A manipulative field experiment examining the effect of heavy metal and hydrocarbon contaminated sediment on the recruitment of soft-sediment infauna.

• Other Authors: RIDDLE, MARTIN J. (hasPrincipalInvestigator), STARK, JONATHAN SEAN (hasPrincipalInvestigator), STARK, JONATHAN SEAN (processor), Australian Antarctic Data Centre (publisher)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Australian Antarctic Data Centre
• Subjects: biota; environment; oceans; transportation; CONTAMINANT LEVELS/SPILLS; EARTH SCIENCE; HUMAN DIMENSIONS; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS; HEAVY METALS CONCENTRATION; SEWAGE DISPOSAL; MARINE OBSTRUCTIONS; MARINE ENVIRONMENT MONITORING; ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES; BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION; CRUSTACEANS; ARTHROPODS; ECHINODERMS; MOLLUSKS; SEGMENTED WORMS (ANNELIDS); EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC; COASTAL; MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; SPECIES LIFE HISTORY; BIOSPHERE; ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; POPULATION DYNAMICS; SPECIES DOMINANCE INDICES; COMMUNITY DYNAMICS; COMMUNITY STRUCTURE; ANTARCTICA; ARSENIC; ASSEMBLAGE; CADMIUM; COMMUNITY; CONTAMINATION; COPPER; FIELD EXPERIMENT; HEAVY METALS; HUMAN IMPACT; HYDROCARBONS; LEAD; LUBE; LOCATION; POLLUTION; MACROBENTHOS; RECOLONISATION; RECRUITMENT; SILVER; SITE; SPECIAL ANTARCTIC BLEND FUEL; SITE AND REPLICATE; SPECIES; TOXICITY; TPH; TREATMENT; ZINC; GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS; MICROSCOPES; AAS > Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry; FIELD INVESTIGATION; FIELD SURVEYS; OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN; CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA > East Antarctica; Casey Station; Brown Bay; O'Brien Bay; Sparkes Bay; GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://researchdata.ands.org.au/manipulative-field-experiment-sediment-infauna/699764; https://doi.org/10.4225/15/55F64FEDBF27D; https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/ASAC_2201_Casey_SRE3; http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-617536

The effects of hyrdocarbon and heavy metal contamination of marine sediments on recruitment of soft-sediment assemblages were examined in a field experiment at Casey Station, East Antarctica. Three locations were used, a polluted bay adjacent to an old disused tip site (Brown Bay) and two control locations (O'Brien Bay and Sparkes Bay). At each location three types of defaunated sediment (hydrocarbon treated, heavy metal treated and control) were placed at approximately 15 m depth and left in place for 3 months, from December to February. Sediments were artificially contaminated with hydrocarbons and metals at concentrations which were representative of levels found in sediments at contaminated sites around Casey Station. There were large differences in recruitment between the three locations and significant differences between the control and contaminated sediment. Sediments in the experiment were also examined for evidence of degradation and attenuation of hydrocarbons and heavy metals. A total of 104 recruitment samples were collected. Samples were sieved at 500 micro m and sorted mainly to species. Other work to arise from this experiment includes examination of the effects on diatom communities and microbial communities. Data includes fauna, metals and hydrocarbon concentrations in experiment. Pre-deployment concentrations (before experiment was deployed in water) are indicated as 'pre-deployment'. Concentrations of contaminants in sediments surrounding the experiment (within several metres) are indicated as 'surrounding'. This project also links to ASAC 1100. The fields in this dataset are: Location Site Treatment (tmt) Site and replicate Species Toxicity Arsenic Cadmium Copper Lead Silver Zinc Special Antarctic Blend Fuel (SAB) Lube TPH