Polar science

The transport of man-made chemicals from the northern hemisphere to the southern one is raising increasing concern, especially as regards the contamination of Antarctica. According to recent estimates, more than eight million substances are known. Of these, about 70 000 are used to produce, e.g., industrial compounds, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, food additives and cosmetics with a total volume of several million tons per year. Current knowledge of the presence of contaminants of major importance in key environmental matrices, as well as in biota, has greatly contributed to depicting an overall scenario of the extent of chemical pollution in this remote part of the planet. The wealth of information gained so far provides substantial evidence that such phenomena are increasingly demanding reliable experimental data on the one hand and international cooperation on the other hand to minimise duplication of efforts.

In this context, thorough and systematic programmes for monitoring environmental contamination in Antarctica are keenly needed. The Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, enforced in the early 1990s, puts additional emphasis on the benefits of internationally coordinated action to further promote the peaceful advancement of knowledge of this continent and to preserve its pristine condition. Over the two decades elapsed since its establishment, the Italian National Programme for Research in Antarctica has been attaching increasing importance to the aspects mentioned above. Research activities in this field are a major part of one of the fundamental sectors (Polar Chemistry) of the said programme.

This special issue of the Journal of Environmental Monitoring collects some selected papers authored by scientists participating in research projects devoted to such themes and aims at offering an overview of the most representative investigations carried out so far. It is hoped that the results of such studies will shed further light on the complexity of environmental contamination in Antarctica and stimulate some pondering on the risk that Antarctica might become the next wasteland.

Sergio Caroli

Istituto Superiore di Sanità

Rome

 

Gabriele Capodaglio

Department of Environmental Sciences

University of Venice

Venice

 

Roger Fuoco

Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry

University of Pisa

Pisa

---