Antarctic benthic communities exist in an extremely cold and constant physical setting. Although human activities have been conducted in Antarctica for many years, little is known of the biological impact of such activities. With an increasing emphasis on environmental health and safety issues, the United States Antarctic Program is supporting research in these areas. This project will focus on data collection designed to be used in environmental assessments, evaluation of environmental recovery, and environmental decision making. This grant will establish a benthic monitoring program to compare human-impacted benthic sites near McMurdo Station to unimpacted sites in McMurdo Sound and Ross Sea. This will involve four types of sampling and monitoring activities: sediment chemistry, animal tissue chemistry, benthic communities, and bioassays. Standard sampling and analytical techniques will be used, and will some include modifications for the unique Antarctic conditions.
