Antarctica is a unique landscape, it’s the coldest and least populated continent. Home of thousands of wildlife such as penguins, whales, seals, albatrosses and petrels, this continent isn’t immune from human made and spread pollutants it started with scientific discoveries and ended with tourism.
Despite it’s remoteness, Antarctica doesn’t seem to escape ” the plastic problem” that seems to be affecting the world’s oceans as a result of increasing humans activities like shipping, tourism and even studies.
With it’s cold temperatures, the continent is sensitive to the effect of pollution because the natural process of getting read of it is slower. Antarctica becoming a new tourist site isn’t helping, in such a cold place a simple event can cause long term problems, studies has reviled that the sewage disposal is affecting the wild life there, those studies shows chemicals knowing as HBCD in penguins, fish, sponges and marine warms that lives nearby.
The places where there were previously scientific stations occupied, tons of rubbish was found including metal items, oil and other fuels.
Once a station was no longer needed valuable items would be removed however the buildings are left behind.
November, 2007 a ship was carrying diesel, oil and gasoline some of which was seen to start leaking out over the following days creating an oil slick sank. Fortunately for the environment the ship sank in deep water away from land and the typically rough nature of the Southern Ocean meant that the oil was dispersed by wind and wave before it could cause any significant damage.
Antarctica must be protected and visited responsibly, because what happens to this continent really matters, so with the help of big organizations, responsible tourism, we can continue to enjoy this extraordinary place for many generations to come.
