Project information
Project aim
Petroleum contamination poses a major threat to Antarctic ecosystems because petroleum products are persistent and potentially toxic in the environment. Natural attenuation of most fuels and oils that are commonly used in Antarctica is very slow in the terrestrial environment (decades or longer). Rates of attenuation in the marine environment also appear to be slow, and knowledge of the longevity of a contaminant in the near-shore coastal areas is an important factor in the impact assessment of terrestrial sites that are known to release petroleum contaminants each year.
Related publications
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Microbial ecology of hydrocarbon - contaminated Antarctic sites. Abstracts of the SCAR Open Science Conference, Hobart, 12-14 July 2006., 2006
(Ref: 12587)
Category 3: Abstract
Micro-organisms are an important part of the Antarctic ecosystem contributing to the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients.
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Degradation of nonane by bacteria from Antarctic marine sediment. Polar Biology, 2004
(Ref: 12322)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
Abstract A microbial enrichment culture tolerant of … petroleum hydrocarbons was developed from sediment … collected near Casey Station, Antarctica. To select coldadapted … microbes that would degrade diesel, enrichments … were cultured at 0°C during six successive … transfers to fresh medium…
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A comparison of the short term effects of diesel fuel and lubricant oils on Antarctic benthic microbial communities. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2005
(Ref: 12091)
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
The effects of diesel fuel and three lubricating oils on microbial communities in marine sediment were investigated in a field experiment at Casey Station, Antarctica. Sediment from a pristine site in Antarctica was treated with either Special Antarctic Blend (SAB) diesel, a synthetic lubricant…
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Location and DGGE methodology can influence interpretation of field experimental studies on the response to hydrocarbons by Antarctic benthic microbial community. Antarctic Science, 2005
(Ref: 12147)
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
A field experiment investigating the effect of oil contamination on benthic microbial communities was conducted near Casey Station, East Antarctica.
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Microbial community variation in pristine and polluted nearshore Antarctic sediments. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2003
(Ref: 11380)
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature