Macquarie University PURE Research Management System This is the accepted author manuscript version of an article published as: Gore, D. B., Gibson, J. A. E., & Leishman, M. R. (2020). Human occupation, impacts and environmental management of Bunger Hills. Antarctic Science, 32(2), pp. 72-84. Access to the published version: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102019000348 This article has been published in a revised form in Antarctic Science, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102019000348. This version is published under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND. No commercial re-distribution or re-use allowed. Derivative works cannot be distributed. © Antarctic Science Ltd 2019 Author Queries Journal: ANS (Antarctic Science) Manuscript: S0954102019000348jra Q1 The distinction between surnames can be ambiguous, therefore to ensure accurate tagging for indexing purposes online (eg for PubMed entries), please check that the highlighted surnames have been correctly identified, that all names are in the correct order and spelt correctly. Typesetter Queries: 1 The ‘Avysuk et al. 1956’ is cited in text, whereas it is not listed in References. Please list or delete the citation. Antarctic Science page 1 of 12 (2019) © Antarctic Science Ltd 2019 doi:10.1017/S0954102019000348 1 Human occupation, impacts and environmental management of 56 2 57 3 Bunger Hills 58 Q14 DAMIAN B. GORE 1, JOHN A.E. GIBSON2 and MICHELLE R. LEISHMAN3 59 5 60 1Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia 6 227A Rialannah Rd, Mt Nelson, TAS 7007, Australia 61 7 3Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia 62 8 [email protected] 63 9 64 10 65 11 Abstract: The types and distributions of anthropogenic rubbish have been documented at Bunger Hills, 66 fi 12 East Antarctica. The area has been the site of scienti c research stations from 1958 to the present. 67 13 Rubbish types include deliberately or negligently discarded items (gas cylinders, broken glass), 68 fi 14 abandoned unserviceable equipment (boats, vehicles, scienti c equipment), spills (chemicals, fuel, oil) 69 15 and the slow collapse of old buildings. Some rubbish remained where it was left, while other material 70 16 was redistributed by strong winds. Modern expeditioner training should limit the production of new 71 17 rubbish, while inadvertent wind dispersal of rubbish from old station buildings could be minimized by 72 18 better management of these structures and their surrounds. Buildings and other constructed items 73 19 need ongoing maintenance if they are not to break down and be distributed by wind, or they should 74 20 be removed within a reasonable period. 75 21 Received 26 February 2019, accepted 20 June 2019 76 22 77 23 Key words: anthropogenic impacts, litter, rubbish, wind dispersal 78 24 79 25 80 26 Introduction confounded by continued habitation, which can play 81 27 both positive (e.g. regular clean-ups) and negative 82 28 The presence and operation of scientific stations and (e.g. acceptance of negative environmental impacts due 83 29 bases in Antarctica has impacted the environment, to familiarity) roles. Bunger Hills in East Antarctica 84 30 whether it be through the construction and ultimate (Fig. 1) provides a rare example in which the effects of 85 31 destruction of infrastructure such as buildings, the human habitation in an area can be studied without the 86 32 deliberate or inadvertent dispersal of rubbish, fuel and presence of a permanently occupied base. The area has 87 33 chemicals at and away from the stations or the deliberate been visited over the last 60 years at low levels relative to 88 34 or accidental modification of the environment by other areas of East Antarctica (Table I), with three 89 35 administrators, trades staff, researchers, tourists and scientific stations built between 1956 and 1987 that are 90 36 other visitors. Environmental practices implemented by usually occupied only occasionally. The main periods of 91 37 most modern Antarctic programmes should minimize activity in the Bunger Hills were in the 1950s, when one 92 38 human impacts on the environment, although many of the stations was occupied continually for several years, 93 39 impacts still occur. For example, dispersal of rubbish and in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, when regular 94 40 from field activities (Kiernan & McConnell 2001) and summer visits were made to the area. More recently, the 95 41 the construction and operation of bases during periods of commencement of Australian intracontinental flights has 96 42 strong wind is a common but underreported process, as allowed more frequent but generally short summer visits 97 43 most bases are