Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 2007-08: VUWAE 52
*ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
*ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
*Sites Visited (please fill in a box for each site visited)
Site name | Skinner Saddle |
Site coordinates | 80°55′54.66″S, 159°30′11.56″E, 917.5m asl |
Is this site in an ASMA or ASPA? If so, which one? | No |
Dates occupied (from – to) | 31 Oct to 13 Nov |
Total time (days/hours) at site | 14 days |
Maximum number of people at site (your event) | 4page 18 |
Total person-days (or person-hours) at site | 56 |
Main activity undertaken | Site survey, ground penetrating radar, and shallow drilling, set-up of automatic weather station |
Cumulative impacts observed | Cumulative impacts were less than minor and transitory. Impacts include exhaust fumes from skidoos, generators and polar heaven heater. |
Helo landing site coordinates if not established AND marked | N.A. |
Site name | Gawn Ice Piedmont |
Site coordinates | 80°05′58.15″S, 159°16′37.60″E, 1221.0 m asl |
Is this site in an ASMA or ASPA? If so, which one? | No |
Dates occupied (from - to) | 13 Nov to 21 Nov, and 14 Dec |
Total time (days/hours) at site | 9 days and on separate visit 5 hours |
Maximum number of people at site (your event) | 4 and on separate visit 3 |
Total person-days (or person-hours) at site | 36 person-days and on separate visit 15 person-hours |
Main activity undertaken | Site survey, ground penetrating radar, and shallow drilling |
Cumulative impacts observed | With the exception of usage of 15L of glycol and 25L of ethanol to free ice core drill, the cumulative impacts were less than minor and transitory. These additional impacts include exhaust fumes from skidoos, generators and polar heaven heater |
Helo landing site coordinates if not established AND marked | N.A. |
Site name | Evans Piedmont Glacier |
Site coordinates | 76°43′31.95″S, 162°35′18.17″E, 390.9 m asl |
Is this site in an ASMA or ASPA? If so, which one? | McMurdo Dry Valleys ASMA |
Dates occupied (from - to) | 27 Nov to 04 Dec |
Total time (days/hours) at site | 8 days |
Maximum number of people at site (your event) | 3 |
Total person-days (or person-hours) at site | 24 person-days |
Main activity undertaken | High resolution snow pit sampling, automatic weather station maintenance, and mass balance measurements |
Cumulative impacts observed | Cumulative impacts were less than minor and transitory. No generator or fuel heater were used during the field deployment |
Helo landing site coordinates if not established AND marked | N.A. |
Site name | Victoria Lower Glacier |
Site coordinates | 77°19′48.31″S, 162°31′55.29″E, 626.2 m asl |
Is this site in an ASMA or ASPA? If so, which one? | McMurdo Dry Valleys ASMA |
Dates occupied (from - to) | 04 Dec |
Total time (days/hours) at site | 3 hours |
Maximum number of people at site (your event) | 3 |
Total person-days (or person-hours) at site | 9 person-hours |
Main activity undertaken | Mass balance measurementspage 19 |
Cumulative impacts observed | Cumulative impacts were less than minor and transitory. No generator or fuel heater were used during the field deployment |
Helo landing site coordinates if not established AND marked | N.A. |
Chemical
Chemical name | Site of use | Quantity used | Quantity of unused/waste chemicals returned to NZ | Purpose of chemical |
Ethanol | Gawn Ice Piedmont | 25 L | N.A. | Retrieval of ice core drill |
Glycol | Gawn Ice Piedmont | 15 L | N.A. | Retrieval of ice core drill |
Details of chemicals left at Scott Base (justification as to why they were left, quantity and storage location): | ||||
Ethanol and glycol were provided by SB and unused quantities were returned to the engineers workshop |
Geological Material
Location | Specimen type | Quantity (kg) | |
Site name | Coordinates | ||
Skinner Saddle | 80°55′54.66″S, 159°30′11.56″E | 17m of firn core and 20 snow samples | 90 kg |
Gawn Ice Piedmont | 80°05′58.15″S, 159°16′37.60″E | 14m of firn core and 50 snow samples | 70 kg |
Evans Piedmont Glacier | 76°43′31.95″S, 162°35′18.17″E | 600 snow samples | 50 kg |
Equipment installed/left in field
Type of equipment/marker installed | Location (name and coordinates) | Number of items left in field | (Dimension in metres: H, W, L) | Estimated retrieval date |
Automatic weather station | 80°55′54.66″S, 159°30′11.56″E | 1 | 3m, 4m, 4m | After intermediate depth ice core retrieval |
Please insert or append a photograph of the installation(s) (AWS, marker, stake etc) in this report.
Waste management
Location | Approximate quantity | Disposal methods i.e. tidecracked, returned to SB etc | |
Site name | Coordinates | ||
Skinner Saddle | 80°55′54.66″S, 159°30′11.56″E | Urine and filtered grey-water disposed at site, all remaining waste returned to SB | |
Gawn Ice Piedmont | 80°05′58.15″S, 159°16′37.60″E | Urine and filtered grey-water disposed at site, all remaining waste returned to SB | |
Evans Piedmont Glacier | 76°43′31.95″S, 162°35′18.17″E | All waste returned to SB |
*Differences from original Preliminary Environmental Evaluation (PEE)
Our original PEE did not considered the use of ethanol and glycol to retrieve an arrested ice core drilling system. An application to amend our PEE permit to allow the use of ethanol and glycol was kindly granted by MFAT.