Ship traffic connects Antarctica's fragile coasts to worldwide ecosystems.

ABSTRACT: Antarctica, an isolated and long considered pristine wilderness, is becoming increasingly exposed to the negative effects of ship-borne human activity, and especially the introduction of invasive species. Here, we provide a comprehensive quantitative analysis of ship movements into Antarctic waters and a spatially explicit assessment of introduction risk for nonnative marine species in all Antarctic waters. We show that vessels traverse Antarctica's isolating natural barriers, connecting it directly via an extensive network of ship activity to all global regions, especially South Atlantic and European ports. Ship visits are more than seven times higher to the Antarctic Peninsula (especially east of Anvers Island) and the South Shetland Islands than elsewhere around Antarctica, together acc

SUBMITTER: McCarthy AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8784123 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature