Dec 03, 2015 another major consequence of oil drilling is the potential of a major spill. Where the arctic oil industry is booming bloomberg. The risks of such an accident are ever present and the oil industrys response plans remain wholly inadequate. Denmark through greenland has not been a major player in hydrocarbon development. Arctic oil drilling is a dangerous, highrisk enterprise and an oil spill under these icy waters would have a catastrophic impact on one of the most pristine, unique and beautiful landscapes on earth.
The arctic is one of the last great treasures on earth and an oil spill would be difficult to contain in such a remote place. A history of oil in the arctic climate interpreter. Arctic national wildlife refuge battle ends, but drilling not a given. However, major spills have been fairly uncommon in alaska. Environmental impact statement eis on the effects of oil. Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the arctic article pdf available in science 3245931. Arctic oil drilling plans raise environmental health concerns. Oil spills and releases are of primary concern and risks are enhanced by challenging arctic conditions such as seasonal darkness, dynamic ice cover, extreme weather. Pdf assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the arctic. The arctic circle is about the same geographic size as the african continentabout 6% of earths surface areayet it holds an estimated 22% of earths oil and natural gas resources. Amerasian basin, arctic alaska basin, east barents basin, east greenland rift basin, west greenlandeast canada basin, west siberian basin, and the yenisey. Shell plans to drill for oil just off the north coast of alaska, pulling the detonator on a carbon bomb. Arctic oil drilling plans raise environmental health concerns ncbi. The environmental impacts of oil spills on land in the arctic.
But oil exploration poses a tremendous risk to vulnerable arctic ecosystems and communities. The vast arctic region is probably the last remaining unexplored source of hydrocarbons on the planet. Box 333, blindern, oslo 3, norway 0314 abstract the recent and considerable oil exploration and production now underway. A history of oil in the arctic today in alaska, the vast majority of oil from the states arctic region comes from onshore drilling wells. Oil and gas development could also damage fisheries, tourism and other, more sustainable economic activities. The northern alaska coastline lacks deepwater ports, major airports and the. In recent studies, kotchen and burger 2007 investigated that there has been a total of three major spills in the history of the transalaska pipeline system. Rosneft and statoil made the arctic exploration deal in may 2012. As royal dutch shell and other oil companies prepare to drill offshore in the alaskan outer continental shelf ocs, a new report commissioned by the. The arctic hosts large oil and natural gas resources both onshore and offshore. This paints a target on the arctic for exploration and development, especially with shorter seasons of ice coverage improving ocean access.
The latter model has been verified by laboratory experiments. Risks and potential impacts of oil exploration in the arctic. May 30, 2012 why environmentalists should support oil exploration in alaskas arctic waters. Mar 21, 20 americas arctic outer continental shelf will be undisturbed by drilling rigs in 20, but the battle over oil and gas exploration in its frigid waters is far from over. As senators take up tax plan, theyll also debate oil drilling in alaska. The arctic climate impact assessment acia, 2005, a major multinational compilation of information, concluded that reduced seaice extent will pose new challenges for the arctic environment because increased human presence in the arctic ocean is highly likely. The risks and potential impacts of oil exploration in the arctic key facts. The city of barow, the most northerly city in the us, is ground zero for the world. Interaction of the oil industry and the arctic environment. Most of the oil comes from the north slope, referring to the land adjacent to the chukchi and beaufort seas down to the brooks mountain range the area of. The native people of alaska are divided on this issue. Norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration. While government and industry ritually understate the risk of oil spills and overstate their preparedness, for highrisk environments such as the arctic ocean, we.
The report called for a moratorium on arctic oil and gas drilling, and. As royal dutch shell and other oil companies prepare to drill offshore in the alaskan outer continental shelf ocs, a new report commissioned by the washington, dcbased pew environment group concludes current response capabilities arent adequate to contain and clean up a major spill in the area. All the information we have is that an arctic oil spill would be impossible to clean up, said greenpeace. In july 2015 the obama administration has given royal dutch shell plc approval to begin with limited exploratory oil drilling off alaskas. A wellbore is drilled through the seabed, first for exploratory purposes and then to serve as the drilling site for extraction. The arctic is a cold, remote, dark, dangerous and expensive place to explore for oil and natural gas. Oil companies are expanding their search for oil to new frontiers previously considered too inaccessible, expensive or risky to exploit. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic peace palace library. The exploration of the arctic for petroleum is considered to be extremely technically challenging. Another major consequence of oil drilling is the potential of a major spill. Jun 24, 2012 highlighting the potential impacts of oil exploration in the arctic and the damages it would cause.
