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You are in:  Home » Publications » Bulletins » Bulletin 155 » ASMA 2

Bulletin No 155, October 2004

Twenty-seventh Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting
Cape Town, South Africa, 24 May – 4 June 2004

• SCAR Bulletin 155
• ASMA No 2
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C
• Appendix D
• Appendix E

Appendix B:

Additional Guidelines for Conduct of Scientific Research

Research activities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys include research on climate, glaciers, streams, lakes, soils, local geology and geomorphology. The following prevention and mitigation guidelines for scientific conduct seek to reduce the impact of research activities specific to key environments. These guidelines are from: McMurdo Dry Valley Lakes: Impacts of Research Activities (Wharton, R A & Doran, P T, 1998), the report of an international workshop of scientists conducting research in the Area.

Sampling and experimental sites

• All sampling equipment should be clean before being brought into the Area.
• The location of sampling sites should be recorded in the group’s field report.
• Do not displace or collect specimens except for scientific and educational purposes.
• Once a sampling hole has been drilled in lake ice or a soil pit has been dug, it should be kept clean and all sampling equipment should be securely tethered.
• Avoid leaving markers and other equipment for more than one season.

Scientific installations

For scientific installations, including meteorological stations, geographic monuments, communication repeaters, lake monitoring systems, and level recorders:

• Installations should be sited carefully, should be easily retrievable, and properly secured.
• All installations in the Area should be clearly identified by country, name of the principal investigator and year of installation.
• Installations should be as energy-efficient as possible and use renewable energy sources.
• Installations should pose minimal risk of harmful emissions to the environment.
• Locations of installations should be recorded.
• Materials liable to shatter at low temperatures should be avoided. Wooden and fabric components in semi-permanent structures should be avoided.

Streams

• Use flumes rather than weirs.
• Use local sand or soil in sandbags when constructing flumes or control structures.
• Document the location of all stream control structures, biological transects, and instrumentation.
• Periodically evaluate in-stream structures for deterioration, usefulness, and potential removal.
• Limit the number of tracer and manipulative experiments.
• Use only natural tracers and document tracer use.
• Design tracer experiments to limit the movement of tracers in lakes.
• Establish specific sites for biomass sampling and document locations, sampling extent, and frequency.
• Limit biomass sample size to that required for the planned analyses and archiving.
• Develop and apply methods (e.g., spectral analysis) that do not rely on removal of samples for quantifying changes in biomass in streams.

Lakes

• Minimize the duration and extent to which structures are placed on the ice.
• Minimize the use of fossil-fuel-powered equipment; use barriers between equipment and ice; always have appropriate spill kits available.
• Document the area and the extent to which lake ice has been excavated. Areas that have been used for sampling or accessing the lake should be reused to the greatest extent possible.
• Minimize the use of motorized vehicles.
• Use extreme caution when driving vehicles.
• Remove materials from beneath the ice. Do not deposit water and sediment samples on the lake ice.
• Reduce helicopter over-flights after ice surfaces begin to melt and keep landings on lakes to a minimum.
• Avoid storage of materials on the lake ice surface.
• Use separate samplers and instruments for each lake to avoid cross contamination. Samplers or instruments should be thoroughly cleaned (sterilized if possible) prior to re-use in a different lake.
• Carefully manage chemical waste, glycol, and all liquid wastes to avoid spills.
• Consider laboratory-based alternatives to in situ experiments involving any radioisotope, stable isotope, or other tracer. Complete preliminary calculations to ascertain the potential impact of isotope experiments. Document and record any introductions.
• Incorporate metal-free haul lines and sampling containers such as “go-flow” bottles into sampling protocols to minimize metal contamination of the lakes.
• Promote use of an environmentally friendly substitute for glycol for use in melting access holes.
• Minimize the amount of gray water waste by collecting the least volume of water and sediment needed for research purposes.
• Train individuals working on the lake ice to take steps to reduce the loss of equipment through ice holes.
• Provide adequate training for divers and support teams so impacts to the lake environment are minimized.
• Prior to conducting diving or ROV operations, consider previous diving history at the proposed research site, proximity of other areas of interest, vulnerability of the water column and benthos to disturbance.
• Assemble and maintain records of diving and ROV activities.
• Use technological developments that mitigate the environmental impacts of diving.

Soils

• Restore disturbed surfaces as close as possible to their natural state upon completion of the work. For excavations >1 m2, take photographs prior to breaking ground as a basis for restoration. Place excavated soil on mats or groundsheets during soil sampling.
• Backfill all excavations to approximate original contour and replace desert pavement where possible. The desert pavement can be skimmed from the surface prior to digging and kept aside for replacement.
• Document the location of all soil sampling sites.
• Conduct thorough environmental assessment of proposed exogenous amendment experiments.
• Limit use of mechanical equipment.

Glaciers

• Minimize the use of liquid water.
• Avoid the use of chemicals on the ice.
• If stakes or other markers are placed on a glacier, use the minimum number necessary and label them.
• Provide spill kits on-site where power tools are being used; refuel using drip pans.
• Properly tune generators to minimize emissions and use only when necessary. Always place generators and fuel cans in drip pans.
• Use electric chainsaws powered by a four-stroke generator for large-scale sawing operations. Avoid using chainsaw blade lubricants when cutting cold ice.
• Upon completion of a research project, remove all materials – wood, metal, and sensors – embedded in the ice to minimize contamination.
• Use gel cell or other non-spill batteries.

High Desert:

• Only the minimum sample of endolithic community required should be collected.