This metadata record contains the results of bioassays conducted to characterise the response of Antarctic nearshore marine invertebrates to hydrocarbon contaminants in fuels commonly used in Antarctica. AAS Project 3054. The results of Season 2 and Season 3 amphipod tests are in this dataset. Ecotoxicological bioassays were conducted at Davis and Casey Stations in 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 summer seasons to test the sensitivity of marine invertebrates to fuels in seawater. The three fuel types used in this project were: Special Antarctic Blend diesel (SAB), Marine Gas Oil diesel (MGO) and an intermediate grade (180) of marine bunker Fuel Oil (IFO). Test treatments were obtained by experimentally mixing fuel and seawater in temperature control cabinets at -1 degrees C to prepare a mixture of fuel hydrocarbons in filtered seawater (FSW) termed the Water Accommodated Fraction (WAF). WAF was produced by adding fuel to seawater in 5 L or 10 L Pyrex glass bottles using a ratio of 1:25 Fuel : FSW. This mixture was stirred at slow speed with minimal vortex for 18 h on a magnetic stirrer. The mixture was settled for 6 h before the water portion was drawn from beneath the fuel. This dataset contains the results of ecotoxicological bioassays with near-shore marine amphipod species exposed to WAFs of SAB WAF, MGO WAF and IFO WAF (specified above). Experimental treatments consisted of undiluted 100% WAF and dilutions of 10% and 1% of WAFs in FSW, to test the toxicity of water accommodated fractions of these three fuels on Antarctic marine invertebrates. The majority of experiments tested WAFs of each of the three fuels, although one tested SAB only due to limited supply of test organisms. Bioassays were conducted in open vessels (glass jars or beakers) in temperature controlled cabinets. Mortality and/or sub-lethal effects were observed at endpoints of 24 h, 48 h, 96 h, 7 d, 8 d, 10 d, 12 d, 14 d, 16 d and 21 d. New WAF solutions were prepared at 4 d intervals to replenish the experimental treatments. Deionised water was added to test solutions as required to maintain test solution volume and salinity. Water quality data was collected at each water change. Hydrocarbon concentrations in WAFs were determined from replicate experiments to measure THC in WAFs over time (Dataset AAS_3054_THC_WAF). WAF exposure concentrations for each bioassay endpoint were derived from these hydrocarbon tests. An integrated concentration was calculated from measured hydrocarbon concentrations weighted to time. Calculations account for depletion of hydrocarbons from test treatments and any renewal of treatments. These integrated THC concentrations for endpoints from 24h to 21d are contained in dataset AAS_3054_THC_WAF_integ_conc_10_11_12. This dataset consists of Excel spreadsheets. The file name code for invertebrate bioassays is; Project number_Season_Taxa_Test name Eg AAS_3054_10_11_amphipod_2PWA1 Project number : AAS_3054 Season : 2010/11 season Taxa: amphipod Test name:2 for Season 2, PW for genus and species, A for adult, 1 for Test 1 Bioassay spreadsheets contain the results of bioassays for a species. Where replicate tests were conducted, each experiment is on a separate spreadsheet. The worksheet labelled "Test conditions" shows details of Test name, dates, animal collection details, laboratory holding conditions, details of water accommodated fractions (WAF), bioassay conditions, scoring criteria and water quality data. The worksheet labelled "Counts" has columns for Replicate number and columns with the Score for all the animals in that replicate at every time endpoint. A full description of the scoring criteria is on the "Test conditions" worksheet. Totals, means and standard deviations are calculated for each treatment. The worksheet labelled "Totals, means, percent, StDev" has calculations of Survival, Unaffected, including mean and standard deviation, Percent Survival and Unaffected including means and standard deviation. Also included is column for the Total number of moults in each treatment. During the research to obtain early life stages of invertebrates for experiments, the number of Paramoera walkeri amphipod neonates per female, the timing of their release from the brood pouch and their early growth rate were recorded. These data are also included in AAS_3054_10_11_PW_neonates Samples were collected from: Ellis Narrows, Vestfold Hills Airport Beach, Davis, Vestfold Hills Prydz Bay, Davis (Between Anchorage Island and Bluff Island) Bailey Peninsula, Windmill Islands

Metadata record for data expected from ASAC Project 2915 See the link below for public details on this project. Petroleum contamination poses a major threat to Antarctic and subantarctic ecosystems because diesel and lubricants are persistent and, at poorly defined concentrations, are toxic in marine environments. This project will asses how quickly important components in these products are naturally depleted using a model field experiment. We will identify and quantify the non-degrading portions of the fuels, and assess the longevity and rate of removal of these. We will relate the chemical analysis data with biological data on organisms in the sea-bottom sediments, in order to assess which components of the fuels do most harm to the organisms. Project objectives: The overall objective is to better understand the long-term environmental impact of spilled petroleum products in Antarctic marine systems. Decades of Antarctic exploration have left a significant legacy of petroleum pollution on-land and in nearshore marine environments, particularly around human stations. The natural attenuation of spilled diesel and lubricants occurs slowly in cold climates, particularly once the pollutants have adsorbed onto marine sediments. Major programmes funded by the AAD have identified the location of spills, and the nature and fate of some of the pollutants. This project will address some of the significant uncertainties which still exist regarding the natural depletion and ecotoxicological impact of spilled diesel and lubricants in the marine environment. A new PhD student at Macquarie University will carry-out much of this work, in collaboration with the CI and investigators. The specific objectives are: 1. To develop a quantitative method using cutting edge two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS) to identify the components of spilled diesel and lubricants, especially the complex mixtures of recalcitrant residues and the secondary products of alteration. 