Remote Sensing of Oil In and Under Ice in a Climate-Controlled Test Basin

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 1836-1856
Author(s):  
Nathan J. Lamie ◽  
Leonard J. Zabilansky
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
International Association ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Ct Scanning ◽  
Full Description ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Ice Melt

Abstract (2017-111) The ability to rapidly detect and delineate an oil spill in an Arctic environment is critical for efficient and effective response. The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOSP), Arctic Oil Spill Response Technology – Joint Industry Programme (JIP) funded a novel controlled laboratory experiment to assess the relative efficacy of a variety of remote sensing instruments. This unbiased evaluation of existing and emerging technologies was recently conducted in the Ice Engineering Test Basin at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. CRREL provided the unique testing environment for sensor evaluation using the 120 ft. long by 30 ft. wide by 8 ft. deep Test Basin. The refrigerated Test Basin was filled with a manufactured saltwater solution and an 80 cm sea ice sheet was grown with fifteen individual containment hoops. Within the individual containment hoops, oil volumes were injected at predetermined ice thicknesses leading to oil encapsulation at differing ice depths. The Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute assembled a team of remote sensing experts to select, operate and interpret sensors to examine and validate oil detection capabilities in level sea ice. Testing covered the full ice cycle from fresh oil and encapsulated oil in growing ice to migrating oil during ice melt out. Five aerial sensors were attached to a cantilevered boom on a motorized carriage operating above the ice surface, while at the bottom of the tank were nine subsea sensors installed on a computer-controlled traveling underwater platform Ice cores were obtained outside the hoops during ice growth and in designated hoops during the melt-out phase, with the objective of characterizing ice structure and oil migration using crystallography and CT scanning. Environmental measurements that would affect sensor performance such as resistivity, acoustics, air, ice and water temperatures were also recorded. This experiment provided a comprehensive side-by comparison of the sensors evaluated, while correlating measurements with the ice properties. The paper will provide a full description of the hoop layout plan, the oil injection process, and the measurements schedule that minimized sensor interference.

Seasonal evolution and salt/freshwater fluxes of first-year sea ice: Comparison between pack ice and landfast sea ice 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Oggier ◽  
Hajo Eicken ◽  
Robert Rember ◽  
Allison Fong ◽  
Dmitry V. Divine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Upper Ocean ◽  
First Year ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Freshwater Fluxes ◽  
Exchange Processes ◽  
Bulk Salinity ◽  
Landfast Sea Ice

<p>Sea ice affects the exchange of energy and matter between the atmosphere and the ocean from local to hemispheric scales. Salt fluxes across the ice-ocean interface that drive thermohaline mixing beneath growing sea ice are important elements of upper ocean nutrient and carbon exchange. Sea-ice melt releases freshwater into the upper ocean and results in formation of melt ponds that affect gas and energy transfer across the atmosphere-ice interface. The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) provided an opportunity to follow sea-ice evolution and exchange processes over a full seasonal cycle in a rapidly changing ice cover. To this end, approximately 25 sea-ice cores were collected at 2 distinct sites, representing first-year and multi-year ice, to monitor physical, biological and geochemical processes relevant to atmosphere-ice-ocean exchange processes. Here we compare the growth and decay of first-year ice in the Central Arctic during the winter 2019-2020 to that of landfast first-year ice at Utqiaġvik, Alaska, from 1998 to 2016. Ice stratigraphy was similar at both sites with about 15 cm of granular ice on top of columnar ice, with a comparable growth history with a similar maximum ice thickness of 1.6-1.7 m. We aggregated the sea-ice bulk salinity and temperature profiles using a degree-day approach, and examined brine and freshwater fluxes at lower and upper interfaces of the ice, respectively. Preliminary results show lower sea-ice bulk salinity during the growth season and greater desalination at the ice surface during the melt season at the MOSAiC floe in comparison to Utqiaġvik.</p>

Advances from Arctic Oil Spill Response Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 1487-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph V. Mullin
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Oil Spill Response

Abstract 2017-161 Over the past four decades, the oil and gas industry has made significant advances in being able to detect, contain and clean up spills and mitigate the residual consequences in Arctic environments. Many of these advances were achieved through collaborative research programs involving industry, academic and government partners. The Arctic Oil Spill Response Technology - Joint Industry Programme (JIP), was launched in 2012 and completed in early 2017 with the objectives of building on an already extensive knowledge base to further improve Arctic spill response capabilities and better understand the environmental issues involved in selecting and implementing the most effective response strategies. The JIP was a collaboration of nine oil and gas companies (BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Eni, ExxonMobil, North Caspian Operating Company, Shell, Statoil, and Total) and focused on six key areas of oil spill response: dispersants; environmental effects; trajectory modeling; remote sensing; mechanical recovery and in-situ burning. The JIP provided a vehicle for sharing knowledge among the participants and international research institutions and disseminating information to regulators, the public and stakeholders. The network of engaged scientists and government agencies increased opportunities to develop and test oil spill response technologies while raising awareness of industry efforts to advance the existing capabilities in Arctic oil spill response. The JIP consisted of two phases, the first included technical assessments and state of knowledge reviews resulting in a library of sixteen documents available on the JIP website. The majority of the JIP efforts focused on Phase 2, actual experiments, and included laboratory, small and medium scale tank tests, and field research experiments. Three large-scale field tests were conducted in the winter and spring months of 2014–2016 including recent participation of the JIP in the 2016 NOFO oil on water exercise off Norway. The JIP was the largest pan-industry programme dedicated to oil spill response in the Arctic, ever carried out. Twenty seven research projects were successfully and safely conducted by the world’s foremost experts on oil spill response from across industry, academia, and independent scientific institutions in ten countries. The overarching goal of the research was to address the differing aspects involved in oil spill response, including the methods used, and their applicability to the Arctic’s unique conditions. All research projects were conducted using established protocols and proven scientific technologies, some of which were especially adjusted for ice conditions. This paper describes the scope of the research conducted, results, and key findings. The JIP is committed to full transparency in disseminating the results through peer reviewed journal articles, and all JIP research reports are available free of charge at www.arcticresponsetechnology.org.

scholarly journals Resourcing the next industry defining spill

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hall ◽  
Dave Rouse ◽  
Paul Foley ◽  
Aaron Montgomery
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
The People ◽  
Scientific Experts ◽  
Response Network ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
The Right ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Prolonged Response

Abstract The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) response was unprecedented in scale and complexity. In addition to testing the limits of Industry's technical knowledge, it required a sustained response of personnel effort over several years. At the peak of the response, some 47,000+ responders were deployed across five states. For any future incident of similar scale the challenges of resourcing must be considered now, to ensure a timely, efficient and effective response can be achieved. Whilst the contribution of every responder is important, it is clear that some command and field roles are more critical than others. For these key roles there are a limited number of individuals with the knowledge, experience, credibility and personality to successfully take them on. Furthermore, accessing these individuals - having up-to-date contact details, maintaining business continuity and assuring their competency - is a challenge. Another common preparedness gap is that most exercises do not test the process for mobilising people past the first few days (thereby not learning lessons about the time it takes) or consider the challenge of putting people in place with the right skill set during a prolonged response. DWH was resourced using the ‘little black book' of contacts from oil spill response organisations (OSROs), Oil and Gas operators, scientific experts and the local communities. Whilst successful, there were lessons to learn from the approach. In the last 10 years the expectations from regulators, public and other stakeholders on the speed, transparency and effectiveness of response have multiplied. To meet these growing expectations a more robust and efficient way of putting the right people, in the right place at the right time is required. This poster discusses the merits and suggests a potential mechanism for a globally aligned mutual response network. Oil spill response cooperatives are ideally positioned to identify key roles, the people who could fill them, assure their capability and readiness, and address the barriers which slow down mobilisation such as agreeing contracting terms and rates. This poster will lay out the challenges that both Industry and OSROs face in resourcing the next industry defining spill. It will set out how an oil spill mutual response network answers these questions. It will also reinforce why collaboration and cooperation, key principles of Tiered Preparedness and Response, will continue to be the most efficient and effective way of accessing capability and maximising Industry's preparedness to respond to the next big incident.

scholarly journals Observations of brine plumes below melting Arctic sea ice

Ocean Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Algot K. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Salt Flux ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Salinity Reduction ◽  
Bulk Salinity

Abstract. In sea ice, interconnected pockets and channels of brine are surrounded by fresh ice. Over time, brine is lost by gravity drainage and flushing. The timing of salt release and its interaction with the underlying water can impact subsequent sea ice melt. Turbulence measurements 1 m below melting sea ice north of Svalbard reveal anticorrelated heat and salt fluxes. From the observations, 131 salty plumes descending from the warm sea ice are identified, confirming previous observations from a Svalbard fjord. The plumes are likely triggered by oceanic heat through bottom melt. Calculated over a composite plume, oceanic heat and salt fluxes during the plumes account for 6 and 9 % of the total fluxes, respectively, while only lasting in total 0.5 % of the time. The observed salt flux accumulates to 7.6 kg m−2, indicating nearly full desalination of the ice. Bulk salinity reduction between two nearby ice cores agrees with accumulated salt fluxes to within a factor of 2. The increasing fraction of younger, more saline ice in the Arctic suggests an increase in desalination processes with the transition to the “new Arctic”.

