Residues of anthropogenic origin found at Stranger Point/Cabo Funes, 25 de Mayo/King George Island, Antarctica

Residues of anthropogenic origin found at Stranger Point/Cabo Funes, 25 de Mayo/King George Island, Antarctica

Since the Antarctic continent is not exempt from human disturbances, it is necessary to generate information on the residues of anthropogenic origin in these environments. The main aim of our study was to determine the presence and abundance of anthropogenic residues found around the pygoscelid peng...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar biology Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 387 - 398
Main Authors: Albarrán, Katya K., Alfonso, Brenda C., Fógel, Jazmin, Rozas Sía, Mauro G., Abbeduto, Maria L., Casaux, Ricardo, Juáres, Mariana A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-04-2024
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Biology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biota
Birds
Ecology
Environmental protection
Fishing
Human impact
Human influences
Islands
Life Sciences
Marine mammals
Microbiology
Ocean circulation
Oceanography
Plant Sciences
Protected areas
Residues
Seabirds
Tourism
Zoology
Antarctica
King George Island
Human impacts
Pollution
Pygoscelid
Potter Peninsula
Plastic waste
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Since the Antarctic continent is not exempt from human disturbances, it is necessary to generate information on the residues of anthropogenic origin in these environments. The main aim of our study was to determine the presence and abundance of anthropogenic residues found around the pygoscelid penguin colony of the Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 132 "Potter Peninsula" (25 de Mayo/King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica), in order to contribute with information on the distribution of anthropogenic residues that have been recorded in different regions of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Scotia Arc. A total of 37 anthropogenic elements (821.73 g) were collected between September 2021 and March 2022. According to the type of material, the most abundant were 'various plastic residue' (54.05%) and 'consumer plastic residue' (35.14%). Regarding size, most of the elements had a length between 15 and 30 cm, followed by those with a length < 5 cm, while regarding color, white residues were the most common ( n  = 9), followed by transparent ones ( n  = 7). The origin of these residues could be found in fishing, tourism, logistics and scientific activities. It is important to continue monitoring residues to assess potential impacts on biota and the environment.
ISSN:0722-4060
1432-2056
DOI:10.1007/s00300-024-03241-0