Bulgarians are the First Explorers of the Bottom Ecosystems in Antarctica

The first project, dedicated to marine biology and definition of the species composition of the bottom ecosystems in Antarctica, is by the Bulgarian scientists, said in the city of Varna the hydrobiologist Prof. Lubomir Kenderov of the Sofia University, who was among the rapporteurs of the national anniversary forum of the Bulgarian Underwater Association.

In the organization, founded in 1999, there are 150 divers and diving instructors from 12 clubs from all over the country.

Despite years of research, Antarctica still has many unknown things, new organisms come out every year, Kenderov explained.

As a participant in the last Bulgarian expedition on this continent, at the end of last year, he managed to do a number of underwater studies, dropping to a depth of 5-7 meters.

The isolation of the continent and the harsh conditions have failed to completely save its inhabitants from the impact of the people, the scientist said. Studies have been conducted to prove the presence of heavy metals and toxic substances in both penguins and seals, and in fish, Kenderov said. And proudly added that pioneers in this type of studies are the Bulgarian scientists.

According to Kenderov in the penguins and seals, even the stable DDT compound has been found, but the good thing is that its concentration is small and can not lead to genetic damage or malformations in animal generations.

Pollution is also driven by the tourist activity on the continent, Kenderov said. According to him, Escherichia coli and Salmonella have been found in colony penguins. It is already a fact that the appearance of a kind of grass, transmitted somehow from Patagonia, which has adapted and even started to displace the local plant species.

Stringent measures...