THE BIOS PROJECT—AN UPDATE

1983 ◽  
Vol 1983 (1) ◽  
pp. 451-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Blackall ◽  
Gary A. Sergy

ABSTRACT The Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project, formally begun in March 1980, now is entering the fourth and final year of the planned field work. The primary objectives of this internationally funded project are to: (1) determine if the use of chemical dispersants in the arctic nearshore will reduce or increase the environmental effects of spilled oil, (2) assess the fate of oil, and (3) compare the relative effectiveness of other shoreline protection and cleanup techniques. This paper provides an overview of studies sponsored by the BIOS Project during the first three field seasons. Highlighted are the major oil releases which involved a total of 40 cubic meters of medium gravity crude oil. In addition, the preliminary results of the pre- and post-spill physical, chemical, and biological studies are presented. The physical program studies predicted the proper time and location for the oil releases and monitored the subsequent physical fate and behavior of the oil. The chemical program studies monitored the pre- and post-spill hydrocarbon levels in the water, sediments, and tissue of selected macrobenthic species, and also the environmental chemistry of the study area. The biological program studies to date have characterized the macrobenthic flora and fauna, the microorganisms, and the shorter-term effects of the oil releases on the subtidal biota. The potential ramifications of the BIOS Project's results on future oil spill countermeasure strategies are discussed.

1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Blackall ◽  
Gary A. Sergy

ABSTRACT After 18 months of planning, the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project was formally initiated in March 1980. This project marks a major new initiative in oil spill countermeasures development for Canada's northern frontiers. The primary objectives of this internationally funded project are (1) to determine if the use of chemical dispersants in the Arctic nearshore will reduce or increase the environmental effects of spilled oil, (2) to assess the fate of oil, and (3) to compare the relative effectiveness of other shoreline protection and cleanup techniques. This paper outlines the background and scope of the 4-year project and provides an overview of the first field season's results. Highlighted are the preliminary oil discharges, which took place in August 1980, and which marked the start of studies on the long-term fate of oil on Arctic beaches. In addition, the results of the baseline physical, chemical, and biological studies are presented. The physical program included detailed oceanographic, meteorological, and geomorphological studies. The chemical program determined the background hydrocarbon concentrations in the sediments, the water column, and the tissue of selected macrobenthic species; and also the environmental chemistry of the study area. The biological program characterized the macrobenthic flora and fauna and the micro-organisms that are potentially capable of biodegrading the oil. The physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of the oil were measured in laboratories and in the field. The ramifications of these results on the design of the oil spills scheduled for 1981 are discussed.


1971 ◽  
Vol 1971 (1) ◽  
pp. 479-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.L. Glaeser

ABSTRACT Future oil production in Arctic regions will present the opportunity for oil pollution as a result of human error and equipment failures. In order to attain an insight into what may be expected, an assessment of the magnitude of future oil spillage is presented. In addition, factors affecting the fate and behavior of spilled oil are discussed based on the results of the U.S. Coast Guard's Arctic Oil Spill Test Program.


Author(s):  
A.A. Gorbunov ◽  
◽  
S.I. Shepelyuk ◽  
A.G. Nesterenko ◽  
K.I. Drapey ◽  
...  

1969 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 67-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Nørgaard-Pedersen ◽  
Sofia Ribeiro ◽  
Naja Mikkelsen ◽  
Audrey Limoges ◽  
Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz

The marine record of the Independence–Danmark fjord system extending out to the Wandel Hav in eastern North Greenland (Fig. 1A) is little known due to the almost perennial sea-ice cover, which makes the region inaccessible for research vessels (Nørgaard-Pedersen et al. 2008), and only a few depth measurements have been conducted in the area. In 2015, the Villum Research Station, a new logistic base for scientific investigations, was opened at Station Nord. In contrast to the early exploration of the region, it is now possible to observe and track the seasonal character and changes of ice in the fjord system and the Arctic Ocean through remote sensing by satellite radar systems. Satellite data going back to the early 1980s show that the outer part of the Independence–Danmark fjord system is characterised by perennial sea ice whereas both the southern part of the fjord system and an area 20–30 km west of Station Nord are partly ice free during late summer (Fig. 1B). Hence, marine-orientated field work can be conducted from the sea ice using snow mobiles, and by drilling through the ice to reach the underlying water and sea bottom.


