
10.3.3 Energy Systems
To avoid a repeat of the spill in 1982 when thousands of litres
of fuel leaked from an underground pipe system, fuel is now
transported through raised pipes. According to the station
commander, this was not the only upgrading that the fuel system
would receive.
Fuel is transported via hoseline from the ship, which is
anchored 50-60 metres from shore, to the fuel tanks on land.
Station personnel said that they used containers under the
couplings in case of drips. There was what appeared to be a
containment structure under the valves on the main tanks.
However, there was a gap in the wall of this structure,
presumably to allow melted snow and ice to drain, which rendered
the structure useless for fuel containment.
As described in Greenpeace's last report, one of the dominating
features of this station is the legacy of the large spill that
occurred over a decade ago. Besides its constant seepage into the
lagoon, the flat ground of moss and stones was in many
places coated with thick, tarry oil, and the ground beneath the
tanks was soaked with fuel.
There were no concrete plans to install alternative energy
systems, but vague plans were mentioned for assessing the
possibility of installing a wind generator.
10.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
The OIC saw sewage, rubbish and fuel as major environmental
problems. He stressed sewage in particular (saying that he would
never swim in the harbour, even if it were warm enough). He also
mentioned noise from generators as a problem. However, he also
added that the installation of the new "incinerator" (or
burner), would largely solve the waste problems.
Greenpeace concurs with the OIC that sewage is the major
problem, but also sees the contamination of the area with fuel--
both from the large, old spill, but also from chronic low volume
spills--as being another major impact of the station.
A further impact is caused by the ongoing practice of burning
rubbish, which will continue to produce emissions. Without
adequate monitoring, it is impossible to tell how large a
footprint this pollution might be having.
Despite what is, in the context of this station and its site, a
sizeable rebuilding program, station staff did not know of any
environmental impact assessment that has been done. Further,
staff could not describe to Greenpeace the Chilean procedures for
ascertaining whether or not formal environmental impact
assessment is required.
The station winter-over team had spent about a year in
preparation and training. One month is spent in Santiago at a
course run by INACH on various Antarctic matters. Trainees
receive a publication by INACH of about 50 pages (Introduccion al
conocimiento Antarctico), which includes a report of the signing
of the Protocol but does not give details about the Protocol.
During the course, trainees are reportedly told that walking on
mosses should be avoided, and that a distance should be kept from
wildlife when taking pictures.
Another major potential impact was brought to Greenpeace's
attention when the station experienced a fire while Greenpeace
representatives were giving a presentation to station personnel.
The fire started in aged electrical wiring in the ceiling of one
of the oldest parts of the station (the station was in the
process of being rewired at the time, but this section had not
yet been done).
Greenpeace personnel did what they could to help fight the fire,
but were concerned by the poor state of fire fighting equipment.
Many of the hoses did not have fitting nozzles, and the pumps
were either not working, or had no fuel in them. If the fire had
been more serious, and had spread to areas such as the kitchen or
generator rooms, the outcome might have been far more serious for
the environment around the station.
10.4.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The OIC was not sure whether there was a copy of the Protocol at
the station. He said he had been given many papers and had not
had time to go through them in the month he had been at the
station. He said he would go through them and, if the Protocol
was not there, he would make sure to have a copy sent from
Chile.
Continued discharge of raw sewage into the enclosed waters of the
lagoon behind the station is a clear breach of Annex III of the
Protocol.
10.4.2 Comments and Recommendations
Two years ago, Prat personnel told Greenpeace that the following
projects were planned for the 1991/92 season:
* to modernise the energy system;
* to repair the jetty;
* to install an aerial pipeline from Pozo Rojas to the station;
* to add a sewage treatment plant;
* to build a new incinerator;
* to install a desalinator;
* to renovate one of the huts for winter use by scientists.
Two years later, only two of these projects have been completed
(the aerial pipeline and the so-called incinerator), with
construction of winter quarters for the scientists having only
just been started.
Greenpeace repeats the following recommendations made two years
ago:
* that effective environmental impact assessment procedures be
developed and followed for station upgrading programs (in
particular, construction of new buildings);
* that the use of composting toilets, with the residue removed
from Antarctica, be investigated as a way of reducing sewage
impact. In any case, steps to treat sewage should be taken as
soon as possible;
* that open burning--including that done in the so-called
incinerator--be ceased immediately, and that instead, everything
should be returned to Chile;
* that a comprehensive clean-up of the area and the dump site, in
particular, be done. This should be subject to EIA
procedures, especially with regards to cleaning up the old dump
site without causing further damage to the ecosystem;
* that a study be done to assess ways in which contamination of
soil and vegetation by fuel can be reduced, without causing
further damage;
* that the impact of the station on the surrounding environment
be monitored, on an ongoing basis, as a matter of course.
Further recommendations are:
* that the Environmental Protocol be given a far greater
priority in the training of station personnel, and that it be
used actively to guide the management of Chilean Antarctic
stations;
* that the firefighting equipment and procedures be overhauled
and upgraded as a matter of urgency. In such an old station fire
is obviously a particularly serious concern, and this problem
needs to be addressed urgently;
* that fuel use be reduced through the introduction of
alternative sources of energy.
11 CHILE: RISOPATRON
11.1 Overview
This Chilean refuge, now used as a summer base, was established
in the 1950's by the Chilean navy. Its use for scientific
research began in the mid 1960's.
11.1.1 Location
The base (62°23'S, 59°40W) is located on the Coppermine
Peninsula of Robert Island, on the boundary of a Specially
Protected Area (SPA No. 16, Coppermine Peninsula). The boundary
of the SPA was set somewhat artificially, dictated by the
presence of the base rather than by a geographical or biological
boundary.
11.1.2 Status
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the team in residence had been
there only three days. The OIC was Dr. Carlos Guerra, from the
Universidad de Antofagasta.
There were seven people on base, three of whom were support
personnel from the navy. The four scientists comprised two
biologists, one oceanographer, and one agrarian engineer.
11.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace had an impromptu visit to the base on 3 February 1993,
when an attempt to leave the South Shetlands Islands
through the passage between Robert and Greenwich islands was
thwarted by bad weather. Risopatron made radio contact with the
Pelagic, offered any support that might be needed, and invited
crew ashore.
The visit lasted approximately one hour, and was Greenpeace's
first visit to the site.
11.2 Description of Physical Structure
11.2.1 Description of Natural Setting
The base sits in a low saddle of land between two small hills. It
faces the passage between Robert and Greenwich Islands
mentioned above, but immediately behind the base is a beach
facing north to the Drake Passage. The surrounding Peninsula is
covered in a rich carpet of moss and lichens. It is this
feature, along with the variety of terrestrial fauna and bird
species, that prompted the creation of the Specially Protected
Area.
The northward-facing beach had a lot of garbage on it, most of
which looked like it had been washed up. Apparently base
personnel clean this coastline once a year and collect
substantial quantities of beach litter.
11.2.2 Description of Facilities
Risopatron consists of five buildings, mostly joined by
passages. All structures have been enthusiastically painted
orange. The facilities are in poor to average condition. Two
buildings had been built two years previously to provide extra
accommodation.
There are no field camps associated with this base.
The base has a foot-track leading to the freshwater collection
tanks, and a vaguely defined, wide pathway through the moss beds
between the base and the beach. The base has no vehicles.
11.3 Description of Operations
The base's water used to come from the stream or lake inside the
SPA, and was carried to the base in a pipeline buried in the
moss. The new system takes water from a lake outside the SPA
about 200 metres from the base, on the other side of a small
hill. Water is pumped to a tank sitting on a concrete slab at the
top of the hill, and runs from there to the base by gravity
through a PVC pipeline. The area around these facilities has been
considerably trampled.
Some of the older water pipes are insulated with polystyrene. In
places this has deteriorated, and was scattering polystyrene
beads into the environment.
Most of the science under way at the time of Greenpeace's visit
involved research on skuas and giant petrels. This work involved
some handling of the birds (for example, measuring metabolic
rates, and attaching location finders).
During resupply, all stores, including full 200 litre drums, are
landed on the south-facing beach, and carried or rolled over moss
beds to the base. The moss beds have been badly damaged by this
traffic.
11.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
Waste disposal is overseen by the navy logistics personnel.
11.3.1.1 Separation
Waste is separated into glass, metal, organics, and plastic. The
separation bins stand outside the living quarters, while inside
there are only single bins. The separation system did not seem to
be rigidly adhered to (e.g. old cabbages were seen in the same
bin as plastics). Waste is reportedly collected in plastic bags
and returned to Chile in an INACH ship, either to Punta Arenas or
Santiago.
Food scraps were said to be removed, but in practise they seemed
to be burnt. Paper is burnt, although base personnel said that
they were trying to burn less and remove more. The tameness of
the skuas indicated that food is sometimes available to the
birds.
11.3.1.2 Dumps
There is a small dump on the west side of the base. It contained
mostly broken concrete and timber, and had a visible surface area
of about four square metres. It did not appear to have been used
recently. To the east of the base some coal could be seen lying
on the ground, covering a surface of approximately five square
metres.
On the hill near the new water tank are old concrete foundations
that have been partly removed. However, a pile of concrete has
been left covering the rich mosses in the immediate vicinity.
11.3.1.3 Incineration and Burning
Some waste is burnt in a 200-litre drum. Base personnel reported
that only paper is burnt in the drum, but a bag full of general
garbage (including bottles, cans, paper, food scraps, etc.) was
sitting in the drum, and evidence of these types of items was
also visible in the ash. Emissions are neither filtered nor
monitored.
Ash was heaped in a pile next to the drum and is reportedly
eventually packed in plastic bags for removal.
In addition to the burn-drum, wood scraps (mainly from
construction) were being burnt in braziers inside the buildings
for heating.
11.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Base personnel said that all old appliances, defunct machinery,
etc. are removed. However, some of this type of junk was visible
around the base, and it seemed that the system for removing waste
was not working well. In addition, there was a lot of
construction material lying around which base personnel said was
also awaiting removal.
11.3.2 Sewage System
Sewage and grey water is disposed of in a two-stage settlement
tank, which had been installed two years before. The outflow from
this formed a small stream to the sea. While the effluent had a
greyish colour, there was little evidence of sediment in the
stream.
11.3.3 Energy Systems
The base uses about ten drums of diesel in a summer season. At
the time of Greenpeace's visit there were four drums left for the
rest of the season. In addition to these drums, there were 12
smaller plastic barrels (of approximately 100 litres each)
containing petrol and diesel. The fuel drums were sitting
directly on the ground.
Fuel is first transferred with a hand pump from the large drums
to the small plastic containers, and thence to the generators.
There are no containment structures, and small patches of
contaminated soil were visible in the areas where fuel is
handled.
The base had two 12 kW generators, which are run for part of each
24 hour period. At the peak of summer activities, they are run
all the time.
There were no alternative energy systems in place at this base.
11.3.4 Resupply Operations
The base is resupplied and visited relatively frequently by
Chilean naval vessels.
11.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
The impact of the base on the local environment was not being
studied. Responsibility for environmental impact assessments and
regulation rests with INACH.
Before travelling to Antarctica, personnel were given a lecture
about the environment by INACH, and were given a copy of a
compiled folder of regulations (including the Madrid Protocol).
Another document provided details of the annexes to the
Protocol, as well as other logistic and environmental details.
Skuas and giant petrels were nesting in the vicinity of the base
(the former on a large area on the other side of the base, the
latter on the terraces surrounding the low area in which the base
is built).
One giant petrel nest was sited approximately 10 metres from the
water tank and pressure vessel on a terrace just above the base.
One of the base personnel said that they were able to pet the
chick.
Immediately upon landing, Greenpeace personnel were met by the
OIC, who indicated the boundary of the SPA and said that it
should not be entered. The OIC later reported that base
personnel rarely enter the SPA, although scientific work is
sometimes conducted there. He added that personnel were careful
not to damage the moss cover when they do enter the site.
11.4.1 Compliance with the Protocol
Base personnel seemed well informed of the existence and
contents of the Protocol.
11.4.2 Comments and Recommendations
This visit was one of only a few times that Greenpeace has met
Chilean scientists in Antarctica.
Greenpeace was impressed by the way that visitors were
instructed of the existence and boundaries of the SPA
immediately upon landing. Throughout the visit, base personnel
displayed a high degree of awareness of the importance of the
SPA. However, they did not seem to apply these principles in the
same way to the moss beds outside the SPA.
Overall, while small, the base seemed unnecessarily untidy, with
a lot of construction materials and other junk lying around. A
clean-up needs to be done, taking care not to disturb the
vegetation even further.
Of particular concern is the ongoing burning of wastes. In such a
small base, and when so many Chilean vessels are in the area,
removal of all waste from the station on a regular basis should
pose no problem. Burning of rubbish should cease immediately; all
waste should be removed from Antarctica and returned to Chile.
The polystyrene insulation on outdoor piping should be replaced
urgently with material that will not contaminate the
environment. This operation would need to be done extremely
carefully so as not to release further beads into the
environment.
Base personnel should be discouraged from treating wildlife as
pets, and in particular from approaching giant petrels.
All efforts should be made to minimise the use of concrete in any
further construction projects.
Given the siting of this base next to an SPA, it is particularly
important that its impact be assessed and minimised. It should
also be monitored on an ongoing basis. Such assessment should
include the size of its footprint from waste burning, fuel
combustion, sewage, and physical impact (for example from
trampling).
12 CHILE: GONZALEZ VIDELA (ABANDONED BASE)
12.1 Overview
Chile's Gonzalez Videla base, now abandoned, is managed by the
Chilean Air Force. The base site is home to a colony of gentoo
penguins, with remnant buildings sheltering nests.
12.1.1 Location
The base is located at 64°49'S, 62°52'W, on Waterboat Point in
Paradise Harbour.
12.1.2 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Gonzalez Videla on 27 January, 1993. As the
Pelagic drew close to the base, an inflatable boat full of
Chilean officers and tourists was leaving the site, returning to
the Chilean navy ship Yelcho. Greenpeace personnel had a hurried
conversation with the senior officer, Capitan Pablo Barrueto
Pablete, who was in the inflatable. Unfortunately, he was
unwilling to delay the ship's departure to meet with Greenpeace.
Greenpeace personnel then spent a couple of hours inspecting the
base site.
12.1.3 Previous Visits
Greenpeace previously visited Gonzalez Videla in November 1989
and April, 1991.
12.2 Physical Structure
The Chilean officer said that the Yelcho had been at the site for
two weeks, completing the summer's work of cleaning up the base.
The OIC at Teniente Marsh had told Greenpeace that the clean-up
was planned in two stages. In the first stage, during the
1991/92 summer, some maintenance, such as painting and minor
repairs, had been done on the buildings, and some of the
contaminants had been sorted and removed. In the second stage,
done over the 1992/93 summer, the rest of the contaminants were
supposed to be removed.
The base had been dramatically cleaned up since Greenpeace's
previous visit. The 14 leaking drums from which Greenpeace had
decanted lubrication oil two years previously had been removed
(leaving a large oily stain on the surface of the rock), and all
the other drums that had been scattered and piled around the site
had also been removed. The building that was collapsing at the
time of the previous visit had also been repaired, and a fresh
coat of paint had been applied to most structures.
In contrast to Greenpeace's previous visit, the buildings had all
been closed and locked. Through the windows of the main building,
it could be seen that the place had been left tidy, although in
one room the clean-up team had left a bag of
vegetables. Through the cracks and windows of the hangar, neat
rows of drums could be seen. It could not be determined whether
the drums of water-contaminated oil that Greenpeace had left
there during its previous visit had been removed.
In several places around the site signs had been erected, saying
(in English): "Please keep this site clean."
The Chilean clean-up team had left a bonfire smouldering near the
base's dump. They seemed to have been burning the last of their
waste, and visible in the fire were tin cans, timber, and food
scraps. Skuas were already trying to scavenge this food.
The dump site behind the main building had not been cleaned up.
It covers almost the entire slope down to the sea, and contains
electrical cable, broken glass, plastic bags, scrap steel and
general litter. Also, underneath the main building more rotting
garbage and damaged bales of fibreglass could be seen.
In addition to the dump there were several fresh bags of cement
spilled onto the ground close by. Most of this was still in
powder form, and was being spread by penguins walking through it.
Next to the cement were piles of old straw and animal manure
which appeared to have been cleaned out from the buildings.
Underneath this were many more bags of cement that had
solidified.
Sewage from the summer's work appeared to have been put through
the base's sewage system, which consisted of a pipe that empties
straight into the small enclosed bay behind the base.
12.3 Comments and Recommendations
Chile is to be congratulated for the work it has done to clean up
this site. However, there is still work to be done before the
site is tidy (e;g. removing the remains of the dump), and the
ultimate aim should be to remove the buildings entirely and leave
the site for the penguins to recolonise.
The bonfire left behind by the Yelcho was a disappointing and
unnecessary contrast to the clean-up, not to mention being in
violation of the Protocol as an unnecessary instance of open
burning.
Should Chile wish to reactivate a scientific program in Paradise
Harbour in the future, cooperation with Argentina should be
investigated as preferable to reopening Gonzalez Videla.
13 CHINA: GREAT WALL
13.1 Overview
China's Great Wall station has been continually occupied since
1985, when it was built.
13.1.1 Location
Great Wall (62°13'S,58°58'W) is located on the Fildes Peninsula
in Maxwell Bay, King George Island, about a kilometre from
Marsh/Frei (Chile) and Bellingshausen (Russia). Located on a
series of pebble terraces, the station consists of nine
buildings.
The station is built on a beach ridge complex. There are three
lakes in and around the station (Yanou, Gaoshan and West Lake).
Streams draining West Lake and Gaoshan flow through the station
area.
13.1.2 Status
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the OIC was Li Siu Yeng whose
term of duty was one year. Great Wall Station is run by the
Office of Antarctic Research (OAR) which is funded by the
Chinese State Oceanic Administration. OAR comprises several
divisions, including science and technology, logistics,
materials and foreign affairs. Its Director is responsible for
the recruitment of scientists for the Antarctic program. Great
Wall station houses up to 42 individuals during summer, while in
winter the team can shrink to about 14 people.
13.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Great Wall on 8 January 1993. After a formal
meeting with the OIC and the chief scientist, Greenpeace
personnel were shown around the station, and then invited to
lunch. Later that evening, some of the crew returned to the
station for informal socialising.
13.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace first visited Great Wall Station in April 1988,
during its 1987/88 expedition. Subsequent visits occurred in
October, 1989, and March, 1991 during Greenpeace's 1989/90 and
1990/91 expeditions.
13.2 Physical Structure
The station complex consists of eight large buildings, six
medium-sized buildings, and a scattering of smaller ones. In
addition, 17 containers have been modified for use as permanent
structures. There is also a helipad, an antenna farm, and a rock
jetty.
The buildings are constructed with metal frames and walls,
sitting on concrete foundations. The largest buildings are
elevated one to two metres above the ground, while the smaller
ones sit directly on the ground.
The station buildings are in poor condition, with rusty
panelling, broken windows and doors that don't shut properly.
Paint has flaked off many of the buildings and litters the soil.
The main road out of the station leads to Marsh/Frei and
Bellingshausen. In the other direction there is a road to the
dump. There are roadways within the station, but track marks in
several places provided evidence that vehicular traffic does not
always keep to the formed roads.
Apparently there are no field huts, although some containers have
been placed in the hills behind the station to act as
emergency shelters.
13.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
Two large buildings were under construction in front of the main
living quarters. The environmental officer at the station said
that others might be built to replace those that are
deteriorating.
13.3 Operations
The station's complement of vehicles consisted of a rusty
amphibious vehicle, a jeep, a tracked snow tractor, a trailer, a
water tank on wheels, three diggers, a large crane, two large
barges, a landing vehicle, and at least two inflatable boats.
The station's water supply comes from a lake immediately behind
the station, which apparently causes few problems. In winter,
water can still be retrieved from below the ice in this lake.
13.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
13.3.1.1 Separation
Waste is sorted into four different categories: glass, metal
waste, other rubbish, and food. Sorting takes place behind the
main living area, with waste stored in drums and sacks in an area
near the fuel tanks. Station personnel told Greenpeace that
everything except food is removed from Antarctica.
Food scraps are either fed to animals on the beach or burnt.
Paper appears to be burnt in a drum on the beach or incinerated.
13.3.1.2 Dumps
As reported from Greenpeace's previous visit, the old dump site
has been bulldozed over. It is being used as the storage area for
material awaiting removal.
Litter such as cigarette butts and paint chips, was scattered
over the base area.
13.3.1.3 Incineration
Great Wall has a high-temperature marine incinerator, housed in
the same building as the (non-functioning) sewage treatment
plant. It was not clear whether it was in use, although station
personnel said that they use it to burn paper. Ash is apparently
removed.
Outside the station area, a few plastic bags were found in a
meltstream to the north, and the remains of aerial support wires
were lying on the ground behind the main lake.
13.3.1.4 Waste Removal
The pile of material awaiting removal is located to the west of
the base in a small basin. The area seemed to have been
bulldozed to further increase the depression. There were two
large clusters of sorted rubbish. The first one consisted of
rusty drums containing sorted glass and tins (also mixed), 50-60
plastic fibre bags containing tins, and four to six vehicle
batteries. The tins were unwashed and unflattened. The second
cluster consisted of cement blocks and metals. Several of the
drums and sacks were spilling their contents onto the ground.
Stored waste is reportedly removed every three years when the
resupply ship, the Ji Di calls. However, the ship had apparently
called recently to offload construction materials, and it did not
appear that all the material awaiting removal had been
removed at that time.
13.3.2 Sewage System
As reported from Greenpeace's previous visit, Great Wall station
has a three-stage sewage treatment plant. However, this was not
operational at the time of Greenpeace's visit, and there were no
signs that it was under repair. Station personnel said that it
would be fixed after the construction of new buildings was
completed.
Grey water is also put into the sewage, and there were traces of
fuel at the sewage outfall, suggesting perhaps that washing water
from the engine room is also put into the drains.
The pipeline to the sewage outfall at the shoreline in front of
the station is constructed of fibreglass insulation between steel
(inside) and PVC (outside). The section that enters the sea had
been damaged, and was leaking in several places. Solid waste,
including pieces of toilet paper, was visible at the end of the
pipe and at the leaks and joints. Storm petrels could be seen
picking up pieces of waste from the sea surface at the end of the
pipe.
The lab chemicals that were being used on station were mostly for
nutrient analysis and are therefore thought to be benign to the
environment. They are disposed of in the sewage.
13.3.3 Energy Systems
The station stores up to 350,000 litres of diesel, which is
sufficient for three years. In addition, gasoline is stored on
station in 200 litre drums. Diesel is stored in two fuel depots,
one by the shore (eight 88,000-litre cylindrical tanks, mounted
horizontally), and one by the generator shed (five smaller
(5,000-15,000 litre) tanks). There were no drip pans in evidence
anywhere in the system.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the three 75 kW generators
were being replaced by three 120 kW models. There were no drip
trays under the engines, and a large oil spill could be seen on
the ground beneath the engine room. The outlet for the exhaust
from the generators is underneath the floor of the elevated
engine room, and this has also contributed significantly to
severe oily staining on the ground below.
The environmental officer said that they are putting exhaust
scrubbers onto the new exhaust system.
The characteristics of the sediments on which the base has been
built (large boulders with high permeability) mean that
superficial evidence of spills is not very visible. However,
meltwater running in front of the larger fuel tanks crossed a
spill site of several square metres. The water seeping at this
site showed intense rainbow colours, smelling and feeling oily.
The moss downslope of this spill was dead, and the water
channelled through tracks, deeper into the moss beds.
No alternative energy systems are in use or planned at the
station.
13.4 Tourism
Great Wall is visited occasionally by small groups of tourists
from Marsh/Frei, although earlier in the 1992/93 season they had
been visited by a ship carrying 130 passengers. The station has a
publicity officer, who speaks Spanish and English and is in
charge of the souvenir shop.
The environmental officer said that he did not give tourists any
instructions; he assumes that they have received instruction at
Marsh. He also said that because they are guests, he did not feel
that he could tell them what they can and can't do.
13.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
The impact of the station on the environment was apparently not
being studied or monitored. An environmental officer (a marine
biologist) had been designated to monitor rubbish systems and
sewage discharges. He had only been at the station for a month at
the time of Greenpeace's visit.
Physical disturbance to the area is moderately severe. In some
places the beach ridges have been bulldozed to oblivion.
Flattened and excavated areas and deep and wide vehicle tracks
are widespread in areas both with and without plant cover. These
impacts have spread since the time of Greenpeace's previous
visit, and seem to have become particularly acute as a result of
construction activities.
Further physical impact to vegetation has resulted from the
storage of construction materials such as large concrete slabs on
the moss-covered areas--sometimes only a few metres away from the
signs that label the areas as protected for plants.
All expeditioners are told of rules with respect to the
environment. These include prohibitions against touching
animals, and rules to protect mosses and lichens. These
instructions are given out either during Antarctic training in
China, or for those that arrive by ship, on the ship on the way
to the station.
The OIC had heard of the Protocol but knew little about it,
whereas the environmental officer had not heard of it, but was
grateful to take a copy from Greenpeace. No changes had yet been
made to comply with the Protocol.
