Land surface rehabilitation research in Antarctica

Abstract

Ice-free ground surfaces in the Australian Antarctic Territory are sensitive to damage by artificial disturbance. Natural processes appear generally inadequate to heal the resulting scars over human time scales and substantial ongoing environmental impacts may accrue where melting of subsurface permafrost is triggered. Studies of some rehabilitation projects at sites where significant ground disturbance had been caused during geoscientific research indicate that although specific site conditions are critical to the approach taken, environmental harm can be reduced provided maximum advantage is taken of the opportunities to minimise and manage impact at each of the project design, environmental review, site selection, operational and rehabilitation phases. These sites provide a useful analogy for larger disturbances caused by infrastructure development.