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Final Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation of the Proposed Activities: • Construction of the Neumayer III Station • Operat

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Final Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation of the Proposed Activities: • Construction of the Neumayer III Station • Operat 1 Umweltbundesamt I 2.4 – 94003-2/43 Final Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation of the Proposed Activities: • Construction of the Neumayer III Station • Operation of the Neumayer III Station • Dismantling of the Existing Neumayer II Station Dessau, August 2005 2 This Final Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation of the proposed activities “Construction of the Neumayer III Station‚“”Operation of the Neumayer III Station“ and “Dismantling of the Existing Neumayer II Station and Removal of Materials from Antarctica“ is based in the main on the Draft Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation entitled “Rebuild and Operation of the Wintering Neumayer III Station and Retrogradation of the Present Neumayer II Station“ (Ver- sion of 8 December 2004), written by Dietrich Enss, Barsbüttel, for the Alfred Wegener Insti- tute for Polar and Marine Research (assisted by Hartwig Gernandt, Gert König-Langlo, Alfons Eckstaller, Rolf Weller, Hans Oerter, Joachim Plötz, Saad El Naggar, Jürgen Janneck and Christoph Ruholl). All the graphic material in this document also originates from this Draft Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation. This Final Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation was prepared by Thomas Bunge and Ellen Roß-Reginek of the German Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt). 3 Table of contents 1. Planned activities.......................................................................................................... 7 2. Construction of the new Neumayer III Station ............................................................ 7 2.1 Starting situation ..........................................................................................................7 2.2 Uses of the proposed station......................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Scientific research........................................................................................................ 7 2.2.3 IS27DE infrasound observatory ................................................................................... 8 2.2.4 Proposed capacity of the station................................................................................... 8 2.3 Proposed site .............................................................................................................. 10 2.3.1 Criteria for selecting this site ..................................................................................... 13 2.3.2 Alternative sites.......................................................................................................... 14 2.4 The station building.................................................................................................... 15 2.4.1 Description ................................................................................................................. 15 2.4.2 Station services and equipment.................................................................................. 19 2.4.3 Fuels, lubricants, hydraulic fluids, technical consumables ........................................ 21 2.4.3.1 Diesel fuel .................................................................................................................. 21 2.4.3.2 Petrol, aviation turbine fuel (kerosene) ...................................................................... 22 2.4.3.3 Gear oils, engine oils, two-stroke oil and hydraulic fluids......................................... 22 2.5 Construction of the station ......................................................................................... 23 2.5.1 Transport volumes, marine and over-ice transportation............................................. 23 2.5.2 Building site logistics................................................................................................. 26 2.5.2.1 Construction camp...................................................................................................... 26 2.5.2.2 Plant and equipment for the building site................................................................... 27 2.5.2.3 Site depots .................................................................................................................. 28 2.5.2.4 Resources for site installations (construction camp, office, workshop, filling station) ............................................................................................................. 28 2.5.3 Construction and fit-out works................................................................................... 29 2.5.4 Relocation of antennas, wind generator and outstations............................................ 30 2.5.5 Schedules with extra time built in to allow for possible delays, estimated total number of person-days and diesel fuel consumption ................................................ 31 3. Operation of the station .............................................................................................. 33 3.1 Staff ............................................................................................................................ 33 3.1.1 Overwinterers.............................................................................................................33 3.1.2 Summer personnel (summer guests) and visitors....................................................... 33 3.2 Provisioning logistics and annual relief ..................................................................... 34 3.3 Power requirement, power generation, and energy management .............................. 34 3.4 Heating and ventilation (air conditioning) ................................................................. 35 3.5 Fuels and lubricants.................................................................................................... 36 3.6 Other technical consumables...................................................................................... 39 3.7 Fresh water generation and supply............................................................................. 40 3.8 Waste disposal............................................................................................................ 40 4 3.9 Wastewater................................................................................................................. 40 3.10 Flight activities........................................................................................................... 41 3.11 Planned service life of the station building and preview of the eventual dismantling41 4. Dismantling and retrograding of the Neumayer II Station......................................... 43 4.1 Buildings and equipment at the Neumayer II Station ................................................ 43 4.1.1 General description .................................................................................................... 43 4.1.2 Protective tube building and accessways ................................................................... 43 4.1.3 Structures housed in the tubes.................................................................................... 45 4.1.4 Garage building.......................................................................................................... 45 4.1.5 Building services........................................................................................................ 45 4.1.6 Antennas and wind generator..................................................................................... 46 4.1.7 Outstations and other facilities................................................................................... 46 4.2 The dismantling and retrograding process and its time frame ................................... 48 4.2.1 General description .................................................................................................... 48 4.2.3 Relocation of the outstations and antennas ................................................................ 52 4.2.4 Foundations that will remain in-situ........................................................................... 52 4.2.5 Retrogradation of the dismantled items ..................................................................... 53 4.2.6 Total requirements, work schedules, possibility and consequences of delays........... 54 5. The environment at the planned site .......................................................................... 56 5.1 Description of the existing environment .................................................................... 56 5.1.1 The physical environment .......................................................................................... 56 5.1.2 Biota ........................................................................................................................... 58 5.1.3 Past and present uses of the area ................................................................................ 60 5.2 Prediction of the future environment in the absence of the proposed activities......... 61 6. Data and methods used to predict impacts of the proposed activities........................ 62 6.1 Basis ........................................................................................................................... 62 6.2 Criteria for the assessment of potential impacts......................................................... 63 7. Analysis of direct environmental impacts by the planned activities.......................... 64 7.1 Compilation of emission data and other data relevant to impact ............................... 64 7.1.1 Emissions from the fuel combustion.........................................................................
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