As reported from Greenpeace's previous visit, areas of moss beds
in front of the station are marked with signs saying (in English
and Chinese) "Protected area for plants". Most of these areas had
at least a couple of vehicle tracks across them, and some had
been extensively damaged.
Antarctic terns are very common near the station, and appeared to
be breeding in the area between the fuel tanks and the waste
storage site.
13.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
Great Wall's discharge of untreated sewage into the sea is a
breach of Annex III of the Protocol.
13.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
There are several improvements that should be made urgently at
Great Wall.
The sewage plant should be repaired. During a busy time of year,
particularly when the station's population has been swelled by
construction personnel, it is not acceptable for repairs to the
treatment plant to be postponed.
The fuel storage system needs to be repaired so that leaks do not
occur, and containment should be provided around all fuel
facilities. The exhaust from the generators should be filtered,
and directed away from the ground. The amount of exhaust emitted
should be reduced by improved efficiency, and the introduction of
alternative energy generation.
Food scraps should not be given to wildlife.
The incinerator should be removed and systems should be
instituted for taking all waste out of Antarctica. Given that
this station is not often visited by Chinese ships, perhaps
arrangements could be made with other nations who have shipping
in the area to have the waste removed from the Antarctic.
14 CZECH REPUBLIC: VACLAV VOJTEK
14.1 Overview
Vojtek base was established in the summer of 1989/90, and has
been continuously occupied by teams of two to three people since
then.
14.1.1 Location
Vaclav Vojtek is located on Rip Point, Nelson Island, on an
elevated beach in a narrow valley. It is about 50 metres from the
sea, approximately 10 metres above sea level.
14.1.2 Status
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the OIC was Jaroslav
Pavlicek, who is in charge of the entire program. He was there
only for the summer, and was to leave the other two team members
(a paramedic doing part of his alternative to military service
and a mechanic/engineer) behind for the 1993 winter.
The base is organised by the Czech Antarctic Environment
Program. The program is reportedly mostly non-governmental,
receiving only 10-15% of its funding from the Czech government.
Each person paid around $2000 US to participate in the program.
The OIC/Program leader said that he expected that the program
would run for another five years. However, this base may be
closed and moved to another location before that.
14.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited the base on 13 January 1993, for a couple of
hours.
14.2 Physical Structure
The main part of the base consists of two huts and a storage
area. Close to the beach is another small hut and a burn-drum.
The buildings are small and had mostly been made from materials
salvaged from the dump at Bellingshausen. For example, some of
the walls are made from parts of an aircraft that crashed on
Nelson Island a few years before. Part of the largest hut is made
from a Russian walk-in freezer. Each team member had his own
living quarters, and they had recently constructed a kitchen
building of wood, which is uninsulated and had several chinks in
the walls through which daylight could be seen.
The base has several boats. A fibreglass Canadian-style canoe is
used for logistic trips to King George Island to collect mail.
There is also an inflatable boat and a dinghy, which are seldom
used. In addition, the base has a large covered sailing barge,
which had apparently been stranded on another beach for a year.
There are no tracks around the base, except a path between the
base and the shore that is used for all foot traffic, in order to
avoid impact to the moss and lichens that cover the beach.
14.3 Description of Operations
The only program under way at the time of Greenpeace's visit was
an ongoing methodical clean-up and cataloguing of some of the
northern beaches on Nelson and King George Islands. These are
cleaned every year, in turn, and the amount of rubbish that
collects each year is catalogued.
The base gets its water by melting snow.
14.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
Apparently this base produces very little garbage of any type,
compared to other stations.
Waste is sorted into cans (which are crushed and bagged),
burnables (paper, wood, and plastics), food scraps, and
everything else, which is collected in drums.
The bags of metal waste and drums of general waste are
retrograded on the Erebus.
The OIC said that burnable rubbish is taken by boat to the
Korean station for burning. However, they also have a burner on
site, consisting of two drums, one on top of the other,
protected from the wind by two large boulders. This apparatus had
ashes and litter inside and scattered around it.
The small amount of food scraps produced is fed to skuas, of
which there were a couple hanging around and begging.
Behind the huts was stacked a large quantity of construction
material, including wood, and steel planks and sheets.
14.3.2 Sewage Systems
Base personnel relieve themselves below the high tide mark. Very
little grey water is reportedly produced, but is dumped directly
onto the soil.
14.3.3 Energy Systems
The base uses old Jet-A1 fuel retrieved from an old fuel dump,
owned by Adventure Network International, at the Marsh airfield.
Apparently they use approximately a litre of fuel per person per
day, mostly for heating the cabins, each of which was equipped
with a small fuel burner. A total of four 200-litre drums are
used in a year. In addition to the Jet-A1, there were two
containers of gasoline for the outboard motor.
Fuel drums are stored sitting in the deflated rubber shell of an
old inflatable boat. The sides of the boat are tied up high on
the sides of the barrels to contain any leaks.
There is a small 0.5 kW wind generator charging a 12 volt
battery bank that provided lights inside the cabins.
14.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
When asked what was the most serious environmental problem on the
base, the OIC said that he thought that destruction of
vegetation was the greatest potential problem, and that
therefore they were careful to avoid trampling, by only using a
narrow path down to the beach.
On the beach itself, they said that they used only half of the
cove for landing activities, and were careful to leave the other
half untouched. After four years of occupation of the cove, there
was very little evident damage to the extensive moss beds on the
beach.
14.4.1 Compliance with the Protocol
There was a copy of the Environmental Protocol on the base.
14.4.2 Comments and Recommendations
This base was undoubtedly a very small and low-impact operation,
although the low levels of comfort and safety mean that it is
unlikely to be useful as a model for other stations. However, the
minimalist philosophy--particularly with respect to fuel
consumption--could be usefully adopted by national programs.
It was disappointing to see that even a base this small could not
refrain from burning waste--both on-site and at King Sejong. All
waste should be stored for removal from Antarctica.
Grey water should be filtered before being released into the
environment. Given the small and constant numbers of personnel on
the base, some sort of composting toilet system could be
installed to prevent the release of human waste directly into the
environment.
15 ECUADOR: MALDONADO
15.1 Overview
Constructed in the 1989/90 season, Ecuador's Maldonado station is
managed by several institutions, with the Navy playing a leading
role.
15.1.1 Location
Maldonado is located on Fort Williams Point, at the mouth of
Discovery Bay, Greenwich Island, in the South Shetland Islands.
It is built on a raised beach terrace, approximately 80 metres
from the sea, and about eight metres above sea level.
Approximately 50 metres behind the station are the low cliffs of
a rocky outcrop, with several more outcrops slightly further away
from the station. The base is built on soft, gravelly soil that
is waterlogged in places.
15.1.2 Status
Maldonado was unoccupied at the time of Greenpeace's visit, and
appeared not to have been used that season. An Ecuadorian party
had occupied it for approximately 20 days the previous summer
season.
15.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Maldonado on 19 January 1993. At the request
of the OIC at the Chilean Station Prat, one of Prat's personnel
travelled on the Pelagic to participate in the visit.
15.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace visited Maldonado in April, 1991, during the 1990/91
expedition. The findings of this visit are contained in the
Expedition Report from that season.
15.2 Physical Structure
The base consists of one building, raised approximately one metre
off the ground on a steel frame. The building was in good
condition, although the steel support frame was showing signs of
rust and some of the insulation in the entrance porch was
falling off. In addition to the main building, base structures
include a flagpole, a steel frame on the beach (perhaps for
mooring), and a navigational aid on the hill. It was unclear
whether the lines of survey pegs which head towards Discovery Bay
are for more buildings or for roads.
The building has a single corridor with ten rooms. All rooms were
locked except one, which held two sets of bunks, four
sleeping bags, a gas cooker and two boxes of food. A visitors
book welcomed visitors and invited them to use the building, but
to replace supplies where possible.
Construction materials, coiled piping, and barrels were stacked
underneath the building.
In the soft plain between the base and Discovery Bay, several
vehicle tracks were visible. These might represent only one
vehicle passage each, but because the ground is so soft, the
impressions have remained. There were no vehicles on the site at
the time of Greenpeace's visit.
15.3 Operations
15.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
There were no dumps visible on the site.
15.3.2 Energy Systems
Stacked underneath the building were 19 plastic 50-litre fuel
drums sitting on a piece of plywood on the ground. The stove in
the open room was fuelled by gas.
The ground near the fuel storage area showed signs of fuel
spills. No containment facilities were visible.
Two portable diesel generators were visible through the windows
of one of the locked rooms, and from the fuel stains on the
ground under the entrance porch, it appeared that these may be
dragged outside when in use.
No alternative energy systems were evident.
15.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
Skuas, giant petrels, and terns are particularly abundant in the
vicinity of this station. At least 20 pairs of giant petrels were
breeding in the rocky outcrops around the station. The
territories of breeding skuas cover most of the area. The
vehicle tracks mentioned above run quite close to these birds.
No EIA was done when the base was constructed.
15.4.1 Comments and Recommendations
Maldonado's presence close to nesting areas of sensitive birds
like giant petrels continues to be of concern, particularly
should the base be used to any great extent. It should therefore
be removed, and this operation should be done at a time of the
season that will minimise impact to wildlife.
The fuel spills spotted on this occasion were not seen during
Greenpeace's previous visit in 1991, and may therefore have been
made quite recently. It is important that more care be taken to
avoid spilling fuel. Ideally, a portable alternative energy
system should be brought in by teams using the base.
16 ECUADOR: REFUGE, ADMIRALTY BAY
16.1 Overview
Ecuador built this refuge early in the 1987/88 season without an
EIA, Exchange of Information or notification to other countries
or the public about their plans.
16.1.1 Location
The refuge is located at Point Hennequin in Admiralty Bay,
opposite the Brazilian and Polish establishments.
16.1.2 Status
The refuge was not occupied at the time of Greenpeace's visit,
and the frequency with which the base is used is unknown.
16.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited the hut on 16 January 1993, for half an hour.
16.1.4 Previous Visits
This refuge was inspected during Greenpeace's 1989/90
Expedition. It was unoccupied at the time.
16.2 Physical Structure
he base consists of a steel, container type building located on
elevated marine deposits about 60 metres from the shoreline. The
hut has two doors, the outer one of metal and the inner one of
glass.
The container is elevated by metal frames set on concrete
pillars in the soil.
It is guyed down with four wires that are also connected to
concrete pillars. Six large wooden piles were lying on the
ground and more pieces of wood were stacked under the access to
the hut. The base's sign was lying on the ground at some
distance from the hut. There were two tracks marked with stones,
one perpendicular to the shoreline and the other oblique.
Inside the hut there was a notice in several languages offering
whatever is inside the hut to whoever may need it, and
requesting that the place be left in order and the rubbish
removed. The hut contained two set of bunk-beds (top and
bottom), one small table, a few provisions, two litres of fuel, a
primus, a few matches, and a basic first aid kit. As a
survival shelter, the facilities appeared insufficient.
The place looked quite tidy outside.
16.3 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
There were skuas nesting close to the hut. The plant cover,
consisting of mosses and lichens, has been disturbed around the
hut and to some extent along the paths. The soil excavated
during construction has been spread on the ground around the hut,
burying the plant cover.
16.3.1 Compliance with the Protocol
In that this facility could arguably be classified as an
abandoned work site, the failure to remove this hut could be seen
as evidence of non-compliance with the Madrid Protocol.
16.3.2 Comments and Recommendations
As this base appears completely unused, and is not adequate to
act as a survival hut, it should be completely removed from the
Antarctic. Perhaps this could be done with the logistic help of
the Brazilian or Polish programs.
17 ITALY: ITALIAN VALLEY "BASE ITALIANA GIACOMO BOVE"
17.1 Overview and Location
A trailer and the remains of a hut are located in Italian
Valley, Admiralty Bay, King George Island. They sit between 100
(the hut) and 150 metres (the trailer) from the shoreline, above
glacial deposits.
17.1.1 Status
At the Polish station, Arctowski, Greenpeace was told that this
site is used by the Poles as a field camp. It had originally been
installed by an Italian party.
17.1.2 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited the site on 16 January 1993.
17.2 Site Description
The trailer is approximately 2.1 x 3.5 metres, painted in white
with the legend PREDOM-PRESPOL on the sides. Four cement blocks
in the ground hold loose guy-wires connected to the trailer.
Inside the trailer there were some cushions, cooking utensils,
Polish cleaning products and life raft rations. It appeared to
have been used recently.
The remains of the hut are constructed of rocks cemented with
concrete, and sit close to a moss bed. Twelve large iron pegs
were distributed around the rock wall, planted in the ground. A
pit of about two metres' diameter is located a few meters away
from the hut, connected to the hut by a metal pipe. Inside the
pit half-buried rubbish could be seen. Inside and around the hut
were three solidified bags of cement and five sandbags, and the
ground was littered with glass fragments, bottles, rags and
pieces of wood.
Inside the "hut" there is a large wooden sign that reads " 'Base
Italiana Giacomo Bove', construtta Genn. 1976, destrutta Marzo
1976".
The creek that runs past the two structures contained a lot of
rubbish, mostly pieces of wood. There were also two campfire
sites with pieces of metal for holding cooking instruments,
inside which were collections of assorted rubbish (glass, rags,
etc.). One of the fires had the remains of a bottle with a label
in Polish.
The area is a nesting site for numerous Antarctic terns and has a
plant cover of lichens and mosses.
17.3 Comments and Recommendations
The Italians must take responsibility for this site and remove
all unused structures. However, as it is being used by
Arctowski, they should clean up the site and refrain from
leaving rubbish there in future. Open fires should not be lit by
field parties using the camp, and all rubbish should be removed.
18 REPUBLIC OF KOREA: KING SEJONG
18.1 Overview
King Sejong Station, Korea's only Antarctic facility, was built
during the 1987/88 season. The base has accommodation for 13
staff in winter and 26 in summer, plus emergency accommodation
(with food and clothing) for a further 26 people.
18.1.1 Location
King Sejong (62°13'S,58°28'W) is located in Marian Cove, Maxwell
Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands. The station is
two kilometres away from a penguin colony and stands of the only
species of flowering grass found in Antarctica, Deschampsia
antarctica. The station appears to have been built upon a
previously substantial site of lichen growth.
The station is built close to the shore, between eight and 18
metres above sea level.
18.1.2 Status
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the OIC was Dr Dong Yup Kim,
who was to be there for the 1993 winter. There were 22 personnel
on station, although more were expected a week after
Greenpeace's visit. Apparently there can sometimes be up to 50 or
60 people on station. In winter, 12 people are left to run the
station.
During summer, four people run the logistics of the station, with
the rest of the personnel being scientists. The winter complement
comprises three scientists (including the station leader), a
radio operator, meteorologist, a doctor, two
maintenance people, two plumbers, a mechanic, and a cook. All are
employed by the Antarctic Division of the Korean Ocean
Research and Development Institute (KORDI).
In the 1992/93 season, there were also two Chilean maintenance
personnel on station for the summer.
18.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited King Sejong on 9 January, 1993. The visit
lasted approximately six hours, and included a meeting with the
OIC, lunch, and a tour around the station. Later, Korean
personnel came aboard the Pelagic for a short visit.
18.1.4 Previous Visits
The station was first visited by Greenpeace in April 1988,
shortly after its inception. It was visited a second time in late
October 1989, during Greenpeace's 1989/90 Antarctic
Expedition.
18.2 Physical Structure
The main cluster of buildings is fairly tightly packed, but the
roads and depots are spread over a much wider area. The area on
which the main part of the base stands has been extensively
levelled.
Base structures include eight buildings (an administration
building, a laboratory, a summer laboratory, living quarters, a
maintenance shop, a power plant and cold storage, seismic and
geomagnetic observatories), two large sheds, some permanent
container buildings, a pier, and an artificial pond.
The buildings are constructed of metal cladding on a steel
frame, and are elevated at least a metre above the ground on pre-
cast concrete foundations. They are in good condition,
although the OIC said that weathering is becoming noticeable,
particularly on the water pipes.
The roads are made of the same shingle on which the base is
built, and are wide and well demarcated by use. One road leads
from between the two rows of the station buildings to the pier.
Another runs along the beach to the western end of the base
(where there are two isolated buildings). A third road leads to
one of the seismic observatories, while another runs around the
eastern end of the station to the geomagnetic observatory.
The station also has a pier and a helicopter pad. The pier is
made of rock gravel and precast concrete blocks and is sited in
fairly shallow water.
In summer, transport was by three inflatable boats. In winter, a
variety of vehicles were used:
* a diesel snow cat
* truck with bulldozer and digger and crane
* an amphibious vehicle
* a diesel jeep
* three skidoos
* a bicycle
* a forklift
* a four wheeled trailer
* eight to ten pairs of skis
The station had no outposts or field huts.
The station's water comes from melting snow, with a reverse-
osmosis desalination plant used as a back-up. At the time of
Greenpeace's visit, there was very little snow, and the
desalination plant was in constant use. Apparently it took some
experimentation to find a reliable desalination plant. The
station has both a natural and an artificial pond. The latter was
constructed by bulldozing and lining a depression, and is used to
store the station's water supply during summer.
The OIC referred to a 1987/88 Greenpeace expedition report, which
stated that effluent from King Sejong contained heavy metals. The
OIC said that these could have come either from photographic
liquids or that they might occur naturally in the station's water
supply. He added that they were not concerned about heavy metals
in their drinking water. However, they made their tea with
bottled mineral water, and had water purifiers on drinking water
taps.
18.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
The OIC reported that they are planning to construct another
building some time in the future to provide extra accommodation.
He also reported that Russia had offered Korea one of its
abandoned stations (Russkaya), but that they had declined the
offer.
No new stations are planned for the Korean program, although some
scientists indicated that they would like to have more access to
the Antarctic mainland.
18.3 Operations
Most of Korea's Antarctic science is carried out from the
research vessel Onnuri. Science under way at the station itself
included geological surveys, research on penguins,
microbiological studies in Marian Cove. In winter, routine
observations were taken for the seismology, meteorology, and
upper atmospheric programs.
In addition, a microbiologist who was to carry out studies on the
impact of the station on Marian Cove was expected to arrive later
in the summer.
18.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
18.3.1.1 Separation
Waste is mostly separated at source into two categories: glass
and tins, and paper and other burnables (including organics). The
different categories are collected in labelled plastic
containers. All waste, except sewage and grey water, is stored to
be burned or removed from Antarctica. Sorted garbage is
stored outside in wooden or cardboard boxes (glass, tins, and
general waste), plastic bags (general garbage) and drums (waste
oil).
Greenpeace personnel saw several punctured plastic rubbish bags
that had spilled litter onto the ground. Station personnel
reported that there was a problem with birds scavenging food from
these bags.
At the time of the visit, most of the personnel had only been on
station for a month, and as the resupply ship had only left ten
days previously, only a small amount of garbage had been
generated.
A can crusher had been brought to the station and was due to be
installed during the summer.
18.3.1.2 Dumps
There are no dumps at King Sejong. Within the limits of the main
cluster of buildings, the ground was very clean and tidy,
although outside the station perimeter litter collected in
natural depressions.
18.3.1.3 Incineration
The station has a low-temperature, single stage incinerator,
which was inoperative at the time of Greenpeace's visit, and had
been so for several months. Emissions from the incinerator are
neither filtered nor monitored. Ash from the incinerator is
apparently removed.
When it is operational, the incinerator reportedly burns paper,
food scraps, some wood, and low-density polyethylene (rubbish)
bags. Everything else is removed from Antarctica. Since the
incinerator broke down, everything, (including food scraps) is
collected for removal. The OIC said that they would like to
install a two-stage, high temperature incinerator in future.
18.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Station supplies are repacked in specially designed cardboard
boxes before being transported south. These boxes are then used
to package waste for removal. The OIC said that they were making
all efforts to reduce polystyrene packaging, and that the most
recent resupply had produced less than a cubic metre of
polystyrene packaging at the station.
Rubbish for removal is taken out once or twice a year on the
resupply ship.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, no photographic developing was
being done on station, and the OIC said that when the
darkroom is used, chemicals will be removed from Antarctica.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the OIC was in charge of waste
disposal, although he was planning to hand this job over to the
plumber. Once a week, station personnel conducted a
litter patrol outside and cleaned the station inside.
18.3.2 Sewage System
Sewage and grey water is disinfected with chlorine and
discharged into the sea. Laboratory chemicals (for example
formalin) are also discharged with the sewage.
Sludge is recovered from the treatment plant three times a year
and removed from Antarctica.
The sewage outfall is located next to the pier. The effluent was
very cloudy and had a strong smell, and sludge was visible
around the outfall.
18.3.3 Energy Systems
Diesel fuel is stored in six cylindrical fuel tanks with a total
capacity of 900,000 litres. The tanks are mounted horizontally on
sturdy metal frames set on concrete piles. Three of the tanks are
sited next to the shore, while the other three are about 200
metres inland and 15 metres above sea level. The tanks showed
signs of wear, with the aluminium covers (protecting
polyurethane insulation) of two tanks being broken. There was
also some evidence that the steel under the protective cover is
beginning to rust, and the OIC planned to investigate.
In the recent resupply, the Erebus brought in 400,000 litres of
diesel. The station uses approximately 250,000 litres each year.
In addition to the diesel, the station had 50 200-litre drums of
gasoline for vehicles, 10 drums of kerosene for the water pumps,
lubricants, LPG for cooking, and some charcoal for the barbecue.
The drums were rusty in most cases and most of the paint had
flaked off the rest. Full drums are stacked horizontally on top
of wooden planks or small squares of wood, and are protected from
the road by a barrier of large tyres. Hand pumps are used to
transfer fuel from drums. The soil surrounding each drum in use
was stained with fuel.
Several systems of transferring fuel from ship to shore have
reportedly been tried at King Sejong. In the first year, it was
brought ashore in barges. On another occasion, when the
Argentine icebreaker Irizar was used for the resupply, fuel was
flown ashore in rubber bladders. Since then, various pumping
systems had been tried. On the recommendation of other SCALOP
members, French-made hoses have been purchased and fuel is
pumped ashore in a single length of hose.
Fuel is transferred between the storage tanks, and from the
storage tanks to the station, in fixed PVC pipes. There are no
containment facilities around any of the pumping stations, nor
around any of the tanks.
King Sejong has three 133 kW generators, with two more due to be
installed.
There was no use of alternative energy, nor any plans to install
such systems. A new system had been implemented to substitute
fuel heaters with a larger generator and electric heater, which
was safer but which has caused an increase in fuel consumption.
The temperature inside the base seemed relatively high compared
to some of other stations visited by Greenpeace.
Fuel stains were visible around most connections in the fuel
system. Behind the maintenance building there was a bucket
sitting under a faulty valve which was full and spilling over
with diesel. During resupply, one of the tanks had apparently
overflowed . Its insulation was soaked in diesel that was
dripping onto the ground, causing a stained patch of
approximately two square metres. Another of the damaged tanks,
which was nearly empty, had a bucket sitting underneath the
valve, almost half full of fuel. Other spills were visible
around the tanks and drums. It appeared as if an attempt had been
made to conceal some of these by covering them with fresh gravel.
In addition to the spills under the active fuel system, fuel
stains were visible around several old drums which stood on the
beach.
Most of the spills were small in area, with well defined
boundaries. Greenpeace suspects, given the permeability of the
soil, that the fuel will tend to migrate vertically rather than
horizontally. If this is the case, a large spill may show up as a
relatively small patch on the surface.
Station personnel said that all fuel lines and connections were
checked daily. Valves were to be upgraded during the 1993
winter, in line with SCALOP recommendations that ball valves
should be used in preference to gate valves.
18.3.4 Resupply Operations
Resupply of King Sejong is done by the Erebus, which is
chartered by the Korean program. In the 1992/93 summer, resupply
took five days, during which seven containers of supplies, as
well as 400,000 litres of diesel were offloaded.
18.4 Tourism
King Sejong seldom receives visits from tourists, although they
have received a couple of ships in the last couple of years.
18.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
When asked what he considered to be the most serious impact of
the station, the OIC cited the incinerator, which he feels is not
sophisticated enough, and the sewage treatment, which he thought
might not be working very well.
Station personnel had received training in Korea which included
discussions on behaviour with respect to the environment. In
addition, personnel must sign an agreement or contract, which
includes environmental directives, before coming to Antarctica.
On station were two glossy handbooks which were manuals for
winterers and for visitors. Both included several pages on
environmental matters.
The OIC said that he had asked the station personnel not to go up
the hill beyond the fuel tanks due to the sensitive
vegetation there. However, tracks were visible in that area, and
large amounts of gravel had been dumped there, covering some of
the vegetation.
The central area of the base, as well as the sides of the roads
(especially the seaward side of the roads parallel to the sea)
have received substantial physical modification. There is no
vegetation to be seen, while lichens and, to some extent, mosses
are abundant beyond the base limits. Along the road to the
outlying sheds lobes of bulldozed material have buried the
original plant cover, remnants of which were showing through in
places.
The station was growing tomatoes and a couple of other plants in
a small indoor garden. They have kept a record over the past
years of the insects that have been inadvertently brought in with
the annual resupply (usually around a dozen specimens of various
species).
