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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
page 20
If equipment has been left in the field please provide a justification: The meteorological data will be used to establish transfer functions between ice core proxies and atmospheric parameters. The AWS records temperature, wind direction and speed, humidity, snow accumulation, snow temperature and solar radiation. We will remove the AWS during the drilling season.

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.