Long-term Data Collection at Select Antarctic Peninsula Visitor Sites

自1994年以来，南极遗址清查项目收集了南极半岛地区的生物数据和遗址描述信息。这项研究工作提供了关于该区域乘船游览的游客所访问的地点的数据。 其目的是获得关于南极海鸟几个关键物种的种群状况的数据，这些物种可能受到访问这些地点所产生的累积影响的影响。该项目将继续努力，重点关注两个访问量很大的南极半岛遗址：威德尔海西北部的保莱岛和安弗斯岛附近勒梅尔海峡的彼得曼岛。选择这些地点是因为这两个地点都是每年游客人数和黄道带登陆人数最多的十大地点之一;两者的物种组成都很多样，而且都对游客可能造成的环境破坏很敏感。这些收集的数据集中在企鹅和蓝眼沙格鸟的两个重要生物学参数上：（1）繁殖种群规模（占据的巢穴数量）和（2）繁殖成功率（每个占据的巢穴的雏鸟数量）。将支持一项长期数据计划，在两个地点进行为期五年的研究。主要重点将放在彼得曼岛，由于其游客地位和在帕尔默站附近地区的位置而被选中进行深入研究。这将允许与帕尔默长期生态研究计划的比较数据。人口统计数据将按照《南极海洋生物资源保护公约》生态系统监测方案制定的标准方法收集，因此将与其他国际南极条约国家研究方案收集的类似数据集进行比较。虽然很难将人类引起的变化与各种环境因素共同造成的变化区分开来，但这项工作将为确定潜在影响迈出第一步。这些长期数据集将有助于更好地了解整个区域的生物过程，并将提供宝贵的信息，供《南极条约》缔约国在处理南极洲环境管理问题时使用。

The Antarctic Site Inventory Project has collected biological data and site-descriptive information in the Antarctic Peninsula region since 1994. This research effort has provided data on those sites which are visited by tourists on shipboard expeditions in the region. The aim is to obtain data on the population status of several key species of Antarctic seabirds, which might be affected by the cumulative impact resulting from visits to the sites. This project will continue the effort by focusing on two heavily-visited Antarctic Peninsula sites: Paulet Island, in the northwestern Weddell Sea and Petermann Island, in the Lemaire Channel near Anvers Island. These sites were selected because both rank among the ten most visited sites in Antarctica each year in terms of numbers of visitors and zodiac landings; both are diverse in species composition, and both are sensitive to potential environmental disruptions from visitors. These data collected focus on two important biological parameters for penguins and blue-eyed shags: (1) breeding population size (number of occupied nests) and (2) breeding success (number of chicks per occupied nests). A long-term data program will be supported, with studies at the two sites over a five-year period. The main focus will be at Petermann Island, selected for intensive study due to its visitor status and location in the region near Palmer Station. This will allow for comparative data with the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research program. Demographic data will be collected in accordance with Standard Methods established by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources Ecosystem Monitoring Program and thus will be comparable with similar data sets being collected by other international Antarctic Treaty nation research programs. While separating human-induced change from change resulting from a combination of environmental factors will be difficult, this work will provide a first step to identify potential impacts. These long-term data sets will contribute to a better understanding of biological processes in the entire region and will contribute valuable information to be used by the Antarctic Treaty Parties as they address issues in environmental stewardship in Antarctica.