18.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The OIC had a copy of the Madrid Protocol, translated into
Korean, on station, and seemed familiar with it and other Treaty
provisions. Several pieces of equipment had been brought to the
station to enable modifications to be made during winter,
although most of these seemed to be more related to SCALOP
recommendations than strictly to Protocol requirements. Carbon
dioxide extinguishers have been brought in to replace the halon
ones criticised in a previous Greenpeace report.
18.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
The OIC asked Greenpeace for initial recommendations. Greenpeace
personnel suggested the installation of exhaust scrubbers,
recycling of waste heat from the generator exhaust system, and
installation of containment systems around the fuel pumping
station, the tanks, and the generators.
In addition, Greenpeace recommends that other measures be taken
to reduce fuel consumption. For example, the internal
temperature could be reduced and personnel encouraged to wear
another layer of clothing.
Incineration should be phased out.
There should be no further modification of the natural
environment, particularly through earthmoving.
19 PERU: MACHU PICCHU
19.1 Overview and Location
Machu Picchu is located on the Mackellar Peninsula, Admiralty
Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands.
It is placed on the second terrace of a beach ridge complex,
about seven metres above sea level.
The first stage of its construction was completed by February,
1989, with Peru gaining Consultative status to the Antarctic
Treaty only eight months later. Since then, there has reportedly
been only one visit by a maintenance party.
19.1.1 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited the site for about half an hour on 15
January, 1993.
19.1.2. Previous Visits
Greenpeace last visited Machu Picchu in November, 1989, during
the 1989/90 Antarctic Expedition.
19.2 Physical Structure
The base comprises three buildings of polystyrene-insulated metal
panels on steel frames. Other structures are a flagpole, a
meteorological screen, a collapsed homemade antennae and a
navigation aid.
The construction of the buildings is poor, with the fittings of
some internal panels having separated, in some cases by a couple
of centimetres. However the overall condition was still
reasonably good, and the paint was also still mostly in good
condition.
The two smaller buildings sit about 50-80 cm above the ground on
concrete pillars. The largest building is built on a concrete
slab sitting directly on the ground. One of the side panels in
this building has fallen out, exposing the interior to the
elements. When Greenpeace visited, one of the doors of the other
buildings had been left open. However, the base was dry inside,
in contrast to the Greenpeace's previous visit, when it had been
full of snow.
There was some litter visible on the ground-glass fragments,
welding rods, and paint chips.
The larger building was a workshop with some construction
materials inside, including metallic panels, paint, cardboard,
pieces of timber for casting concrete, and a very rusty trailer
with two wheels.
19.3 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
While the base is probably having little environmental impact at
present, it is an unnecessary structure and an eyesore. If not
maintained, eventually it will start to deteriorate and will
eventually be scattered by the wind.
19.3.1 Comments and Recommendations
The mission of this base needs to be re-evaluated by Peru.
Subject to an EIA, it should either be removed, or completed and
used properly. Peru might like to develop a cooperative project
with another country in order to facilitate one of these
options.
20 POLAND: ARCTOWSKI
20.1 Overview
Poland opened its only Antarctic base, Arctowski, in 1977, and it
has been continually occupied since then. There are
facilities at the station for up to 50 people.
20.1.1 Location
Arctowski (62°09'S,58°28'W) is located in Admiralty Bay, King
George Island, Shetland Islands. The station complex is spread
over a large area between Point Thomas and Shag Point,
approximately five metres above sea level.
20.1.2 Status
Arctowski's 1992 Officer in Charge was Dr. Maria Agatha Olech.
There had been 11 people--including one Argentinian scientist--in
residence for the year, with up to 6 additional scientists (2
German and 4 Chinese) there during the summer.
All of the permanent staff were employed by the Department of
Antarctic Biology at the Polish Academy of Science. The team was
made up of five scientists, a cook, radio operator, doctor, and
three mechanics.
20.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Arctowski on 14 January, 1992. The visit
included a meeting with the OIC and other staff, lunch with the
station personnel, and a guided tour of the station. A second,
brief contact was made two days later when Greenpeace personnel
came ashore briefly to deliver some promised documents.
20.1.4 Previous Visits
Previous Greenpeace visits to Arctowski took place in April 1988
and November 1989.
20.2. Physical Structure
There are two clusters of buildings: one where most of the
structures are located; and another about a kilometre away that
consists of the fuel tank and the storage area for materials
awaiting removal. Resupply operations are carried out at the
latter site. There are also several labs scattered over the spit,
and some observation huts inside the SSSI near the station (SSSI
No. 8; Western Shore of Admiralty Bay). Other
miscellaneous structures include an antenna farm, two helipads, a
soccer field, an incinerator, and 2 meteorological screens.
The buildings are constructed of metal panels, and are elevated a
metre or less above the ground, on metal frames in pre-cast
concrete foundations. The buildings were in a fair condition.
There were tracks along the shoreline in both directions from the
station, leading in one direction to the rookery and SSSI, and in
the other, to the Point Thomas fuel and vehicle storage area.
Water is taken from a dammed stream behind the station.
Apparently this water supply has sometimes been contaminated by
bird faeces.
The station's complement of vehicles comprises two jeeps, two
amphibious vehicles, two wooden motor-sailing boats, two
powerboats for towing the refuelling barges, one shovel/crane,
and one bulldozer. Some of these were older vehicles waiting to
be removed to Poland.
Apart from the observation shelters in the SSSI, the Poles
occasionally use as a field hut an old caravan that had been left
in Italian Valley (Ezcurra Inlet, Admiralty Bay) by a
private Italian expedition (see Section 8).
20.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
Personnel said that Poland has plans to bring in new equipment
for satellite communications, thus eliminating the need for the
extensive antenna farms.
20.3 Operations
Science carried out in 1992 was: geomorphology, geophysics,
zoology, and botany. One of the studies investigated heavy metal
contamination of mosses and lichens around the station. Another
study compared the environmental impacts at a frequently visited
SSSI with one that is infrequently visited.
One of the major preoccupations of the OIC was the decreasing
funding for Polish science. The Antarctic program had been
forced, at short notice, to reduce personnel by 30% for the 1992
winter. This has meant fewer scientific programs than in the
past, and greater difficulties in transporting scientists and
supplies to the base.
20.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
20.3.1.1 Separation
Apart from wood and plastic, all garbage, including organics and
ashes, is reportedly removed to Poland on the Russian resupply
ships, a service for which Poland has to pay.
Station policy forbids the feeding of birds. However, Greenpeace
was told that personnel do not always abide by this policy. The
presence of several begging skuas near the base suggested that
this was true.
20.3.1.2 Dump
There is no dump visible at Arctowski. However, the area
surrounding the burner was littered with ashes and small pieces
of garbage.
20.3.1.3 Incineration and Open Burning
Burning is carried out in a ramshackle affair consisting of
flattened fuel drums welded and wired together to form a burn
chamber and chimney. Station personnel said that only paper and
wood are burned in this makeshift incinerator. However metal
scraps were found amongst the ashes inside the burn drum, and
unburnt plastic wrapping and containers sat in a wooden box
inside the burn chamber.
Ash is reportedly removed from the Antarctic. Emissions are
neither filtered nor monitored.
Station personnel reported that the next wintering party would be
bringing a more sophisticated incinerator (from Finland) that
would replace the burn drum. The new incinerator would be sited
inside a shipping container, and station personnel said that an
EIA would be done before its installation.
20.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Waste removal occurs once or twice a year, when rubbish is
removed on a Russian resupply ship and taken to Poland. It was
unclear what happens to it when it reaches Poland.
Waste to be removed is stored in 10 large steel skips and about
150 drums (100 of which contain waste oil). Once full, these
containers are stored at Point Thomas. During Greenpeace's
visit, there seemed to be more waste sitting at Point Thomas than
it was likely could have been generated in one year. It therefore
seemed probable that not all the garbage is removed every year.
Transport for waste back to Poland seemed somewhat haphazard.
While adequate for bringing supplies into the station, Russian
shipping does not appear to be very reliable for removing waste.
There were plans to take out old vehicles and scrap metal with
the 1992/93 resupply, either on the Russian resupply vessel due a
few days after the Greenpeace visit, or later in the season with
another ship.
20.3.2 Sewage System
Sewage, including grey water, is first treated in septic tank
(heated in winter), then passed through three settling ponds and
a filter. It then drains into the beach. No evidence of this was
visible on the beach. Apparently sludge does not have to be
removed often, and in fact none of the personnel asked could
remember when it had last been cleaned out.
Field waste is reportedly returned to the station, although
bonfire sites were seen at the camp in Italian Valley (see
section 8).
20.3.3 Energy Systems
The station used 120,000 tonnes of diesel during 1992, and
calculated that it would use 100,000 tonnes in 1993. Fuel is
stored in a large (1 million litre), double-walled tank, similar
to those at Bellingshausen, approximately 30 metres from the
shoreline. While the outer wall of the tank looked battered,
station personnel assured Greenpeace that the inner tank was in
good condition.
The day tanks are sited near the fresh-water lake, and are made
of fibreglass. They were reportedly due to be replaced in the
1993/94 season. The additional containment facility consisted of
a downslope depression lined with concrete panels. In the event
of a fuel spill, these structures would not be impervious.
A wooden dam located in the shallows of the lake downslope of the
tanks would provide further containment in the event of an
accident, although its intended purpose is more for detecting
fuel seepage than for containment.
Fuel is transferred from ship to shore via double-hulled barges
(a tricky operation that can only be done in the calmest of
weathers), and from the bulk tank to day tanks in a truck. The
barge operation is reportedly supervised only by a dinghy, which
has negligible response capability in case of an accident.
Fuel handling protocol includes always having three people on
watch during fuel handling to guard against mistakes. No
equipment is available for dealing with spills.
While in comparison with many other stations there was very
little fuel staining in the ground around the station, an area of
approximately five square meters around the pump house was soaked
in fuel. Some attempt to prevent this had been made by the
provision of a barrel into which the refuelling nozzle could be
placed after use, to collect drips. There was also some
staining on the ground around the day tanks.
There were no plans to install alternative energy systems of any
kind.
The generator shed was very clean, with the engineer insisting
that boots be washed before entry. All engines had drip trays and
the engineer said that the generators had an exhaust filter
system.
The station has three 90 kW generators, with one in use at a
time. There are also three 40 kW military type generators for
back-up.
20.4 Tourism
One of the major features of Arctowski is the high number of
visits by tourist ships each summer. As a consequence, Arctowski
has a well-developed system for dealing with the ships.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, Arctowski had already
received 12 visits from large tourist ships, carrying a total of
713 passengers, as well as 3 visits from smaller yachts
(including the Pelagic), carrying 21 people.
Tourists are landed at a designated beach, taken along the shore
to the border of the SSSI and then brought back along the beach
to the station, where they are given tea and coffee. They are not
seen by the station to be too much of a problem unless they
arrive without warning, which can be disruptive to the work of
the station (some ships have been known to ask for visits one
hour in advance).
20.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
Prior to departure from Poland, station personnel undergo a two
day lecture on safety and environmental matters. People around
the station seemed reasonably well briefed on looking after
mosses, picking up litter, etc., although one of the staff said
that they had an ongoing problem convincing incoming winterers
not to feed the skuas.
When asked what she considered to be the station's greatest
environmental impact, the OIC said that the biggest impact was
the antenna farm. Another senior staff member felt that the
burner was probably the biggest impact.
Another significant impact of the presence of the station
buildings mentioned was that the sheathbills tended to stay all
winter, instead of migrating north.
Station personnel seemed to be very aware of the local wildlife
and gave, for example, nesting birds a wide berth. They also took
very seriously the enforcement of the SSSI boundaries, and had
well-developed instructions that are given immediately to
visitors to the station, as to where they can and cannot go.
Visitors are also requested to keep off the moss.
The well-known greenhouse at Arctowski was discontinued
approximately four years ago, and the building is being repaired
for possible use as a museum. Ten barrels of soil from the
greenhouse remained on-site awaiting removal from the Antarctic.
They were still considering installing a hydroponics system in
future, however.
The construction of Arctowski has caused considerable physical
modification of the area. A bulldozer has been used to change the
topography and construct a soccer field, and the dams and the
sewage treatment system have required excavation.
20.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The base commander thought that she had a copy of the Protocol,
but could not specify changes that would have to be made for
compliance with the Protocol.
20.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
The Polish program seemed to be under some stress from shrinking
budgets and hence personnel, and increasingly threatened and
haphazard resupply. This leads to a major concern that logistic
essentials like waste removal will be compromised.
It was noticeable that the personnel at this station were
relatively well trained and had good attitudes with respect to
environmental impact. One exception is the issue of feeding
wildlife, which should continue to be strongly discouraged.
The burner should be dismantled, and a program of removing
everything from the Antarctic should be developed. The
installation of an incinerator should not be seen as an
acceptable solution.
The size of the station should be reassessed in light of
reductions in the size of the program. There appear to be too
many buildings for current needs, and unwanted structures should
be removed from the Antarctic.
Finally, the sewage treatment plant should be monitored to
ensure efficiency, and containment should be installed around the
large fuel tank and other fuel handling structures at Point
Thomas.
21 RUSSIA: BELLINGSHAUSEN
21.1 Overview
Russia's Bellingshausen Station was established in 1968, just
prior to the construction of the nearby Chilean base,
Marsh/Frei.
Bellingshausen's future is uncertain in the face of cutbacks to
the Russian Antarctic Program, including the closure of
Leningradskaya and Russkya. This and previous visits to the base
indicate that Bellingshausen is suffering from a lack of
logistical and financial support, with inadequate or sometimes
non-existent supplies of foodstuffs, clothing and safety
equipment.
21.1.1 Location
Bellingshausen (62°12'S,58°58'W) was built in a Specially
Protected Area on the Fildes Peninsula, Maxwell Bay, King George
Island, South Shetland Islands, and is contiguous to Chile's
Teniente Marsh Station. Its 17 buildings appear haphazardly
scattered over a large area.
21.1.2 Status
The OIC for 1992 was Pavel Seleznev, who was still there when
Greenpeace visited. He was due to be relieved a week later.
There had been 18 people at the station during 1992, with
numbers expected to drop to 14 for 1993.
At the time of the visit, the team consisted of four
construction workers, four scientists (a meteorologist, and upper
atmospheric physicist, an oceanographer, and a scientist working
on satellite information), a mechanic, an engineer, a doctor, and
a cook.
The 1993 team will be composed in a similar way, but without the
construction personnel, as no construction is planned for 1993.
21.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace representatives were in the Marsh/Bellingshausen area
from 10 - 13 January. A meeting was held with the Russian OIC on
11 January, who showed Greenpeace representatives around the
station. A second visit took place the next day.
21.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace first visited Bellingshausen in early April, 1988
during its 1987/88 Antarctic expedition. Subsequent visits
occurred in late October, 1989, and March, 1991, during
Greenpeace's 1989/90 and 1990/91 expeditions respectively.
21.2 Physical Structure
Most of the buildings are constructed of steel clad with
aluminium sheets. Some are built on steel support systems,
others sit on concrete supports, and some are built directly on
concrete panels on the ground. While most look shabby, on close
inspection they seem to be in relatively good condition, except
that paint is peeling from many of them. The old weather station
at the top of the hill is in bad shape. Their numerous vehicles
include two tanks, two Lada jeeps, two amphibious vehicles, a
crane, three tractors plus some old trucks and cranes, and a
permanently beached boat.
Tracks out of the station lead over most of the Fildes
Peninsula, but in particular to Artigas, to Marsh, and to the
buildings on the hills beside the base.
The station's water supply previously came from the freshwater
lake behind the station. However, the pipeline leading from the
lake to the station is now broken, and water is pumped from a dam
in the stream beside the station. Infrastructure left in the lake
(a jetty and piping) is deteriorating.
21.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
Since Greenpeace's previous visit in March 1991, there have been
several new buildings constructed at Bellingshausen. These
include a store, a room for garbage separation, sewage
treatment, and incineration (see below). More construction
material was lying around, but the OIC said that no further
buildings were planned.
21.2.2 Other Changes
The OIC reported that during the 1992/93 summer, five Russian
stations were operating in Antarctica: Vostok, Mirny,
Novaralazevskaya, Molodezhnaya and Bellingshausen. Progress may
also be reopened in future.
21.3 Operations
21.3.1
21.3.1.1 Separation
Waste Disposal Systems
Some waste appears to be burnt in small fires, either in the
several burn drums scattered around the station, or directly on
the ground. Material that is not burnt is dumped in various
places around the station.
Food scraps are put in open drums behind the living quarters, and
then dumped near the beach. These scraps support a large
population of skuas, which are sufficiently tame to be hand-fed.
21.3.1.2 Dumps
Much of the area in the vicinity of the station has been used as
a sprawling dump. Some of the material previously seen by
Greenpeace at the worst of the dump sites appeared to have been
removed. Nevertheless, remaining rubbish included metal junk
(including quite large items of equipment) and food scraps. Other
junk that could be seen lying around the station included
electrical distribution boards and an old engine.
Fortunately, little plastic appears to be used by the Russian
operation in comparison to other programs. Nevertheless, some
plastic waste has been dumped in some areas, particularly near
the lake.
Another waste source is the meteorological program, which dumps
the white powder by-product of hydrogen production directly below
the meteorological building on the hill. This waste
covered an area of tens of square metres.
21.3.1.3 Incineration
Three new incinerators had been partially installed, in a new
building erected for the purpose. One is intended for burning
waste oil, and the other two are for burning all other waste that
is not metal or glass.
Waste oil and grease is burnt in old fuel drums beside the
workshops.
21.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Perhaps because of its commercial value, particular care seems to
be taken to separate scrap metal for removal. In 1992, 140 tonnes
of scrap metal were removed, and the OIC was hoping to take
another 70 tonnes out in the 1992/93 season.
21.3.2 Sewage System
Untreated sewage is poured into the stream separating
Bellingshausen from Marsh. However, the OIC reported that they
were planning to install a sewage treatment plant in the same
building as the incinerators.
Grey water, mainly produced in the showers and laundry in the
generator shed, is also poured into the stream immediately below
the dam.
21.3.3 Energy Systems
The generators and most of the vehicles run on diesel, which is
stored in nine huge and three slightly smaller tanks in the next
bay around from the station to the east, about 150 metres from
the shore and 15 metres above sea level. Smaller quantities were
periodically transported by truck to steel tanks near the new
generator shed, which hold about 200,000 litres. The total
capacity of the fuel farm is 1,800,000 litres.
The station uses approximately 230,000 litres of diesel per year.
Besides the station generators, all vehicles are run on diesel,
except the two cars which are petrol-driven.
According to station personnel, the bulk storage tanks were built
in three batches, with the oldest built 14 years ago, and the
newest five years ago. The oldest tanks are in very poor
condition, and the OIC said that after they were drained, they
would be decommissioned. Apparently this large capacity had been
originally intended as a refuelling point for the Soviet fishing
fleets. They now sell fuel to Artigas and Arctowski.
Fuel is pumped ashore from resupply ships to these tanks in a
large (10 cm diameter) flexible pipe, which was laid out neatly
on the beach below the tanks, still full of fuel. It was sealed
by a simple clamp across the fabric of the pipe. In addition,
amphibious boats are used to transfer fuel from ship to shore,
carrying 70,000 litres of fuel at a time. This operation
reportedly can only be carried out in good weather. Besides the
bulk storage tanks, twenty rusting drums full of fuel sat on an
old wooden barge which was beached on the shoreline in the same
bay.
A pipeline from the large tanks leads to a primitive nozzle
hanging from a frame, from which tankers are filled to transport
fuel over the hill to the day tanks in the station. This nozzle
was constantly dripping onto the stones of the beach.
Fuel handling appeared to be very sloppy, with any area where
fuel is handled being soaked with fuel. The ground below all
connections was stained with fuel.
Bellingshausen has three 100 kW generators, one of which is run
at a time, except for a couple of the coldest weeks of the year
when two are run together. At the time of Greenpeace's visit,
they were in the process of installing three new 200 kW
generators in a new shed. These generators have drip trays
installed beneath them. The OIC said that the new generators were
being installed because of an expected increase in energy demand,
although it was unclear why there was this expectation.
There were no plans to install any form of alternative energy
system.
21.3.4 Resupply Operations
The Academic Fedorov and another ship were doing the resupplies
of the Antarctic bases (Mirny, Vostok via McMurdo, and
Bellingshausen).
21.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
While the OIC recognised that the station had many environmental
problems, he focused mainly on the waste crisis. He said that he
had tried to get more staff to help solve some of the problems,
but had been turned down by the Institute.
Besides waste, Greenpeace would also point to extensive and
severe physical impact on soils and mosses, release of raw
sewage and significant fuel spillages as serious environmental
problems at Bellingshausen.
Another problem is the effect on fauna--besides the large (more
than 100) numbers of begging skuas, other birds nest in and
around the garbage strewn over the area.
The OIC was able to hand out a one-page sheet indicating some
rules for environmental protection. This sheet seemed like the
sort that would be given to visitors to the station, and in fact
at least two other stations on King George Island had almost
identical handouts. Apparently, station personnel did not
receive any training on environmental matters before coming to
Antarctica.
There were several potplants--in unsterilised soil--inside the
station, which were apparently gifts from the Chileans.
21.4.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The OIC did not have a copy of the Protocol, but thought that one
would be coming with the next OIC. He therefore didn't have any
thoughts as to ways that it should be implemented.
21.4.2 Comments and Recommendations
It is clear that the OIC and personnel alone cannot keep up with
the improvements to the infrastructure and operations of this
station if no support is given from Russia.
However, they should:
* implement systems of waste management (such as separation and
better storage) to facilitate removal of waste from Antarctica;
and
* reduce food waste by better management of stores, and ensure
that any that is produced is stored and disposed of out of reach
of wildlife.
Changes that are needed on a larger scale, requiring the
commitment and support of the Russian Antarctic program include:
* dismantling and stacking for removal all structures that are
not in use, as well as dumps;
* draining and removal fuel tanks, keeping only the capacity that
is needed; this requirement should be reduced through the
installation of alternative energy systems, ideally in
cooperation with Chile; and
* installation of a sewage treatment plant.
It is unfortunate that an incinerator has been installed; it
should be removed, and all waste should be taken out of
Antarctica.
22 SPAIN: GABRIEL DE CASTILLA
22.1 Overview
Gabriel de Castilla is operated by the Spanish Antarctic program
as a summer station. The base was built in 1989/90. It was
occupied that summer and the following one, but not in 1991/92.
Apparently it has only been finished this year (1992/93), with
the construction of the final building.
22.1.1 Location
Gabriel de Castilla station is located on Deception Island, South
Shetland Islands, near the abandoned Argentine station Decepcion.
The base sits about 30 m inland from the beach atop a deposit of
volcanic sediments.
There is a stream to the north of the base, and two creeks
within the station area.
In Greenpeace's previous inspection report, they were described
as human-made, but station staff said that they were in fact
natural.
22.1.2 Status
This base is only occupied during the summer (late November to
late February/early March). The OIC at the time of Greenpeace's
visit was Teniente Coronel (Lieutenant Colonel) Amancio Alonso
Alvarez, who was in charge for the second half of the summer.
There were a total of 12 people at the station, five of whom were
civilian scientists, and four of whom were military
personnel carrying out scientific work. Only the OIC,
maintenance person, and radio operator were not engaged in
science.
The station is run by the Spanish army, and resupplied by the
Hesperides, under the direction of the Spanish navy. Civilians
report to the Spanish Higher Council of Scientific Research
(Cosejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas de Espana), which
actually owns the base.
22.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace personnel visited Castilla on 24 January, having
walked from Telefon Bay, where the Pelagic was anchored.
22.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace visited the Spanish base during the 1990/91
expedition, when the base had already been closed for the
winter. Details of this inspection may be found in Greenpeace's
Expedition Report for that season.
22.2 Physical Structure
The main building is approximately ten by six metres, and is
built of galvanised steel frames and insulated fibreglass
cladding, set on wooden supports and held down with guy wires.
There are two other permanent buildings constructed in a similar
way. Station personnel said that these buildings had been
designed to be removable and reusable. No concrete has been used
in the construction of this base, although the guy wires are
anchored with 1.5 metre iron pegs that will probably be
difficult to retrieve. The two secondary buildings are used as a
workshop and a storage shed. One of these had been built since
Greenpeace's last visit.
These buildings appeared to be in good condition, despite their
lightweight construction.
One other semi-permanent building, which has been erected around
the generators, is made of wood and corrugated iron, and looked
like it has been added as an afterthought.
The base gave the impression of being a fairly temporary affair,
although the main building has already been used for four years.
There were also three large army field tents, which are used for
summer storage and are taken down for the winter.
Because the only land vehicles in use were two small four-wheel
motor bikes and a light trailer, there were only a few light
tracks around the station. Transport around Deception Island
appeared to be mostly by foot or by inflatable boat.
22.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
The third building was constructed during the 1992/93 summer, and
some levelling and excavation has been done in the course of
construction. The ground around this building was littered with
small galvanised rivets.
22.3 Operations
Science being done at this base mostly related to earth sciences
and includes cartography, geodetics, geophysics, geomorphology
and geology, although studies of penguins were also being done.
The penguin studies involve handling the animals in order to
weigh and tag them. The scientists have a Spanish permit issued
by the Instituto de Conservacion de la Naturaleza (Institute for
Nature Conservation) for handling and tagging animals. Data is
contributed to the CCAMLR database.
