The environmental impact of sewage and wastewater outfalls in Antarctica: An example from Davis station, East Antarctica

Stark, Jonathan S.; Corbett, Patricia A.; Dunshea, Glenn; Johnstone, Glenn; King, Catherine K.; Mondon, Julie; Power, Michelle; Samuel, Angelingifta; Snape, Ian; Riddle, Martin J.

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2016.09.026

Cited by 58 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The Davis Station survey was undertaken in 2010 to examine the effects of a sewage outfall, with sampling conducted at 26 locations at a range of distances (tens of metres to over 10 km) from the sewage outfall (Stark et al 2016b). The Davis Station survey represented a greater spatial extent than the Casey Station survey and a more diverse range of habitats from rocky reefs with macroalgae, to varying mixes of sediments and rock to very fine sediments ( Fig.…”

Section: Sampling Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antarctic sea anemone distribution, abundance and relationships with habitat composition, community structure and anthropogenic disturbance

et al. 2020

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Understanding the distribution, abundance and habitat preferences of species in the Southern Ocean provides a foundation for assessing the impacts of environmental change and anthropogenic disturbance on Antarctic ecosystems. In near-shore waters at Casey and Davis Stations, photoquadrat surveys were used to determine sea anemone distribution and abundance, habitat preferences, associations with other species and the impact of human disturbance on sea anemone distribution. Two distinct sea anemone morphotypes were found in this study: large sea anemones that require hard substrate for attachment and small, burrowing sea anemones found in muddy sediment. The large sea anemones were found in rocky habitats, with the exception of some sedimentary habitats where other biota were used as substrate. The large sea anemones were associated with a diverse community of epibenthic species found in rocky habitats. The burrowing sea anemones were associated with a less diverse assemblage of sediment-dwelling epibenthos. At Casey Station, sea anemones were more abundant in habitats adjacent to a former waste disposal site than at control sites. The reason for this is not yet known, but may be due to high organic matter inputs or, alternatively, a longer sea ice duration providing protection from ice scour.

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Section: Sampling Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antarctic sea anemone distribution, abundance and relationships with habitat composition, community structure and anthropogenic disturbance

et al. 2020

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“…Antarctica poses several challenges to the operation of conventional wastewater treatment facilities (biological systems) as the climate (cold and dry) imposes heavy energy requirements (for heating and equipment operation), which are usually provided by burning fossil fuels (Stark et al, 2015(Stark et al, , 2016). The wastewater treatment systems must cope with high load fluctuation because of the seasonal variation in the wastewater volume (there is high variation in winter and summer population at the Stations) (Stark et al, 2015(Stark et al, , 2016. The Madrid Protocol states that precautions should be taken to prevent the introduction of non-native microorganisms to Antarctica, although it does not specifically mention the risks posed by wastewater.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Madrid Protocol states that precautions should be taken to prevent the introduction of non-native microorganisms to Antarctica, although it does not specifically mention the risks posed by wastewater. Nonetheless, the Antarctic wastewater contains high levels of human enteric pathogens and non-native microbes that can survive in coastal Antarctic waters and lead to the introduction of non-native microbes as well as genetic pollution when not properly eliminated (Allinson et al, 2018;Stark et al, 2015Stark et al, , 2016. The wastewater generated at Antarctic stations has comparable characteristics to urban wastewater (a mix of human, domestic and light industrial liquid waste); however, it is more concentrated due to the water supply limitations and the absence of stormwater runoff (Stark et al, 2015(Stark et al, , 2016.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, the Antarctic wastewater contains high levels of human enteric pathogens and non-native microbes that can survive in coastal Antarctic waters and lead to the introduction of non-native microbes as well as genetic pollution when not properly eliminated (Allinson et al, 2018;Stark et al, 2015Stark et al, , 2016. The wastewater generated at Antarctic stations has comparable characteristics to urban wastewater (a mix of human, domestic and light industrial liquid waste); however, it is more concentrated due to the water supply limitations and the absence of stormwater runoff (Stark et al, 2015(Stark et al, , 2016. Given the inherent characteristics of the lime chemical precipitation processes in wastewater treatment, as stated above, we think they may be a viable alternative for improving the wastewater treatment and reuse in Antarctica and can help reduce the human footprint of Antarctic stations, given the relevance of hydroponic cultivation for the in-situ food production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Manual Treatment of Urban Wastewater by Chemical Precipitation for Production of Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions

Correia¹,

Regato²,

Almeida³

et al. 2020

J. Ecol. Eng.

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An urban wastewater treatment system was developed in Portugal for posterior in situ feasibility testing at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base, using its domestic wastewater. The aim of this system was to develop a low cost, integrated approach for wastewater treatment and production of nutrient solutions (NS) for hydroponic cultivation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa) in Antarctic stations, or any other place where the lack of resources and logistical hardships make the wastewater treatment and reuse impractical. The wastewater treatment system consisted in manual agitation lime chemical precipitation (LCPm) and effluent natural neutralization (NN) by atmospheric CO 2 carbonation reactions (with and without air injection). The resulting effluent/NS had macronutrient values (nitrogen and phosphorous) for the hydroponic cultivation of lettuce below the values of commercial NS and a high pH (pH ≈ 8).The treatment achieved a total coliform removal rate of 100%. Before the LCPm treatment system development, several lime-based reagents were tested under different reaction pH and using mechanical agitation, to access their organic matter removal efficiency, as chemical oxygen demand (COD). The best COD removal results obtained were: commercial Ca(OH) 2 (pH 11.5 -89%), reagent grade Ca(OH) 2 (pH 11.5 -79%) and CaO (pH 12.0 -64%).

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“…For example, after a failure at a secondary treatment plant in Davis, Antarctica in 2005, macerated wastewater has beendischarged from an outfall into the environment. To determine the effects of this failure on the environment and potential human health impact, water, sediments, and wildlife were tested for human enteric bacteria and AMR(Stark et al, 2016). E. coli containing the class 1 integrase gene (int1; mobile genetic elements indicating the potential for spread of ARGs, determined via qPCR) were observed in water and sediments near the outfall, as well as in the bivalve Laternula elliptica.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment

Waseem

Williams

Stedtfeld

et al. 2017

Water Environment Research

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This review summarizes selected publications of 2016 with emphasis on occurrence and treatment of antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria in the aquatic environment and wastewater and drinking water treatment plants. The review is conducted with emphasis on fate, modeling, risk assessment and data analysis methodologies for characterizing abundance. After providing a brief introduction, the review is divided into the following four sections: i) Occurrence of AMR in the Environment, ii) Treatment Technologies for AMR, iii) Modeling of Fate, Risk, and Environmental Impact of AMR, and iv) ARG Databases and Pipelines.

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The environmental impact of sewage and wastewater outfalls in Antarctica: An example from Davis station, East Antarctica

Cited by 58 publications

References 48 publications

Antarctic sea anemone distribution, abundance and relationships with habitat composition, community structure and anthropogenic disturbance

Antarctic sea anemone distribution, abundance and relationships with habitat composition, community structure and anthropogenic disturbance

Manual Treatment of Urban Wastewater by Chemical Precipitation for Production of Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions

Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment

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