Summary
Environmental pollution resulting from fuel spills in Antarctic waters is increasingly likely with the rise in shipping associated with tourism and research activities, both of which require and transport large quantities of fuel. While fuel dispersants are not currently used in the management of fuel spills in Antarctica, there is a need for scientifically robust assessment and advice on the possible use of dispersants for pollution management in the future, and on their potential ecological effects in Antarctic waters. At present, little is known regarding the effects of fuel dispersants on Antarctic biota. This lack of data prevents the determination of effective options for the management of even moderate scale fuel spills. This project uses a multidisciplinary approach to pollution management by combining studies on the fate and behaviour of hydrocarbons in cold waters with toxicity assessments to determine the impacts of hydrocarbons in dispersed and weathered fuels on Antarctic biota. A range of Antarctic marine invertebrates are used in toxicity tests including copepods, amphipods, and microgastropods. The relative toxicity of dispersed and weathered fuels is assessed by determining sub-lethal and lethal responses of organisms exposed to a range of concentrations of the water accommodated fractions (WAFs) of dispersed and weathered forms of three fuels commonly used in Antarctica: Special Antarctic Blend (SAB), Marine Gas Oil (MGO) and an intermediate grade (180) of marine bunker Fuel Oil (IFO). Chemical analyses of the dispersed and weathered fuel WAFs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is enabling identification of the composition of the WAFs as well as total hydrocarbon concentrations. Data generated from this work will assist in the development of effective fuel spill contingency plans to better manage environmental pollution resulting from fuel spills in Antarctic waters.