Environmentalists lose arctic exploration case bbc. Additionally, the impacts of hydrocarbon releases in the marine environment have been shown to cause detrimental impacts on reproductive. As a result, the region has received significant interest from the petroleum industry since the onset of the 2010s oil glut in 2014, the commercial interest in arctic exploration has. Oil and gas development could also damage fisheries, tourism and. Oct 02, 20 oil magazine, an energy industry quarterly, devoted the whole of its march 20 issue to arctic energy exploration. Tourism will also increase, with more and more tourists cruising to polar regions. And of course, beyond these unavoidable operational impacts, there is the very real risk of a large oil spill from exploration drilling, production, pipelines, terminals, and tankers. The group has been lobbying for all oil drilling and exploration in the arctic to stop.
Jan 04, 2018 the issuing of oil exploration licences breached a constitutional right to a healthy environment, the groups said. Oil exploration in the alaska national wildlife refuge. Drilling in the arctic what is the environmental impact. What are the negative impacts of oil exploration in the arctic. Vertical infiltration of oil in the unsaturated water zone of soil has also been studied both. The environmental impacts of oil spills on land in the. Probably the first to approach the arctic regions was a greek, pytheas, who in the 4th century bce made a. Impacts of oil drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge. This is likely to be prohibitive for most companies in the current climate, with some analysts predicting that the price of crude could drop in the medium term. Some of the important aspects of oil spills which have significant impact on the arctic evironment have been investigated.
These arctic explorers and their books are the real northpolar stars, according to john r. In many circumpolar regions, it will bring warmer winters and extend the periods of icefree waters. However, recent technological developments, as well as relatively high oil prices, have allowed for exploration. Exxon mobil, bp suspend canadian arctic exploratory drilling. In overcoming the technical challenges of oil production in the arctic, are we making the most of a strategic resource or heading for an environmental and political minefield. The dangers of arctic oil greenpeace international. May 03, 2017 despite industry optimism, arctic drilling remains controversial in norway, a country of 5. Simple theoretical models have been developed for the movement of oil on permeable and impermeable surfaces. Arctic services is a joint initiative by companies and institutions in the akureyri region, in the north of iceland. Offshore hydrocarbon resources in the arctic february 2016 6. Like all offshore drilling, drilling in the arctic is more costly, complicated, and politically controversial than drilling for oil on land. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic by e. The prospects and challenges for arctic oil development.
The united states geological survey estimates that 90 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil lies in offshore reservoirs in the arctic. The most important and sensitive places for arctic wildlife must be protected. The threat of a major arctic oil spill and the potential impacts on the regions marine. Exxon mobil, bp suspend canadian arctic exploratory. Oil exploration and sea ice projections in the arctic. Jun 21, 2017 norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration. Currently, shell and other oil companies have withdrawn from oil exploration in the arctic, but these arctic oil explorations are far from being forgotten. Norway opens up record 93 blocks for arctic oil exploration. In recent decades, decreased summer sea ice has resulted in increased shipping traffic and may encourage more offshore oil and gas exploration. Prevention is based on understanding the science and technologies associated with oil exploration and production and applying that.
Oil reserves in anwr could possibly be used as a last resort. The feis evaluates, in compliance with the national environmental policy act, the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of implementing the alternative approaches for authorizing the take of marine mammals incidental to oil and gas exploration activities in the arctic ocean pursuant to the marine mammal protection act. The earliest references to arctic exploration are shrouded in obscurity as a result both of inaccurate ideas of the shape of the earth and of primitive navigation techniques, which make it difficult to interpret early maps and accounts of voyages. Arctic power is a grassroots, nonprofit citizens organization with 1,000s of members founded in april of 1992 to expedite congressional and presidential approval of oil and gas exploration and production within the coastal plain of the arctic national wildlife refuge. Impacts could be due to contact with oil or disturbance from spill response activities. Increased tanker traffic associated with higher oil exploration and production will increase noise pollution in the chukchi and beaufort seas. The impacts of climate change are already evident in the arctic. This relentless expansion has now reached the arctic, where large areas of the ocean are opening up each summer as climate change causes seaice to melt. Oil and natural gas resources map of the arctic ocean. According to arctic power, an organization devoted to oil exploration in the arctic national wildlife refuge, horizontal drilling techniques have revolutionized the drilling process in the region. We are less than halfway through a history of arctic exploration when the pope divided the world into two. At the same time, environmental risks and popular opposition to oil and gas activity in the arctic are factors that could undermine.
