Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 8.1
Dealing with wastes
Most activities carried out in Antarctica will produce waste that can be harmful to
the Antarctic environment. Certain products are prohibited from being brought to
Antarctica, including PCBs, pesticides, polystyrene beads or chips and live
animals. Research programmes today are much more considerate to the
environment than when the
first explorers and scientists travelled to Antarctica.
Back then, for example, human waste was simply put as raw sewage into the sea
-
today, on many stations, it undergoes biological and UV treatment in sealed
ef
uent meets World Health Organisation
standards and solids are transferred back to the host countries for
destruction. Other waste has to be sorted so that it can be recycled, then it is normally
crushed, containerised and removed back to the host countries. Managing the waste
streams is a continuing activity for the station environmental of
uent plants. The discharged ef
cer.
Figure 8.8
Waste at Halley is compacted
and packed into containers for shipment
back to the UK. (Credit: Chris Gilbert BAS)
Energy-ef
cient upgrades are being made to existing stations and many
countries are taking advantage of developments in solar and wind power.
Signi
cant breakthroughs in the construction of new stations have been seen
during International Polar Year (2007
09). One of the most noteworthy comes from
Belgium. This country, which closed its
-
first science station in 1967, now has a new
station, Princess Elisabeth, in the Sør Rondane Mountains in Dronning Maud
Land. This has proved innovative in many ways. It is the
first station to have zero
emissions and is powered completely by renewable energy sources
-
wind turbines
and solar panels
managed through the novel concept of a smart grid. This is quite a
feat, as fuel demand on stations is high
-
not only because they must be heated
year round, but power is needed for making fresh water, managing the sewage
and waste facilities as well as powering the science equipment. As it is only
inhabited during the summer, it is managed remotely during the winter through a
communications link. Designed and built by the International Polar Foundation
(IPF) using mainly private funding it was donated to the Belgian Government in
2010 with IPF as the mandated Antarctic operator for the Belgian state.
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