Insights on the environmental impacts associated with visible disturbance of ice-free ground in Antarctica

Abstract

The small ice-free areas of Antarctica provide an essential habitat for most evident terrestrial biodiversity, as well as being disproportionately targeted by human activity. Visual detection of disturbance within these environments has become a useful tool for measuring areas affected by human impact, but questions remain as to what environmental consequences such disturbance actually has. To answer such questions, several factors must be considered, including the climate and biotic and abiotic characteristics. Although a body of research has established the consequences of disturbance at given locations, this paper was conceived in order to assess whether their findings could be generalized as a statement across the Antarctic continent. From a review of 31 studies within the Maritime Antarctic, Continental Antarctic and McMurdo Dry Valleys regions, we found that 83% confirmed impacts in areas of visible disturbance. Disturbance was found to modify the physical environment, consequently reducing habitat suitability as well as directly damaging biota. Visible disturbance was also associated with hydrocarbon and heavy metal contamination and non-native species establishment, reflecting the pressures from human activity in these sites. The results add significance to existing footprint measurements based on visual analysis, should aid on-the-ground appreciation of probable impacts in sites of disturbance and benefit environmental assessment processes.

Exploring the boundaries of microbial habitability in soil

“…Ice-free soils are not unique to the Shackleton Glacier region. More than 45,000 km 2 of ice-free terrestrial surfaces can be found in Antarctica >5km from the coast (36). The environmental and geochemical characteristics acting on these inland, high elevation, ice-free soils are similar to those we observed in the Shackleton Glacier region (15,20) which suggests that uninhabited patches lacking active microorganisms may be common elsewhere in Antarctica.…”

Influence of different seabird species on trace metals content in Antarctic soils

“…The vegetation is small and composed mainly of lichens, mosses, and terrestrial algae, and the animals are represented by seabirds and pinnipeds, highly dependent on the ocean (Ramírez-Fernández et al 2019, Ferrari et al 2021, Abakumov et al 2021. The animals preferably occupy the coastal regions of Antarctic and islands close to this continent with mild climatic conditions and where are the few ice-free areas and soils (Park et al 2012, Brooks et al 2019.…”

“…Antarctic environments are sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances and there is a high concern to avoid contamination by trace metals (Brooks et al 2019). Although several studies show that anthropic activity can contaminate soils with trace metals in this region (Abakumov et al 2017, Fabri-Jr et al 2018, Shi et al 2018, Bueno et al 2018, some authors also suggest that the activity seabirds can significantly enrich the soil with different trace metals (Huang et al 2014, Santamans et al 2017, Cipro et al 2018, Perfetti-Bolaño et al 2018, Castro et al 2021.…”

Seabirds of human settlements in Antarctica: A case study of the Mirny Station

“…According to the [3] -British Antarctic Survey ( 2004), only about 0.34% of the Antarctic continental zone is free of ice (Tin et al 2009), while most of the terrestrial biodiversity occupies < 0.5% of the continent's ice-free territory (Convey et al 2014, Brooks et al 2019). An incomparably smaller area is occupied by human settlements in Antarctica, mostly scattered along the coast.…”