Influence of Seasonal Environmental Variables on the Distribution of Presumptive Fecal Coliforms around an Antarctic Research Station

Abstract

Factors affecting fecal microorganism survival and distribution in the Antarctic marine environment include solar radiation, water salinity, temperature, sea ice conditions, and fecal input by humans and local wildlife populations. This study assessed the influence of these factors on the distribution of presumptive fecal coliforms around Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer and winter of February 1999 to September 1999. Each factor had a different degree of influence depending on the time of year. In summer (February), although the station population was high, presumptive fecal coliform concentrations were low, probably due to the biologically damaging effects of solar radiation. However, summer algal blooms reduced penetration of solar radiation into the water column. By early winter (April), fecal coliform concentrations were high, due to increased fecal input by migrant wildlife, while solar radiation doses were low. By late winter (September), fecal coliform concentrations were high near the station sewage outfall, as sea ice formation limited solar radiation penetration into the sea and prevented wind-driven water circulation near the outfall. During this study, environmental factors masked the effect of station population numbers on sewage plume size. If sewage production increases throughout the Antarctic, environmental factors may become less significant and effective sewage waste management will become increasingly important. These findings highlight the need for year-round monitoring of fecal coliform distribution in Antarctic waters near research stations to produce realistic evaluations of sewage pollution persistence and dispersal.

Aerosolized Microbes from Organic Rich Materials: Case Study of Bat Guano from Caves in Romania

“…E. coli does not survive generally more than two or three weeks in low-nutrient environments in a viable and cultivable state (Neidhardt et al, 1996), and indications of its presence in nutrient-poor cave habitats should be carefully examined (Barton and Pace, 2005). Airborne fecal coliforms generally do not survive long outdoors, so the probability of causing infections for wildlife and humans is low (Hughes, 2003). Similar conclusion could be drawn for the underground environment.…”

Effect of vertical mixing on short-term mycosporine-like amino acid synthesis in the Antarctic diatom, <i>Thalasiossira</i> sp.

“…Lower solar irradiance had a reducing effect on the synthesis of Porphyra-334. In the Sfix treatment cells were exposed to high daily integrated PAR and UVAR irradiance, whereas the maximum UVBR irradiance and the daily UVBR dose were relatively low (around 20%) compared to natural spring conditions (Hernando 2011, Hughes 2003 (Table 1) in the Potter Cove area. Similar results were previously reported for a strain of Thalassiosira sp.…”

Spatial Variation and Survival of Salmonella enterica Subspecies in a Population of Australian Sleepy Lizards (Tiliqua rugosa)

“…Bacterial ecology, in contrast, has focused on defining and describing the diversity of taxa and classifying them into ecotypes (1,2). However, many studies have shown associations between particular bacterial communities and characteristics of the physical environment they are found in, for instance, soil (3,4) and freshwater (5) habitats, and of the seasonal dynamics of the bacterial community structure (6).…”