Author(s):  
Alexander Krivichev ◽  
Alexander Krivichev

Russian Arctic shelf - rich larder of the hydrocarbons, at the same time Northern Sea Route (NSR) - a strategically important route for transporting them. The extraction and the transportation of the hydrocarbons along the NSR requires the solution of a number of ecological and economic problems in the first place to ensure environmental and technogenic safety. For the solving of these problems on the continental shelf it is required a system of comprehensive measures: - the development of the regulatory framework for environmental support oil and gas projects; - the introduction and use of integrated methods for monitoring environmental conditions at the sites of technogenic loads on the shelf of the Arctic seas, including the use of drones; - creating different models for assessing the marginal stability of ecosystems to technogenic loads during production and transportation of hydrocarbons on the continental shelf based on systems of dynamic simulations; - the development and use of sensitivity maps of coastal areas of the Arctic seas during oil spill response; - accounting of the results of the analysis of the total environmental benefit in the development of oil spill response plans; - application of the principle of "zero" resetting, due to the high fishery valuation in Barents and Kara seas and the conservation of marine biological resources.


Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-586
Author(s):  
Pepijn De Vries ◽  
Jacqueline Tamis ◽  
Jasmine Nahrgang ◽  
Marianne Frantzen ◽  
Robbert Jak ◽  
...  

AbstractIn order to assess the potential impact from oil spills and decide the optimal response actions, prediction of population level effects of key resources is crucial. These assessments are usually based on acute toxicity data combined with precautionary assumptions because chronic data are often lacking. To better understand the consequences of applying precautionary approaches, two approaches for assessing population level effects on the Arctic keystone species polar cod (Boreogadus saida) were compared: a precautionary approach, where all exposed individuals die when exposed above a defined threshold concentration, and a refined (full-dose-response) approach. A matrix model was used to assess the population recovery duration of scenarios with various but constant exposure concentrations, durations and temperatures. The difference between the two approaches was largest for exposures with relatively low concentrations and short durations. Here, the recovery duration for the refined approach was less than eight times that found for the precautionary approach. Quantifying these differences helps to understand the consequences of precautionary assumptions applied to environmental risk assessment used in oil spill response decision making and it can feed into the discussion about the need for more chronic toxicity testing. An elasticity analysis of our model identified embryo and larval survival as crucial processes in the life cycle of polar cod and the impact assessment of oil spills on its population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 106676
Author(s):  
Saeed Mohammadiun ◽  
Guangji Hu ◽  
Abdorreza Alavi Gharahbagh ◽  
Reza Mirshahi ◽  
Jianbing Li ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
M Naseri ◽  
Abbas Barabadi ◽  
Javad Barabady ◽  
G Voskoboynikov

Author(s):  
Carl Legleiter

The Snake River is a central component of Grand Teton National Park, and this dynamic fluvial system plays a key role in shaping the landscape and creating diverse aquatic and terrestrial habitat. The river’s complexity and propensity for change make effective characterization of this resource difficult, however, and conventional, ground-based methods are simply inadequate. Remote sensing provides an appealing alternative approach that could facilitate resource management while providing novel insight on the factors controlling channel form and behavior. In this study, we evaluate the potential to measure the morphology and dynamics of a large, complex river system such as the Snake using optical image data. Initially, we made use of existing, publicly available images and basic digital aerial photography acquired in August 2010. Analysis to date has focused on estimating flow depths from these data, and preliminary results indicate that remote bathymetric mapping is feasible but not highly accurate, with important constraints related to the limited radiometric resolution of these data sets. Additional, more sophisticated hyperspectral data are scheduled for collection in 2011, along with further field work.


1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-181
Author(s):  
W. M. Pistruzak

ABSTRACT Canadian Marine Drilling (Canmar), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dome Petroleum Ltd., is conducting exploratory drilling in the Beaufort Sea with the objective of on-stream production by the mid-1980s. If a major oil well blow-out should occur, and the probability of such an occurrence is very small, (Bercha, 1977), oil would be released to the surface of the sea until a relief well could be drilled or the well sealed itself. The relief well could be drilled during the same drill season, or, in the worst case, it might not be completed until the following year. Therefore, Dome could be faced with the problem of cleaning up an oil spill during open-water, freeze-up, and winter or spring break-up conditions. To this end, Dome has developed a contingency plan, based on, and updated according to, its ongoing research and development programs to deal with an oil spill during each of the above-mentioned periods of time. To date, Dome has invested approximately $10 million in its research and development programs. This paper deals with Dome's research and development in oil spill countermeasures for its present ongoing exploration activities and its future production and transportation systems.


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