AUSTRALIAN MAGAZINE ISSUE 27 2014 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC ISSUE 2014 MAGAZINE 27 The Australian Antarctic Division, a Division of the Department of the Environment, leads Australia’s Antarctic program and seeks to advance Australia’s Antarctic interests CONTENTS in pursuit of its vision of having ‘Antarctica valued, protected and understood’. It does this by managing Australian government activity in Antarctica, providing transport and SCIENCE logistic support to Australia’s Antarctic research program, maintaining four permanent Australian research stations, Cleaning up fuel spills in Antarctica 1 and conducting scientific research programs both on land Future ocean in a chamber 4 and in the Southern Ocean. Navy survey identifies new seabed features at Casey 6 Australia’s Antarctic national interests are to: • Preserve our sovereignty over the Australian Antarctic Antarctic marine hotspots identified by animal tracking 9 Territory, including our sovereign rights over the New ice core records rewrite volcanic history 10 adjacent offshore areas. • Take advantage of the special opportunities Antarctica Keys to a hidden marine world 11 offers for scientific research. Antarctic lakes are full of small surprises 12 • Protect the Antarctic environment, having regard to its special qualities and effects on our region. Instant sinking hooks will save seabirds in tuna longline fisheries 14 • Maintain Antarctica’s freedom from strategic and/or A life dedicated to saving seabirds 16 political confrontation. Deep sea cameras reveal limited impact of fishing around Heard Island 17 • Be informed about and able to influence developments in a region geographically proximate to Australia. Stormy seas ahead for sea ice longevity 18 • Derive any reasonable economic benefits from living and non-living resources of the Antarctic (excluding deriving HISTORY such benefits from mining and oil drilling). Journey of discovery for Antarctic heritage specialists 19 Australian Antarctic Magazine seeks to inform the Australian Australia’s Antarctic aerial history archived 20 and international Antarctic community about the activities Aurora Australis celebrates her 25th birthday 22 of the Australian Antarctic program. Opinions expressed in Australian Antarctic Magazine do not necessarily represent Paddle unites Australian and Antarctic deserts 23 the position of the Australian Government. Australian Antarctic Magazine is produced twice a year POLICY (June and December). All text and images published in the Landscape rehabilitation in the Vestfold Hills 24 magazine are copyright of the Commonwealth of Australia, unless otherwise stated. Editorial enquiries, including requests to reproduce material, or contributions, should be addressed to: ANTARCTIC LIFE The Editor The Antarctic Selection 26 Australian Antarctic Magazine Australian Antarctic Division Leading Mawson station 28 203 Channel Highway IN BRIEF 30 Kingston, 7050 Tasmania, Australia. FREEZE FRAME 33 Australian Antarctic Division Telephone: (03) 6232 3209 (International 61 3 6232 3209) email: [email protected] Facsimile: (03) 6232 3288 (International 61 3 6232 3288) Editor: Wendy Pyper Production: Sally Chambers, Jessica Fitzpatrick. Graphic Design: Paper Monkey ISSN 1445-1735 (print version) Australian Antarctic Magazine is printed on Monza satin recycled paper; a 50% post consumer waste and 50% FSC certified fibre stock. Australian Antarctic Magazine can be viewed online: ABOUT THE COVER www.antarctica.gov.au/magazine Australian Antarctic Division Director Dr Tony Fleming took this photo of Adélie penguins on an iceberg during a visit to Commonwealth Bay in 2012. AAD9614rj SCIENCE Cleaning up fuel spills in Antarctica REBECCA MCWATTERS 1 Advances in remediation science and a developing local expertise have allowed Australian scientists and engineers to begin addressing long-term soil contamination issues at Australia’s Antarctic and subantarctic stations. Since 2003, remediation teams have applied ‘PRBs are the first step in a multi-step process creating a series of ‘biopiles’. Like PRBs, biopiles and modified existing remediation technologies, used to treat a contaminated site,’ Australian use the native soil microorganisms to break normally used under warmer, more favourable Antarctic Division Remediation Specialist, down fuel contaminants. They do so at a faster conditions, to clean up fuel spills and develop Mr Tim Spedding, said. rate, however, because the soil conditions are risk and remediation guidelines for Australia’s ‘PRBs contain the effects of a spill and minimise optimised for microbial growth by the addition Antarctic and subantarctic stations and the spread of contamination until the site can of air and moisture. environments. The work will be used to assist be more actively remediated. You need to install Over three summer seasons, seven biopiles have other Antarctic nations in their remediation them first because once you start excavating been built at Casey station, with each soil pile efforts and to tackle legacy sites such as contaminated soil for treatment you’ll also measuring some 18 x 5 m in size and 1.5 m high. Australia’s abandoned Wilkes station. thaw the ground and remobilise a lot of the The biopiles are active for up to three months At Casey station, members of the Australian contaminants in the meltwater.’ a year, when summer temperatures are high Antarctic Division’s remediation team have The PRB consists of a series of cage pallets enough to thaw the soil and release moisture. delivered a significant and ongoing decrease in containing pelletised nutrients and activated Once the soil is thawed, leachate water is soil contamination at the station over the past carbon, which is placed in the path of the re-circulated through it to increase soil moisture four years. The first stage of the Casey clean-up meltwater flow. When the water enters the distribution. A system of aeration pipes forces air began in 2005, to deal with a 6000 litre fuel barrier it becomes enriched with nutrients, through the biopiles towards a carbon filter at spill at the station’s main powerhouse in 1999. which stimulates the native soil microbes to one end, trapping any volatile compounds that The remediation team, in collaboration with begin degrading fuel captured on the activated then biodegrade or evaporate. scientists from the University of Melbourne, carbon. After a further nutrient capture installed a ‘permeable reactive barrier’ (PRB) step, clean water flows out the other side at the site. These barriers prevent fuel- of the barrier. 1. Remediation at the Main Power House fuel spill contaminated snowmelt and groundwater from site. Contaminated soil is being excavated in In Antarctica the environmental conditions front of the permeable reactive barrier (lower leaching into the surrounding environment, are such that PRBs can only passively treat right of photo) and placed into biopile 6. Biopiles by channelling it through a treatment system. contaminated meltwater, rather than actively 1-5 can be seen with their covers on. Aeration systems are visible between the biopiles. reduce soil contamination. So in 2010 the team embarked on an active approach to remediation by excavating the contaminated soil and ISSUE 27 2014 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE 1 SCIENCE While the technology has been used extensively biopiles and into the environment; all while ‘Our most recent tests show that hydrocarbon in the Arctic and temperate environments, the soil was being treated,’ Dr McWatters said. concentrations in the biopiles are decreasing by Antarctica has different environmental ‘We’ve also trialled a range of geotextile 50% every 500 days,’ Dr McWatters said. conditions and soil types. As a result, the team covers, which prevent contaminated dust ‘This compares to no detectable change over has had to research and tweak their materials being blown off the biopiles. five years when just the PRB technology was and methods while they work. Part of this ‘We’re looking for the right combination used to contain the contaminants on site. This is process involved testing a variety of materials of technologies that will do the job with very exciting and shows we are nearing our used to cover and to line the base of the minimal cost, maintenance and management, goal of returning remediated soil to the Casey biopiles. To do this, the remediation team and that will outlast the lifespan of the environment for specific reuse applications.’ recruited geoenvironmental engineer Dr Rebecca contaminated soil.’ But how clean is clean enough? That is the McWatters, from Queen’s University, Canada, question now occupying the remediation team for her expertise in Arctic contaminated sites, The tests were conducted on the biopiles while and ecotoxicologists at the Australian Antarctic geosynthetic materials and barrier systems. soil remediation was underway, but also in a variety of other field- and laboratory-based tests. Division (see side bar). While the soil will never ‘For the past three years we’ve been By early 2014 the team had supportive evidence return to its original state, there will be a point investigating different combinations of for a combination of materials that would do beyond which the effort to continue remediation geosynthetic liner materials on the biopiles, the job while withstanding the cold, dry, windy, will be disproportionate to the risks posed to the to test their long-term performance as a abrasive and UV-intense environment. In the environment’s flora and fauna. composite barrier system in