scholarly journals Charting a Sustainable Course through Changing Arctic Waters

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 323-347
Author(s):  
Robin Warner
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Environment ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Fishing Vessels ◽  
The Status ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
Shipping Traffic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract As the Arctic ice recedes, the opportunities for all year round routing of merchant shipping through Arctic waters rise. The freeing up of Arctic waters may also attract increased numbers of scientific research vessels, vessels servicing oil and gas installations, foreign fishing vessels and warships. The prospect of major navigational channels opening up in this region bring risks to a pristine Arctic environment and its indigenous inhabitants. This article highlights the threats posed to the species, habitats and ecosystems of Arctic waters from increased shipping transits of the region including the potential for increased vessel source discharges of noxious and hazardous substances and the catastrophic consequences of groundings for the Arctic environment and its biodiversity. It reviews the legal controversies over the status of certain parts of Arctic waters and the navigational regimes applicable to foreign flag vessels transiting Arctic waters under the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC). The need to balance navigational rights with appropriate environmental safeguards under an increasing array of international environmental principles including the precautionary approach and obligations to assess the impact of ship based activities on the global environment and its marine components is examined. The article then analyses some of the regulatory mechanisms which have been devised to promote environmentally sustainable navigation for shipping in sensitive areas of ocean space subject to high levels of shipping traffic through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Backbone for Escape, Evacuation and Rescue From Arctic Facilities: A Systematic Approach

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Longrée ◽  
Sven Hoog
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Operating Personnel ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Joint Research Project ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
The Impact

In turn of the global warming and driven by the constant need for resources an increasing number of commercial and scientific activities conquer the Arctic in order to benefit from almost untouched resources like oil and gas but also from the overwhelming nature. These activities are accompanied by a steadily increasing number of vessels transporting goods but also operating personnel, scientists or tourists. Especially the number of tourists visiting the Arctic can reach far more than 1000 per vessel, resulting in growing headaches for the responsible safety and security authorities in the Arctic surrounding countries. Up to now no suitable Escape, Evacuation and Rescue (EER) concept is in place to cope with these challenges when it comes to hazardous situations. In this context IMPaC ([1]) developed a new and appropriate EER concept for the Arctic, exceeding the currently dominant small and isolated settlements along the coastlines in Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, Canada and the US. One question seems to be central: Is there any requirement and benefit beyond the currently used small rescue station? Yes, we strongly believe that there is a growing demand for suitable infrastructure coming from various industries. Beyond rescue objectives there is a demand for people working and living in this area all year long, for a few days, weeks or months using these settlements for their specific needs. This led us to the idea of the provision of a common-use infrastructure for multiple industries. The commonly used infrastructure maximizes the use of the remote and very expensive infrastructure and minimizes the impact on the environment in this part of the world. Potential users of this infrastructure would be: • Oil & Gas Industry, driven by the increased world energy demand • Marine Transport & Tourism Industry, driven by declined arctic ice and new sea routes via the Arctic sea • Fishery Industry • Scientific community Any EER concept for the Arctic has to cope with several specific environmental and spatial challenges as addressed by the EU joint research project ACCESS ([2]), where IMPaC participates. The paper introduces the new EER concept and focuses especially on its beneficial, efficient and safe operability in the Arctic recording an increasing number of commercial and scientific activities.

Consideration of Geopolitical Challenges within the Analysis of Geoenvironmental Risks for Oil and Gas Development of the Russian Arctic

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 50-59
Author(s):  
O. P. Trubitsina ◽  
V. N. Bashkin
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Optimal Operation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Stage Model ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Geopolitical Risks

The article is devoted to the consideration of geopolitical challenges for the analysis of geoenvironmental risks (GERs) in the hydrocarbon development of the Arctic territory. Geopolitical risks (GPRs), like GERs, can be transformed into opposite external environment factors of oil and gas industry facilities in the form of additional opportunities or threats, which the authors identify in detail for each type of risk. This is necessary for further development of methodological base of expert methods for GER management in the context of the implementational proposed two-stage model of the GER analysis taking to account GPR for the improvement of effectiveness making decisions to ensure optimal operation of the facility oil and gas industry and minimize the impact on the environment in the geopolitical conditions of the Arctic.The authors declare no conflict of interest

The influence of chick production on territory retention in Arctic-breeding Pacific and Yellow-billed loons