2. To calculate the rates of removal of pollutants in the marine environment by comprehensive statistical treatment of the chemical data-set, and to assess the processes by which this removal occurs (e.g. aerobic/anaerobic biodegradation, water-washing, etc). 3. To assess the degradation rates and longevity of pollutant components against the biology of the disturbed communities of microbes and microfauna in the same experiments, so as to form a hypothesis of which components of the complex mixtures have the most important ecotoxicological response and environment impact. 4. Using the most important single isolated or related groups of components, to test the specific ecotoxicological impact of each in the marine environment using a short-term field experiment and laboratory toxicity tests. Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: 1. A GCxGC-FID was installed at Macquarie University. No TOFMS has been purchased yet, due to non-funding of ARC Lief grant application. No further progress made towards this objective. 2. We have a comprehensive dataset now of the rates of removal of hydrocarbon components of SAB from the SRE4 experiment. Detailed GC-MS has been carried out so as to track removal of components in much more detail than can be achieved by GC-FID alone. TPH data have been calculated. The data has been utilised in the draft of one paper by Shane Powell (Powell, Stark, Snape, Woolfenden, Bowman, Riddle; Effects of diesel and lubricant oils on Antarctic benthic microbial communities over five years) which has not been submitted yet, and in an early draft of a paper by PhD student Ellen Woolfenden (E. N. M. Woolfenden, G. Hince, S. Powell, S. Stark, J. Stark, I. Snape, S. George; Effects of diesel and lubricant oils on Antarctic benthic microbial communities over five years). 3. This has partly been done, and is being written up by the Powell et al. paper referred to above. Detailed analysis of which are the most toxic compounds of SAB awaits further work-up of the data. 4. The field season to carry out this test was postponed from 08/09 to 09/10. Taken from the 2009-2010 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: 1. An ARC LIEF grant application was successful and a TOFMS will be purchased from the funds gained in mid 2010. 2. So far the 0-1cm of 10cm cores of marine sediment spiked with Biodegradable lubricant, used lubricant, clean lubricant and Special Antarctic Blend (SAB) diesel have been analysed by gas chromatography coupled to a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). Analyses by GC-FID allowed the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration at each sample time to be calculated from statistical analysis. Further analyses were performed on the SAB sediments extractions by GC-MS (mass spectrometry). The chromatograms of the extractions were compared with chromatograms of standard mixtures of compounds and a compound identification library and thus, peaks were identified. From this peak identification, degradation patterns of compounds and groups of compounds could be seen; naphthalenes degrade less readily with increasing methyl groups but still degrade more readily than n-alkanes. From the analyses of the 0-1cm sediment extractions the most recalcitrant compounds were (adamantanes and diamantanes) and the most water soluble compounds were (naphthalenes and alkylnaphthalenes) in SAB diesel. The data has been written up in a draft paper by PhD student Ellen Woolfenden (E. N. M. Woolfenden, G. Hince, S. Powell, S. Stark, J. Stark, I. Snape, S. George; Effects of diesel and lubricant oils on Antarctic benthic microbial communities over five years). This paper will be submitted by May 2010. We also have started analysing the depth profiles for SAB in the SRE4 experiment. It is interesting to know as to whether any biodegradation patterns will be seen in the 1-10 cm depths of the sediment. Therefore the cores have been sectioned into 1 cm intervals and extracted at AAD. The extractions are awaiting analysis by GC-FID initially and GC-MS for further analysis. 3. This has partly been done, and is being written up by a Shane Powell et al. paper, that has not been published yet. Detailed analysis of which are the most toxic compounds of SAB awaits further work-up of the data. 4. The field season to carry out this test was carried out by Ellen Woolfenden in fieldseason 09/10. Samples have been collected and are stored at AAD. Marine sediment was collected and different portions were spiked with certain compounds from each of these groups as well as a selection of n-alkanes and SAB diesel as a comparison. These sediments have been extracted and are awaiting analysis by GC-MS to identify which of the compounds are depleted most readily within the experimental groups without the influence of other compounds present in SAB diesel. Ellen will be analysing them later in 2010. The dataset provided by Ellen Woolfenden contain a number of excel spreadsheets, as well as a word document providing further information about the data.