Examination of Marine Benthic Samples Collected Near Palmer Station, Antarctica After An Oil Spill From The Grounding OfThe Bahia Paraiso

该项目支持对阿根廷补给船“巴伊亚-帕莱索”号搁浅造成的漏油事件后在南极洲亚瑟港附近收集的海洋底栖生物样本进行分析。这艘船于1989年1月28日搁浅，泄漏了约17万加仑柴油和航空燃料，污染了距离事故现场15英里的海岸线。这次泄漏虽然规模不大，但意义重大，因为受影响的地区包括被广泛用于基础科学研究的地点，并由高度丰富和富有生产力的海洋动植物组合组成，其中可能包括对不寻常的人为干扰非常敏感的组成部分。实验设计包括对潮间带和潮下群落的这些不同组成部分可能产生的漏油影响进行测试。此外，非常重视基本研究方法，以详细描述这些群落的结构和组成，并确定自然环境因素(如深度、沉积物类型、有机输入、环境稳定性)在控制空间分布模式和长期变异性(对于那些具有历史数据库的组成部分)中的作用。这些研究将对巴伊亚·帕莱索漏油事件对亚瑟港地区海底构件可能造成的影响进行实证评估。此外，这些研究的数据将为更全面地了解亚瑟港底栖生态系统的自然结构和动态以及将底栖动物与世界其他海洋生态系统进行比较提供极为重要的基础。最后，这些分析将提供基线数据，以支持对这一多样化和多产区域的重要生活组成部分的长期、自然和人为变化的持续研究。

This project supports the analysis of marine benthic samples collected in the vicinity of Arthur Harbor, Antarctica, following an oil spill that resulted from the grounding of the Argentine supply ship Bahia Paraiso. The vessel grounded on January 28, 1989, and spilled an estimated 170,000 gallons of diesel and aviation fuel, which contaminated shorelines located up to 15 miles from the site of the accident. Although small in size, this spill is of significance because the affected areas include sites that are used extensively for fundamental scientific research and are composed of highly rich and productive assemblages of marine flora and fauna, which might include components that are very sensitive to unusual anthropogenic disturbances. The experimental design includes tests for possible oil-spill effects on these various components of the intertidal and subtidal communities. In addition, a great deal of importance is placed on basic research approaches to provide detailed descriptions of the structure and composition of these communities and to determine the role of natural environmental factors (e.g., depth, sediment type, organic input, environmental stability) in controlling patterns of spatial distribution and long-term variability (for those components having an historical data base). These studies will provide an empirical assessment of possible effects of the Bahia Paraiso oil spill on benthic components of the Arthur Harbor region. In addition, data from these studies will be extremely important in providing a basis for a more comprehensive understanding of the natural structure and dynamics of the Arthur Harbor benthic ecosystem, as well as a basis for comparison of the benthos with other marine ecosystems of the world. Finally, these analyses will provide baseline data to support continued studies of long-term, natural and man-induced variation in important living components of this diverse and productive region.