Water for the base comes from the nearby meltstream. It is not
treated. When the stream is not running (as at the time of
Greenpeace's visit), water is collected as it melts from
snowdrifts. These drifts are not large, and to reduce the
melting rate, they had been covered in sediments. The water is
stored in two rubber bladders sitting in the stream bed, and is
pumped from these to the base above.
22.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
22.3.1.1 Separation
Waste is separated in the kitchen into three categories:
burnables (which they call organics, but which includes paper,
cardboard, wood and food scraps); plastics; glass and tins. The
first category is burnt, and the rest are stored for removal in
drums behind the main building. These drums are sealed once they
are full. Empty cans were accessible to birds, although
Greenpeace representatives saw no evidence of scavenging.
No laboratory chemicals were in use at this base. Battery acid is
stored in 500 ml plastic bottles on a shelf in the generator
shed.
Wastes from field parties are returned to the base and treated as
above.
The maintenance person is in charge of waste disposal.
22.3.1.2 Dumps
No dumps were visible at the site, although within a few hundred
metres along the shoreline were two old dumps, probably
belonging to Decepcion (see section 2).
22.3.1.3 Incineration
"Burnable" waste is burned in a metal stove with a chimney that
had been installed earlier in the season. The stove is fired with
waste oil and waste fuel (i.e. dirty fuel from the bottom of the
drums). Ash is removed from Antarctica, although as the burner is
out in the open, it would seem likely that much of the ash blows
away.
Emissions are neither filtered nor monitored.
22.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Waste is taken out on the resupply ship Hesperides twice a year,
at the mid-summer resupply and at the end of the summer. It is
taken to Punta Arenas, Chile.
22.3.2 Sewage System
Human waste and grey water goes to a septic tank (which had just
been installed at the time of the visit). The septic tank has two
chambers, separated by a filter. A chemical cleaning
substance for use in toilets (labelled as "highly toxic, not to
be swallowed") was seen in the only toilet on the base. The
uninsulated PVC drain from the toilet and WC to the septic tank
is apparently problematic because, according to the base
engineer, it bursts every winter.
Field parties dispose of their human waste in the sea.
Run-off from the settlement tank is piped into a ditch leading to
the sea. Large rocks that have been placed in the ditch
largely obscure the run-off, but some bits of waste are visible.
22.3.3 Energy Systems
Approximately 3500 litres of diesel for the generators were
stored on the station, with about 2000 litres actually used in a
typical season. Base personnel said that the excess is removed by
ship at the end of each summer, although this had not
happened when Greenpeace visited the site in March 1991--after
the base had been closed for the winter--and found full drums
that had been left by the generator shed. In addition to the
diesel, 400 litres of gasoline are kept for the inflatable
boats.
All fuel is stored in 200 litre drums. It is transferred to the
generator tanks with a hand pump and rubber hose.
The base has two generators, one of 25 kilowatts, and the other
of 10 kilowatts. They are portable, with one built onto its own
trailer for easy transport. These are being run according to
demand, and are usually shut down for five to six hours a night.
During the 1991/92 summer, however, geophysical instruments had
required them to run 24 hours per day.
There are no specific measures in place to avoid fuel spills,
although the maintenance officer said that he uses half-drums to
change engine oil. Because the generators sit directly on the
ground, there would be no barrier to a spill entering the
ground. Indeed, there were two to three square metres of heavily
contaminated soil under the generator shed, and another patch
around the burn-drum.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, there were no alternative
energy systems, although they may think of installing then in
future, as the other Spanish base (Juan Carlos I) and the
Spanish scientists at Decepcion, are employing such
technologies. However, base personnel said that they hope to
continue improving the efficiency with which they run the
generators.
22.3.4 Resupply Operations
The base has two inflatable boats and two four-wheeled
motorbikes with trailers. The latter are reportedly used only to
move cargo from the shore to the base during resupplies.
In the past, all supplies were transported from ship to shore on
home-made rafts. However, in one of those trips, one of the rafts
overturned and a generator was dropped into the water. Luckily it
was secured by a crane and was not lost, but several weeks were
spent fixing it.
These rafts were lying in the stream bed--where they had been
when Greenpeace previously visited--but the OIC said that they
would be removed that summer, as the Hesperides was bringing in a
new, large, hard-bottom zodiac.
Once on shore, supplies are moved around on the four-wheeled
motorbikes and trailer. The OIC said that the motorbikes were
only supposed to be used for resupply purposes.
Apparently it takes only a few hours to get the base up and
running at the beginning of the summer, and a couple of days to
close it for the winter (this includes removal of tents and
antennae).
22.4 Tourism
Very few of the tourist ships coming to Deception Island visit
the base (most go to the other side of Port Foster). Apparently,
there has been some interest by tour operators in landing near
the station and walking to the penguin colony on the seaward
coast of Deception Island, but so far this has come to nothing.
22.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
No environmental evaluations have been conducted recently,
although the OIC said he thought that an EIA had been done
before the base was constructed. He said that no changes were
needed for compliance with the Protocol, as the base had been
constructed to comply with it anyway.
No birds seemed to be nesting close to the station. The nearest
large concentration of wildlife was the penguin colony under
study, which is located on the other side of the island.
The construction of the base has caused some physical
disturbance. For example, the construction of the new building
involved the levelling of the soil surface, a process that
required digging into the permafrost.
22.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
A breach of Antarctic Treaty regulations noted by Greenpeace
occurred when a field party from Castilla camped inside Area C of
the Deception Island SSSI, at Telefon Bay. They said that they
had not known that this was a protected area, and that they would
move their camp.
22.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
The differences between Juan Carlos I and Castilla are quite
striking. They are both used for the same amount of time each
year. As far as Greenpeace personnel were told, Castilla does not
have a planned finite lifespan. However, while Juan Carlos has
been built with an air of semi-permanence, Castilla appears to be
built and operated like a temporary camp. The structure with most
permanence (and the most significant measure to reduce
environmental impact) is the installation of the two-stage
sewage settlement tank. An additional difference is that
Castilla seems to be primarily a military camp, while Juan
Carlos is purely civilian.
The lack of concrete is to be commended.
Another fact that should be remarked upon is that there are
Spanish scientists sharing the Argentinian camp at Decepcion,
only a few hundred metres away. The obvious question is whether
it would have been possible for the entire Spanish program on
Deception Island to share facilities with Argentina.
Greenpeace recommends that Spain consider a greater degree of
cooperation with the Argentinian operations on Deception Island,
with a view to dismantling and removing Castilla. However,
should the base continue to operate, a priority must be to
remove the waste burner and develop a system to remove all
wastes from the Antarctic. Another important change would be to
improve fuel handling techniques and equipment to minimise
release of fuel into the environment.
Finally, a situation whereby expeditioners are ignorant of the
boundaries of the protected areas in the region in which they are
working should not be permitted to happen again. The Spanish
program should ensure that all personnel are fully briefed on
such aspects before they arrive on-site; this information should
be refreshed by an orientation session as soon as staff arrive
on-shore.
23 SPAIN: JUAN CARLOS I
23.1 Overview
Spain's major Antarctic base, Juan Carlos I, was established
early in 1987, and has operated each summer since then.
23.1.1 Location
Juan Carlos I (62°40'S, 60°20'W) is located on Livingston
Island, South Shetland Islands. It sits about 100 metres from the
shore, between 11 and 14 metres above sea level, in a
glacial valley surrounded by rocky headlands. A stream runs down
to the shore in a gully beside the station.
23.1.2 Status
The OIC at the time of Greenpeace's visit was Dra. Josefina
Castellvi Piulachs, who is a biologist specialising in marine
bacteria. She is the Secretary General of the National Plan for
Research and Development - National Commission of Science and
Technology (Secretaria General del Plan Nacional de
Investigacion y Desarollo - Comision Nacional de Ciencia y
Tecnologia), and has been the OIC each summer since the base was
installed.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, there were 12 people living at
the station, although seven were away on the oceanographic ship.
The maximum capacity of the station is 15.
The team consists of three maintenance staff (an engineer, a
cook, a radio operator) and nine scientists (including, this
summer, two Germans). All (except the two Germans) are employed
by the Spanish Antarctic program.
23.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Juan Carlos I on 20 January, 1993.
Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts, the Pelagic was unable
to contact the station 24 hours before the desired visit time.
Nevertheless, the OIC agreed to see Greenpeace personnel that
evening after the day's field work.
23.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace previously visited Juan Carlos I on two occasions. The
station was inspected shortly after its inauguration in April
1987. A subsequent visit occurred in October, 1989.
23.2 Physical Structure
Juan Carlos I is a relatively small station, with three
buildings. One is the living quarters, another houses the
scientific laboratories, and the third, which consists of a chain
of shipping containers stuck together, contains the
utilities (engine room, workshop, incinerator).
The prefabricated buildings are constructed of metal, and sit
directly on the ground, with wooden wedges to level the
buildings. The OIC said they had not levelled any ground when
building the base. One of the workshops had a floor of
unmortared bricks. All facilities were in very good condition.
The only concrete that has been used on or in the ground is the
bases of three wind generators that have been erected behind the
station.
Two tracks, leading from the station to the beach and to the fuel
bladders, were clearly visible in the gravel on which the station
is built. The OIC said that they were very careful to restrict
vehicular traffic to these tracks, and that the siting of the
track had been selected to minimise its impact.
The station has one field hut, on a nearby glacier. It is used
periodically for glaciological studies and is reached either by
skidoo or on foot.
The only vehicle on station is a four-wheeled motorbike with a
trailer. Two snowmobiles and a sledge are stored on a nearby
glacier for travel to other parts of Livingston Island. In
addition, there are two to three inflatable boats.
Water is obtained from the stream near the station, and is
stored in a rubber bladder next to the stream. When this freezes
over, a pipeline from a lake further up the stream may be used.
In order to avoid damage to the pipeline during winter, a
compressor is used to dry it before the station is closed at the
end of the summer.
23.3 Operations
Scientific programs under way at the time of Greenpeace's visit
included oceanography, marine biology, and botany (lichens).
There were two German scientists at the station.
None of these programs appear to be having a major effect on the
environment. The OIC did note however that despite information
about the existence and location of their delicate hydrographic
buoys in Bransfield Strait being circulated through the usual
Antarctic Treaty system channels, this information was not
getting through to the ships operating in the area.
The OIC reported that there are no plans to extend this station,
nor to build any other Spanish stations. Rather, the Spanish
program will be seeking increased cooperation with other
countries' programs. In any case, Spanish science is weighted
more towards shipboard research such as oceanography.
23.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
Rubbish is separated in the kitchen into plastics, glass, tins,
and burnables (paper, wood and organics). The different
categories are collected in plastic bags held in a purpose-
built, labelled frame. Elsewhere around the station, all rubbish
is put into the same collection bins.
Glass and tins are crushed in a very effective hydraulic
household compactor, installed in the 1992/93 season.
Burnables are incinerated. Ashes and all other rubbish are
retrograded in plastic bags. A record is kept of the weight of
rubbish produced in each category.
Toxic materials such as batteries, battery acid and
photochemicals are retrograded. All chemicals and waste oils,
cooking oils, etc., are stored in old fuel drums (original fuel
resupply) for removal.
The incinerator is a double chambered, high-temperature hospital
type. Emissions are neither filtered or monitored. The
incinerator is located inside a shipping container so ashes
cannot blow away.
A blackened rock face behind the station indicated that open
burning had occurred in the past. The OIC said that garbage had
been burnt there in the station's first season.
In total, approximately 60 bags are retrograded per summer. Waste
is removed twice each summer, in the middle and at the end of the
season, by the resupply ship Hesperides. It is taken to Punta
Arenas for disposal. The OIC said that she was
investigating ways to recycle some of this material.
The OIC said that while efforts are made to minimise waste as
much as possible, they still have a problem with the amount of
packaging that comes with their supplies.
23.3.2 Sewage System
Sewage, including grey water, is treated in two consecutive
septic tanks with a total capacity of 12 cubic metres. The first
tank has three settling chambers and treats the sewage
biologically. The second sprays the effluent over activated
carbon for further filtration. Finally, liquid is piped to the
seashore in a partly buried plastic pipe. The OIC stressed that
the outflow pipe had been sited carefully to avoid polluting a
patch of mosses near the shore.
The OIC said that the system functions very well, and in the six
years of operation to date, sludge has not had to be removed.
Apparently maintenance of sufficiently high temperature in the
chambers has not proved to be a problem, and the OIC said that
she thought it might remain unfrozen all year because of heat
generated from bacterial action. This also means that it is easy
to restart the system each summer.
Effluent from the sewage system is tested approximately once
every 15 days. Apparently, the system removes an average of 80%
of organic matter.
23.3.3 Energy Systems
A total of 17,000 litres of diesel were stored at the station,
with approximately 12,000 litres used in a season. In addition,
petrol for the boats is stored on-site in drums. Gas is used for
cooking and hot water.
Diesel is stored in three 5000-litre and one 2000-litre rubber
bladders. Gas is stored in household cylinders, with 30 bottles
stored in the fuel dump.
Fuel resupply is reportedly done from ship to shore through 600
metres of 8 cm hose. Booms are kept ready for deployment should
there be an accident, and a boat is always in the water while
pumping is done. The operation takes up to six or seven hours and
is carried out only in good weather. The safety of the
operation relies primarily on the safety valves at the ends of
each section of hose, which close tightly when they are
disconnected.
At the completion of pumping operations, the hose, still full of
fuel and held afloat by buoys, is towed by dinghy from the ship
to shore. Once on land, the hose is emptied into a barrel, this
fuel being used immediately. Compressed air and a "pig" is used
to empty the hoses out completely.
The bladders in which the diesel is stored are located about 100
metres uphill of the station buildings in a natural depression
covered with fine sand. They sit on tarpaulins, and are
surrounded by a 20-30 cm berm made from the surrounding sand. The
fuel is drained by gravity from the bladders to the day tank near
the generator room in a garden hose that is buried for most of
its length.
During the winter, two bladders are reportedly left outside with
some fuel inside them. These bladders are protected by a metal
frame covered by wooden planks (to avoid compression by snow).
The other two bladders are emptied, rolled up, and stored inside
for the winter.
Fuel had been spilled on the tarpaulins underneath the bladders,
and in places had leaked into the soil. It had been further
carried downslope by rainwater. There also appeared to be a small
spill on one of the tracks within the station area.
The station has two generators inside one of the containers.
There were no drip trays but the container has a concrete floor.
Heating is provided by diesel/electric convection heaters in the
living and science blocks. The living area is kept at a
relatively high temperature, although apparently it cools
rapidly during strong winds--perhaps because of the station's
large windows.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the station was experimenting
with an alternative energy program. They had erected three 130
kW/hour generators, two of which were operational. Because they
were. experimental, each generator was slightly different. The
blades are designed to feather in winds over 150 kph, and part of
the experiment was to find out whether they experience any
problem with icing. The generators were charging a bank of 12-
volt lead-acid batteries, providing power to the science
laboratories only. During 1993, they were to be used
experimentally to provide the power for automated geophysical and
meteorological monitoring equipment.
23.3.4 Resupply Operations
According to the OIC, it takes only three days to open the
station at the beginning of summer, but about eight days to close
it. During the last two days of the closure process, all
personnel live on the ship. Proper and complete closure is
essential in order to avoid a lot more work at the start of the
following season (for example, if the station is not properly
dried before closure, fungus grows inside during the winter).
Fuel is left at the station so that the engine can be started
within an hour of arrival.
During the winter, the front door and kitchen are left unlocked,
and survival gear and food is stored in the main room.
23.4 Tourism
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, only one tourist ship had
visited Juan Carlos I in the 1992/93 season. The OIC said that
she has a policy of enforcing the requirement for prior notice,
and in any case does not allow tourists to enter the buildings.
23.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
The OIC felt that the station's greatest environmental impacts
are disturbances to the ground from the use of vehicles and from
excavations for the septic tanks, fuel pipelines, and wind
generator foundations.
As at many stations, another environmental impact comes from the
weather balloons that are sent aloft daily, usually carrying a
load of plastic and metal instruments. These cannot be collected
after their flight, and lie where they eventually fall.
In addition, the generator and incinerator exhausts, neither of
which are monitored or filtered, are a constant source of
pollution. Besides the monitoring of the sewage outfall, lichens
around the field hut are monitored for any changes.
23.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The OIC told Greenpeace that few changes would be needed to make
the station comply with the Protocol, as the facility has been
run on environmentally sound lines from the beginning. In her
opinion, science is no excuse for causing environmental impact.
23.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
Greenpeace feels that on the whole Juan Carlos I is run with very
little impact. However, there are some areas that should be
improved. In particular, the station refuelling system appears
less than ideal, relying as it does on the quality of the
lengths of hoses and their couplings. Other methods, such as
bringing drums ashore, should be investigated.
In addition, the fuel storage area should be improved to reduce
the amount of fuel that is spilt into the soil around the
bladders.
24 CUVERVILLE ISLAND
24.1 Overview
The field camp on Cuverville Island was established at the
beginning of the summer season of 1993.
24.1.1 Location
The camp was located on the north west side of Cuverville
Island, facing Gerlache Strait. It sat on the rocky beach, about
five metres above sea level,40 to 50 metres from the sea. The
total area covered by the camp was approximately 100 square
metres.
24.1.2 Status
The person in charge of the camp was Bernard Stonehouse, of the
Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), United Kingdom.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, there were five people at the
camp, all from SPRI. Earlier in the summer, three Argentinian
researchers (from IAA) had also been living there.
The camp was installed as part of a collaborative project
between Argentinian, Chilean, and UK scientists aimed at
studying the environmental impact of tourism. This project was
funded by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) during its first
year (1991/92), and in 1992/93 by private sponsorship (including
funding from tourist organisations) through the Scott Polar
Research Institute. The British Antarctic Survey also
contributed by transporting some of the stores early in the
season, as did the Argentinian program.
24.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Cuverville Island on 27 January 1993. The
visit lasted approximately four hours, after which camp
personnel visited the Pelagic.
24.2 Description of Facilities
The camp consisted of three uninsulated buildings which were
prefabricated wooden (garden) sheds. None had guy wires. One of
these was on a raised platform, while the others sat directly on
the ground. The huts were made of fairly rough painted pine, and
their construction had left wood chips on the ground.
There were also five small tents (one for each person), a large
ablutions tent and a radio antenna. The buildings were in good
condition.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the OIC was considering
leaving the huts in situ for the winter.
In addition to the structures, there was a portable generator,
two frames covered in plastic sheets for storage, and numerous
stores, including several litres of bleach, stacked around the
elevated building.
Water was obtained earlier in the season by melting snow, and by
the time Greenpeace visited, via a pipeline from a meltstream.
This water had to be filtered, and was beginning to peter out at
the time of Greenpeace's visit. After that, they were planning to
collect and melt ice from the sea.
The main study site was around the camp, and so most transport
was by foot. However, the camp also had two small inflatable
boats with 10 hp motors.
24.3 Description of Operations
The scientific program was designed to monitor the effect of
tourist visits to a given area. Cuverville Island was chosen
because it is frequently visited by tourist vessels, and because
it has two distinct penguin nesting areas, thus providing a
control colony. The study included assessment of the effects of
trampling on mosses, and of the effects of humans walking past
nesting penguins.
The program was in its second year of the six that are planned.
The program is supposed to be mobile, so it is unclear whether
the Cuverville site will be used again in future. However, Dr
Stonehouse said that there were plans to return to do follow-up
data collection.
The researchers were trying to get tourist ships to visit the
site, and were getting an average of two to three visits per
week, with a total of 17 in the seven weeks prior to
Greenpeace's visit, and a further 13 expected before they were
due to leave five weeks later.
When tourists landed, they were asked not to visit the control
site at the southern end of the beach, leaving them free to
wander anywhere else. Camp personnel said that these requests had
always been respected.
24.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
The OIC said that he was in charge of waste disposal at the camp.
24.3.1.1 Separation
Waste was separated inside one of the huts into clearly labelled
plastic bags inside bins. The categories are: burnables (paper,
wood, plastics), organics, and glass and tins. "Burnable" wastes
were burnt on-site. Cans and glass were crushed and bagged for
retrograding on board tourist ships. Organics were dumped in the
sea.
24.3.1.2 Waste Removal
Cans, glass, and ash was bagged and removed whenever possible on
tourist vessels. At the time of Greenpeace's visit, 12 bags of
such rubbish were stacked at three different sites around the
shoreline for removal, probably on the World Discoverer at the
end of the season. A total of 25 bags were expected to have been
produced by the end of the summer.
24.3.1.3 On-Site Disposal
"Burnable" wastes were burnt in an old 200-litre drum, with a few
holes poked in its sides, sitting on rocks by the shore. Besides
paper, wood, and plastics, 30 chicken carcasses which had gone
off had also been burnt earlier in the summer.
Greenpeace had received reports from a tourist ship about
poultry bones lying around the site, but saw no evidence of this
during the visit.
Ash from the burning drum was apparently bagged and retrograded.
However, the way the drum was set up seemed to make it very
difficult to control the ashes, and the site showed evidence of
ash being scattered by wind . Visible in the ash scattered
around the drum were a few scraps of tinfoil.
When questioned about why plastics were burned, one of the team
members said that there was already too much plastic being
burned in Chile and Argentina and that they shouldn't add to the
waste problem of those countries.
24.3.2 Sewage Systems
While there were toilet provisions in the ablutions tent, the
team reported that they relieved themselves directly onto the
beach below the high tide line.
Grey water from washing was tipped directly onto the soil. The
quantities involved are probably not great, but the water might
be contaminated with cleaning chemicals, including bleach.
24.3.3 Energy Systems
At the camp, sitting directly on the ground, were seven 200-litre
drums containing petrol (for the generator and
inflatables) and kerosene (for the heaters and cooker).
Apparently this is far more than the camp will require.
The fuel was transported ashore in inflatables, and when
required, was hand-pumped from the drums into plastic jerry cans
for transport around the camp. No drip trays or absorbent pads
were visible.
There was a small patch of spilled fuel, covering approximately
one square metre, next to one of the huts.
There were two portable petrol generators, one of 1400 W and one
of 650 W, which were only run for an hour every couple of days to
operate the radio.
They had also attempted to operate a small (500 W) wind
generator, but it did not appear to be working at the time of
Greenpeace's visit.
24.3.4 Resupply Operations
While some of the stores had been brought in by British
Antarctic Survey ships, the team had come to the site on the
World Discoverer.
24.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
As described above, visitors were asked not to enter the control
areas. Access by camp personnel to the these areas was also
restricted.
The camp was surrounded by gentoo penguin rookeries. Behind the
camp, on the cliff, were extensive moss and lichen colonies.
There was also a fur seal close to the base at the time of
Greenpeace's visit.
24.4.1 Comments and Recommendations
As mentioned above, this is part of a six year project. Dr
Stonehouse could not indicate definitely in which sites they will
be working in future, but he was considering using Danco Hut (an
abandoned British hut close to Cuverville Island) as a more
permanent base from which several sites can be visited.
Dr. Stonehouse said he was particularly keen to establish a
visitors' centre on the Peninsula, and on developing managed
tourist areas, to which tourists are encouraged to go.
Greenpeace has serious concerns about such an approach that
involves yet more infrastructural development in Antarctica.
It was disappointing that a project that was supposed to be
studying environmental impact did itself not have cleaner
operations. The operating style was reminiscent of the British
Antarctic Survey about ten years ago, perhaps reflecting the
training of the OIC. However, the impression was that the team
operated the camp, within the limits of the systems that were set
up, in the most environmentally sound way possible.
The burning of waste in a camp this size is completely
unnecessary, and all rubbish should be removed from Antarctica.
The burning of plastic wastes is particularly unacceptable, and
while Greenpeace is fully aware of the problems of waste
disposal faced by Chile and Argentina, the special value of
Antarctica means that burning on-site is not an acceptable
alternative.
The quality of the huts is also of some concern, as their rough
construction means that their removal is likely to be messy.
Finally, the question that remains is whether the impact of a
camp like this might outweigh (and therefore mask) any impacts
that might be caused by tourist visits to the area.
25 UNITED KINGDOM: DANCO HUT
25.1 Overview & Location
Danco Hut is an abandoned British facility, located on Danco
Island, just north of Paradise Harbour. It had been used in 1988
for about 20 days by a Polish geophysical expedition of two
people.
25.1.1 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited the hut on 27 January 1993, for about half an
hour.
25.2 Site Description
The hut, which measures approximately 14 x 5 metres, is
constructed of wood and sits on concrete blocks on one side but
rests directly on the ground on the other. It looked quite
weathered on the outside, but inside was dry, weathertight, and
well-ventilated.
The furniture and food supplies inside were in good condition, as
appeared the 15 hp diesel generator. Eight defunct lead-acid
batteries were also seen inside the hut.
By the water there were three concrete blocks and some timber
forming a rudimentary jetty, and a wooden bollard with a short
piece of rope attached.
Three piles of garbage could be seen outside the hut, and
rubbish was also scattered more generally around the area. In
front of the base was a heap of garbage that included a large
pile of coal, tin cans, and a wooden case.
Close to the water was a pile containing seven old empty
barrels, one barrel full of oil or fuel, and three 20-litre
barrels of stockholm tar, still three quarters full. One of these
had been tipped over; its contents had emptied into the soil and
were flowing towards the sea.
