The dataset contains boundaries of Cape petrel nesting areas at numerous breeding sites on islands off the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica. Boundaries of nesting sites were obtained from aligning ground observations and photographs from land or the sea-ice adjacent to the breeding sites onto maps of islands in the region. The observations were made and the photographs taken between 18 and 30 November 2017. Marcus Salton and Kim Kliska made the ground observations, took the photographs and delineated the GIS boundaries representing the nesting areas. The data is a polygon shapefile with each polygon designated Type A or Type B. Type A indicates nests present. Type B indicates this area was searched and no nests were present. Also included are three images showing the Type A polygons and the associated nest counts. Please refer to the Seabird Conservation Team Data Sharing Policy for use, acknowledgement and availability of data prior to downloading data.

Some mammalian and avian species alter their vocal communication signals to reduce masking by background noises (including conspecific calls). A preliminary study suggested that Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) increase the durations of some underwater call types when overlapped by another calling seal. The present study examined the durations and overlapping sequences of Weddell seal calls recorded in Eastern Antarctica. The calling rate, call type (13 major categories), total duration, numbers of elements per call, and overlapping order of 100-200 consecutive calls per recording location were measured. In response to increased conspecific calling rates, the call durations and numbers of elements (within repeated-element call types) did not change or became shorter. Calls that were not overlapped were 3.8 plus or minus 6.1 s long, the first call in a series of overlapped calls was 14.4 plus or minus 15.7 s and subsequent calls in an overlapping series were 6.5 plus or minus 10.3 s. The mean durations of non-overlapped and overlapped calls matched random distributions. Weddell seals do not appear to be adjusting the durations or timing of their calls to purposefully avoid masking each others' calls. The longer a call is, the more likely it is to overlap another call by chance. An implication of this is that Weddell seals may not have the behavioural flexibility to reduce masking by altering the temporal aspects of their calls or calling behaviours as background noises (natural and from shipping) increase.

This terrestrial dataset was collected at Ursula Harris’s behest by Craig Hamilton and a Naval Survey team on 09 January 2018 when sea conditions prevented the team from taking bathymetric measurements. This survey was intended to fill gaps in the existing Mawson Station survey data and includes 29 previously unrecorded features comprised of bollards, HF towers, flagpoles, masts, antennae, ionosonde transmitter and receiver, the Mawson Signpost and the Douglas Mawson Bust.

Access database containing biological and environmental data collected by the Australian Antarctic Division, Human Impacts Benthic Biodiversity group.

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 2179 See the link below for public details on this project. Taken from a progress report of the project written in 1998: 60 terrestrial sediments have been taken from Wilkes and Thala Valley tip, with control sites at Robinsons Ridge and Jacks Donga. 50 marine sediments have been taken from the bay offshore from Thala Valley tip. 116 fresh and marine waters have been taken from the fresh water stream flowing through the Thala Valley tip, the tip/sea interface, and the nearshore marine offshore from Thala Valley tip and control sites. Formal integration of these data into a GIS is underway. These data have not been archived until 2012, hence the only data available were sourced from publications arising from the project.

This GIS dataset contains flying bird data from field work in the Windmill Islands by Jan van Franeker at Ardery Island and Odbert Island. Polygon data represents nesting areas. Point data represents nest locations on Ardery Island.

This indicator is no longer maintained, and is considered OBSOLETE. INDICATOR DEFINITION All known observations of seabird strikes are recorded upon observation at Australian Antarctic Stations and on ships travelling in the Southern Ocean. 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: PRESSURE RATIONALE FOR INDICATOR SELECTION Human presence in the Antarctic has led to the creation of many stations located around the continent. In many cases, these stations are sited close to seabird colonies. Birds have struck station buildings, radio masts, etc. Further, seabird strikes are reported from resupply and research vessels. In recent decades, there have been observations made of bird strikes, particularly colliding with station infrastructure, remote installations and supporting infrastructure and ship-based transport to the continent. Whilst the data are not considered to be comprehensive or highly rigorous, it is envisaged that recording of bird strikes may facilitate useful analysis in the future. DESIGN AND STRATEGY FOR INDICATOR MONITORING PROGRAM Spatial scale: Southern Ocean: 40S to the Antarctic continent, Mawson, Davis, Casey, Macquarie Island, Heard Island, field camps, and summer expeditions. Frequency: Annual. Measurement technique: Observation of bird strikes at Australian Antarctic Stations and at sea. RESEARCH ISSUES The accuracy of the data are likely to be limited as it depends upon the detection of bird strikes by actual observation of the strike as it occurs, or the discovery of bird carcasses near the structure with which it collided. LINKS TO OTHER INDICATORS SOE Indicator 29 - Breeding population of the Southern Giant Petrel at Heard Island, the McDonald Islands and within the AAT SOE Indicator 37 - Species and numbers of species killed, taken or interfered with or disturbed in the Antarctic and the sub-Antarctic for the purpose of scientific research SOE Indicator 46 - Annual tourist ship visits and tourist numbers SOE Indicator 48 - Station and ship person days SOE Indicator 76 - Monthly fuel usage of ships travelling to Australian Antarctic Stations

This GIS dataset contains bird data from 1998/99 field work in the Windmill Islands by Jonny Stark and Jeroen Creuwels. The locations are Frazier Islands, Ardery Island and Casey station. Polygon data represents the extents of flying bird nesting areas and adelie penguin colonies. Point data represents flying bird nest locations.

