Distribution of the McMurdo Station sewage plume

Howington, James P.; McFeters, Gordon A.; Barry, James; Smith, James J.

doi:10.1016/0025-326x(92)90690-8

Cited by 40 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…As sewage production increases, environmental factors will become less significant, and as a result, effective sewage waste management becomes increasingly important. The sewage plume produced by Rothera Research Station was small and localized when compared to studies of other Antarctic station sewage plumes (e.g., the Dumont d'Urville [11] and McMurdo [25] stations). This is likely to be due to seasonal factors.…”

Section: Vol 69 2003mentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Formal monitoring of the human impact on the Antarctic environment was made mandatory under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (3). Since then, several studies have examined the distribution of the sewage plumes released from Antarctic stations (8,11,25,34); however, none has characterized the factors affecting sewage microorganism survival and distribution throughout the year.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of Seasonal Environmental Variables on the Distribution of Presumptive Fecal Coliforms around an Antarctic Research Station

Hughes

2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Factors affecting fecal microorganism survival and distribution in the Antarctic marine environment include solar radiation, water salinity, temperature, sea ice conditions, and fecal input by humans and local wildlife populations. This study assessed the influence of these factors on the distribution of presumptive fecal coliforms around Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer and winter of February 1999 to September 1999. Each factor had a different degree of influence depending on the time of year. In summer (February), although the station population was high, presumptive fecal coliform concentrations were low, probably due to the biologically damaging effects of solar radiation. However, summer algal blooms reduced penetration of solar radiation into the water column. By early winter (April), fecal coliform concentrations were high, due to increased fecal input by migrant wildlife, while solar radiation doses were low. By late winter (September), fecal coliform concentrations were high near the station sewage outfall, as sea ice formation limited solar radiation penetration into the sea and prevented wind-driven water circulation near the outfall. During this study, environmental factors masked the effect of station population numbers on sewage plume size. If sewage production increases throughout the Antarctic, environmental factors may become less significant and effective sewage waste management will become increasingly important. These findings highlight the need for year-round monitoring of fecal coliform distribution in Antarctic waters near research stations to produce realistic evaluations of sewage pollution persistence and dispersal.

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Section: Vol 69 2003mentioning

confidence: 61%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Seasonal Environmental Variables on the Distribution of Presumptive Fecal Coliforms around an Antarctic Research Station

Hughes

2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…Previous studies, using only total coliforms or C. perfringens, delineated the area and severity of contamination around the submerged sewage effluent pipe off the coast of McMurdo Station (21,32,37). These studies determined that an area that extended for approximately 1 km along the shoreline of McMurdo Station and seaward for at least 300 m had been severely impacted by the sewage discharge.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies used only total coliforms and Clostridium perfringens to delineate the area of McMurdo Sound impacted by the sewage discharge, which included the drinking water intake (21,32,37). Concerns about the associated risks of contamination of the drinking water system and divers have been raised, as no rigorous survey of the microbiological quality of the distribution system had been attempted and total coliforms and C. perfringens may not be the most appropriate microbial indicators for the Antarctic environment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence of Microbial Indicators and Clostridium perfringens in Wastewater, Water Column Samples, Sediments, Drinking Water, and Weddell Seal Feces Collected at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Lisle

Smith²,

Edwards

et al. 2004

Appl Environ Microbiol

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McMurdo Station, Antarctica, has discharged untreated sewage into McMurdo Sound for decades. Previous studies delineated the impacted area, which included the drinking water intake, by using total coliform and Clostridium perfringens concentrations. The estimation of risk to humans in contact with the impacted and potable waters may be greater than presumed, as these microbial indicators may not be the most appropriate for this environment. To address these concerns, concentrations of these and additional indicators (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci, coliphage, and enteroviruses) in the untreated wastewater, water column, and sediments of the impacted area and drinking water treatment facility and distribution system at McMurdo Station were determined. Fecal samples from Weddell seals in this area were also collected and analyzed for indicators. All drinking water samples were negative for indicators except for a single total coliform-positive sample. Total coliforms were present in water column samples at higher concentrations than other indicators. Fecal coliform and enterococcus concentrations were similar to each other and greater than those of other indicators in sediment samples closer to the discharge site. C. perfringens concentrations were higher in sediments at greater distances from the discharge site. Seal fecal samples contained concentrations of fecal coliforms, E. coli, enterococci, and C. perfringens similar to those found in untreated sewage. All samples were negative for enteroviruses. A wastewater treatment facility at McMurdo Station has started operation, and these data provide a baseline data set for monitoring the recovery of the impacted area. The contribution of seal feces to indicator concentrations in this area should be considered.

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“…The 0 µg Cu g -1 sediment treatment actually contained an ambient range of Cu concentrations (39 to 67 µg Cu g -1 sediment) found in sediments at the pristine Cinder Cones site (Lenihan et al 1990). Our organic carbon mix was used to mimic the 2 major organic enrichment sources at McMurdo Station, food refuse from the local galley and human sewage debris (Howington et al 1992).…”

Section: Life History Traits Of Marine Benthic Invertebratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in marine benthic community composition allows discrimination of multiple stressors

Lenihan¹,

Peterson²,

Kim³

et al. 2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Predicting how communities respond to multiple, potentially interacting chemical stressors is inherently difficult because community structure and dynamics, the chemical properties of contaminants, and biological-chemical interactions vary with environmental conditions. Using a field experiment conducted in Antarctica, we tested whether 3 phyla of benthic soft-sediment marine invertebrates -annelids, arthropods, and echinoderms -respond differently to 2 common forms of contamination, organic enrichment and toxic contamination. Based on life history strategies and physiological tolerances to contaminants, we hypothesized that the principal responses of the 3 phyla would be: (1) enhanced abundance of annelids in organically enrichment sediments and (2) decreased abundance of arthropods and echinoderms in toxic metal contamination. Sediment treatments were established in the field experiment with an orthogonal combination of 3 levels of total organic carbon (TOC; 0, 1, and 2% by weight) and copper (Cu; 0, 100, and 500 µg Cu g -1 sediment), and colonization patterns were observed after 1 yr. Densities of annelids (mainly polychaetes) increased with TOC across all levels of Cu. Arthropods and echinoderms decreased with Cu, but responded variably to TOC, based largely on differences in habitat preferences exhibited by epifaunal and infaunal species. Small subsurface arthropod species (amphipods, isopods, cumaceans, and ostracods) decreased in high organic loading, due to induction of and exposure to hypoxia and hydrogen sulfide, but large surface deposit-feeding echinoderms (asteroids and echinoids) responded positively to increased carbon food supply. We present a predictive model based on assessment of benthic community structure conducted at the taxonomic level of phyla that could be used to link cause and effect for multiple chemical stressors in marine ecosystems.

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Distribution of the McMurdo Station sewage plume

Cited by 40 publications

References 8 publications

Influence of Seasonal Environmental Variables on the Distribution of Presumptive Fecal Coliforms around an Antarctic Research Station

Influence of Seasonal Environmental Variables on the Distribution of Presumptive Fecal Coliforms around an Antarctic Research Station

Occurrence of Microbial Indicators and Clostridium perfringens in Wastewater, Water Column Samples, Sediments, Drinking Water, and Weddell Seal Feces Collected at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Variation in marine benthic community composition allows discrimination of multiple stressors

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