QUESTION:
My question is can you see the pollution in the ocean? If so,
does it bother the animals? What can I tell my class so that we 
can help? Thank you.

        Sarah M., I am a 3rd grader in Simpsonville, SC. 


ANSWER from Robin Ross, LTER Member and UCSB Researcher
            Palmer Station, Antarctica
            Wed, 12 Feb 1997 10:44:14 +0000 (GMT)

Dear Sarah,

The Southern Ocean is pretty clean compared to the rest of the world.  
There is some pollution, primarily from ship traffic, and from the 
research stations on land.  But because many people want to protect the 
Antarctic, and keep it pristine, the rules according to the 
Antarctic Treaty are very strict - for everyone, whether they are a tourist 
or a scientist, a sea going vessel or a land based station.  For example, 
no ship can dump trash south of 60S, and all the trash and 
garbage from the stations is shipped back to South America.  The rule is 
"take only pictures and leave only footprints".  Visitors to the Antarctic 
have usually cared enough to educate themselves about how delicate the 
mossesare  and how long it takes them to recover so they don't walk on 
them.  And they understand that trash thrown overboard can entangle the 
seabirds or seals and hurt them.

The major possible danger from pollution actually comes from global 
warming and ozone depletion.  Both those global change effects may impact 
the Antarctic ecosytem.  Right now we know that the air temperatures west 
of the Antarctic have increased by several degrees celsius, and there is 
a link between air temperature and the annual sea ice cycle. One of the 
questions the Palmer LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) program is 
trying to answer is what effect changes in the sea ice cycle would have 
on the many plants and animals that live in this ecosystem.

The best thing you and your classmates can do is to learn as much as you 
can about how connected the entire planet is and how what we do back home 
may affect the temperature of the whole world and ultimately the Antarctic.

Best wishes,
Robin