title: A sediment mesocosm experiment to determine if the remediation of a shoreline waste disposal site in Antarctica caused further environmental impacts.
abstract: A shoreline waste disposal site at Casey Station, Antarctica was removed because it was causing impacts in the adjacent marine environment (Brown Bay). We conducted a field experiment to determine whether the excavation created further impacts. Trays of clean, defaunated sediment were deployed at two locations within Brown Bay and two control locations, two years prior to remediation. Trays were sampled one year before, 1month before, 1month after and two years after the excavation. An increase in metals was found at Brown Bay two years after the remediation. However there was little evidence of impacts on sediment assemblages. Communities at each location were different, but differences from before to after the remediation were comparable, indicating there were unlikely to have been further impacts. We demonstrate that abandoned waste disposal sites in hydrologically active places in Antarctica can be removed without creating greater adverse impacts to ecosystems downstream.
authors.affiliation: Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia. Electronic address: jonny.stark@aad.gov.au.
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.affiliation: Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Glenn J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Johnstone
authors.affiliation: Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Riddle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D007448:Invertebrates; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis*; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Benthic communities; Casey; Infaunal assemblages; Metals; Monitoring; Recruitment