Summary
The old practice of dumping refuse from Antarctic stations in landfill sites has created localised contamination of the terrestrial and marine environment. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty no longer permits open disposal of waste and requires the removal of refuse from all such sites, so long as removal does not cause greater environmental harm. The Australian Antarctic Division has undertaken a program to determine the effects of these waste disposal sites on the Antarctic environment and possible effects of the removal process. The abandoned waste disposal sites of Wilkes station (1957-1969) and Old Casey Station (1969-1988) have been chosen for initial studies. Laternula elliptica, a filter feeding bivalve widely distributed along the Antarctic coastline, is being investigated as a biomonitor of pollutants arising from waste disposal sites. Specimens were collected from bays adjacent to Wilkes and Old Casey Stations. The background concentrations of As, Cd, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn in the gills and kidney were determined by ICP/MS. Fe and Pb concentrations were elevated in the clams from Brown Bay adjacent to the Old Casey Station waste disposal site. Accumulation studies of copper and cadmium in L. elliptica were also performed. L. elliptica were exposed to 30 ug/l and 100 ug/l copper or cadmium in aquaria and were dissected for metal analysis at 3, 7, 14, and 21 days. Copper accumulated in the gills and kidney at both exposure concentrations. Cadmium accumulated only in the gills of clams at the highest exposure. Visible signs of stress were noted in 30 ug/l and 100 ug/l copper exposed clams. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Adenylate Energy Charge (AEC) are now being investigated as biomarkers of lipid peroxidation and general stress. Studies to date indicate that L. elliptica is a suitable biomonitor for assessing metal pollution from waste disposal sites.