National Science Foundation
Office of Polar Programs
Arlington, Virginia

Environmental Document and Finding of No Significant
and Not More than Minor or Transitory Effect

Field Study to Determine the Stability of Land Surfaces
in the Dry Valleys, Antarctica
[MCDV9901.EAF]

I. FINDING

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has prepared an Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE) and an Environmental Assessment (EA) as a combined environmental document, for investigating the stability of land surfaces in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Based on the analyses in the environmental document (IEE/EA), the NSF Office of Polar Programs (OPP) has determined that implementation of Alternative B is not a major federal action which would have a significant effect on the human environment, within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. The action is not one which would have more than a minor or transitory effect on the antarctic environment, within the meaning of the NSF's implementing regulations for the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Therefore, an environmental impact statement and/or a comprehensive environmental evaluation will not be prepared.

The selected alternative, B, provides for gaining a greater understanding of the variability and stability of the East Antarctic ice sheet by considering ground-ice dynamics and landscapes in the Dry Valleys and is consistent with the NSF's efforts to promote scientific investigations while protecting the antarctic environment.

/s/ Dennis Peacock10/13/98
Dennis PeacockDate
Head, Antarctic Science Section

II. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION

The National Science Foundation/Office of Polar Programs (NSF/OPP) proposes to conduct field studies to determine the stability of land surfaces in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. The studies will be performed under research project GO-053-O. The primary location for the studies is the Beacon Valley (77º49'’S, 160º39'’E - see attached map).

The purpose of the research is to study soil stability and ground ice dynamics. Antarctica’s unique environment is believed to contain some of the oldest and most stable land surfaces on Earth. This is one of the primary arguments to support the hypothesis that the East Antarctic ice sheet has long been stable (Denton et al. 1984; Sugden et al. 1993). Evidence suggests that the Dry Valleys have not been disturbed since they were overridden by a large ice sheet some 14 million years ago. In addition, Beacon Valley possesses characteristics that provide further evidence to support the long-term stability of the Dry Valleys. By studying these phenomena, researchers will have a better understanding of the dynamics of periglacial processes and long-term surface stability. These will also assist in understanding the dynamics of the antarctic climate and glaciers and may help resolve the conflict between studies of ancient surfaces that imply long-term stability of surface soils and subsurface ice, and studies of modern day processes that imply the opposite.

The proposed research will involve installing instrumentation to measure soil temperature, moisture, and displacement; collecting surface and subsurface samples; and obtaining permafrost cores. Several issues related to the proposed work include:

III. ALTERNATIVES

Alternative A: No Action

In this alternative, no field studies to determine the stability of Dry Valley land surfaces would be conducted.

Alternative B: Proceed with the Proposed Research

In this alternative, a temporary field camp will be established in Beacon Valley. Three to eight people will occupy the camp during the period of December 31, 1998 through January 15, 1999. Several people may be required to be in the field one to two weeks before and after that period. Three study sites will be established at this location. The specific tasks and strategies at each site are:

Samples of soil will be collected by excavating pits 0.5 to 1.5 m deep using hand tools (pick and shovel). From these pits core samples will also be taken to a depth of 25 m using a gas-powered coring device. Ice samples will also be taken from the pits using the coring device. Sensors will be installed in the excavated pits and core holes at each site. They will remain there for two years.

Field team members will also visit other sites in the Taylor and Wright Valleys for two to three day periods. Only minor sampling will take place at these sites.

IV. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS AND MITIGATING MEASURES

Disturbances to the Soil Surface

Alternative A would cause no disturbances to the soil surface. In Alternative B, the soil surface will be disturbed when the pits are excavated and the cores are extracted. Some surface disturbance will also occur by the presence of a field camp and field personnel. Steps will be taken to mitigate these effects. Tarps will be used to contain tailings during pit excavation and coring. All excavations will be backfilled, and the surface will be restored as near as possible to a pristine state. This will include arranging the surface rocks to blend with the surrounding landscape. All field camp activities will be accomplished in accordance with the Dry Valleys Code of Conduct and USAP procedures for waste management.

Potential for Loss of Scientific Equipment

In Alternative B, there is a risk that scientific equipment may not be recovered. It is possible that the core head and coring rods could break during the coring process and become imbedded beneath the surface. In addition, the sensors could become frozen in place making recovery difficult. Every effort will be made to recover all equipment, however, recovery efforts could create an even greater environmental impact. Options for recovery efforts would have to be evaluated should the situation require it.

Long-term and Cumulative Effects

No long-term or cumulative effects are expected in Alternative B. Separate research activities will be occurring simultaneously in other locations of the Dry Valleys. The intensity and duration of the proposed activity is expected to have no impact on the Dry Valley environment when added to these or any past or reasonable foreseeable future actions. The location coordinates for each site will be recorded for future reference.

Should scientific equipment be determined to be non-recoverable, they would permanently exist in the subsurface. Since they consist of mostly inert materials, there would be no chemical contamination of the site. Each site will be returned to near pristine conditions and will eventually blend with the surrounding landscape.

V. CONSULTATION WITH OTHERS

National Science Foundation
Dr. Scott Borg Program Manager
Antarctic Geology and Geophysics
sborg@nsf.gov
Ms. Joyce Jatko Environmental Officer
jjatko@nsf.gov

Antarctic Support Associates
Terry Johnson Environmentalist
Johnsote@asa.org

University of Washington
Quaternary Research Center:
Ronald Sletten Co-Principal Investigator for GO-063-O
Sletten@u.washington.edu

APPENDICES OR ATTACHMENTS

Attachment: Site Map of the Dry Valleys Showing Location of Beacon Valley

(NOTE: This is a Microsoft Powerpoint file that would require downloading to your machine and calling up in Powerpoint to view it.)


Go to: MCM Dry Valley environmental issues MCM LTER home page