Long term effects of human activity on benthic macrofauna adjacent to McMurdo Station, Antarctica
| dc.contributor.author | Smith, Sara M. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-09-16T16:09:30Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-09-16T16:09:30Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2014-09-16T16:09:30Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2014-09-16T16:09:30Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 9/16/2014 | |
| dc.description | A Thesis Paper Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE, Environmental Science Program | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Sediments in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica have been altered through contamination derived from McMurdo Station. Long-term monitoring of benthic communities provides a basis for assessment of impacts located near known sources of historic pollution. The objectives of the present study are to determine if any changes in benthic community abundance, biomass, and diversity occurred over time and if the change was due to contamination effects by comparing benthic communities between polluted and reference stations. Benthic cores were collected from either three or four transects at depths of 12, 24, and 36 meters during the austral summers of 2000 and 2003 to 2012. Transects included: Winter Quarters Bay and the Sewage Outfall, located near known sources of historic pollution; and Intake Jetty and Cape Armitage that are non-polluted, reference transects. Macrofauna metrics and a Benthic Index of Biological Integrity (BIBI) were used to test for spatial and temporal changes in macrofaunal communities. Disturbance-related spatial differences were detected using BIBI-ranks at Winter Quarters Bay indicating pollution effects in benthic communities at that location. Benthic community composition changed among all stations, disturbed and reference, over time. Therefore, the observed shifts in macrofaunal communities can primarily be attributed to natural processes rather than changes from contamination effects. | en_US |
| dc.description.college | College of Science and Engineering | en_US |
| dc.description.department | Physical and Environmental Sciences | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1969.6/570 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.rights | This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with its source. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the author and/or publisher. | en_US |
| dc.subject | contamination | en_US |
| dc.subject | benthic | en_US |
| dc.subject | human impacts | en_US |
| dc.subject | environmental monitoring | en_US |
| dc.title | Long term effects of human activity on benthic macrofauna adjacent to McMurdo Station, Antarctica | en_US |
| dc.type | Text | en_US |
| dc.type.genre | Thesis | en_US |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Environmental Science | en_US |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Texas A & M University--Corpus Christi | en_US |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | en_US |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science | en_US |