There is no question that research in glaciers delivers important knowledge in the fields of biology, geology and in climate research. However, the pressure on the environment is increasing in regions where many science stations are located close to one another. The Fildes peninsula on King George Island is of particular concern. Located only 800 km from South America, it is relatively easy to access and now hosts the most research stations in Antarctica. Since the Fildes peninsula is one of the few regions in Antarctica which is free of ice, many familiar seabirds and penguin colonies are attracted to it when it is summer in the southern hemisphere (and winter in the northern hemisphere). The Fildes peninsula and its intercontinental airport also make it the logistics hub not only for polar researchers but also for tourists. In order to provide better protection of the sensitive local flora and fauna, the UBA is campaigning for high standards in international guidelines and decisions adopted by the parties to the Antarctic Treaty.
Unlike the rather localised environmental problems on the Fildes peninsula, the problem of underwater noise from shipping and research is becoming large-scale in the southern ocean. Airguns, which are used in research to explore the ocean bottom, can disrupt the communication of whales and seals as far as 2,000 kilometres away. Whales and seals rely mainly on their hearing for orientation in the ocean. Excessive noise complicates their search for food or a mate. Blue or fin whales which are already endangered can thus suffer additional stress.
Research is currently in progress to determine the status of Antarctic penguin colonies. The UBA has commissioned researchers from Jena to evaluate satellite images, and initial results indicate that the colonies have suffered population losses, some of dramatic proportions, as a result of climate-induced changes in the distribution of krill in the ocean. Krill are the small shrimp-like creatures which are the main food source of penguins as well as countless species of birds, fish and marine mammals.
The main initiator of the annual Antarctica Day on 1 December is the “Our Spaces – Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces” based in Heydon, Great Britain. It hopes to attract attention to the extraordinary status and to the great scientific and aesthetic value of the remote icy continent and its unique climate.
Background information about Antarctica
The Antarctic, in contrast to the Arctic, is a continent surrounded by water. For hundreds of years it had a giant ice cover and was left virtually untouched. In the past century though, many varied human activities have taken place there. After the age of discovery and whale catching, it was researchers in particular who took an unusual interest in the white continent. In order to avoid disputes over territory and military use, the Antarctic Treaty was adopted in 1959 "with the interests of science and the progress of all mankind" and to ensure its use for peaceful purposes only. The Protocol of Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, which came into force in 1998, commits the parties to the Treaty to ensure comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and ban activities to extract raw materials that are of commercial nature. The law to implement the Protocol transposes the Protocol into German law and mandates its enforcement and monitoring to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).
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