Seasonal Variation of Arctic Ecosystems Towards Oil Spill

Due to melting of sea ice and predicted richness of petroleum resources, there is an increasing interest and activity in Arctic regions both for shipping and the oil&gas industry. Operations in the Arctic represent specific challenges due to both physical and biological environmental factors. The lack of infrastructure and the extreme physical environment including ice, strong seasonal variability in temperatures and daylight, put specific requirements to ensure safety of personnel and equipment during normal operations and put restraints on search and rescue (SAR) and oil spill recovery operations in case of an accident (ship collision or blow-out). The seasonal variability and extreme physical environment have also resulted in the evolution of specific adaptations of Arctic species, like extensive seasonal migrations and aggregations in large numbers to feed, mate and nurture their young that make them particularly vulnerable in certain periods and areas. Due to the low temperatures, Arctic species are also particularly vulnerable to contamination to oil that will affect their insulating layers of feather or fur. In addition to pollution from discharges and emissions, physical disturbances from ships such as strikes of whales and other marine mammals are of concern in areas where shipping routes overlap with seasonal migration and areas of aggregation. All activities represent a certain risk. To sanction shipping and oil&gas activities in the Arctic will require acceptance of the associated risk level. Stakeholders need to understand what creates the risk level, and on which facts, assessments and assumptions it is made. In this project we have produced an interactive map on which key risk factors associated with oil and gas and shipping activities in the Arctic are identified and assessed. By combining pan Arctic distribution patterns of arctic species at vulnerable life stages with ship traffic obtained from Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, existing oil and gas activity, SAR and vessel action radius and statistics on data related to the physical environment (ice coverage and features, temperature, marine icing, visibility etc.) we have constructed a map based risk matrix in order to communicate to key stakeholders in a form that supports their most important decisions. The map illustrates that the Arctic is not a uniform environment and that the risk picture is continuously changing throughout the season.