Impact of Research Activities on McMurdo Dry Valley Lakes

日记笔记OPP-0732029计划工作人员建议支持本研讨会提案，根据美国国家科学基金会手册10,122.1.c.3.b，该提案不受同行审查。该提案将支持举办一次研讨会，以解决科学研究对南极洲麦克默多干谷常年冰盖湖泊的影响。与环境官员乔伊斯·贾特科就该讲习班的相关性进行了磋商；她赞同为该讲习班提供资金。这次邀请性研讨会将汇集大约35名专家，他们不仅来自极地湖泊学界，而且来自更广泛的水生界。研讨会讨论了科学界、国家科学基金会项目工作人员、美国非政府组织和国际南极社区一直质疑或关注的重要问题。被邀请的参与者名单根据科学学科进行了适当的平衡，其中包括关键的国际科学家。方案工作人员与私人投资机构讨论了拟议参与者名单中缺乏性别平衡的问题，后者已向工作人员保证，将实现更适当的平衡。讲习班的结果将以报告的形式提供，并广泛分发。这份报告不仅对科学家有用，而且对南极项目的管理者也有用，他们必须确保对在南极洲进行的活动进行审查，以满足《南极条约》环境保护议定书的意图。9732029多兰自1903年罗伯特·法尔孔·斯科特发现以来，南极洲南部维多利亚大陆的麦克默多干燥山谷中常年被冰覆盖的湖泊一直是研究的对象。这些干燥的山谷湖泊在地球上是独一无二的，科学界对最大限度地保护它们的原始自然有着极大的兴趣。这一奖项将支持一个邀请性研讨会，该研讨会将汇集大约35名在水环境方面有经验的科学家。讲习班的目的是评估过去和目前在干旱河谷湖泊及其周围开展的研究活动的影响。该小组将就确定可接受的影响水平以及以对环境负责的方式管理未来研究活动的方法提出建议。鉴于这些湖泊的独特性和科学价值，讲习班的参与者将从南极和北极的科学家以及更广泛的水科学界的调查人员中挑选。讲习班参与者将讨论研究活动对南极湖泊的潜在影响，包括冰洞融化、潜水、遥控和自主操纵的水下航行器、化学示踪剂的使用、重复水样、废物清除和沉积物取心。还将探讨岸基和冰川融流研究活动对干旱河谷湖泊的影响。对于人类对地球环境的影响这一问题的一个方面，这种严肃的做法应该提供重要的信息，以帮助指导和指导未来的科学活动。

Diary Note OPP-0732029 Program staff recommend support of this workshop proposal, which is exempt from peer review per NSF Manual 10, 122.1.c.3.b. The proposal will support a workshop to address the impact of scientific research on the perennially ice- covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. The Environmental Officer, Joyce Jatko, was consulted as to the relevance of this workshop; she endorsed its funding. This invitational workshop will bring together about 35 experts from not only the polar limnology community but from the broader aquatic community. The workshop addresses important issues, which have been the focus of question or concern by the scientific community, program staff at NSF, the US non-governmental community and the international Antarctic community. The invited participant list is appropriately balanced by scientific discipline and includes the key international scientists. Program staff discussed the lack of gender balance in the proposed list of participants with the PIs, who have assured staff that a more appropriate balance will be achieved. The results of the workshop will be made available as a report, to be widely distributed. The report will be useful not only to scientists, but to managers of Antarctic programs who must ensure that activities conducted in Antarctica are reviewed to meet the intent of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. 9732029 DORAN The perennially ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, have been the object of study since their discovery by Robert Falcon Scott in 1903. These dry valley lakes are unique on Earth, and there is great interest within the scientific community to preserve their pristine nature to the maximum extent possible. This award will support an invitational workshop which will bring together about thirty-five scientists with expe rtise in aquatic environments. The purpose of the workshop is to assess the impact of past and current research activities in and around the dry valley lakes. The group will make recommendations on the establishment of acceptable levels of impact as well as on approaches to management of future research activities in an environmentally responsible manner. Given the uniqueness and scientifically valuable nature of these lakes, workshop participants will be chosen from the pool of Antarctic and Arctic scientists as well as from investigators in the broader aquatic sciences community. Workshop participants will address the potential impacts of research activities on the Antarctic lakes, including ice-hole melting, SCUBA diving, remotely-operated and autonomously-operated underwater vehicles, the use of chemical tracers, repetitive water sampling, waster removal and sediment coring. The impact of shore-based and glacier melt stream research activities on the dry valley lakes will also be explored. This serious approach to one aspect of the issue of human impact to the Earth's environment should provide critical information to help guide and direct future scientific activities.