This dataset contains ice motion observations made under the Australian Antarctic Program, projects 4593 and 4506. Data was obtained using two open-source ice motion loggers, hereafter ice buoys. Two ice buoys were deployed on landfast ice just north of the Swain Group, Antarctica (66.2 degr. S, 110.6 degr. E), on 13 October 2020. Instruments were retrieved on 10 November 2020. The ice buoys measure motion in 9-degrees-of-freedom at 10Hz using a VectorNAV VN-100 IMU, with an accuracy of O(mm) for short waves and O(cm) for long waves. Both instruments also record their geographical location through GPS. Full time series of their motion is processed on board and summaries are send through Iridium. Wave spectra and GPS coordinates were transmitted roughly every 4 hours. The dataset comprises the raw data measured by the two ice buoys, we have referred to them as AAD_17 and AAD_18 for administrative reasons. Data output for each buoy is: A = vertical acceleration (mean subtracted) (m/s^2); P = pitch (degrees); R = roll motion (degrees); z = surface elevation (m); t = UTC time (Matlab ‘datenum’ format, i.e., days since year 0000); lat = latitude; lon = longitude. The geographical coordinates ‘lat’ and ‘lon’ are in degrees.

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 1005 Metal and organic contaminants in marine invertebrates from Antarctica, field study of their concentrations, laboratory study of their toxicities. See the link below for public details on this project. Data from this project are now unrecoverable. Several publications arising from the work are attached to this metadata record, and are available to AAD staff only. Taken from the referenced publications: Bioaccumulation of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in the Antarctic gammaridean amphipod Paramoera walkeri was investigated at Casey station. The main goals were to provide information on accumulation strategies of the organisms tested and to verify toxicokinetic models as a predictive tool. The organisms accumulated metals upon exposure and it was possible to estimate significant model parameters of two compartment and hyperbolic models. These models were successfully verified in a second toxicokinetic study. However, the application of hyperbolic models appears to be more promising as a predictive tool for metals in amphipods compared to compartment models, which have failed to adequately predict metal accumulation in experiments with increasing external exposures in previous studies. The following kinetic bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for the theoretical equilibrium were determined: 150-630 (Cd), 1600-7000 (Pb), 1700-3800 (Cu) and 670-2400 (Zn). We find decreasing BCFs with increasing external metal dosing but similar results for treatments with and without natural UV radiation and for the combined effect of different exposure regimes (single versus multiple metal exposure) and/or the amphipod collective involved (Beall versus Denison Island). A tentative estimation showed the following sequence if sensitivity of P. walkeri to an increase of soluble metal exposure: 0.2-3.0 micrograms Cd per litre, 0.12-0.25 micrograms Pb per litre, 0.9-3.0 micrograms Cu per litre and 9-26 micrograms Zn per litre. Thus, the amphipod investigated proved to be more sensitive as biomonitor compared to gammarids from German coastal waters (with the exception of Cd) and to copepods from the Weddell Sea inferred from literature data. ####### This study provides information on LC50 toxicity tests and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the nearshore Antarctic gammarid, Paramoera walkeri. The 4 day LC50 values were 970 micrograms per litre for copper and 670 micrograms per litre for cadmium. Net uptake rates and bioconcentration factors of these elements were determined under laboratory conditions. After 12 days of exposure to 30 micrograms per litre, the net uptake rates were 5.2 and 0.78 micrograms per gram per day and the bioconcentration factors were 2080 and 311 for copper and cadmium respectively. The body concentrations of copper were significantly correlated with the concentrations of this element in the water. Accumulation of copper and cadmium continued for the entire exposure suggesting that heavy metals concentrations were not regulated to constant concentrations in the body. Using literature data about two compartments (water-animal) first-order kinetic models, a very good agreement was found between body concentrations observed after exposure and model predicted. Exposure of P. walkeri to mixtures of copper and cadmium showed that accumulation of these elements can be assessed by addition of results obtained from single exposure, with only a small degree of uncertainty. The study provides information on the sensitivity of one Antarctic species towards contaminants, and the results were compared with data of similar species from lower latitudes. An important finding is that sensitivity to toxic chemicals and toxicokinetic parameters in the species investigated are comparable with those of non-polar species. The characteristics of bioaccumulation demonstrate that P. walkeri is a circumpolar species with the potential to be a standard biological indicator for use in monitoring programmes of Antarctic nearshore ecosystems. the use of model prediction provide further support to utilise these organisms for biomonitoring. ####### Heavy-metal concentrations were determined in tissues of different species of benthic invertebrates collected in the Casey region where an old waste-disposal tip site is a source of contamination. the species studied included the bivalve Laternula elliptica, starfish Notasterias armata, heart urchins Abatus nimrodi and A. ingens and gammaridean amphipod Paramoera walkeri. The specimens were collected at both reference and contaminated locations where lead was the priority element and copper was the next most important in terms of increased concentrations. The strong association between a gradient of contamination and concentrations in all species tested indicated that they are reflecting well the environmental changes, and that they appear as appropriate biological indicators of heavy-metal contamination. Aspects of the biology of species with different functional roles in the marine ecosystem are discussed in relation to their suitability for wider use in Antarctic monitoring programmes. For example, in terms of heavy-metal bioaccumulation, the bivalve appears as the most sensitive species to detect contamination; the starfish provides information on the transfer of metals through the food web while the heart urchin and gammarid gave indications of the spatial and temporal patterns of the environmental contamination. The information gathered about processes of contaminant uptake and partitioning among different tissues and species could be used in later studies to investigate the behaviour and the source of contaminants.