The rise of technocratic environmentalism: the United States, Antarctica, and the globalisation of the environmental impact statement

Research sites get closer to field camps over time: Informing environmental management through a geospatial analysis of science in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

“…The geology-focused Dry Valleys Drilling Project followed as the first ‘big science’ project in the MDV, and its completion precedes the decline in publications [ 53 ]. The scientific focus shifted from geologic research through the 1980s to ecological research in the 1990s [ 4 ]. This also marks the intensification of hypothesis-driven research and the beginning of environmental monitoring, exemplified by the work of the MDV Long-Term Ecological Research Project [ 25 ].…”

“…The region’s geographical clarity is further highlighted by its designation as an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) by the Antarctic Treaty [ 34 ]. Several of the environmental management protocols currently in force throughout Antarctica were developed in the MDV [ 4 , 5 , 35 ]. Since the late 1950s, the MDV have been an important center of Antarctic science, hosting research every summer season and over the course of three winters.…”

“…The 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (commonly known as the Madrid Protocol) prohibited economic mineral activities, introduced extensive measures to prevent the introduction of non-native species, and established a Committee for Environmental Protection to assess the environmental impact of human activities in Antarctica. An important tool of the committee is the environmental impact assessment, which has been used in Antarctica since the mid-1970s [2][3][4][5]. In common with their use in other parts of the world, environmental impact assessments offer a template for conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the negative environmental impact of an activity versus the positive scientific and logistical gains.…”

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“…The geology-focused Dry Valleys Drilling Project followed as the first 'big science' project in the MDV, and its completion precedes the decline in publications [53]. The scientific focus shifted from geologic research through the 1980s to ecological research in the 1990s [4]. This also marks the intensification of hypothesis-driven research and the beginning of environmental monitoring, exemplified by the work of the MDV Long-Term Ecological Research Project [25].…”

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“…The region's geographical clarity is further highlighted by its designation as an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) by the Antarctic Treaty [34]. Several of the environmental management protocols currently in force throughout Antarctica were developed in the MDV [4,5,35]. Since the late 1950s, the MDV have been an important center of Antarctic science, hosting research every summer season and over the course of three winters.…”