Antarctica, often hailed as the last untouched wilderness, hides a dark secret. A toxic time bomb, left by Australia almost six decades ago, threatens to unleash havoc on this pristine ecosystem. The abandoned Wilkes Station, a ghostly remnant of a bygone era, is a stark reminder of our past mistakes.
Dr. Rebecca McWatters, the remediation lead for the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), describes legacy sites like Wilkes as an "enduring environmental problem." Once a bustling hub, Wilkes Station housed 25 expeditioners and their loyal huskies. Now, it's a frozen ghost town, with only the tops of buildings peeking through the snow.
But here's where it gets controversial... Wilkes Station wasn't always Australia's responsibility. Built by the US Navy in 1957, it was later handed over to Australia's Antarctic program. However, the station's location proved to be its downfall, as it kept getting buried in snow and ice. A decade later, Australia made the difficult decision to abandon it, with little thought given to the environmental impact.
Melanie Borup, a terrestrial ecologist from UTAS, sheds light on the issue. "We often think of Antarctica as completely pristine," she says, "but it has a long history of human presence and localized contamination." The remnants of Wilkes Station's past are scattered across the surface, from rusting tins of food to dilapidated buildings fabricated with asbestos.
And this is the part most people miss... beneath the surface lies an even bigger problem. An enormous cache of waste, including thousands of fuel barrels, is hidden under the ice. Dr. McWatters estimates that only 3 to 5% of the site's contamination is visible. Some fuel has already leaked into the soil, and there have been signs of seepage into the nearby bay, close to penguin colonies.
As the climate continues to warm, the risk of further exposure and leakage grows. A photo from 1992, during an unusually warm period, shows the entire station exposed, including its fuel caches. Another photo from the 1960s reveals the same cache, now buried in ice. If a similar melt occurs, the consequences could be dire.
"It wouldn't be good," says Johan Mets, who develops clean-up techniques for the AAD. "From our point of view, it would be a disaster."
Australia has been promising to remediate Wilkes Station since the late 1980s, with some surface-level clean-ups and fuel removal efforts. However, much of the waste remains. Dr. McWatters estimates the site contains around 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools of rubbish and contaminated soil.
International conservationists urge action before it's too late. "It's hard to get to Antarctica," says Claire Christian from the Antarctica and Southern Ocean Coalition. "If something happens, it's hard to clean it up. So, even though it's expensive to be proactive, it's easier than waiting for an emergency."
The AAD acknowledges the challenges, citing remoteness, complex logistics, extreme conditions, and long planning lead times. The Antarctic Treaty System calls for the removal of historical waste, but only if it doesn't cause additional pollution. Dr. McWatters emphasizes the need to consider the potential impact of remediation activities.
In 2022, the federal government committed $14 million towards "A Cleaner Antarctica," a program covering remediation efforts at all of Australia's stations and field sites. At Wilkes, a comprehensive risk assessment has been underway to develop a strategic clean-up plan. The assessment includes drone-mounted, ground-penetrating radar and laboratory testing to understand the local microbial environment.
Once the risk assessment is complete, the areas in most urgent need of remediation will be identified, and safe clean-up techniques, like steam drills, will be developed. The cost of the clean-up is a key concern, with a 2014 report estimating it at $136 million for Wilkes and other smaller abandoned sites.
Australia has successfully remediated smaller contaminated sites in Antarctica, but Wilkes Station presents a unique challenge. Dr. McWatters emphasizes the importance of a thorough risk assessment to ensure an accurate estimate of the task ahead.
"It's crucial that we spend the time now to do the risk assessment well," she says. "That way, we can truly understand the scale of the problem and develop an effective strategy."
The ABC's journey to Wilkes Station was supported by the Australian Antarctic Program.
Credits:
Reporting: Jano Gibson
Photography: Jano Gibson and Owain Stia-James
Videography: Owain Stia-James
Archive footage: Australian Antarctic Division
Video production: Owain Stia-James
Digital production: James Dunlevie and Daniel Miller
Digital editor: Daniel Miller