The third dump was behind the base and contained cans, wood
chips, boxes, and coal.
25.3 Comments and Recommendations
As is required by Annex III of the Madrid Protocol, this
abandoned structure and the surrounding piles of waste should be
cleaned up and removed by the UK. Of particular urgency is the
removal of the oil, fuel, tar, and batteries.
26 UNITED KINGDOM: FARADAY
26.1 Overview
Faraday is operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). It was
built in 1956, and has been occupied continually since then. The
British government is planning to close it in the near
future.
26.1.1 Location
Faraday Station (65°15'S, 64°16'W) is located on Galindez Island
in the Argentine Islands, northwest of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The station is compact, although several small buildings, power
lines and antennae extend about 300 metres beyond the central
area.
26.1.2 Status
The OIC at the time of Greenpeace's visit was Dave Mitchell, who
is the BAS person in charge of Faraday, and therefore has been
the OIC in summer for the past three years. Each year, he
chooses the winter OIC from the available personnel. During the
summer, there were 22 on station, and 10 to 12 were due to
winter in 1993. All personnel are employed by BAS.
The original base, Wordie House, was constructed in 1947 on the
site of the Graham Land Expedition of 1935 and remains as a
recreational building.
26.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Faraday on 30 January 1993. Upon arrival, we
were greeted formally and told that as far as Faraday was
concerned, we would be treated like any other visiting yacht. All
our questions would be answered, but the OIC was not
prepared to answer a formal questionnaire. That evening, Pelagic
crew returned to the station for informal socialising.
26.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace first visited Faraday in April, 1988. Subsequent
inspections occurred in early November,1989 and April,1991,
details of which may be found in the Greenpeace expedition
reports of 1989/90 and 1990/91 respectively.
26.2 Changes in Physical Structure
Faraday is described comprehensively in the 1990/91 expedition
report. It has been maintained in reasonably good condition.
As most travel is done by boat or, in winter, over snow, there
are no formed tracks around the station. The station's vehicle
complement consists of five five-metre fibreglass boats with 2.5
hp outboards, skies, skidoos, and sledges. Most of these
vehicles are used primarily for recreation. Wordie Hut, the
historic building close to the station, has received maintenance
work since Greenpeace's previous visit. The roof has been
repaired and some of the coal that was lying on the ground
around the hut has been retrieved and repacked. However, there is
still quite a bit of litter (including .303 bullet
cartridges) in the vicinity, and a burn drum near the water,
below which were some scraps of linoleum lying in the sea.
Inside the hut were three guns: a .303 rifle, an air rifle and an
air pistol.
26.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
The desalination plant described in Greenpeace's previous report
has been replaced with a reverse osmosis plant, which, after a
few initial problems at the beginning of winter, has reportedly
been working well.
26.2.2 Deteriorating Facilities
Greenpeace informed the OIC of the fuel clean-up that had been
done at Peterman Island (see above/below). While he was
supportive of Greenpeace's action, he said that BAS could not
remove fuel like that because it belongs to Argentina.
Similarly, BAS cannot do maintenance work on the hut.
26.3 Operations
Scientific studies under way at the time of Greenpeace's visit
were ionospherics, tidal studies, biology (through a summer Dutch
program), meteorology, upper atmospheric ozone, air and snow
sampling for atmospheric contaminants, magnetics, VLF
radio, and medical studies. Some of these programs
(ionospherics, magnetics, and meteorology) have been ongoing
since the late 1940's, giving some of the longest records in
these studies on the Antarctic Peninsula.
The tidal gauge had been upgraded in the 1992/93 season, and
continues to provide the longest continual data set in the
Antarctic.
26.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
26.3.1.1 Separation
Faraday's rubbish separation system appeared well-developed, with
plenty of clearly marked containers, and well developed systems
for handling the different types of waste.
Since Greenpeace's previous visit, a garbage compactor had been
installed. It is used to bundle plastics and paper which are then
returned to Port Stanley for incineration.
Glass is sealed into drums and returned to Port Stanley.
Aluminium cans are returned to the UK for recycling, with
proceeds going to charity.
Medical and biological wastes are either autoclaved or burnt in
the brazier along with wood scraps from the carpenter's
workshop.
Food scraps are dumped into the sea, with poultry products being
boiled for 20 minutes first. Poultry is also sometimes burnt if
there was a fire going at the time.
BAS has most of its supplies repacked to reduce the amount of
packaging that is brought to the Antarctic. Further, if
packaging is still required, they use woodwool or straw in
preference to plastic packaging materials.
Hazardous materials such as laboratory chemicals, batteries,
solvents, etc., are separated into clearly marked containers, and
packed securely in hazardous waste containers for return to the
UK. Categories are: aerosol cans, all batteries except lead-acid
and lithium, lead acid batteries, lithium batteries,
solvents/glues etc., and thinners. Photochemicals are also
returned to the UK. Waste oils are stored in jerry cans for
removal.
Empty fuel drums are being used to transport much of the waste.
These are prepared by cutting a large square hole in the lid.
Once full, square sheets of steel are sealed over the hole with
silicone and four sheet-metal screws. At all stages, the
contents are clearly marked and colour coded. A notable practice
is that of marking on the drum what it had originally contained,
so that inappropriate rubbish is not stored in it (for example,
drums that had contained petrol are not used at all as waste
containers, because of potentially dangerous vapours).
26.3.1.2 Dumps
In the past when Faraday dumped its garbage on site, it was taken
out on the ice and sunk (ice-staged), so there is no dump visible
near the station. There were, however, areas where
construction material (pebbles, sand, concrete), coal,and
hydrogen production residues are spread on the soil surface. The
hydrogen production residue covers an area several meters wide
and about 30 metres long. Rusty nails were commonplace on the
ground around the station.
26.3.1.3 Incineration
As at Greenpeace's previous visit, the brazier is an old fuel
barrel with holes punched in the sides for ventilation. However,
the amount of material that is burnt in this structure seems to
have been greatly reduced since Greenpeace's last visit.
Emissions are neither filtered nor monitored.
26.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Clearly labelled containers waiting removal are stacked neatly on
a wooden rack near the main jetty. This was an improvement from
Greenpeace's previous visit, when they had been stacked on the
rocks. There was a total of 60 drums of waste, produced during
the previous 12 months. Of these, 22 were from the winter months,
with the remainder from the more crowded summer seasons. In
addition, there were about twenty bails of compacted paper,
plastic and cardboard, 29 jerry cans (25 litres each) of waste
lubrication oil, and two drums of waste photochemicals.
26.3.2 Sewage System
As during Greenpeace's previous visit, sewage and grey water is
poured raw into the sea. The sewage pipe outlet is one or two
metres above the high water mark, and the waste falls onto the
rock surface below, where human faeces were visible. The water
around the outlet had toilet paper and other solid material
clearly visible in suspension. The OIC said that they are still
trying to find a macerator that will not seize up when operated
with salt water.
26.3.3 Changes in Energy Systems
A total of 242,000 litres of diesel is stored in two large
"Braithwaite" tanks. These are getting old, and were designed to
hold water rather than fuel. The smaller one dates from the
mid-1950's, while the other was installed in the late 1970's. In
addition, there are 1600 litres of kerosene and 1600 litres of
motor spirit stored on station.
In an effort to strengthen the Braithwaite tanks, a new steel
liner had been installed in the larger tank, and a rubber liner
in the smaller. However, the initial installation of these
linings had been problematic, leading to fuel spills (see
below).
To refuel the station, diesel is piped from the ship to the tank,
and then piped around the station in a permanent network of rigid
pipes. It is planned to construct a new pipeline
connecting the Braithwaite tanks, so that one tank can be
emptied into the other in case of leaks.
Faraday has three 80 kW generators, installed on a concrete
floored engine room. The generators each have their own drip
tray, and in addition the floor of the engine room has a
containment rim. The room is also equipped with a small
containment boom in case of spills. Engine exhaust is neither
filtered nor monitored.
In 1992, Faraday had two major fuel spills, when the
Braithwaites were being lined (see above). The first spill
occurred on March 3 and was due to the specially made rubber
lining for the smaller tank being too small; it therefore
ruptured when it was filled. Approximately 1000 litres were
spilt, most of which went into the sea. It was contained by brash
ice, and Faraday personnel think that they managed to collect
most of it with buckets and shovels.
The second spill, on March 30, was from the larger Braithwaite,
which had had to be overfilled because the smaller one was
unusable owing to the previous accident. Unfortunately, the steel
lining of the Braithwaite turned out not to have a level rim, and
the level indicator was reading for the higher side of the rim.
The fuel therefore overflowed between the liner and the shell,
and leaked out through holes in the bottom. Approximately 1500
litres were spilt. Station personnel think they managed to
retrieve most of this spill in buckets, but the rocks around the
tank were coated in diesel.
After the spill, the sea water was monitored for fuel
contamination. Station personnel said that it had returned to
background levels in three days. Divers from the James Clark Ross
have assessed the damage to the flora and fauna below the spill,
which reportedly now seems to have fully recovered. They
collected about 100 dead limpets from the area in the days
immediately after the spill, to prevent them being eaten by
birds. Visible effects of the spills are the fuel stains on the
rocks between the tanks and the sea, and also in a small gully
inland from the tanks.
In addition to the effects of these recorded spills, there is
also fuel staining below the boiler fuel tank, and under the
engine room's day tank.
Since the two spills last year, they have brought some spill
prevention gear to the base. This includes booms and skimmers
that were to be tested a couple of weeks after Greenpeace's
visit. They were also going to trial a citrus-based product
designed to wash the oil out of soil and off rocks.
To guard against accidents, there is a sign in the engine room
saying "It is forbidden to leave refuelling unattended."
There are no alternative energy sources currently used on the
station, and no known plans to introduce them.
26.4 Tourism
BAS permits only a limited number of tourist visits to Faraday
per year, which must be arranged beforehand. In the 1992/93
summer, only three visits were scheduled. During these visits, a
maximum of 30 people are allowed on shore at any one time, and
they are shown through the base. Faraday is also frequently
visited by yachts; they had had five in the two weeks before
Greenpeace's visit.
26.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
There were no programs under way at the time of Greenpeace's
visit to continue to study the effects of the fuel spills on the
environment.
Personnel and visitors are reportedly given general instructions
to keep clear of the moss.
The plant cover is quite extensive around the station. Within the
station perimeter, there are remnants of vegetation that are well
developed in some less disturbed areas.
The main physical impact the station has had is the considerable
use of concrete in the foundations of all buildings and in the
extensive antennae network.
26.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The OIC knew of the Madrid Protocol but did not have a copy on
station. He said that he believed that preliminary discussions
had started at BAS about the changes that might be required for
implementation of the Protocol, but had not himself been
involved in them. He was only vaguely aware of the sorts of
changes that would be required under the Protocol (for example,
treatment of food scraps and sewage.)
The OIC did have a BAS-produced handbook on the Antarctic
Treaty, which sets out station management guidelines, including
waste handling. He thought that it included Protocol
requirements.
26.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
Apart from continued burning, the waste system at Faraday seems
to be well thought out and well run. A remaining issue of
concern, however, is that much of the waste is eventually
incinerated or land-filled in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands,
rather than being recycled.
Part of the reason for the quality of the systems on this
station may be the continuity of staffing, because each person
spends over two years on station. Another likely factor is the
appointment by BAS of a full-time environmental officer.
The argument that the UK cannot do any maintenance or spill
prevention work at Peterman Island seems somewhat shallow, given
BAS's frequent recreational use of the hut. We note that the
Protocol's Annex III on Waste Disposal and Waste Management gives
responsibility for clean-up to the user of abandoned sites as
well as the generator (Art. 1(5)).
27 UNITED KINGDOM: PORT LOCKROY (ABANDONED BASE)
27.1 Overview
Port Lockroy, belonging to the UK, was abandoned in 1962.
27.1.1 Location
The base sits on a small rock island just off Wiencke Island in
the Neumeyer Channel.
27.1.2 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Port Lockroy on 31 January 1993, staying for a
couple of hours to clean up tangled wire that littered the site.
27.1.3 Previous Visits
Greenpeace previously visited the site in early April, 1991,
during the 1990/91 Expedition.
27.2. Physical Structure
Port Lockroy consists of a central building with a lean-to, a
survival hut near the shore, and several piles of barrels, scrap
metal and other debris. An old, six metre high pylon stands on
the highest point of the island.
Nesting gentoo penguins cover the island. Also seen were perhaps
twenty adult sheathbills and at least two chicks.
The buildings were in very similar condition to their state at
Greenpeace's previous visit, although some work has been done:
the windows have been boarded up and the front door mended. The
ceiling is still open to the sky in one room.
Hazardous chemicals have been cleaned out of the base by the
British Antarctic Survey. However, the carcases of around a dozen
vehicle batteries were still lying around the back door, and the
various dumps of old barrels and base equipment (some still
packed in boxes) have been left in situ.
Greenpeace found substantial quantities of twisted and tangled
copper and steel wire lying around the site, with three penguin
carcases entangled in it. Greenpeace personnel retrieved all the
wire that could be found, and put it in wooden boxes inside the
building (in the generator room).
The burn drum behind the emergency hut, seen during Greenpeace's
previous visit, could not be inspected because it was surrounded
by nesting penguins.
27.3 Comments and Recommendations
It is disappointing that, when the British team "cleaned up"
hazardous materials at Port Lockroy, they failed to remove the
tangled wire and battery carcases at the same time. In the
event, the retrieval of the wire was a simple operation that took
seven people less than two hours.
Greenpeace recommends that the next BAS ship to pass near the
site removes the battery carcases and the boxes of wire from the
base and takes them out of the Antarctic for proper disposal
elsewhere.
In the medium term, BAS should remove the piles of rubbish and
rusting oil barrels, and in the long term, the entire base
should either be removed or designated and maintained as an
Historic Site. Clean-up or removal should be done late in the
summer season so as to minimise disruption to breeding wildlife.
28 UNITED KINGDOM: WHALERS BAY (ABANDONED BASE)
28.1 Overview and Location
The abandoned British Base B is located in Whalers Bay,
Deception Island. The base consists of a hangar and six
buildings. Nearby are the remains of a Norwegian whaling
station, including huge steel tanks, which, like all the other
structures, are deeply buried in volcanic gravel.
Most of the buildings are in various stages of decay.
28.1.1 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Whalers Bay for several hours on 20 January
1993.
28.1.2 Previous Visits
Greenpeace inspected the abandoned UK and Norwegian facilities
during its 1987/88 Expedition and in 1989 during the 1989/90
Expedition.
28.2 Site Description
Since Greenpeace's previous visit, all except two of the drums
that had been stored in the hangar at the last visit had been
removed. The rotten drums outside the hangar had either been
removed or buried. However, there were still battery scraps
outside the hangar. The ground inside the hangar was heavily
contaminated with fuel.
Around the main buildings there were many pieces of rubbish that
could have been picked up relatively easily, such as pieces of
fibreglass and floor linoleum.
28.3 Comments and Recommendations
The UK is to be applauded for cleaning away the fuel, oil and
hazardous materials at this site. However, another working party
could do a lot more to take away the various items of
anthropogenic origin (such as plastics, linoleum, and battery
scraps) that litter the area. Eventually, the entire site should
be either maintained as a historic site or cleared completely.
Norway should also assess the former whaling site with a view to
either preserving it as an historic site, or removing it
completely.
29 URUGUAY: ARTIGAS
29.1 Overview
Artigas, Uruguay's only Antarctic station, is run by the armed
services under the direction of the Uruguayan Antarctic
Institute (UAI). Established in 1984, it has been in continuous
year-round operation since 1985, with personnel numbers ranging
from eight in the winter to nearly 40 in the summer.
29.1.1 Location
Located in Collins Harbour on the Fildes Peninsula, King George
Island, South Shetland Islands, Artigas (62°11'S, 58°51'W)
stands only a few kilometres from Russia's Bellingshausen
Station and the Chilean station, Teniente Marsh.
29.1.2 Status
The OIC for 1993 was Tte. Coronel Carlos E. Pagola (Uruguayan
army). There were 44 people on-station for the summer, with 15
planned to winter during 1993. Of the summer crew, 21 were
scientists, six were helicopter crew, and the rest were
maintenance personnel. The scientists are contracted by the
Instituto Antartico Uruguayo (IAU), and the crew come from the
three branches of the Uruguayan armed forces (army, navy,
airforce).
29.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Greenpeace visited Artigas on 7 January 1993. After a meeting
between Pelagic crew and the base commander, Greenpeace
representatives were given a tour of the station. Two days
later, Greenpeace delivered a list of comments about the station
to the OIC.
29.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace previously visited Artigas on three occasions. The
first occurred in early April 1988, and subsequent visits took
place in late October 1989 and March 1991. Details of these
inspection findings may be found in the Greenpeace Expedition
Reports of 1987/88, 1989/90 and 1990/91 respectively.
29.2 Physical Structure
The ten buildings are made of steel panels. The workshops are
Nissen huts and sit directly on concrete pads on the ground. The
living quarters are set on steel piles on concrete bases. The
facilities were in reasonably good condition, although the
workshops and generator sheds seemed dark and cramped inside.
One addition since Greenpeace's last visit was the large
helicopter hangar, which is used for storage. Half of the
interior is rather untidily filled with construction material,
scrap metal and wood. Apparently this disarray was partly caused
by the door of the hangar breaking during the winter, filling the
interior with a metre of snow. The helicopter was brought in for
the first time for the 1992/93 season.
The station was short of storage space, partly because--in
contrast to many other Antarctic stations--most stores were kept
inside the buildings. At the time of the Greenpeace visit, the
space shortage was particularly acute because there were 13 more
staff at the base than the accommodation was designed for.
29.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
A further storage building was planned for the 1993/94 summer,
and this will be the last expansion currently envisaged. It is to
be prefabricated in Urusruav and built within the perimeter of
the current station.
A new pier may also be needed, as the current one has not been
operational for some time.
There is also some feeling amongst the scientists that to do
"real" Antarctic work, Uruguay will need to establish a station
further south, on the Antarctic Peninsula proper. However, there
are at present no concrete plans for expanding the program.
29.3 Operations
There were 18 scientific projects to be carried out at the base
that year, 15 of them under way at the time of the Greenpeace
visit. The projects run all year round are meteorology,
ionospheric studies and epidentiology studies. Summer only
projects are in ornithology, glaciology, cartography and
hydrography. Other projects are studies on cartography, marine
biology, gravimetry and magnetism, geology, corrosion and
psychology. Two projects were being done in collaboration with
other countries (Sweden and China).
Some vehicles had been brought into Artigas since Greenpeace's
previous visit; on station were two snowmobiles and a large
tracked vehicle for use in winter, plus a tractor, two cars, and
a helicopter for use in summer. Apparently, the vehicles can be
problematic; the road to Bellingshausen is commonly in a very bad
state, making car travel difficult. At the time of
Greenpeace's visit, the station had run out of petrol and thus
could not use the boat.
29.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
29.3.1.1 Separation
Rubbish is sorted at source, and then transferred to the
incinerator shed, where it is dealt with daily. The boat handler
was in charge of dealing with garbage, this task taking up to
four hours per day. Non-burnable rubbish-glass, PVC, metal, and
other general rubbish, is placed loose or in drums on the beach,
for removal from the Antarctic (see below).
Food scraps are burnt.
29.3.1.2 Dumps
No dumps were seen at the site, although the area where material
is stored for removal was very untidy, and pieces of plastic and
polystyrene had blown along the beach.
29.3.1.3 Incineration
Paper and food scraps are burned in a simple one-stage
incinerator which is fed by diesel (it uses 200 litres in 25-30
days) and cooled by a water jacket. It is turned off when it gets
too hot; that is, when the water starts to steam.
Sometimes the incinerator is lit twice a day, and on average
burns for four hours each day. Emissions are neither filtered nor
monitored.
29.3.1.4 Waste Removal
Non-burnable waste is stored in drums and piles by the shore,
awaiting removal. At the time of Greenpeace's visit, there was a
large pile from the previous year sitting on the beach. This pile
included polystyrene blocks, which were not tied down in any way,
causing extensive littering by polystyrene pieces along the
beach. Other wind-scattered garbage included tin cans,
plastic bags, glass bottles and other assorted garbage.
It is not clear what is done with the rubbish once it reaches
Montevideo.
29.3.2 Sewage System
Sewage, which includes grey water, is carried by an insulated PVC
pipe to five heated settling tanks (each approximately three
metres in diameter). In theory, the tanks are emptied every two
years, and the sludge is stored in 200 litre plastic containers
to be removed. However, as was reported from Greenpeace's
previous visit, it was not clear when the sludge had last been
cleared out. The liquid from this process drains into the soil
and seeps into the stream next to the station.
The sinks in the laboratories, which were not yet in use, drain
directly into the soil.
29.3.3 Energy Systems
The station uses almost 100,000 litres of diesel fuel per year
for the generators and incinerator. JP1 is used for the
helicopter, and petrol for the outboard engine. Approximately
forty 200-litre plastic drums of JP1 were stored in the hangar,
and another 15 rusting drums of out-of-date jet fuel sat
outside. This is apparently used for heating.
Diesel is stored in four interconnected horizontal cylindrical
steel tanks (total capacity 90,000 litres) sitting on concrete
piles, which are, in turn connected to the generator room. Fuel
is bought from Bellingshausen, and transferred by truck to
Artigas base. This arrangement was possibly in jeopardy from
changes to the Russian program, and alternative supplies had not
yet been identified.
The station has four generators. The large one is run during the
day, and one of three smaller ones is run at night. Cooling water
from these engines is not used for the heating system.
There is almost no equipment or procedures in place to prevent or
contain accidents. Three of the tanks have small concrete trays
under the valves. The fuel tanks are located at the top of a
slope, below which is a fresh water lake that connects
directly to the stream.
The tank without any containment had significant staining in the
soil beneath it, and it seemed that the welding of the structure
was faulty, causing seepage at the junction between the valve and
the tank. Several other small spills were visible in the vicinity
of the tanks. In addition, there were lubrication oil spills
under the tractor.
There had been an study conducted over several years of the wind
conditions at the station. There is apparently good potential for
the use of a wind generator, and the Uruguayan program was
considering what sort of equipment should be installed, and
where.
29.3.4 Resupply Operations
A new resupply ship, the 300 tonne Vanguardia was in use. She
comes to the station once a year, bringing most of the food
supplies. Uruguayan planes fly to the Marsh airstrip at least
once every three months.
29.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
Station personnel did not know of any environmental impact
assessment documents that had been prepared recently. Nor was
there any knowledge as to how an environmental impact assessment
might be done in the Uruguayan program.
When asked what he considered to be the most serious
environmental impact of the station, the OIC replied "human
presence."
Incoming summer personnel are briefed by the OIC on various
matters upon arrival. The briefing consists of 16 items
(including housekeeping matters) and it takes the OIC "more than
an hour" to go through it. One item requires that ecological
values be respected and that wildlife should not be disturbed.
The wintering team undergoes a more comprehensive course in
Uruguay, during which "quite a bit of time" is devoted to
environmental matters.
The OIC was aware of the existence of the SSSI on the Fildes
Peninsula, and said that station personnel were advised not to
enter it. However, he also said that it was poorly marked. Many
personnel seemed unaware of the existence of the SSSI.
One of the station's impacts has been the physical disturbance of
moss beds in the area, and there were several beds around the
station with vehicle tracks imprinted through them.
29.4.1 Compliance with the Protocol
There were no copies of Antarctic Treaty regulations with
respect to the environment held on station, and the OIC not only
did not have a copy of the Protocol, but did not know of its
existence.
29.4.2 Comments and Recommendations
It is clear that this is a station run with relatively few
resources. However, although there is some lack of knowledge
about some types of environmental impacts, it is run with common
sense, and thus has a lower impact than it might have otherwise.
Crucial needs are in personnel training (better education about
how to avoid impacts) and in environmental impact assessment. The
incinerator should be removed (all waste should be
retrograded), and fuel handling should be improved. Containment
should be provided around all fuel handling facilities to
prevent fuel escaping into the environment.
The system for removing waste from the site should be improved,
with the provision of better storage containers, and more
regular removal by ship. Rubbish that has scattered from the
storage site should be collected and stored securely.
It is appalling that there was no knowledge on station about the
Environmental Protocol, given that Uruguay has agreed to apply
the Protocol as if it were in force.
Greenpeace congratulates Uruguay on its moves toward an
alternative energy system, and hopes that it will choose and
install a system in the near future.
D MV Greenpeace Voyage to the Ross Sea
1 GERMANY: GONDWANA
1.1 Overview
Gondwana Station was founded by the German Antarctic North
Victoria Land Expedition (GANOVEX) in 1983. The main building was
completed in 1988. The base has only been used every other
summer. The station is run by the Alfred Wegener Institute, a
semi-private research institute, as the operations centre for
geophysical and geological studies.
In addition to Gondwana station, GANOVEX maintains the Lili
Marlene hut in North Victoria Land, and this expedition used
field camps in Marie Byrd Land.
1.1.1 Location
Gondwana Station lies on the northern shores of Terra Nova Bay,
in the Ross Sea region (74°38'S, 164°13'E).
