Quality of Potable Water at Australian Antarctic and Subantarctic Stations

• Other Authors: PRICE, TIM (hasPrincipalInvestigator), AYTON, JEFF (hasPrincipalInvestigator), MARSHALL, CHRIS (hasPrincipalInvestigator), MARSHALL, CHRIS (processor), SHARMAN, ANDREW (hasPrincipalInvestigator), Australian Antarctic Data Centre (publisher)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Australian Antarctic Data Centre
• Subjects: environment; geoscientificInformation; health; inlandWaters; CONDUCTIVITY; EARTH SCIENCE; TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE; WATER QUALITY/WATER CHEMISTRY; CONTAMINANTS; PH; TURBIDITY; ANTARCTICA; E COLI; DRINKING WATER; MACQUARIE ISLAND; POTABLE WATER; STATIONS; WATER QUALITY; CONDUCTIVITY METERS; PH METERS; LABORATORY; FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS; OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN; SOUTHERN OCEAN > CONTINENT > GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Antarc*; Antarctica; Macquarie Island
• Online Access: https://researchdata.ands.org.au/quality-potable-water-subantarctic-stations/701763; https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/SOE_potable_water_quality; http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-617536

INDICATOR DEFINITION Potable water quality measured monthly at Australian Antarctic and Subantarctic Stations. TYPE OF INDICATOR There are three types of indicators used in this report: 1.Describes the CONDITION of important elements of a system; 2.Show the extent of the major PRESSURES exerted on a system; 3.Determine RESPONSES to either condition or changes in the condition of a system. This indicator is one of: CONDITION RATIONALE FOR INDICATOR SELECTION Potable water quality is an indicator of natural environmental water quality. Any contamination may be from either natural or human impacts, but analysis provides a useful indicator for further examination of causes, and a long term record of natural water quality around human settlements. DESIGN AND STRATEGY FOR INDICATOR MONITORING PROGRAM Water is obtained from a number of sources dependent upon the station: from desalination plants, melt bells, natural melt lakes and natural streams. Potable water quality is measured monthly at storage water tanks and various tap outlets around stations - mostly at the main living, sleeping and medical quarters. Spatial Scale: Australian Antarctic stations: Australian Antarctic continental stations and Macquarie Island station. Frequency: Monthly Measurement Technique: Test is conducted by either the Station Medical Officer or the Station Plumber for the following parameters: pH, conductivity, turbidity and faecal coliforms. RESEARCH ISSUES Testing is used primarily to determine health of potable water for consumption. However testing may show either natural or human impacts in the natural catchments of water sources. Test results that show unusual contaminant levels leads to investigation of causes, whether in the station infrastructure or natural water catchments. LINKS TO OTHER INDICATORS SOE Indicator 48 - Station and ship person days SOE Indicator 50 - Volume of wastewater discharged from Australian Antarctic Stations SOE Indicator 51 - Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) of wastewater discharged from Australian Antarctic Stations SOE Indicator 52 - Suspended solids (SS) content of wastewater discharged from Australian Antarctic Stations