The Condor ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D Uher-Koch ◽  
Kenneth G Wright ◽  
Joel A Schmutz
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Site Familiarity ◽  
Northern Alaska ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Adult birds may use the production of offspring as a measure of habitat quality when prospecting for territories, increasing competition for productive territories. We evaluated the impact of breeding success on territory retention of Pacific (Gavia pacifica) and Yellow-billed (G. adamsii) loons in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska using mark–resight data and multi-state modeling. We also used behavioral observations of brood-rearing adult loons to quantify the frequency of visits by prospecting loons. We hypothesized that increased competition for productive territories would result in a decrease in territory retention rates. Territory retention rates the year following successful breeding attempts were only slightly lower (0.90) than after failed breeding attempts (0.93), and few territories were consistently successful across years. Overall territory retention rates were high (0.92) and similar for both species, suggesting that adults were able to defend their territories successfully. Males had higher territory retention rates than females, but we found no influence of mass (a possible proxy for fighting ability) on territory retention. These observations, coupled with the high frequency of visits by prospecting loons, provide additional evidence that site familiarity may provide advantages to territory holders. Quantifying territory retention behaviors may also inform land management decisions for oil and gas development in areas where loons are present. High territory retention rates, frequency of visits by prospectors, and limited habitat where new territories can be established suggest that breeding habitat in northern Alaska is saturated and may be limiting Yellow-billed Loon populations. In contrast, Pacific Loons attempting to acquire a territory may be able to form new territories on smaller, unoccupied lakes.

On Maintainability of Winterised Plants Operating in Arctic Regions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoud Naseri
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Mathematical Framework ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
Polar Low ◽  
Maintainability Analysis ◽  
Operation Risk ◽  
The Impact

In Arctic regions, oil and gas (O&G) operations are adversely affected by harsh weather conditions and severe meteorological phenomena such as icing storms and, in certain regions, polar low pressures. Potential solutions, such as implementing winterisation concepts, are explored in the design and even operation phases in order to overcome such obstacles. Simply, the main aim of winterisation is to provide the crew and equipment units with a range of normal environmental and working conditions through, for instance, insulating equipment units, installing heat tracers, enclosing working areas, providing the crew with adequate clothing, etc. There are, however, some concerns about the efficiency of such winterisation measures and potential changes in operation risk level, of which the changes in plant downtime, production loss, and plant maintainability are the focus of present study. The issue of complex effects of winterisation measures on maintainability analysis of O&G plants operating in the Arctic offshore has gained little attention in the literature. In this study, different aspects of winterisation from the viewpoint of equipment maintainability are discussed. Further, a mathematical framework for maintainability analysis of equipment units subjected to winterisation measures is proposed. The impact of winterisation-related downtimes on plant downtime is analysed as well by employing a Monte Carlo system simulation technique. The application of the proposed framework is illustrated by a case study. The results are further compared with those for a non-winterised system designed for normal-climate regions.

scholarly journals An enhancement to sea ice motion and age products

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Tschudi ◽  
Walter N. Meier ◽  
J. Scott Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
Previous Version ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Snow And Ice

Abstract. A new version of the sea ice motion and age products distributed at the National Snow and Ice Data Center's NASA Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center has been developed. The new version, 4.0, includes several significant upgrades in processing, corrects known issues with the previous version, and updates the time series through 2018, with regular updates planned for the future. Here, we provide a history of the product development, discuss the improvements to the algorithms that create these products, and compare the Version 4 products to the previous version. While Version 4 algorithm changes were significant, the impact on the products is relatively minor, particularly for more recent years. Trends in motion and age are not substantially different between the versions. Changes in sea ice motion and age derived from the product show a significant shift in the Arctic ice cover, from a pack with a high concentration of older ice, to a sea ice cover dominated by first-year ice, which is more susceptible to summer melt. We also observe an increase in the speed of the ice in recent years, which is anticipated with the annual decrease in sea ice extent.

scholarly journals EFFICIENCY OF USING REMOTE METHODS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC (ON THE EXAMPLE OF OIL AND GAS COMPANIES)

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (4/2020) ◽  
pp. 126-139
Author(s):  
A. E. Cherepovitsyn ◽  
◽  
D. M. Metkin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
Remote Monitoring ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Russian Arctic ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Ecological Situation ◽  
Industrial Facilities ◽  
The Impact

The Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) is characterized by the fragility of the ecosystem, the slightest violation of which can lead to catastrophic negative consequences on a global scale. Due to the availability of production facilities of various scales and environmental safety classes within the territorial and aquatic Arctic, the risk of negative impact on the environment is very significant. In order to prevent possible environmental damage within the AZRF, it is advisable to carry out activities related to the implementation of continuous monitoring of the environment aimed at detecting sources that pose a potential threat to the ecosystem. Taking into account the harsh Arctic climate, the lack of the possibility of year-round land access to industrial facilities located in the Russian Arctic, the scale and peculiarities of the implementation of Arctic offshore projects for the extraction and processing of hydrocarbons, the length and congestion of the used logistic artery - the Northern Sea Route, the choice of means, which are used for monitoring the ecological situation is justified by their mobility and efficiency. In particular, such means include technologies that allow remote monitoring of the environmental situation of industrial facilities. The article outlines the role of remote methods of environmental monitoring and control in the system of environmental protection measures of the Russian Arctic, presents methods for assessing the impact of industrial facilities of the oil and gas complex (OGC) on the environment of the Russian Arctic, presents the results of assessing the effectiveness of using remote methods of environmental monitoring of industrial facilities for the production and processing of hydrocarbons (HC) in the AZRF. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the substantiation of the ecological and economic feasibility of using the methods of remote monitoring of the ecological situation in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Use of digital technology to follow the consequences of a warming Arctic climate

2021 ◽  
Vol 1201 (1) ◽  
pp. 012059
Author(s):  
L B Hætta Myrmel ◽  
O T Gudmestad
Keyword(s):  
Communication Networks ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Satellite Communications ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
Arctic Ice

Abstract The rapid warming climate is causing the Arctic ice to retreat and the permafrost to melt. These visible manifestations of the ongoing climate change are few of many environmental and societal changes that take place in the Arctic. The acceleration of digitalization and implementation of digital technology bring new opportunities to follow the consequences of the warmer arctic climate, but also introduces new challenges in this region as the dependency on the digital technology increases. This paper focuses on the cyber ecosystem and discusses digital technology available for monitoring the consequences of a warming Arctic and its impact on Critical Infrastructure (CI) in Norway, such as communication networks, electric power transfer systems, water and wastewater, transportation infrastructure, oil and gas infrastructure. The need for reliable satellite communications is emphasized.

Climate Change Impact on Canadian Northern Shipping Regulations

2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (04) ◽  
pp. 245-253
Author(s):  
Ivana Kubat ◽  
Robert Gorman ◽  
Anne Collins ◽  
Garry W. Timco
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Impact ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Northwest Passage ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Change Impact ◽  
Ice Regime ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
The Impact

The objective of this study was to find what effect climate change would have on the Zone-Date System (ZDS). The paper presents an analysis of ice conditions in the Northwest Passage (NWP) shipping lanes and the access routes to the Port of Churchill in the Hudson Strait. The analysis examines the existing and potential changes to ice regimes in the NWP shipping lanes due to the impact of climate change. The length of the shipping season in the NWP is analyzed for each zone by both the ZDS and the Arctic Ice Regime Shipping System, and both systems are then compared. This paper discusses the results of the analysis.

scholarly journals Quantifying Emerging Local Anthropogenic Emissions in the Arctic Region: The ACCESS Aircraft Campaign Experiment

2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Roiger ◽  
J.-L. Thomas ◽  
H. Schlager ◽  
K. S. Law ◽  
J. Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Local Pollution ◽  
Arctic Climate Change ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pollution Plumes

Abstract Arctic sea ice has decreased dramatically in the past few decades and the Arctic is increasingly open to transit shipping and natural resource extraction. However, large knowledge gaps exist regarding composition and impacts of emissions associated with these activities. Arctic hydrocarbon extraction is currently under development owing to the large oil and gas reserves in the region. Transit shipping through the Arctic as an alternative to the traditional shipping routes is currently underway. These activities are expected to increase emissions of air pollutants and climate forcers (e.g., aerosols, ozone) in the Arctic troposphere significantly in the future. The authors present the first measurements of these activities off the coast of Norway taken in summer 2012 as part of the European Arctic Climate Change, Economy, and Society (ACCESS) project. The objectives include quantifying the impact that anthropogenic activities will have on regional air pollution and understanding the connections to Arctic climate. Trace gas and aerosol concentrations in pollution plumes were measured, including emissions from different ship types and several offshore extraction facilities. Emissions originating from industrial activities (smelting) on the Kola Peninsula were also sampled. In addition, pollution plumes originating from Siberian biomass burning were probed in order to put the emerging local pollution within a broader context. In the near future these measurements will be combined with model simulations to quantify the influence of local anthropogenic activities on Arctic composition. Here the authors present the scientific objectives of the ACCESS aircraft experiment and the the meteorological conditions during the campaign, and they highlight first scientific results from the experiment.