The base is situated on a gently sloping site, approximately 300
square meters, which drops off sharply to the sea. The coastline
is characterised by steep cliffs, but there is also an
accessible beach. At the time of Greenpeace's visit, this beach
had an ice skirt. The site is rocky, with some pebbled areas.
1.1.2 Status
The station was occupied by GANOVEX 7 at the time of
Greenpeace's visit. However, the team was expecting the imminent
arrival of its resupply ship and was in the process of closing
the base for the winter. According to the officer in charge
(OIC), Jurgen Kothe, the base is not likely to be occupied again
for at least four years.
1.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
On the evening of February 28, several members of the station
staff joined the Greenpeace crew on board the MV Greenpeace for
dinner. The following afternoon, a team of approximately eight
Greenpeace staffers visited Gondwana station.
1.1.4 Previous Visits
Greenpeace visited Gondwana station during its 1986/87, 1987/88,
1988/89 and 1991/92 expeditions. However, the base was not
occupied on any of these occasions. Findings of these
inspections can be found in the expedition reports for the
above-mentioned years.
1.2 Description of Physical Structure
1.2.1 Facilities
The station consists of a main building set on wooden piles and,
immediately adjacent, a small power plant. At the time of
Greenpeace's visit, there were also four L-shaped sheds, a
fibreglass igloo and a hut reminiscent of a lunar module on the
site. All of the buildings were in good repair. Approximately
eight small areas have been cleared of rocks for use as
campsites. There are two fuel dumps. The original rubbish burn
site, which is no longer used, can still be seen.
The station was built to house 10 people, but the sewage
treatment plant can handle waste from up to 20 individuals.
During most of the season, staff members sleep in polar tents and
use the building for cooking, eating, showering, and
working. Two engineers sleep inside in order to respond to
possible fire and emergency alarms.
By the time of Greenpeace's arrival, many staff members were
already on board the resupply ship, Polar Queen, and the
remaining personnel had moved into the station building so that
the tents could be prepared for return to Germany.
The power plant, which houses the generators, the sewage
treatment and osmosis systems, and the hot water boiler, was
clean and well maintained. Drip pans were being used to prevent
fuel from spilling on the floor.
1.2.2 Transportation
The four helicopters used at the station during the 1992/93
season were contracted from Helicopter Resources in Australia and
were based on the Polar Queen. GANOVEX used two skidoos and sleds
for conducting field work.
There are no roads or tracks on the base site. Helicopters land
at a designated site near the fuel dump, but there is no
structure.
1.3 Description of Operations
1.3.1 Water Systems
An osmosis system provides fresh water for the base. Sea water is
pulled into the system, which is located in the power plant
building, through an underwater pump. There it is heated to
approximately 15°C because warmed sea water yields a higher
percentage of fresh water. The OIC reported that Gondwana has
experienced some problems with the underwater pump, especially
once the ice breaks up around the station and begins to move. The
pump can be damaged by high waves, ice, and algae. It is removed
at the end of the season. Fresh water is used throughout the
base, including the toilets.
1.3.2 Waste Disposal Systems
1.3.2.1 Sorting
According to the OIC, the station separates its rubbish into
three categories: glass, plastic, and everything else, including
tins. The general rubbish is incinerated at approximately 1200°C
in the Polar Queen's incinerator, which the OIC described as
modern and effective. Everything is reduced to ash, which is
placed in a container and landfilled in New Zealand.
The OIC reported that the station does not sort their glass by
colour because it is landfilled in Christchurch. He explained
that they had been unable to find a glass recycler there.
According to the OIC, New Zealand garbage regulations drive the
station's policy. As New Zealand does not accept any food waste
or food-contaminated waste, food tins have to be incinerated. The
OIC felt it was not practical for the program to wash tins,
especially in the field. At the base, he thought it would use
unnecessary water.
Field camp waste is sorted into the same categories as the
station's waste. It is all returned to the base.
1.3.2.2 Waste Removal
Labelled bags of waste were stacked outside the station waiting
to be transported to the Polar Queen. The bags were adequately
secured with rocks, and there was no evidence that birds had come
in contact with this waste. Cardboard boxes of old food were also
marked for removal.
Metal scrap, used equipment and batteries are returned to
Germany. The station does not have any scrap wood. Greenpeace
crew members also observed three 200-litre drums of old oil and
15 five-kilogram propane tanks stacked for removal. Near one of
the drums, there was a small oil spill (approximately five
centimetres square).
1.3.2.3 Incineration
Greenpeace did not visit the Polar Queen and therefore cannot
comment on its incinerator, in which general rubbish from
Gondwana is burned. It was not clear whether this was done in
Antarctic waters.
The OIC commented that the ship's incinerator uses a lot of fuel.
He did not think it had any emission control or testing device,
but he pointed out that it would have to meet Norwegian
regulations, which probably require that the incinerator be
inspected every two years.
There is a small burn site (approximately two meters square) near
the station, which station staff reported had not been used for
at least four years. A small quantity of charred material remains
at the site, including aluminium, plastic, rusty nails, bolts and
wire.
1.3.3 Sewage Systems
A biological sewage treatment plant is in place at Gondwana
station. It was designed by a German firm (Biogest Abwasser
Technics), modified from a larger system designed for remote
villages and wilderness hotels. Microorganisms are introduced
into the mixture of human waste in a big vat.
According to the OIC, the resulting sludge is completely
biologically dead, as is the runoff water. Both have reportedly
been tested. The run-off water is pumped into the ocean. The
sludge collects in a filter where it is dried and is eventually
removed. The dried sludge is incinerated on the Polar Queen.
However, another member of the station staff told Greenpeace
visitors that salt water was added to the sewage and that it was
only aerated and diluted before being pumped into the sea.
Greenpeace crew members inspected the sewage outfall, an
insulated pipe running from the power plant to the sea on wooden
supports, approximately 30 centimetres above the ground. There
was no visible contamination at the mouth, although some algae
was growing on nearby rocks.
Grey water from bathroom and kitchen sinks is also fed into the
sewage system. The station does not have any labs or a darkroom.
The system works well, although the OIC reported that it is
difficult to start at the beginning of the season. During the
first few days, station personnel use an outhouse beyond the
station. The waste that collects there is eventually added to the
sewage treatment system, once it is fully operational. The system
runs automatically for 22 hours each day.
Most field parties also bring their waste back from the field,
which is added to the base's system. However, in instances where
the logistics are complex, a hole may be dug in the snow or ice
for human waste. In this case, no additives (such as toilet
paper) are allowed.
The Polar Queen does not have a sewage treatment system,
according to the OIC. Sewage is collected in tanks, macerated and
discharged. The OIC was not certain if the ship was always able
to store sewage onboard while at anchor in coastal waters for
extended periods of time.
1.3.4 Energy Systems
1.3.4.1 Fuel Storage and Use
At the beginning of the 1992/93 season, a variety of fuels were
stored at the station, including keroserwe, diesel, petrol,
aviation fuel and cooking gas. All but 210 drums of kerosene were
scheduled to be removed at the end of the season. Most of the
fuel was used during GANOVEX operations, but some was to be
removed because it was getting too old.
Only very new fuel will be left at Gondwana. As the station may
not be occupied for several years, the GANOVEX program was
planning to offer use of the fuel to other Antarctic operators.
A total of 470 200-litre drums of kerosene were used this summer
at the station and its two major field camps, Lili Marlene and
the Marie Byrd Land camp. This was used to run the station
generators and helicopters. In addition, GANOVEX had a dedicated
50,000-litre tank on the Polar Queen, which was used to refuel
the helicopters on the ship. The OIC estimated that about 12,000
litres remained in this tank at the end of the season.
The fuel was stored in drums, which were arranged horizontally on
the ground at two sites. Greenpeace staff members counted
approximately 200 drums of aviation fuel at one depot and about
380 drums at the other. The latter were reportedly awaiting
removal from Antarctica.
The OIC reported that the drums are usually removed by jamming a
wood plank between the ends of the drums (which are
reinforced) and prying them out. Occasionally, station personnel
have also used barrel hooks attached to the ends of the drums to
lift them out by helicopter.
The OIC said the staff had never had a problem digging the drums
out of the snow. He attributed this to the fact that they avoid
using a pick or ice axe to free them. He pointed out that the
Gondwana fuel depot is open on all sides, which allows the sun to
melt the snow along the perimeter. Perimeter drums are
removed first.
Greenpeace observers did not see any signs of spilled fuel
around the depot. However, paint flakes were embedded in the snow
where the drums had been.
No fuel was left at the Lili Marlene hut, and GANOVEX was
attempting to remove all the fuel depots in the area before the
end of the season.
1.3.4.2 Power Generation
Gondwana's power plant contains two generators. The larger of the
two is used most of the time, but the other one is operated for
relief. Everything in the station, including the kitchen
appliances, runs on electricity.
The cooling water from both generators is used to heat the
station through a closed loop system. The smaller generator also
has a heat exchanger that harnesses its exhaust heat. A similar
device is planned for the large generator, but technical
difficulties have delayed installation.
The generators are fed from a day tank, which holds 500 litres
and represents 2.5 running days. The tank is filled from drums.
GANOVEX also maintains several portable generators that are used
in the field to charge batteries. These generators were to be
returned to Germany on the Polar Queen for maintenance and
inspection. Cooking in the field is done with gas.
1.3.4.3 Alternative Energy Systems
Solar panels are used at Gondwana station and in GANOVEX field
camps to recharge radio batteries. The OIC said the station was
interested in using more alternative energy, including wind, but
did not know how to store the power efficiently.
1.3.5 Resupply Operations
The GANOVEX vessel Polar Queen made two trips from Lyttelton to
the Ross Sea and back during the 1992/93 season. The ship
operates more as a base for field work than as a traditional
resupply vessel. The Polar Queen is owned and operated by Rieber
Shipping in Norway under contract to the Alfred Wegener
Institute.
1.3.6 Staffing
Forty six people participated in the first leg of GANOVEX 7,
including 31 scientists. The second leg had 40 participants, of
which 27 were scientists. The non-scientific staff was comprised
of helicopter pilots and mechanics, doctors and logistics
specialists. At the time of Greenpeace's visit, only 11 staff
members were at the base. The others had already been picked up
by the Polar Queen from field camps.
GANOVEX addresses environmental protection at both its initial
survival training course and during the voyage to Antarctica. All
employees receive a booklet of guidelines and must sign a
document saying that they have read this information. The
booklet is prepared by the institute and revised regularly. The
crew of the Polar Queen also receives training in Norway from
Rieber Shipping.
1.4 Tourist Visits
Gondwana station limits its visitors to a maximum of 20 at a
time. As a result, commercial tourists have never visited the
base. Some cruise ships stopping in Terra Nova Bay have
expressed interest but have always been dissuaded by the
station's policy.
1.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
There is little wildlife close to the station, but there are two
environmentally sensitive areas nearby that are off-limits to
station personnel: a series of rock outcrops used by breeding
skuas; and an area of lichen and moss growth. Station staff
reported that the restrictions were well respected.
Helicopters use designated landing sites only and do not fly over
skua nesting areas.
The station has no alien plants.
Station staff have not been inside the nearby Mount Melbourne
SSSI. GANOVEX personnel did make one landing on the mountain to
remove an Italian radio repeater (at the Italian's request), but
it was located well away from the SSSI.
1.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
An Environmental Impact Assessment was done for GANOVEX 7 by the
staff of the Alfred Wegener Institute. No environmental
monitoring is being conducted at Gondwana, but the OIC reported
that it may be undertaken in the future.
From the OIC's perspective, the environmental impacts of GANOVEX
7 were essentially limited to those associated with routine
helicopter operations. There are no further impacts from the
scientific work itself, which consists of geologists collecting
samples and geophysicists taking readings from monitoring
equipment. Some ice samples were taken using a method that
involved plunging a hot rod into the ice to create a stable hole
from which samples could be drilled.
According to the OIC, there had been a plan to drill for
palaeontological samples, but it was cancelled, as it would have
involved contaminating the environment with cooling fluid. Even
though a special, less hazardous type of glycol was purchased in
New Zealand for the project, environmental concerns kept the
expedition from carrying out the work.
Greenpeace's limited observations of GANOVEX 7 confirmed that the
expedition has minimal environmental impacts. The only
possible Protocol violation brought to Greenpeace's attention was
the potential discharge of sewage in coastal waters by the Polar
Queen. However, circumstances prevented staff members from
following up the matter directly with the crew of the Polar
Queen.
1.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
The GANOVEX staff members were interested and aware of
environmental issues. It was clear that an effort had been made
to minimise impact from the expedition's inception by developing
good sewage and energy systems and by limiting the number of
permanent structures. During Greenpeace's visit, several
expedition members asked us for suggestions of how the station
might be improved. They were particularly interested in
renewable energy sources and storage.
Greenpeace recommends that, next time the base is used,
alternative energy devices, such as solar panels and wind
generators, be installed on a trial basis to see if total fuel
usage can be reduced.
For the fuel requirements that remain, a fuel rack should be
installed under the remaining drums to help prevent icing in and
thus reduce the chance of a drum rupturing.
In light of the quantity of vegetation in this area, this could
be a good site to monitor heavy metal contamination in plants in
order to assess the impact of a relatively low-impact base.
2 ITALY: ICARO FIELD CAMP
2.1 Overview
Camp Icaro appears to be primarily a weather station. While the
structures look like they have been there for several years, much
of the equipment seems to be new. The camp is not set up to house
people, although the structures could shelter
approximately a dozen people in an emergency.
2.1.1 Location
The Icaro camp is located approximately 2.5 kilometres southeast
of the main station, Terra Nova. It covers an area about 100
meters square and is situated on the slopes of a small valley
behind a rock outcrop that rises up from the bay.
2.1.2 Status
The camp was not occupied at the time of Greenpeace's visit,
although some equipment was in operation, including a wind
generator.
2.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
Two Greenpeace groups visited the field camp on February 28 and
March 1. While crew members did not enter any buildings, they did
make observations by looking in the windows.
2.2 Description of Physical Structure
2.2.1 Description of Natural Setting
The valley around Camp Icaro is lush by Antarctic standards.
Clumps of orange and yellow crustose lichens and pale green algae
grow around and among clusters of rocks. The flora is so dense
that Greenpeace staff found it difficult to inspect the station's
facilities without stepping on it.
The area around the camp is also prime breeding grounds for
skuas. The Greenpeace teams observed at least eight breeding
pairs and three juveniles.
2.2.2 Description of Facilities
The station consists of two container buildings and one free-
standing hut. The area around the building appeared to have been
flattened by a bulldozer. The containers were held down by guy
wires, some of which had come loose and were flapping in the
wind. The blue paint on the two containers was peeling, and large
flakes could be seen on the ground.
The camp boasted an extensive collection of solar and
meteorological equipment, which seemed to have been installed in
a haphazard manner. Inside the facilities, Greenpeace crew
members could see two sets of ananometer cups, electrical
monitoring equipment, computer disks, cables of various sizes, an
automatic solar tracker and humidity instruments.
Some equipment, particularly cabling, wires and ropes, was also
stored in a crate outside the building. Some of the plastic
sheeting covering the cabling appeared to have been pecked at by
skuas.
About 30 meters to the southwest of the buildings was a weather
screen, which appeared to be very new, as it had not suffered any
weathering. It had been placed directly on a patch of
crustose lichen. Inside, there was a thermohydrograph and a
barometer, neither of which had been fixed down or appeared to be
in use.
There were also three masts at the site. Two were adjacent to the
buildings, and one was about 50 meters away, at the top of the
large rock outcrop. The latter did not have anything on it, but
was connected by cable to the station buildings.
2.3 Description of Operations
2.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
Bits of wire, metal scrap and rubber were scattered on the
ground around the station.
2.3.2 Energy Systems
2.3.2.1 Fuel Storage and Handling
Thirteen drums of fuel (mostly gasoline) were stored on a slope
about 20 meters southwest of the station buildings. Seven of
these were sealed shut, while six had taps in them.
Of the six tapped drums, two had been placed on a small metal
rack. One of these had a slow leak, and an area beneath it,
approximately one and a half meters square, was contaminated with
fuel.
The other four tapped barrels were stored directly on the rock.
Around these drums, an area of about four square meters of soil
was saturated with fuel. Beyond the immediate contamination, fuel
from these drums had drained downslope to a hollow four meters
away, where there was an obvious dark spot, approximately one
meter square. The soil between the barrels and this spot was dry
but smelled of fuel. In total, about eight square meters were
affected by this fuel spill.
Under one of these four barrels, there was a plastic bottle that
had been cut open. It contained oily water and ice, as well as a
small rock to keep it from blowing away.
The seven untapped barrels were stacked together in an area that
appeared to be the site of an older fuel spill, approximately one
meter square. The ground here was slightly stained and
smelled of fuel.
There was no containment facility around these drums, and most of
the barrels were not secured, even though the site is subject to
strong wind. If the contents of a drum leaked out while the base
was uninhabited, the empty barrel would probably blow away.
2.3.2.2 Alternative Energy Systems
An operating wind-generator was mounted on a pole near the
station, but Greenpeace could not determine if it was actually
powering equipment. Several solar panels were also seen around
the site but were not plugged in.
2.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
Camp Icaro is situated in the heart of an area rich with flora
and fauna, creating a number of serious hazards. Flora has been
trampled, covered by buildings, and exposed to leaking fuel.
Skuas could easily ingest bits of plastic sheeting or paint
flakes. The unsecured guy wires also present a threat to skuas.
Finally, the leaking fuel drums were covered with skua guano,
indicating that skuas frequent the fuel-contaminated areas as
well.
2.4.1 Comments and Recommendations
Overall, Greenpeace came away from Camp Icaro with the feeling
that it wasn't a high priority for the Italian program. It
appeared to have been installed haphazardly and little if any
equipment seemed to be operating.
On the other hand, the station is clearly threatening an
ecologically rich area that should be protected by the Antarctic
Treaty System.
The station should be removed immediately, using a minimum of
heavy equipment and personnel. If the facility is still needed,
it can be relocated, after proper EIA procedures, to a less
ecologically sensitive site. The process should be done early in
the season, before skuas come to the area to breed. Efforts
should be made to remove the top layer of fuel-contaminated soil,
and rubbish and paint flakes should be picked up.
3 ITALY: TERRA NOVA STATION
3.1 Overview
Terra Nova, Italy's only Antarctic station, is a summer-only
facility. It can house up to 100 people. The station is run by
the Italian Antarctic Program.
According to other Antarctic operators, the base was occupied for
a few weeks early in the 1992/93 summer by a skeleton
maintenance crew of 18--some of whom flew into McMurdo, while
others arrived with the German expedition. The station was
closed by the time Greenpeace visited.
In addition, the Japanese photographer Yashikazu Shirakawa
stayed in one of the station's buildings from January 18 to
February 7.
3.1.1 Location
Terra Nova (74°41'S, 146°07'E) is located on a rocky peninsula in
the Gerlache Inlet, Terra Nova Bay, on the western shore of the
Ross Sea. The base was built on the lowest point of the peninsula
between two hills and hugs the coast of the inlet. The peninsula
encloses a small cove on its western side.
3.1.2 Date and Description of Contact
The MV Greenpeace arrived at Terra Nova Bay on the morning of
February 28, and several groups of crew members visited the
station site during the day. No one entered the station's
buildings or otherwise disturbed the facility.
3.1.3 Previous visits
Greenpeace first visited the Italian base during the 1986/87
expedition. Further inspections were carried out in February
1988, February 1989, February 1990 and February 1992, details of
which can be found in the expedition reports for those years.
3.2 Physical Structure
Greenpeace did not observe any significant changes in the
physical structures at Terra Nova between the 1991/92 season and
the February 1993 visit.
However, several crew members who had been to the station before
observed that it was less tidy than it had been in previous
years. Construction materials continued to be stored outside and
appeared weathered. Bags of cement mix and gravel were frozen in,
and the plastic covering them had become brittle and flaky. A
fibreglass skiff contained two open bags of calcium chloride.
Perhaps of greatest concern was a growing pile of discarded
equipment, construction material and furniture. This included a
pipe with insulation material dangling from it and loose
electrical wire.
The Greenpeace team also noticed some signs of construction on
the main road beyond the quarry site. Drums and survey markers
could be seen along and above the shore of the cove, suggesting
that the road might be lengthened in coming seasons.
3.3 Operations
3.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
Greenpeace could not observe current waste disposal practices, as
the station was not operational at the time of the visit.
However, several members of the Greenpeace team saw loose trash
blowing around the station, including pieces of plastic
tarpaulins, bits of woven nylon bags, polystyrene crumbs and
three disposable plastic lids. Bits of rubbish were also
embedded in the ice around the jetty.
3.3.2 Sewage System
Greenpeace crew members noticed that one of the station's outlet
pipes near the jetty had been damaged, presumably by ice.
3.3.3 Energy Systems
Greenpeace found the fuel storage facilities at Terra Nova
virtually unchanged. There were still puddles of fuel around the
four full bladders in the fuel depot, although it was not clear
whether the bladders were actually leaking at the time of the
visit. Several small spills were spotted among the drums in the
depot, and one barrel of lube oil was clearly dripping onto the
ground. Greenpeace staff members attempted to close the drum's
valve to stop the flow.
3.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
The hills surrounding the base buildings are breeding grounds for
skuas, and several skuas and at least one juvenile were seen on
the station grounds. These birds are exposed to hazards such as
masts, guy wires, and bits of loose wire. One juvenile was seen
scurrying around a pile of building materials, which
included loose wire. Several adults were seen pecking at wind-
blown garbage, particularly nylon mesh and plastic sheeting.
Skuas were also observed perched on the skiff containing calcium
chloride.
3.4.1 Comments and Recommendations
According to other Antarctic sources, the 1992/93 season was
short for the Italians and was essentially limited to
maintenance. We recognise that this, and the lack of independent
logistics, precluded the removal of excess fuel, construction
materials or old equipment. We also applaud the international
cooperation that made it possible for the Italians to open Terra
Nova, even briefly, during the 1992/93 season.
However, it seems that this is a crucial time for the Italian
station. It is no longer the low-impact station it once was, and
Greenpeace hopes that efforts will be made to maintain existing
structures, clean-up the area around the buildings, and limit
future growth.
Securing the fuel depot should be a priority. The bladders
should be replaced by steel tanks, and less fuel should be
stored on site, in order to further reduce risks. Containment
should be built around all fuel handing facilities.
If the station is to be left unattended for long periods,
rubbish and construction materials should be stored inside to
minimise the risk of material blowing away or injuring wildlife.
Finally, Greenpeace would strongly encourage Italy not to
continue to increase the size of this station. Efforts should be
made to increase the efficiency with which existing facilities
are used, rather than expanding the facilities.
4 NEW ZEALAND: SCOTT BASE
4.1 Overview
4.1.1 Location
Scott Base is located at Pram Point, Ross Island, in the Ross Sea
(77°51'S, 166°45'E).
4.1.2 Status
Established in 1957, Scott Base is operated by the New Zealand
Antarctic Program (NZAP), under the auspices of the Ministry for
External Relations and Trade. During the 1992/93 season, it
housed over 200 people, including 38 station staff members,
approximately 90 scientists and a variety of technical support
personnel. Ten staff members were scheduled to stay for the 1993
winter.
4.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
On February 15, three Greenpeace representatives met with
Malcolm McFarlane, senior New Zealand representative, and Roger
Moffet, incoming winter Station Manager. Due to time
constraints, Greenpeace did not undertake a formal inspection of
the station. An evening social visit was conducted onboard the MV
Greenpeace on February 16. On February 17, Greenpeace crew
members delivered a letter to NZAP representatives, protesting
New Zealand's plans to allow French flights to fly to Dumont
d'Urville from Christchurch.
Prior to this visit, the Greenpeace crew met with a New Zealand
representative at Cape Evans for a recreational visit to Scott's
hut.
4.1.4 Previous Visits
Since Greenpeace began working in the Antarctic, crew members
have had regular contact with Scott Base, due to its proximity to
Cape Evans. The first visit occurred during the second
Greenpeace Antarctic expedition in the 1986/87 season. Further
visits took place during the 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91
and 1991/92 seasons. Details of all previous inspections can be
found in the expedition reports for the above-mentioned seasons.
4.2 Changes in Physical Structure
4.2.1 New or Upgraded Facilities
No new facilities were planned. The OIC mentioned that some
buildings at Scott Base were in need of renovation, but exact
plans depended on future funding. Priority was being given to Q
Hut, one of the oldest structures at the station, and to a new
science lab.
4.2.2 Deteriorating Facilities
4.2.2.1 Vanda Station
According to the OIC, an Initial Environmental Evaluation was
being prepared for Vanda Station, focusing on its planned
removal and resulting contamination. The decision to take out the
facility will be made when lake levels rise to the point where
they threaten the building. However, levels were lower than
normal during both the 1991/92 and 1992/93 seasons. Vanda was not
staffed during the 1992/93 summer but program personnel were
monitoring the situation there.
4.2.2.2 Cape Bird
All of the materials from the dismantled hut at Cape Bird were
removed during the 1992/93 season.
4.2.3 Other Changes
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the New Zealand Antarctic
Program was collaborating with U.S. personnel from McMurdo
Station on a week-long study of the source of electric magnetic
interference (EMI) in the vicinity of the Arrival Heights SSSI.
It was possible that the Telecom facility located on the
perimeter of this so-called quiet area was causing the problem.
