Already affected by global warming, Antarctica is also increasingly impacted by the effects of tourism and scientific research, reveals a study published Wednesday in Nature Sustainability.
In human activity areas, the concentration of fine particles containing heavy metals is ten times higher than 40 years ago, alerts this study.
Over the past two decades, the number of tourists in the region has increased from 20,000 to around 120,000, according to the International Association of Antarctic Tourist Operators.
Fine particles
“The increase in human presence in Antarctica arouses concerns concerning pollutants from the combustion of vehicles, in particular particles containing chromium, nickel, copper, zinc and lead,” says the study. “A single tourist can help accelerate the melting of around 100 tonnes of snow”
The ships that carry tourists use fossil fuels at the origin of fine particles. These are responsible for accelerating the melting of snow, says Raul Cordero, scientist of the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and co-author of the study.
“Snow melts faster in Antarctica due to the presence of polluting particles in areas frequented by tourists,” he explained during a telephone interview with AFP from Santiago. “A single tourist can help accelerate the melting of around 100 tonnes of snow,” he said.
Scientific expeditions
A team of researchers from countries like Chile, Germany and the Netherlands have traveled for four years for about 2,000 kilometers in Antarctica to measure the presence of this contamination.
Heavy metals have also increased due to scientific expeditions, whose prolonged stays can have an impact up to 10 times that of a tourist, underlines the expert.
The study recognizes “progress” in the protection of Antarctica, such as the ban on heavy fuel oil, an oil derivative, and the use of ships combining electricity and fossil fuels. However, “to reduce the imprint of energy -consuming human activities in Antarctica, it will be necessary to accelerate the energy transition and limit the use of fossil fuels, in particular near sensitive areas,” said the study.
Antarctica quickly loses its mass due to global warming. According to the National Administration of Aeronautics and Space (NASA), the white continent loses 135 billion tonnes of snow and ice per year since 2002.