Inupiat people, many of whom work in the oil fields, and who will benefit from oil royalties, generally favor oil development. Horizontal drilling increases the production rate of a well because it has greater surface area and because it allows access to oil miles away and in. Most of the oil comes from the north slope, referring to the land adjacent to the chukchi and beaufort seas down to the brooks mountain range the area of land depicted on the map above. Aug 16, 20 arctic power is a grassroots, nonprofit citizens organization with 1,000s of members founded in april of 1992 to expedite congressional and presidential approval of oil and gas exploration and production within the coastal plain of the arctic national wildlife refuge. Arctic exploration videos and latest news articles. Dixon oil pollution research unit, orielton field centre, pembroke, dyfed, sa71 5ez, uk, and t norwegian institute for water research, p. As stated in a 2011 usgs report evaluating oil exploration in the arctic, climate change is impacting physical, biological, and social conditions in the arctic and affecting all resourcemanagement strategies.
Americas arctic outer continental shelf will be undisturbed by drilling rigs in 20, but the battle over oil and gas exploration in its frigid waters is far from over. The issuing of oil exploration licences breached a constitutional right to a healthy environment, the groups said. October 2014 the prospects and challenges for arctic oil development 2 between arctic states will be prerequisites for success. Oil magazine, an energy industry quarterly, devoted the whole of its march 20 issue to arctic energy exploration. Norway court backs arctic oil exploration bbc news. Highlighting the potential impacts of oil exploration in the arctic and the damages it would cause. Sea ice retreat will improve accessibility to arctic ports, reduce costs of oil and mineral exploration and exploitation, and open up faster transport routes connecting the atlantic and the pacific. Currently, it is very costly and risky to drill in this type of environment. It is further estimated that approximately 84% of the undiscovered oil and gas occurs offshore. The worst journey in the world by apsley cherrygarrard, endurance. The aim of this study is to investigate how reduction in the sea ice cover may affect oil activity in the arctic during the next 30 years. The gwichin people, most of whom live south of the brooks range and therefore dont work in the oil fields or get oil. Spain was given the western half and portugal the eastern in the treaty of tordesillas in 1494. Aug 31, 2011 the group has been lobbying for all oil drilling and exploration in the arctic to stop.
The production of arctic oil and gas contributes even more to the climate crisis through increased greenhouse gas emissions. Anwr is located in northeastern alaska, and was created under the 1980 alaska national. The arctic is more than 1,000 miles from the nearest coast guard base. Ultimate resources are estimated at 114 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 2000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
It is the third deal rosneft has signed in the past month, after arctic exploration agreements with italys eni and us giant exxon mobil compared to other arctic oil states, norway is probably best equipped for oil spill preparedness in the arctic. The oil ministry is offering 93 blocks in the barents sea, entirely in the. The united states geological survey estimates that over 87% of the arctic s oil and natural gas resource about 360 billion barrels oil equivalent is located in seven arctic basin provinces. Potential impacts on the arctic from oil and gas drilling. For norway, natural gas exploration in the barents sea is crucial to maintain current levels of production in the future.
Aug 28, 2015 the impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic by e. Topics covered in this book include a brief historical background of arctic oil and gas development. This book provides an overview of the many issues relevant to offshore oil and gas development in the arctic. Ultimate resources are estimated at 114 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 2000 trillion cubic feet of natural. Disappearing arctic sea ice is seen as a huge opportunity for an energy industry. Why environmentalists should support oil exploration. An oil industry consortium including exxon and bp has suspended its canadian arctic exploration program in the beaufort sea, citing insufficient time to begin test drilling before its lease.
The 10 licences were issued in 2016 to explore the barents sea above the arctic. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic peace. The arctics vast oil resource and the high price of oil are what currently attract attention to the arctic area. Once the wellbore is installed and the temporary equipment used for installation is removed, a christmas tree, the most. Oil and gas development should not be allowed in the arctic but if this type of development does proceed, where it happens is crucial. Cameron on august 28, 2015 leave a comment in july 2015 the obama administration has given royal dutch shell plc approval to begin with limited exploratory oil drilling off alaskas northwest coast, in the chukchi sea. Despite industry optimism, arctic drilling remains controversial in norway, a country of 5. Why environmentalists should support oil exploration in. But the environmental impact of any widespread drilling in the region is a key worry for green.