However, the OIC declined to speculate on the source of the EMI,
and Greenpeace was not able to visit the Telecom facility.
4.3 Operations
4.3.1 Waste Disposal Systems
According to the OIC, no changes had been made in the waste
disposal system at Scott Base. He reported that 13 tons of waste
had been retrograded on the Greenwave, including low-level
radioactive waste, used oil, incinerator ash, and construction
material from Cape Bird.
4.3.2 Sewage System
A new sewage treatment plant for the base was still under
discussion, and funding for the project is uncertain. Program
biologists have been monitoring the impacts of the current
system, which discharges macerated sewage into the bay. So far,
they have not uncovered any evidence of increased biological
activity in the vicinity of the outfall pipe and have therefore
recommended against making a new sewage system a priority. The
OIC added that a biological treatment facility would increase the
station's fuel consumption.
4.3.3 Staffing
In 1992, New Zealand reorganised its Antarctic operations.
Station staff reported that this had had little effect on daily
operations at the base.
The OIC added that the program was experiencing a slight decline
in the number of "science days" requested at the station. He
speculated that this could be related to the changes in the
process and sources of funding for Antarctic research. However,
he did not expect a substantial decline in the size of the New
Zealand science program over the long term.
4.4 Tourists
During the 1992/93 season, 324 tourists visited Scott Base. The
station managers expressed concern over the number of tourists,
noting that their visits disrupt station activities.
Further, the visits may put a strain on historic sites such as
Scott's Hut. While the management plans of some sites limit the
daily number of visits, no one has studied the cumulative effect
of tourists on the landmarks. The resulting increase in
temperature and humidity may threaten conservation efforts.
4.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
4.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
The New Zealand Antarctic Program completed two environmental
impact assessments during 1992/93. An IEE was done for the
removal of Vanda, while a CEE was done for the multi-national
scientific drilling project at Cape Roberts. This project had not
been funded beyond the impact assessment phase, and its future
was uncertain.
4.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
The issue of the proximity of the Telecom facility to the SSSI
should be resolved as soon as possible. Any proposal that the
building should be moved or removed should be assessed for its
environmental impact.
Incineration should be phased out, with all waste removed from
Antarctica.
Alternative sources of energy should be developed and installed
to reduce the amount of fuel burnt in Antarctica.
The decision to remove Vanda station once it has outlived its
usefulness to the program is to be applauded.
5 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: McMURDO
5.1 Overview
Established in 1955 in preparation for the US participation in
the International Geophysical Year of 1959, McMurdo station is
run by the US Antarctic Program (USAP) under the auspices of the
National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF contracts out some
logistical work to Antarctic Support Associates (ASA) of Denver,
Colorado. Other logistical work, including air travel and fuel
management, is performed by the US Navy.
McMurdo supports the largest population of all stations in
Antarctica, peaking at 1100 at the height of the summer. Over the
course of the 1992/93 summer, the population was split
evenly among Navy personnel, ASA staff, and NSF staff and
scientists, with about 550 employees in each category.
5.1.1 Location
McMurdo Station (77°51'S,166°40'E) is located on Hut Peninsula,
Ross Island, Ross Sea.
5.1.2 Status
The MV Greenpeace visited McMurdo on February 16 and 17, less
than one week before the end of their summer season.
At that time, approximately 350-400 people were at the station,
with 235 expected to stay for the winter.
5.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
On February 16, a Greenpeace team met with McMurdo officials
including Dwight Fisher and Nadine Kennedy of NSF; Jim Chambers
of ASA; and Navy Captain Will Farrell. This was followed by a
tour of the new Crary Science and Engineering Center and the
incinerator building. That evening, approximately 75 members of
the McMurdo community visited the MV Greenpeace. The next day,
several groups of Greenpeace crew members inspected the station
grounds and environs.
5.1.4 Previous visits
Since the first Greenpeace Antarctic base inspections in the
1986/87 season, McMurdo has been an important case-study of the
detrimental impacts of Antarctic stations. Details of previous
inspection findings are contained in the expedition reports for
the following years: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91
and 1991/92.
Physical Structures
5.2.1 Pegasus Runway/Williams Field
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the new Pegasus blue-ice
runway was in use, although McMurdo officials reported that they
were still testing it. They had anticipated that it would take at
least another two years to complete the airstrip. During the
1992/93 season, planes took off from the runway to both South
Pole and Christchurch. The new runway allows USAP to use wheeled
C-130s, which increases their capacity by 8000 lb (3600
kilograms) or 20 passengers.
Pegasus had to be covered with snow during December and January
to protect it from melting in the warmer weather. Once the
temperature cooled, the snow was removed, and the runway was
tested. This was done by running a weighted cart over it, which
simulates the footprint of a fully loaded C-130. The test
allowed the crew to located weak spots, which were then patched
with water.
As there was as yet no infrastructure at the Pegasus runway, the
C-130s were being partially loaded at Williams Field, taking off
on skis, and then landing at Pegasus to load additional
passengers or cargo before making a final wheeled take-off for
Christchurch or South Pole. Fuel is either loaded at Williams
Field or transported to Pegasus on a 4500-gallon (17,000-litre)
cart.
The future of the Pegasus runway had not been fully discussed, as
the focus had been on testing the concept. However, McMurdo
representatives said that Pegasus would not replace the annual
sea ice landings. They also noted that the Pegasus runway could
give them the ability to fly to McMurdo during the winter.
However, it is unlikely the runway will ever be operational in
the height of the summer.
How and when the runway is used will ultimately determine what
kind of infrastructure is required at the site. If the runway is
used primarily for end-of-season flying, then the facilities will
be minimal. If instead USAP decides to start year-round flights,
then lighting and other facilities will be necessary.
Personnel were not moved out of Williams Field during the
1992/93 season, as originally planned, because there wasn't
enough room to move the staff into town. As a result, certain
equipment for the project was not purchased. This includes vans
for transporting both people and food to and from the site. The
resident staff will be moved once space becomes available in
McMurdo.
5.2.2 Eckland Biological Center/Crary Science and Engineering
Center
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, the Biolab had been
completely dismantled and piles of lumber and furniture from the
building were stacked adjacent to the site. Additional material
from the Biolab, including approximately 100 drums of hazardous
waste, was also stored in the lower hazardous waste yard,
according to station personnel.
USAP officials offered two explanations for the fact that the
material was not returned on the Greenwave. First, the contract
for disposal of the hazardous material was based on a
preliminary assessment of the Biolab's contents. In the end, the
material from the Biolab exceeded the quantity estimated, and the
Navy was unable to change its contract quickly enough to have the
excess dealt with this season. Furthermore, the
contractor had not finished characterising all of the waste. The
remaining material was to be removed during the 1993/94 season.
USAP managers reported that no additional materials had been
disposed of on the ice after the December 31, 1991, explosion of
volatile chemicals near Williams Field.
A Greenpeace team toured the new science facility, which had been
dedicated during the previous season. The building was built in
three "phases" corresponding to different stories of the
building, which is situated on a hillside. The lowest level,
Phases III, was under construction at the time of Greenpeace's
visit. This area will house a dive locker and aquariums.
5.2.3 Gap Staging Area
While it is the program's policy to remove each year's garbage at
the end of the summer, USAP was not able to load all old waste
onto the Greenwave at the end of the 1992/93 summer.
McMurdo representatives reported that they did not have enough
waste containers, although more had been ordered.
As a result, waste was being stored in a staging area off the
road to the Gap, directly below Observation Hill. The bulk of the
waste was wood, but other construction materials and waste metals
were also stacked at the site. This included bales of crushed
aluminium cans, steel plates, concrete building
foundations.
At the far end of the site was a large depression, approximately
20 meters wide, 50 metres long and 4 metres deep, full of wood
chips. The wood appeared to have been compacted by running a
bulldozer over it. Larger wood items, including boards, pallets
and crates, were heaped in a pile about 10 meters high. Some
other items were mixed in with the wood, including loose
insulation and bits of plastic sheeting.
Program officials told Greenpeace that an industrial wood
grinder would be brought to McMurdo during the 1993/94 season.
Therefore all waste wood was being stored in one place to be
ground and shipped out in the future.
5.2.4 Winter Quarters Bay
Cost estimates and feasibility studies are still being conducted
for a possible clean-up of the floor and foreshore of Winter
Quarters Bay. Based on the preliminary results of these studies,
McMurdo managers suggested that the magnitude of the operation
would require a special budget appropriation similar to the
Safety, Environment and Health initiative in the late '80s.
However, they stressed that there was no consensus on whether
from an ecological standpoint, it would be beneficial to disturb
the debris. At the time of Greenpeace's visit, they did not have
a plan to request special funding for a Winter Quarters Bay
clean-up.
5.2.5 Fortress Rock Dump
According to station representatives, studies at Fortress Rock
have concluded, and the results indicate that the site is safe
for further use. However, they felt it was unlikely that a
building would be erected there. Most likely, it will be used as
a storage site for waste containers.
5.3 Operations
5.3.1 Changes in Waste Disposal Systems
Approximately 350 tons of waste were removed at the end of the
1992/93 season. This included obsolete equipment, hazardous waste
and household garbage.
5.3.1.1 Food Waste
During the 1992/93 season, food or food-contaminated wastes were
either removed from the Antarctic, or ground up and disposed of
through the sewage system. Napkins and food-contaminated paper
were burned in the incinerator.
For the first time, approximately 250 tri-wall containers full of
food-contaminated waste were sent back to Port Hueneme. There the
waste was to be treated by the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) with a high-pressure steam process.
While USAP hopes to return food wastes to the United States on a
regular basis, they anticipate that they will halve the amount
next year. This year's volume was particularly large because the
galley macerators did not work for part of the year. Now that
these are functioning again, the program plans to grind up more
food waste and pump it out through the sewage system. However,
food-contaminated containers as well as certain food stuffs will
continue to be returned to California.
USAP does not have any plans to return food wastes to New
Zealand, as they did in 1991/92. According to station managers,
there is no need to continue that arrangement, now that USDA has
agreed to take responsibility for disposing of the waste.
McMurdo authorities reported that the overall volume of food
waste would be reduced through a plan to process fruits and
vegetables in New Zealand. This means that by-products, such as
outer leaves, peels, and stems, are removed before the produce
reaches McMurdo. This reduces the volume of waste, although
Greenpeace was not able to obtain any data on the magnitude of
the reduction. Managers described the decrease as significant.
Likewise, no information was available on the amount of food
still going down the drain.
Poultry bones are separated from the waste stream, along with
other meat bones and corn cobs, and removed from Antarctica.
5.3.1.2 Incinerator
The incinerator became operational at the beginning of the
1992/93 summer. It usually ran 14 hours per day, burning 100
pounds (45 kg) of waste per hour. In addition to napkins and
food-contaminated paper, the incinerator also burned domestic
waste from the dormitory bathrooms. In principle, no plastics
were burned in the incinerator, but station managers pointed out
that this could not be guaranteed.
Reportedly the incinerator had start-up problems and needed
testing and adjustment. Emissions from the incinerator were being
monitored to see if they met the manufacturer's
specifications and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
standards. Results of these tests had been compiled in
Washington.
A Greenpeace team visited the incinerator. The building was
clean, and the process seemed to be running efficiently. Workers
were assigned to pick through the trash as it passed on a
conveyer belt to the oven. While crew members were shown the
assortment of items plucked from the garbage, such as apple
cores, pens, and books, they did not witness trash being sorted.
Incinerator personnel told Greenpeace that most residents have
become quite responsible about sorting their trash, but that some
items have to be picked from the waste at the incinerator. This
is quite time consuming. They also noted that military personnel
still lag behind civilian employees in terms of
sorting trash correctly.
NOTE: Since Greenpeace's visit, the incinerator has been closed
down due to unexpectedly high levels of dioxin detected in
emissions. Presently, USAP does not plan to reopen it.
5.3.1.3 Radioactive Waste
No radioactive waste was removed from McMurdo during the 1992/93
season. This was because USAP has developed a new policy, under
which radioactive materials are returned to the institution or
university in the United States that sponsored the research for
which it was used. However, because this policy was not
formulated until mid-season, the Navy was unable to change its
contracts in time to return the waste that season. McMurdo
officials reported that four separate institutions were
involved, which presented complex logistics.
As a result, the material stayed in Antarctica and was scheduled
to have been returned during the 1993/94 season. The waste could
eventually travel on the Greenwave or by plane via Zealand to the
United States. In either case, no radioactive material would ever
be off-loaded in New Zealand.
Station managers stressed that the waste has a very low level of
radioactivity, which sometimes makes it awkward to classify. They
also speculated that the new return policy might cause a
reduction in the use of radioactive materials in Antarctic
research.
5.3.1.4 Sewage System
The sewage outlet jetty had been enlarged since Greenpeace's last
visit to McMurdo. However, no changes have been made in the
treatment or disposal of liquid waste. In addition to human waste
and ground food scraps, McMurdo officials reported that some
chemical cleaners also go out through the system. However, the
Navy does purchase a biodegradable detergent called
Shackley's for using in washing machines. This is also used to
clean sinks. McMurdo employees are free to bring other
detergents including bleach to the station, but very few do so.
Personal soap and shampoo also goes down the drain, but this has
been limited due to water conservation measures.
5.3.2 Energy Systems
5.3.2.1 Fuel Use
According to station managers, several measures were taken to
reduce fuel consumption during the 1992/93 season. Many of these
were initiated in response to unusually low fuel levels
experienced early in the season, but base representatives
expressed the hope that some of the conservation measures would
continue.
Fuel levels at McMurdo reportedly dropped below optimal levels
because fuel supplies were sent to South Pole earlier than
usual. This was done before the tanker arrived in order to take
advantage of good flying conditions. However, station managers
stressed that situation was not an emergency. The base reserves
enough fuel to evacuate everyone by air if the tanker fails to
reach McMurdo.
Conservation measures included closing some buildings and
lowering the temperature in others. Vehicle traffic was also
limited, and bicycles were made available to residents. Only
three generators were used during this period.
A move to use only one type of fuel for as many applications as
possible also contributed to the problem, according to McMurdo
managers. Jet fuel (JP-8), which is now being used in buildings,
has a heating value of 16% less than the diesel fuel (DFA) used
previously.
5.3.2.2 Changes in Fuel Storage
During the 1992/93 season, McMurdo staff completed the first
phase of a plan to add secondary containment to all the
station's fuel tanks, officials told Greenpeace. Work on one tank
was finished and another was started over the course of the
summer. The completed tank has a capacity of 250,000 gallons
(950,000 litres), all of which can be held in its moat.
The second tank being modified is the station's second largest
and holds 1.2 million gallons. Two additional 500,000-gallon (1.9
million-litre) tanks were to be worked on during the
1993/94 season. That will bring the total capacity with
containment to 2.5 million gallons (9.5 million litres), a
little over one-third of the total 7.5 million gallon (28.4
million litre) capacity.
While no long-term timetable has been set for completing
containment structures around the remaining tanks, station
managers were confident that the project would be expanded. They
pointed out that it wouldn't make sense to do some tanks and not
all. They also speculated that some of the smaller tanks would be
consolidated. As these are replaced with larger tanks, there
might be a small increase in total capacity at the base,
although no additional fuel-storage site is planned.
At the time of Greenpeace's visit, three small fuel tanks had
already been dismantled and removed. A fourth tank in the
neighbourhood of Hut Point was scheduled to disappear too, along
with some piping.
5.3.2.3 Marble Point
There had not been any changes made to the fuel storage facility
at Marble Point during the 1992/93 season. Station managers would
still like to install new fuel tanks, but they had been unable to
determine what kind of tanks would be best and to secure funding
for the project. At the time of Greenpeace's visit, they reported
that they were storing 60,000 pounds of fuel at Marble Point in
four bladders that were in good
condition.
5.3.2.4 Cape Hallett
McMurdo managers reported that funding had been set aside to
remove the fuel stored at Cape Hallett. They explained that the
Coast Guard icebreaker had already dropped off equipment for the
operation, which was set to take place during the 1993/94
season. Workers would most likely be flown in by Twin Otter from
McMurdo to do the work, and the icebreaker would pick up the fuel
on its way out of the Ross Sea. Station staff thought that an
environmental impact assessment had been done and could be
obtained from NSF in Washington.
5.3.3 Water Systems
USAP is currently conducting a study of the water supply in hopes
of designing a more appropriate freshwater system. The station
currently has flash evaporators, which will probably need to be
replaced in the next few years due to corrosion. There are also
two older back-up systems still operational at the station: one
vapour compression system and one reverse
osmosis unit.
During the 1992/93 season, the station experienced water
shortages, and employees were limited to two-minute Navy-style
showers.
Therefore, the study could recommend increasing capacity and/or
moving to an oil unit. McMurdo officials speculated that some
change was likely, although all improvements would be subject to
budgetary constraints. Depending on the study's recommendation, a
new system might require expansion of the existing evaporator
building.
5.3.4 Resupply Operations
During the 1992/93, USAP offered logistical support to the
resupply of the Russian Vostok Station. This was the third year
the joint operation had been undertaken, and program officials
reported that it went smoothly. USAP made three C-130 flights to
Vostok, bringing in fresh food, new staff and personal luggage
and flying out ice cores. McMurdo managers commented that the
program was mutually beneficial, and they felt it was likely to
continue.
USAP had two aircraft accidents during the 1992/93 season. In
October, a helicopter conducting a joint operation with the New
Zealand program crashed, killing three people. Later in the
season, there was a less serious accident involving a C-130. The
plane's nose ski came loose during landing and tore into the body
of the aircraft. No one was injured, and no fuel was lost.
5.3.5 Staffing
In an effort to reduce staff levels and operate more
efficiently, USAP has been transferring functions from the Navy
to ASA. Most recently, food preparation was taken over by ASA,
reportedly resulting in a reduction in staff. Station
representatives speculated that helicopter operations might be
the next area to undergo staffing changes. A civilian company
could be contracted to provide the service more cheaply.
NSF is looking at ways to limit construction on the ice by
bringing down more prefab components.
The Navy is also reducing administrative personnel on the ice by
augmenting their home port staff and using improved
telecommunications to access data.
For the first time, the winter manager at McMurdo has been given
law enforcement authority, according to program representatives.
The manager completed a training course and was deputised by the
US Marshall's Office in Hawaii. His authority extends to US
civilian employees involved in crimes against a US victim. Any
other combination would be handled by either the Navy or the
State Department. USAP officials agreed that the measure was
primarily preventative and law enforcement was not likely to
become a larger part of the winter manager's job.
5.3.6 Other Operational Changes
5.3.6.1 Hazardous Spill Response Team
McMurdo reportedly continued its efforts to develop hazardous
spill response teams during the 1992/93 season. Two teams of both
civilian and Navy employees were organised, and Jamestown Marine
company was brought down to outfit and train them. In January,
the teams conducted a drill, practising how to contain and
dispose of spilled materials.
5.3.6.2 Telecommunications
During the 1991/92 and 1992/93 seasons, the satellite facility at
Black Island was expanded and upgraded, program managers
reported. The building is owned by NSF, but STARS, a contractor,
owns and operates the equipment, which provides 28 satellite
lines that can be used for voice, data or fax.
The STARS contract will have to be renewed in the next year or
so, according to McMurdo officials. However, NSF is also in the
process of building their own satellite earth station on Black
Island, that will be set up and operated by ASA and a
subcontractor. Much of the equipment for the new facility was
delivered by the Greenwave during the 1992/93 season.
The STARS system is an interim measure until the NSF system comes
on line in a few years. The STARS system is being replaced
because it does not have the capacity for data transmission
necessary to support the needs of the scientific community.
5.4 Tourism
During the 1992/93 season, McMurdo received a total of three
visits from two vessels: the Khlebnikov and the Frontier Spirit.
This is comparable to the level of tourism two years ago during
the 1990/91 season. No tourists visited the station during the
1991/92 summer.
In general, McMurdo representatives did not believe that tourism
to the Ross Sea area was increasing. They noted that economic
factors were likely to limit the demand for the continental
cruises, which tend to be more expensive than trips to the
Peninsula.
According to officials, McMurdo is considering limiting the
number of visitors to the station, especially during their
resupply. Towards the end of the season, there are fewer staff
members available to host visitors and guide tours.
Some large cruise ships with capacities of 400 to 1000
passengers have expressed interest in visiting the Antarctic.
This would be a significant increase over the 85 to 125 people
usually carried on the tour ships that currently visit McMurdo.
Some of these vessels may not be ice-strengthened, and station
staff expressed concern that they would not received sufficient
information from tour organisers to know if these ships could
safely enter McMurdo Sound.
McMurdo representatives were also concerned about the adventure
tourism operators, such as Adventure Network International
(ANI). They reported that they had not yet seen an environmental
assessment for the cache put in by the Khlebnikov on behalf of
ANI during the previous week. They added that ANI had left some
fuel drums at Marble point two years earlier, and they wondered
where ANI might have other caches and what they would be used
for.
5.5 Evaluation of Environmental Impact
5.5.1 Compliance with the Protocol
USAP representatives reported that the program is committed to
operating in accordance with the Protocol on Environmental
Protection, even though it has not yet been ratified. They added
that they are now preparing environmental impact assessments for
almost every project, whether it involves building, refurbishing
or decommissioning facilities.
However, the discharge of a large volume of sewage that is
essentially untreated into McMurdo Sound continues to contradict
the spirit of the Protocol's recommendation to avoid polluting
coastal waters. Furthermore, the continued possibility that the
discharged waste could contain poultry products makes this
problem more severe.
5.5.2 Comments and Recommendations
During this visit, Greenpeace noticed a further increase in
awareness among USAP managers of environmental impacts at
McMurdo. Greenpeace recognises the impressive efforts that have
been made to deal realistically with waste, fuel and other
operational issues. Furthermore, Greenpeace acknowledges and
appreciates a new spirit of openness and cooperation, which has
enabled it to visit and evaluate a variety of McMurdo facilities
and to host McMurdo residents on board the MV Greenpeace.
Greenpeace particularly commends USAP for installing secondary
containment facilities around its fuel tanks; sorting and
recycling trash; reducing and removing some food-contaminated
waste to the US; taking steps to consolidate personnel required
on the ice; beginning to develop hazardous waste response teams;
and removing old fuel from Cape Hallett.
However, Greenpeace still has a number of concerns about
operations at McMurdo. The storage of waste, both hazardous
materials, construction debris, and regular household trash is of
concern. Obtaining adequate containers for removal of wastes must
be a priority. In particular, the plan to chip wood seems to be
both wasteful and difficult to control from an
environmental standpoint. Already, the area around the Gap is
covered with wood chips that cannot be easily removed.
Furthermore, much of the timber could be reused at the station
for other purposes.
As mentioned above, Greenpeace continues to be concerned about
the level of biological material, including some poultry
products (dried eggs), being dumped into McMurdo Sound. In
addition, Greenpeace strongly recommends that steps be taken to
minimise the introduction of cleaning and personal hygiene
products into the environment through the sewage system.
The program to install of secondary containment facilities at
fuel tanks should be accelerated. The fuel conservation measures
adopted to save fuel this season should be continued on a
regular basis.
Finally, the study for cleaning up Winter Quarters Bay must be
completed as quickly as possible. Should a clean-up be judged as
the best way to proceed, funding should be made available by the
US government as a matter of priority.
6 KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOV
6.1 Background Information
The Kapitan Khlebnikov is classified as an icebreaker. The ship
is 132.5 metres long and has a breadth of 26.5 metres. She was
built by a Finnish company approximately 10 to 12 years ago.
The ship can accommodate 112 passengers if all the cabins are
filled to capacity. At the time of our visit, there were 85
passengers onboard, mostly Australian and US citizens, although
there were also Britons, Germans, Swiss, French, and South
Africans on board.
The ship carried 59 crew members, all from the former Soviet
Union. There were also 12 expedition staff, including eight
lecturers, and four government representatives or guides.
6.1.1 Ownership and Charter Information
The Khlebnikov is part of a Vladivostok-based fleet, which is
currently being privatised. Once this process is complete, the
ship will belong to the Far Eastern Shipping Company.
The Khlebnikov was chartered by Quark Expeditions, which is
affiliated through common ownership with Adventure Network
International (ANI). The two companies share office space in the
eastern U.S. Expedition officials reported that Quark had also
forged a commercial affiliation with Salen Lindblad, although
they were unable to provide details.
6.1.2 Purpose and Itinerary
This was the Khlebnikov first trip to the Antarctic; previously
she had only been active in the Arctic. The 1992/93 voyage
included three separate legs: the first left from Capetown,
visited several subantarctic islands, then cruised along the
western ice shelf, concluding in Fremantle; the middle section
was a round trip from Fremantle, with subantarctic island visits
and stops at the Australian bases of Casey and Davis; and the
final leg was scheduled to cover Dumont d'Urville, the Ross Sea,
and New Zealand's sub-antarctic islands before winding up in
Bluff, New Zealand.
At the time of our visit with Khlebnikov, she was slightly
behind her original schedule. This was due to a 12-hour
diversion to respond to a Mayday call from the French ship
Astrolabe. Bad weather forced the tour to miss Commonwealth Bay,
and the ship had also encountered bad weather around Cape Adare,
but passengers had gone ashore anyway, in heavy surf, to see the
hut.