scholarly journals KEBIJAKAN ANTISIPATIF DALAM MENGHADAPI DINAMIKA HARGA BBM PADA USAHA PERIKANAN TANGKAP

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 189
Author(s):  
Siti Hajar Suryawati ◽  
Andrian Ramadhan ◽  
Achmad Zamroni ◽  
Agus Heri Purnomo
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Price Increase ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Fuel Price ◽  
Post Harvest ◽  
Fishing Vessels ◽  
The Status ◽  
Fisheries Statistics ◽  
The Impact

Mengingat bahwa kenaikan ketersediaan energi alternatif belum dapat mengimbangipenurunan stok energi fosil, kenaikan harga bahan bakar minyak (BBM) di Indonesia tak terhindarkan.Kenaikan harga BBM tersebut diperkirakan memberikan dampak negatif terhadap biaya operasionalusaha perikanan tangkap, budidaya dan pengolahan. Makalah ini bertujuan untuk: menganalisiskeragaan usaha perikanan tangkap, menganalisis dampak kenaikan harga BBM terhadap usahaperikanan tangkap, dan merumuskan strategi kebijakan untuk mengantisipasi dampak kenaikan hargaBBM untuk jangka pendek dan menengah pada usaha perikanan tangkap. Untuk analisis-analisis ini,dipergunakan data-data sekunder yang diperoleh dari tiga sumber utama, yaitu statistik perikanantangkap, laporan-laporan terkait penggunaan BBM pada kapal perikanan dan laporan-laporan dampakkenaikan harga BBM pada periode sebelumnya. Hasil analisis menunjukkan: (1) Kenaikan harga BBMberdampak secara langsung proses produksi, distribusi dan konsumsi usaha perikanan; (2) Pelakuusaha perikanan melakukan usaha adaptasi dalam bentuk inovasi pembiayaan, pengurangan operasikegiatan penangkapan, penggunaan kapal pengangkut dan penjualan langsung yang memberikandampak lanjutan terhadap penurunan produksi dan penurunan pendapatan; (3) Strategi kebijakanyang dapat dipertimbangkan adalah: pertama, mendorong dan mempromosikan penggunaan energialternatif; kedua, mempertimbangkan daerah over fishing sebagai daerah konservasi; ketiga, penjaminanharga ikan berkualitas; dan keempat, peningkatan kapasitas sarana dan prasarana untuk penangananpasca panen. Kebijakan di hilir seperti penjaminan harga ikan berkualitas dan pengadaan sarana danprasarana untuk penanganan pasca panen direkomendasikan sebagai kebijakan kreatif yang dapatmemberikan dampak positif kepada pelaku usaha perikanan dan kinerja usaha perikanan secara umum.Title: Policy Anticipation to Cope With Fuel Price Dinamics inCapture FisheriesDue to the fact that the accumulating rate of alternative energies has not compensated thedecrease in stock of fossil energy, fuel price increased are unavoidable. Fuel price increases areexpected to bring negative impacts onoperationa costs of capture fisheries, aquaculture as well as fishprocessing. This paper aims to : (1) analyze the status of capture fisheries, (2) the impact of fuel priceincreased on capture fisheries activity and (3) formulate policy strategies to anticipate the impacts offuel price increased in the near future and long temperiod. This analysis used secondary data that havecollected from three main sources, namely Capture Fisheries Statistics, fuel consumption documentsof fishing vessels and reports on the impact fuel price increase of past period. Results shows that: (1)Fuel price increase impacts directly affected to production process as well as productsdistribution andconsumption; (2) Fishing vessel operators adapted to the situation through various approaches including financial innovation, reduction in fishing activities, deploying carrier vessels, and carrying out direct selling; (3) Policystrategy options consist on several points: firstly, promoting the alternative energy;secondly, converting overexploitedfishing grounds into conservation areas;thirdly, imposing quality –based pricing policies; and fourthly, increasing thecapacity of post-harvest handlingfacilities and infrastructure. Downstream policies such as price guaranty based onfish quality and provision of post-harvest facilities and infrastructure are considered as creative policies, which canpositively impact on fisheries performance.

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