Environmental Impact Reporting

Information from this section helps us to assess the environmental (including cumulative) impacts and overall environmental performance of New Zealand's activities each year. This reporting is a requirement of the Antarctica (Environmental Protection) Act, which implements the internationally agreed Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty in New Zealand. The report also forms the basis for annual input into Antarctica New Zealand's environmental database, an electronic record of all New Zealand activities in the Ross Sea region since 1957.

Please be as specific as possible. For locations occupied, provide the site or protected area name, and GPS coordinates or map references where appropriate. GPS coordinates should be given in degrees, minutes and decimal minutes (e.g. 78° 20.835′S 166° 33.541′E). Note that the geodetic reference used should be WGS84.

Three sub-sections are compulsory (*) as they are relevant to all events. Sub-sections without asterisks need only be completed if relevant. Unnecessary sections should be deleted. Comments on any area of environmental management are welcome and can be added beneath the relevant table.

Note that all event leaders who hold permits for entry to an ASPA, and have done so, need to complete a Visit Report for each ASPA entered. This is a requirement under the Antarctic Treaty system as well as domestic law. Please download this form from our 'Returning to New Zealand' web page or contact Renee Burns, the Environmental Officer.

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*Sites Visited (please complete a table for each site visited)

Site name	Evans Piedmont Glacier
Site coordinates	76°43.534′S, 162°35.294′E
Is this site in an ASMA or ASPA? If so, which one?	McMurdo Dry Valleys
Dates occupied (from – to)	05 December 2009
Total time (days/hours) at site	8 hr
Maximum number of people at site (your event)	3
Total person-days (or person-hours) at site	24
Main activity undertaken	Maintenance and data retrieval
Cumulative impacts observed	None
Helo landing site coordinates if not established AND marked
General Weather	Fair
If this is a refuge hut provide general observations and areas of required improvement

Site name	Victoria Lower Glacier
Site coordinates	77°19′48.31″S, 162°31′55.29″E
Is this site in an ASMA or ASPA? If so, which one?	McMurdo Dry Valleys
Dates occupied (from – to)	05 December 2009
Total time (days/hours) at site	1 hr
Maximum number of people at site (your event)	3
Total person-days (or person-hours) at site	3
Main activity undertaken	Mass balance measurement
Cumulative impacts observed	None
Helo landing site coordinates if not established AND marked
General Weather	Fair
If this is a refuge hut provide general observations and areas of required improvement

Site name	Skinner Saddle
Site coordinates	80°55.886′ S, 159°30.135′ E
Is this site in an ASMA or ASPA? If so, which one?	no
Dates occupied (from – to)	08 December 2009
Total time (days/hours) at site	8 hr
Maximum number of people at site (your event)	5
Total person-days (or person-hours) at site	40
Main activity undertaken	Retrieval of data and AWS
Cumulative impacts observed	None
Helo landing site coordinates if not established AND marked
General Weather	Fair
If this is a refuge hut provide general observations and areas of required improvement