6.1.3 Date and Description of Contact
The MV Greenpeace encountered the Kapitan Khlebnikov on February
11-12, 1993, in McMurdo Sound. Greenpeace personnel met briefly
with expedition leaders during an evening visit to Scott's hut,
Cape Evans. Radio contact followed, and a tentative meeting
onboard the Khlebnikov was arranged for the following morning. At
the arranged time, a Greenpeace team caught up with the
Khlebnikov again at nearby Cape Royds, but the meeting was
cancelled because the Khlebnikov was behind schedule.
6.2 Operations Information
6.2.1 Waste Disposal
While the expedition leader, John Splettstoesser, stressed that
the ship's practices were consistent with MARPOL regulations and
the guidelines of the International Association of Antarctic Tour
Operators (IAATO), he could not tell Greenpeace exactly how the
crew dealt with garbage on the voyage. He thought all
rubbish, even organic waste, was kept on board for the entirety
of each leg. He also mentioned that some garbage was compacted.
He was not sure if there was an incinerator on board, but he was
confident that if one existed, it was not being used.
There were no obvious signs on the outside of the ship that waste
had been dumped over board, and there was no dedicated
incinerator stack.
6.2.2 Sewage
The ship's sewage is reportedly discharged untreated (without
even chlorine), in keeping with MARPOL regulations. Expedition
leaders confirmed that sewage is not released within 12 miles of
the coast.
6.2.3 Helicopter Operations
At the time of our visit, the ship was carrying two helicopters.
One was an Aeroflot Kamozov-2, which belongs to the ship and can
carry six to eight passengers. The other aircraft was an
Aerospatial "Squirrel", reportedly chartered from a New Zealand
company.
The Khlebnikov's other helicopter was damaged in an accident at
Mirny base during the second leg of the voyage. The expedition
leader reported that it was dented by a rock that was picked up
by the rotor. The Russian crew decided to leave it at Mirny, and
there were reports that it had been taken out of Antarctica on
the Akademik Federov. The accident was reported to be purely
mechanical; there were no injuries, no fuel spill, and no major
fuselage damage.
6.3 Environmental Impact
At Cape Evans, members of the Greenpeace team documented
tourists and particularly Khlebnikov crew members approaching
within two metres of seals and penguins on the beach. The
animals were visibly disturbed, and there was one report of a
crewman touching a seal to make it perform for the watching video
cameras.
In response, the voyage leader told Greenpeace that the ship's
crew receives a briefing from the captain at the beginning of the
voyage, based on a translation of the same IAATO guidelines given
to the passengers. These guidelines recommend staying at least
five metres from all wildlife and more for fur seals. Greenpeace
was also told that a passenger had already reported this
incident. The offenders had been identified, and their behaviour
corrected. Expedition officials stressed that the incident was an
irregularity.
At Cape Royds, the tourists and their accompanying helicopter
appeared to stay outside the boundaries of the penguin rookery,
as defined by the SSSI.
6.3.1 EIA Procedures
Both the voyage leader and the various government
representatives seemed to be quite knowledgeable about Treaty
regulations and the requirements of the Protocol.
A preliminary environmental impact assessment was done by Quark
for the Khlebnikov expedition, although the expedition leader
could not provide Greenpeace with a copy. He also noted that it
was not clear how the Protocol EIA requirements were to be
interpreted by tour operators.
According to the expedition leader, the Khlebnikov voyages have
not had any unforeseen impacts, although the ship had visited a
few places that were not on the original itinerary.
As noted above, Quark expeditions follow IAATO guidelines, which
expedition staff members felt are quite good. They stressed that
these guidelines are standard for all cruise ships in the
Antarctic.
6.3.2 Evidence of Other Environmental Impacts
Before arriving at Cape Evans, the Khlebnikov established a
supply depot in the vicinity of Marble Point on behalf of ANI.
The cache reportedly contained approximately 60 200-litre drums
of Jet A-1, as well as a small amount of Mogas and two snow
mobiles All the drums reportedly appeared to be epoxy lined and
sealed. In addition, some quantity of frozen mutton, packed in
cartons, was also reported to have been left at the site.
The cache is located on the Wilson Piedmont Glacier halfway
between Cape Bernacchi and Marble Point. It is marked with flags
and incorporates a small number of empty drums leftover from
other ANI ventures.
Khlebnikov expedition staff and New Zealand officials speculated
that the supplies were intended to support a planned dog-sled
expedition by veteran US adventurer Norman Vaughan in 1993/94.
The voyage leader also reported that Quark had submitted a
preliminary environmental impact assessment to the U.S. and New
Zealand authorities. However, officials at Scott Base and
McMurdo station had not seen this document at the time of
Greenpeace's visit. ANI was also planning to prepare a complete
report on the cache in the future, including an explanation of
how the supplies will be used and how waste will be removed from
the area.
6.3.3 Comments and Recommendations
While the Khlebnikov voyage was by all accounts relatively
trouble free, there was some suggestion that the company was not
planning to charter the ship again. The vessel did not prove to
be very comfortable in heavy seas, due to her rounded bottom
profile.
Greenpeace members had a chance to chat informally with
Khlebnikov passengers, most of whom felt the cruise was well run.
They reported that for the most part, adequate attention was
given to presenting and enforcing environmentally sensitive
operating procedures.
IAATO is to be commended for developing guidelines as to how
close animals should be approached. However, Greenpeace would
like to see these reset for each species, according to the
sensitivity of that species.
Greenpeace would like to see EIAs done for any future Antarctic
voyages. These should be made publicly available for comment well
before the season begins.
E GREENPEACE WORLD PARK BASE SITE
1.1 Overview
World Park Base was established by Greenpeace in the 1986/87
austral summer and completely removed by the organization during
the 1991/92 season. It functioned as a year-round research
station, housing four people of various nationalities.
1.1.1 Status
In 1991, Greenpeace placed a granite benchmark, showing a map of
the former base and contact information, on the ground just
inland of the original base site. The marker is designed to
provide a consistent measuring point for Greenpeace's future
monitoring work and to inform scientific parties that the site
has been used for human activities and is therefore not
pristine.
This benchmark was still at the site when Greenpeace left the
area after its February 1993 visit. It is the only remaining item
that Greenpeace has deliberately left at Cape Evans.
1.2 Date and Description of Visit
The MV Greenpeace arrived in the waters off Cape Evans on
February 9, but bad weather prevented the crew from going ashore
until the morning of February 11. The Greenpeace team stayed at
Cape Evans until February 15, completing four days of field work
and losing one day due to bad weather.
A team of approximately six people set up a field camp in the
small gully that separates the former base site from Scott's hut.
The camp consisted of three two-person tents and a barrel dug
into a snowbank, which was used as a toilet. The camp was
equipped with radios, water, food stores, camp stoves, sleeping
bags, emergency clothing, scientific gear, and other supplies.
The camp remained in operation through February 15, when all
structures, equipment, and waste were returned to MV Greenpeace.
On the evening of February 11, almost the entire compliment of
the MV Greenpeace went ashore for about three hours to visit with
tourists and crew members from the Kapitan Khlebnikov and to view
the interior of Scott's hut.
During the course of Greenpeace's visit to Camp Evans, an
average of four to ten crew members worked at the site. A team of
one scientist and one to three assistants gathered data and soil
samples for scientific analysis. Other members continued to pick
up wood and paint chips, occasional nails, and tiny pieces of
assorted plastic and metal debris from the former base site. At
the direction of the scientific team, they also shovelled some
fuel-contaminated soil into containers and returned it to the
ship for disposal outside the Antarctic.
Crew members from the MV Greenpeace also used Cape Evans for
recreational purposes, with groups taking walks in areas around
the base designated by the expedition leaders on environmental
and safety grounds. Some crew members also spent the night
ashore in the Greenpeace camp.
1.3 Previous Visits
For more information on the operation and removal of World Park
Base, see Greenpeace's expedition reports, annual exchanges of
information, science reports, and The Greenpeace Report of the
Antarctic Environmental Impact Monitoring Programme at World Park
Base 1991/92.
2 Physical Structure
During the February 1993 visit, the former base site was
entirely free from snow and ice. The snow drift that had
accumulated under the World Park Base fuel rack had melted
entirely during the summer months.
The ground that had been hidden under the snow drift showed signs
of shallow fuel contamination in several localised spots. Soil
samples were taken from these areas to determine fuel
concentrations and then the top 10-15 centimetres of soil were
removed to prevent contamination of birds and seals with fuel
residues. The contaminated soil was retrograded and clean soil
from the beach was used to backfill the areas.
The surface of the area around the base was still quite uneven.
The cutaway behind the central base building was clearly
visible. There were also several shallow depressions around the
sites where, last season, the Greenpeace team removed the top
layer of fuel-contaminated soil and replaced it with clean
gravel from the beach.
Small pieces of debris, particularly wood and paint shavings,
continue to be present on the soil surface, within the former
base area. However, in comparison with the area around Scott's
hut, the surface looks relatively clean.
3 Description of Scientific Monitoring Program
The monitoring program carried out during the 1992/93 season was
designed to complement and expand on the scientific work
undertaken during the base removal. (The initial monitoring work
is described in The Greenpeace Report of the Antarctic
Environmental Impact Monitoring Program at World Park Base
1991/92. A full report of the 1993/94 work will be published in
the future.)
This year's work consisted of three main projects: a visual
inspection of the area and a survey of wildlife activity; a
program of soil sampling to collect additional information on
fuel distribution and microbiological activity; and a component
of water sampling, which could not be carried out due to adverse
conditions.
A full description of the objectives and methodologies, as well
as an initial discussion of results is presented in Appendix I of
this report.
ANNEX I: EXPEDITION SCIENCE PROJECTS
1 Introduction
The science projects of the 1992/93 Greenpeace Antarctic
Expedition were conducted in the Ross Sea region and in the
Antarctic Peninsula. The Ross Sea program concentrated on the
monitoring of the World Park Base site, one year after the
removal of the base. In the Peninsula, hydrocarbon pollution was
studied in Greenwich Island, South Shetlands. A humpback whale
photo-identification survey was conducted in the Gerlache Strait
on the NE coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
2 World Park Base Site Monitoring
2.1 Objectives
The 1992/93 monitoring program was designed to complement and
expand on the monitoring carried out in the previous season. It
focused on three aspects:
- natural evolution of impacted sites and evidence of permafrost
degradation;
- efficiency of the remediation procedures for contaminated soils
carried out after the base removal in 1991/92; and
- recolonisation of the base site by wildlife.
2.2 Methodologies
The ex-base site was initially assessed by visual inspection,
using a checklist devised by Campbell et al. (1992) for
surveying the impact of field camps and adapted to the World Park
Base site. This checklist had been used previously and was
designed to record changes that were visible after one year.
Features of interest (such as depressions on the ground surface,
spill sites, etc.) were mapped. A 100-metre transect was laid
across the former base site, on which the permafrost depth was
measured at two-metre intervals. Soil surface samples (uppermost
5 cm) for sedimentological analysis were taken in the backfill of
three spill sites and in adjacent sites upwind and downwind of
the prevailing winds.
Spill sites were located using organoleptic tests (looking,
smelling, touching). Soil profile samples (0-50 cm) were taken at
10 cm intervals at three spill sites and one control site, to be
analysed for total hydrocarbon (THC) content, hydrocarbon content
and microbiology. Soil surface samples (uppermost 5 cm) were
taken in areas of groundwater seepage downslope of the spill
sites for analysis of THC.
Analysis of the samples was done in The Citizen's Environmental
Laboratory and Microtest Laboratories, both in Boston,
Massachusetts, USA.
A variety of features indicative of the presence of the most
common wildlife in the area (McCormick skuas, weddell seals and
Adelie penguins), such as skua nests, seal tracks, faeces,
imprints, etc., were surveyed and plotted on previously obtained
aerial photographs. Skua food boluses were collected within 100 m
of the base site and their contents were analysed in situ.
2.3 Preliminary Results
2.3.1 Natural Evolution of the Impacted Sites and Evidence of
Permafrost Degradation
When the base was removed in the 1991/92 season, the natural soil
surfaces had been restored by backfilling depressions, levelling
mounds, breaking down compacted soil and ground icing and
reestablishing the boulder cover.
A large snow drift and residual ground icing covered about 50% of
the area immediately adjacent to the base in February 1992. These
features were reported by NZARP officials in October and December
1992, but had disappeared by February 1993. The melting exposed
the ground surface underneath, which formed part of a disturbed
area of at least 100 m2 that appeared less smooth than adjacent
undisturbed surfaces.
The most obvious impacts were: the cutting for the main building
in the eastern slope adjacent to the main building; a bilobed
depression, measuring 2 m2, where the fuel rack had stood; and
several small square holes that acted as snow traps. The
depressions, averaging 10 cm depth, covered an area of less than
10 m2.
All of these depressions resulted from the initial impact of the
base, and some of them were only exposed after the melting of the
snow drift. However, the large biled depression appeared to have
slumped after being backfilled. A fuel stain was obvious at this
site.
The small square depressions had rust stains associated with them
and were likely left by the foundation of the base fuel rack. The
presence of these impressions suggests that there has been a lack
of surface soil movement by wind or other means, at least during
this first summer.
Many boot imprints were still clearly visible, as were some
helicopter and skidoo tracks. These imprints reflected the
presence of Greenpeace personnel during the previous summer as
well as that of visitors during the year (no skidoo tracks
having been left behind by Greenpeace.)
A small but noticeable amount of foreign matter was found,
mainly wood chips, wood filings and nails. One "tear-ring" for a
Jet-A1 barrel was also found. A large piece of timber was
reported in December 1992 by NZARP scientists (Sheppard, pers.
comm.) but was not there in February. Most of this litter was
probably exposed when the above-mentioned snow drift melted.
2.3.2 Fuel Contamination of Soils and Efficiency of Remediation
Procedures
The 1991/92 study had detected contamination by hydrocarbons from
fuel spills covering an area of approximately 108 m2. The total
volume of spilt fuel was estimated as less than 200
litres.
Remedial action, aimed at shielding wildlife from the remaining
fuel, was carried out in 1991/92. This involved removing the top
10-15 cm of the soil in the larger fuel-spill sites, and
backfilling the excavations with material extracted from the
beach. This had reduced the estimated amount of fuel in the soil
by 75%, to approximately 50 litres.
Only a few fuel spills were immediately obvious. In fact, fuel
spills that were expected to be plainly visible were not
detectable at all. Several small dark stains were found and
mapped. One area immediately south of the former site of the
Satcom tower was covered by a network of shallow spills (<1 cm
deep). This is believed to have come from snow and ice from
beneath the fuel rack, lightly contaminated with fuel, that was
dumped there during the World Park Base removal operation.
In addition to those shallow fuel spots, seven spills were
identified in three locations: at the sit of the heater room; at
the site of the engine room; and at the site of the fuel rack.
None was larger than 1 m2 in surface area. These stains were
postulated to be associated with fuel present in the soil
subsurface that had migrated vertically through the backfill to
appear at the soil surface.
Two fuel seepages that were discovered during the 1991/92 season
towards the coast from the base were not visible.
Most of the original spill sites (i.e. those detected in
1991/92) proved to have a stable to moderately stable backfill
cover, weak to moderate fuel smell, and weakly to moderately
visible stain. There was little evidence found to suggest the
development of defalation hollows (concave depressions at spill
sites) or wind scour marks (longitudinal holes parallel to the
prevailing wind direction) in the backfill. Likewise, there were
no sand shades (sand accumulation downwind of backfill sites.
Particle size analysis suggests that there had been no movement
of the surface material except perhaps at one of the spill
sites. One seal track was found that had gone through an obvious
small fuel stain.
The composition of the fuel in three of the original spill sites
indicated that in two of them the fuel was a lightly degraded
form of Jet-A1, the fuel most commonly used at the base. In a
third spill it was a mixture of hydrocarbons with different
carbon chain lengths, with a component of diesel fuel. This last
was probably not Greenpeace's fuel.
Soil profiles taken from the original spill sites showed light
contamination values of two to three orders of magnitude less
than those detected in the previous season (TABLE I - omitted
here). In one case, low level fuel contamination was detectable
as deep as 50 cm. Soil surface samples taken at sites likely to
have been contaminated by fuel carried by ground water downslope
from the base site towards the shoreline showed little or no
contamination (avg.9+4 mg/kg, range 5-17, n=6, ND<5 = 6).
2.3.3 Re-Colonisation of the Base Site by Wildlife
It was evident that the former base site was being used by
wildlife, as more animals and birds were seen there than had been
during the operation of the base. More than ten seal tracks and
five to ten seal body imprints were evident. Two Weddell seals
and a small group of Adelie penguins were present within the
immediate base area.
Two skua nests that had been occupied during the 1992/93 season
(and also in previous seasons) were found once again within 1 00
m of the base area. It appeared, however, that no skua chicks had
been raised at the site this season. No skua nests were located
in spill sites.
Analysis of the 11 skua boluses collected within 1 00 metres of
the base site showed that they consisted of 40% paper, 30% small
stones, 10% feathers, 10% plastic, and 10% miscellaneous. This
last category included wood, aluminium, aluminium foil, and small
pieces of glass. In total, 60% of the contents were
anthropogenic. Of particular note was an almost complete wrapper
from a 50 gram pat of butter from Pennsylvania, USA. The former
base site may have been the source of some of the wood in the
boluses, as wood chips measuring 1 cm or less (as well as paint
flakes) are still common at the site. However, the wrapper, like
most of the other objects in the boluses, did not come from World
Park Base.
2.4 Discussion and Comments
As only one year had elapsed since the removal of the base, the
disturbed sites were expected to be only slightly modified.
Furthermore, these changes were expected to be mostly related to
the disappearance of excess moisture accumulated due to the
presence of the base (snow drift, ground icing) and associated
transport of fuel in ground water.
In fact, the disappearance of the snow drift did not result in
any significant changes to the site, and no conclusive evidences
of secondary impact on the permafrost was found.
It is likely that fuel has moved both vertically upwards into the
clean backfill, and horizontally towards the sea, washed out by
meltwater in the soil. It is also possible that the fuel has
continued to move downwards into the permafrost. The migration
process would be related to both the concentration of fuel in the
soil and the thermal conditions of the soil (e.g. presence or
absence of groundwater, vertical gradients of temperature
throughout the soil profile, etc.).
The remediation method used in the 1991/92 season, which
consisted of removing the uppermost 10-15 cm of soil at the spill
sites and backfilling the depressions with clean beach sediments,
was judged to be effective. It removed an estimated 75% of the
total volume of fuel spilt (Greenpeace 1993) and has shielded
wildlife from fuel-contaminated soil, even though it became
apparent that some hydrocarbons were redeposited in the clean
backfill. It is possible that the backfill could be
removed by wind or mechanical action (e.g. seals tracking), but
so far, this has not been the case.
The presence of anthropogenic matter in skua boluses, in
quantities that are well above normal (Hemmings, pers. comm.)
suggest a significant change in skua habits due to human
intervention. This is cause for concern, as other effects may be
triggered (e.g. intestinal obstructions or lacerations,
transmission of disease). It can be viewed as a local impact of
human activities, as it is likely that skuas are actively
feeding where human waste is easily available, possibly at
McMurdo Station.
3 Marine Hydrocarbon Contamination from On-shore Fuel Spills in
Iquique Cove, Greenwich Island
3.1 Introduction and Objectives
Fuel spills are a common feature at Antarctic bases. Many bases
are built on the coast and have their fuel stored close to the
shoreline, often on surfaces that drain into the sea. Rock or
frozen soil provides relatively impervious surfaces, meaning that
fuel released on shore can migrate downslope to the ocean.
Virtually all Antarctic stations lack containment structures
around fuel tanks. The potential for transfer of fuel spilt on
shore to the marine environment is therefore high.
A large fuel release (15,000-20,000 litres) occurred at Prat Base
in 1982, when an underground fuel pipe broke. The release
occurred three to four metres above sea level, 20-30 metres from
the shore. In 1991, widespread fuel contamination of the local
marine environment was observed around the station (Greenpeace
1991). In 1993, the Pelagic team returned to the site to assess
the extent of contamination along the station's shoreline.
3.2 Methodologies
The location and approximate limits of the spill were located
using organoleptic tests (looking, smelling, touching) and
surveyed. Random surface samples (uppermost 2 cm) were taken at
the focal (uppermost 2 cm) were taken at the focal point of the
spill. Five profiles were sampled from the high-water to the low-
water mark along 300 metres of beach and at different
locations in Iquique Cove. Profiles were also taken at control
sites.
Water samples (surface and bottom) were taken in front of the
beach profiles. Methodological control samples (blanks and
spikes) were taken elsewhere on Greenwich Island. Duplicates were
made of some of the samples. The analysis of the samples was
performed in The Citizen's Environmental Laboratory, Boston,
Massachusetts, USA.
3.3 Preliminary Results
High hydrocarbon contamination was found in sediments at the
spill site, along the beach, in the bottom sediments of the bay,
and in beach sediments taken elsewhere in Iquique Cove.
Along the beach, the highest fuel concentrations were found at
the high-water mark (2038 +-2641, n=4 nd <8=1, range nd-6600).
The composition of the fuel in both the beach near the base and
in the bottom of the bay was similar (a lightly degraded form of
the diesel fuel used at the base).
3.4 Discussion and Comments
The results show that fuel migrated to the sea after the initial
release and was redeposited along the shore; that it migrated
across a body of water; and that it sank and collected on the
bottom of the bay. Thus, while the spill occurred on shore, it
also had an off-shore impact. The similar degrees of weathering
of the fuel in different parts of the environment suggests that
the process of input into the marine environment continues,
possibly from a subsurface reservoir of fuel.
Already 10 years have elapsed since the initial spill; little
weathering has occurred and the fuel has spread through
different components of the environment covering an area many
times larger than the initial spill. Cold anaerobic conditions in
the soil subsurface and in the bottom of the bay are likely to
prevent the weathering of fuel, which will therefore persist for
a long time. Thus it is likely that this spill has had an effect
on the local ecosystem.
The concentrations of hydrocarbons in the bottom of the bay are
comparable to those of anthropogenic origin found in other
Antarctic locations, including the vicinity of the Bahia Paraiso
wreck. A survey of Antarctic scientific literature reveals that
the only recorded instance of higher concentrations is in Winter
Quarters Bay, McMurdo station (Ross Sea).
4 Humpback Whale Photo Identification
4.1 Objectives
Traditional techniques for assessing whale populations have
relied primarily on historical records and lethal sampling
programs conducted by the whaling industry. The Scientific
Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has
stated that there is no need for further assessments of this
kind.
The purpose of the Greenpeace project was to provide photographs
of unique physical features that allow repeated identification of
individual whales. In the case of humpback whales (Megaptera
novaeangliae), the pigmentation of the ventral fluke is a
distinctive feature.
4.2 Methodology
Observations of humpback whales were made opportunistically
during two cruises of the SV Pelagic through the Gerlache
Strait, in the Antarctic Peninsula. The yacht approached to
within a prudent distance of the whales (at least five boat
lengths or about 75+ m). The engine was then turned off. In some
cases, an inflatable was launched. The whales were photographed
from the yacht's deck and/or from a dinghy.
4.3 Preliminary results
Five close encounters with a total of eight individuals were
recorded. In most cases, the whales were attracted to the yacht
and swam around her for periods of 20 to 70 minutes. Despite the
length of the encounters, relatively few photographs of ventral
flukes were obtained, as the whales tended to dive towards the
yacht so that the ventral flukes were seldom visible.
Nevertheless, useful photographs were obtained from five
individuals. These were sent to the Allied Whale, College of the
Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA, and to Dr. Gregory Stone, New
England Aquarium, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Upon evaluation, it was found that none of the whales had been
photographed previously.
4.4 Discussion and comments
As of October 1993, Allied Whale's Antarctic Humpback Whale
Catalogue contained 112 individual humpback whales identified
from the Antarctic Peninsula. (The organisation also maintains
catalogues for North Atlantic and Caribbean humpback whales). Of
those, ten different animals have been documented as migrating
between the Antarctic Peninsula and offshore Pacific waters of
Colombia. One match has been made with a whale photographed in
several different years in the Antarctic Peninsula. The
Antarctic Peninsula photographs are also being matched with shots
taken off Brazil, but no matches have yet been made
(McOsker, pers. comm.).
Humpback whale migration from the southern to the northern
hemisphere suggest that individuals that feed in the southern
hemisphere may breed with individuals from the northern
hemisphere population. The possibility that individuals
occasionally move between oceans (crossing the equator) has
implications for gene flow and population differentiation and
thus for conservation of the species.
REFERENCES
Campbell IB, Claridge GGC, and Balks M (1992) An assessment of
the environmental impact of field activities on Antarctic
terrain. Published by NZARP for the First Meeting of Experts on
Antarctic Monitoring, Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 1992.
Greenpeace (1991) 1990/91 Antarctic Expedition Report.
Greenpeace International, Amsterdam.
Greenpeace (1993) The Greenpeace Report of the Antarctic
Environmental Impact Monitoring Program at World Park Base
1991/92. Greenpeace International, Amsterdam.
Hemmings AD, Greenpeace Antarctic campaign, Auckland, New
Zealand. Pers. comm. 1993.
McOsker, M, Allied Whale, Maine, United States of America. Pers.
comm.
Sheppard, DS, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Lower
Hutt, New Zealand. Pers. comm.
