Historical bad practices have left a legacy of pollution in the fragile ecosystem of Antarctica, but efforts are underway to chart a better future
Antarctica is often described as one of the most pristine places in the world, but it has a dirty secret. Parts of the sea floor near Australia’s Casey research station are as polluted as the harbour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to a study published in PLOS One in August.
When the researchers compared some of the samples with data from the World Harbour Project — an international collaboration that tracks large urban waterways — they found that lead, copper and zinc levels in some cases were similar to those seen in parts of Sydney Harbour and Rio de Janeiro over the past two decades.
Research stations started to get serious about cleaning up their act in 1991. In that year, an international agreement known as the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, or the Madrid Protocol, was adopted. This designated Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science” and directed nations to monitor environmental impacts related to their activities.
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