located on the coast and the strongest by small parties (Table I). The locations of the stations in 98 44 winds blow offshore, carrying debris out to sea. Similarly, Bunger Hills also aid in studying human impacts, in that 99 45 impacts resulting from field-based research activities can none are near the open coast and therefore much of the 100 46 also occur, and these are gaining greater attention rubbish blown away from the stations is retained locally 101 47 (e.g. Kiernan & McConnell 2001,Ayreset al. 2008, on the land. 102 48 O'Neill et al. 2013,Peteret al. 2013, Brooks et al. 2018). In this article, we catalogue substantial periods of human 103 49 Environmental guidelines (directed by the Protocol on visitation and the resultant impacts on the environment. 104 50 Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty; Madrid Our aim is not to identify national programmes that 105 51 Protocol 1991) have been developed by Pertierra et al. might have contributed to any impacts; instead, we strive 106 52 (2013a) to help reduce these impacts to the extent that this to understand the mechanisms by which these impacts 107 53 is practically possible. occur and, through their identification, provide 108 54 Studying the effects of human activities associated with suggestions as to how environmental damage both in the 109 55 Antarctic bases on the natural environment is often Bunger Hills and elsewhere in Antarctica can be reduced. 110 1 2 DAMIAN B. GORE et al. 111 166 112 167 113 168 114 169 115 170 116 171 117 172 118 173 119 174 120 175 121 176 122 177 123 178 124 179 125 180 126 181 127 182 128 183 129 184 130 185 131 186 132 187 133 188 134 189 135 190 136 191 137 192 138 193 139 194 140 195 141 196 142 197 143 198 Fig. 1 - B/W online, B/W in print 144 199 145 Fig. 1. Bunger Hills, 200 146 showing locations of 201 147 Oasis-2 and 202 148 Dobrowolski stations, 203 149 Edgeworth David Base 204 and places mentioned in 150 205 the text. The inset at the 151 206 lower right shows the 152 wind rose of three-hourly 207 153 wind azimuth 208 154 measurements recorded 209 155 at Edgeworth David Base 210 156 in January–March 1986. 211 157 D = Dobrowolski 212 158 Station; 213 159 ED = Edgeworth David 214 160 Base; O = Oasis-2 215 Station. 161 216 162 217 163 218 164 219 165 220 HUMAN IMPACTS IN BUNGER HILLS 3 221 Table I. Visits to Bunger Hills (excluding short stops to refuel aircraft or maintain equipment) until 2017. Other visits were most probably made from 276 – 222 Mirny Station between 1958 and 1975. Visits were up to four months in duration over summer, except for occupation of Oasis Station (1956 1959). 277 Where known, the project number is given. Australian trips since 1986 are available from https://secure3.aad.gov.au/public/projects/. 223 278 224 Years Expedition name Reference 279 225 1946/1947 Operation Highjump (US Navy) Byrd (1947) 280 226 1947/1948 Operation Windmill (US Navy) Source unknown 281 227 1956/1959 SAE-Polish Nudel'man (1966) 282 228 1965/1966 SAE Dubrovin & Zalevskii (1969) 283 1976/1977 ANARE Barker (1977) 229 284 1978/1979 Polish Krzeminski & Wisniewski (1985) 230 1985/1986 ANARE Gibson (2000) 285 231 1986/1987 SAE, AAP 13, 97, 120, 126, 189, 276, 354, 449, 457 Klokov et al. (1990), AAD web search 286 232 1987/1988 SAE, AAP Kaup et al. (1993) 287 233 1988/1989 SAE-Polish, AAP 2, 13 Filcek & Zielinski (1990) 288 1989/1998 AAP 49 AAD web search 234 289 1990/1991 SAE-German, AAP 2 Verkulich & Melles (1992), AAD web search 235 1991/1992 RAE-USA Doran et al. (1996) 290 236 1993/1994 RAE-German Melles et al. (1994) 291 237 1995/1996 AAP 926 Gibson (2000), AAD web search 292 238 1998/1999 Polar Logistics M. Sharpe, personal communication 1999 293 1999/2000 ANARE, Polar Logistics Gibson (2000) 239 294 2000/2001 AAP 187, 1222 AAD web search 240 2001/2002 AAP 187, 1222 AAD web search 295 241 2002/2003 AAP 1322 AAD web search 296 242 2004/2005 AAP 2318, 2542 AAD web search 297 243 2005/2006 AAP 1159 AAD web search 298 2006/2007 AAP 1159, 2542, 2741 AAD web search 244 299 2007/2008 AAP 2941 AAD web search 245 2008/2009 AAP 1159 AAD web search 300 246 2009/2010 AAP 1159 AAD web search 301 247 2010/2011 AAP 1159 AAD web search 302 248 2011/2012 AAP 2355 AAD web search 303 2013/2014 AAP 4191 AAD web search 249 304 2015/2016 AAP 4318 AAD web search 250 2016/2017 AAP 4318 AAD web search 305 251 2017/2018 AAP 4318 AAD web search 306 252 307 AAD = Australian Antarctic Division; AAP = Australian Antarctic Program; ANARE = Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions; 253 Polar Logistics = a private company based in the UK, now Antarctic Logistics (https://antarctic-logistics.com); RAE = Russian Antarctic expeditions; 308 254 SAE = Soviet Antarctic expeditions.