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What is ‘footprint’ in Antarctica: proposing a set of definitions

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-24, 04:09 authored by Shaun Brooks, Julia Jabour, Bergstrom, DM

Footprint has become a common term in environmental research in Antarctica, yet after 25 years there is still no certainty about what it refers to. In relation to Antarctica, the closest definition has been ‘the spatial extent and intensity of disturbance’. Yet there is still confusion around what a ‘disturbance’ footprint is actually measuring. This is evident within Committee for Environmental Protection documents, in which there have been over 80 mentions of footprint, with at least eight different meanings, since 1998. To improve clarity in its use by both scientists and policymakers, we first examine the development of the term footprint, how it has been applied, and its usefulness in applications such as interpreting ‘minor or transitory’ activities. We then identify and define a suite of footprint types (disturbance, building, contamination, non-native species, noise, visual, visitation, risk, carbon, ecological, and human), with the aim of developing a common understanding of what the term refers to. Our goal is to ensure the concept of footprint can be a useful environmental tool to facilitate progressing environmental protection.

History

Publication title

Antarctic Science

Volume

30

Issue

4

Pagination

227-235

ISSN

1365-2079

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Cambridge Univ Press

Place of publication

40 West 20Th St, New York, USA, Ny, 10011-4211

Rights statement

Copyright 2018 Antarctic Science Ltd

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Other environmental management not elsewhere classified

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