Dr Catherine (Cath) King: BSc (Hons), PhD, GradDipEd
Research interests
I am a Principal Research Scientist, leading research in environmental toxicology and contaminated site risk assessment at the Australian Antarctic Division. I have over 30 years’ experience in the fields of aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment. As an international leader in Antarctic environmental science, I work to build and maintain collaborations, and manage diverse multidisciplinary teams. We deliver strategically important scientific research that contributes to evidenced-based decision making in policy, environmental management and operational developments both for the Australian Antarctic Program, and internationally to other Antarctic Treaty nations through submissions to the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP).
I joined the Australian Antarctic Division in 2005, where I have developed a portfolio of ecotoxicology research. Much of my research focuses on determining the sensitivity of a range of species to environmental stressors including contaminants that occur in the Antarctic environment, especially metals, fuels and complex wastewater mixtures. My contamination research encompasses both marine and terrestrial environments, with the ultimate aim of developing site-specific Environmental Quality Guidelines and Remediation Targets for waters, soils and sediments in Antarctica and subantarctic regions. My Antarctic research portfolio has included over 25 Antarctic-based research projects, and the supervision of over 35 postgraduate research students.
Prior to my time with the Antarctic Division, I was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research at CSIRO in Sydney. In this position, I conducted research on the bioavailability and toxicity of contaminants in waters and sediments to marine invertebrates, and contributed to the development of the first Handbook for Sediment Quality Assessment for Australia. This followed on from work conducted during my Doctor of Philosophy (University of Sydney, Australia, 1999), in which I investigated the impact of metals, organics and complex wastewaters on early life stages of marine invertebrates. My doctoral project was a collaboration with the Aquatic Toxicology group at Sydney Water, with whom I worked as an Environmental Scientist. My first experience in Antarctica was also during this time, when I joined the Human Impacts Research Program in the 1996–97 and 1997–98 summers to conduct research on the impact of the legacy rubbish tip site in the Thala Valley at Casey station on nearshore ecosystems. This work provided robust scientific evidence of the impacts of contamination from the tip site and provided some of the impetus to remove waste, and to remediate the site. Contaminated site assessment, clean up and remediation, continues to be a core focus for the Australian Antarctic Division’s scientific program.
Current projects
- #4100: Development of environmental risk assessment and remediation guidelines for Antarctic and subantarctic marine and terrestrial environments; Chief Investigator
- #4520: Assessment of waste and contamination in marine and terrestrial ecosystems with recommendations for environmental management at Mawson station; Chief Investigator
- #4503: Reducing Environmental Impacts at Contaminated Sites in Antarctica
- #4450: Using indigenous terrestrial micro-invertebrates to assess environmental impacts of soil pollution in Antarctica
- #4180: Human impacts of Antarctic stations on nearshore ecosystems