Damage of Diesel Fuel From Antarctic Vessels, Revealed in new Study

While shipping continues to increase across Antarctica, little is known about the impact of fuel leaks on local wildlife. New research in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry reveals the fatal impact of diesel fuel on plankton, a crucial food source which underpins the polar ecosystem.

The researchers analyzed Special Antarctic Blend diesel, which is commonly used in shipping and continental based operations in Antarctica.

Acute toxicity tests were carried out on three species of zooplankton, Oncaea curvata, Oithona similis, and Stephos longipes, collected from the near-shore environment off Australia’s Davis Station in East Antarctica. As the most abundant species of their type, they represent the broader zooplankton population as a whole.

The tests found that SAB diesel caused significant mortality and species compositional change in the zooplankton community within four to seven days.  In the polar region oil spills are exacerbated by the freezing conditions and fuel can become trapped by sea ice, meaning that this rapid rate of damage is of especial concern.

“We demonstrate how combining traditional single species testing methods with multi-species community tests can be used to investigate not only the general sensitivity of the Antarctic zooplankton community, but also how seasonal changes in the community structure affect this sensitivity,” said Dr. Catherine King, from the Australian Antarctic Division. “Critical toxicity thresholds at both the species and the community level found in this study will be used to develop appropriate environmental guidelines and to assess the risk associated with fuel spills in coastal Antarctic waters.”