Antarctica is the cleanest continent on the planet. It requires a complex of environmental protection measures in the planning and implementation of scientific activities, which are permissible here in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty and the Madrid Protocol on environmental protection to the Antarctic Treaty, to which Belarus has joined. In Antarctica, there are now about 70 year-round and seasonal scientific stations, where about 1000 people live in winter, in summer, the population of Antarctica increases to 5000 people. Taking into account the unique purity of the continent, the impact of the stations on the natural environment of Antarctica cannot be ignored.

The first detailed estimates of the levels of anthropogenic impact of scientific stations on the atmospheric environment of the ice continent have been obtained. At “the Institute of Environmental Management” of the NAS of Belarus, the head of the laboratory Sergey Kakareka, for the first time made a detailed assessment of the emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases from the main land-based sources of pollutants in Antarctica – diesel generators of year-round and seasonal research stations.

In the researches of the head of the laboratory “the Institute of Environmental Management” of the NAS of Belarus Sergey Kakareka, Doctor of the Technical Sciences, Professor, it is shown that the Antarctic stations are quite different in terms of emissions and are divided into 7 groups; it was found that the 12 largest stations account for more than ¾ of all emissions on the continent. Emissions were estimated for different territorial areas according to the schemes of natural and bio-geographical zoning of Antarctica. Thus, according to the results obtained, 41% of emissions are in the East Antarctica, 59% - in West Antarctica; the highest emission density is in the South Orkney Islands and Adelie Land.

The conducted researches will serve as a basis for further refinement of assessments, modeling and forecasting of anthropogenic impacts and their consequences in Antarctica.

The research results were published in the latest issue of the authoritative international journal Advancesin Polar Science*

*Sergey Kakareka. Air pollutants and greenhouse gases emission inventory for power plants in the Antarctic // Advances in Polar Science. 2020, Vol.31, No 4, pp.274-283. doi: 10.13679/j.advps.2020.0032