Sewage organic markers in surface sediments around the Brazilian Antarctic station: Results from the 2009/10 austral summer and historical tendencies

The discharge of sewage into the Antarctic marine environments by scientific stations has resulted in local changes in these pristine sites. To assess the distribution and concentration of sewage indicators from the Brazilian Antarctic station, sediments were sampled during the 2009/10 austral summer at four points (water depth of 20 and 60 m). Concentrations of faecal sterols and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) ranged from <0.01 to 0.17 μg g−1 and <1.0 to 46.5 ng g−1 dry weight, respectively. Maximum concentration of faecal sterols was similar to the value previously calculated as the background level for this area (0.19 μg g−1), and it is lower than the concentration observed in previous studies (1997–2008), whereas the LABs concentrations remained practically constant (35 ng g−1). Despite the low concentrations of sewage markers, the permanent human activities in the region require monitoring programs to determine continuing trends and prevent the increase of anthropogenic impacts.