Advancing Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Techniques for Arctic Conditions

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 (1) ◽  
pp. abs105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Velez ◽  
Hanne Greiff Johnsen ◽  
Alexis Steen ◽  
Yvette Osikilo
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Distinct Advantage ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
Arctic Conditions ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
High Level

ABSTRACT Industrial and commercial activities in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, including oil exploration, have increased in recent years. The 2008 circumpolar analysis by the US Geological Survey highlighted the large quantities of undiscovered oil and gas (O&G) estimated to be present. Governments of Arctic coastal states require industry to ensure a high level of environmental protection while operating in these areas. There are unique considerations which must be addressed such as: prolonged periods of darkness and daylight, cold temperatures, environmental sensitivities, indigenous peoples and their culture, distant infrastructure and remoteness, presence of seasonal/dynamic sea ice offshore, and a generally higher cost of doing business. Oil spill response (OSR) in the ice-free season can be comparable to the response in others parts of the world, with the exception of lower temperatures and extended daylight hours. The latter is a distinct advantage for OSR operations. Prevention of spills remains a top priority for industry. To address spills, if prevention is unsuccessful, the O&G industry has made significant progress over the last decades on addressing the technical challenges of operating in the Arctic. The O&G industry has also performed work to evaluate and validate OSR response measures under Arctic conditions. Oil spill response is a demanding task in any environment, but responding to spills in Arctic regions can present different challenges, especially with presence of sea ice, than to spills found in more temperate regions and opportunities exist to improve upon this existing capability. Some response techniques have been modified or specially developed for use in the Arctic. The O&G industry will undertake a joint industry research program to further address the challenges of Arctic Oil Spill Response. This paper describes the background, planning, and scope for this Joint Industry Program (JIP).

scholarly journals Sea Ice Remote Sensing Using GNSS-R: A Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 2565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingyun Yan ◽  
Weimin Huang
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Sea Ice Thickness ◽  
Oil And Gas Exploration ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Ice Detection ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

Knowledge of sea ice is critical for offshore oil and gas exploration, global shipping industries, and climate change studies. During recent decades, Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) has evolved as an efficient tool for sea ice remote sensing. In particular, thanks to the availability of the TechDemoSat-1 (TDS-1) data over high-latitude regions, remote sensing of sea ice based on spaceborne GNSS-R has been rapidly growing. The goal of this paper is to provide a review of the state-of-the-art methods for sea ice remote sensing offered by the GNSS-R technique. In this review, the fundamentals of these applications are described, and their performances are evaluated. Specifically, recent progress in sea ice sensing using TDS-1 data is highlighted including sea ice detection, sea ice concentration estimation, sea ice type classification, sea ice thickness retrieval, and sea ice altimetry. In addition, studies of sea ice sensing using airborne and ground-based data are also noted. Lastly, applications based on various platforms along with remaining challenges are summarized and possible future trends are explored. In this review, concepts, research methods, and experimental techniques of GNSS-R-based sea ice sensing are delivered, and this can benefit the scientific community by providing insights into this topic to further advance this field or transfer the relevant knowledge and practice to other studies.

scholarly journals Creating a legacy of oiled wildlife response preparedness through the post-Macondo Oil Spill Response - Joint Industry Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Ziccardi ◽  
J.D. Bergeron ◽  
B. Louise Chilvers ◽  
Adam Grogan ◽  
Charlie Hebert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
International Association ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Response System ◽  
Oil And Gas Producers ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Response Readiness ◽  
Further Development

ABSTRACT In 2015, an ambitious wildlife response preparedness project was initiated; funded as part of the post-Macondo IPIECA-IOGP (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers) Oil Spill Response Joint Industry Project (OSR-JIP). The Global Oiled Wildlife Response System (GOWRS) Project, which involved 11 leading wildlife response organizations from seven countries, aimed to develop an international framework for oiled wildlife response as well as encourage the further development of wildlife response preparedness by industry and other stakeholders. This paper will provide an overview and assessment of the key outcomes of both the JIP-funded phase of the project (2015-16; development of internationally agreed standards and common operating procedures) and the second industry-funded phase (2017-18; focused on response readiness) in order to provide key background information to support the movement towards operationalizing the system.

scholarly journals Ten Years of Advances in Oil Spill Preparedness and Response: A Summary of Key International Industry Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Santner ◽  
M. Cramer
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Task Force ◽  
International Association ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Oil And Gas Producers ◽  
International Industry

ABSTRACT In light of the Deepwater Horizon accident, the oil and gas industry has undertaken various national and global initiatives to advance our knowledge, understanding and approach to oil spill preparedness and response. Notable amongst these, are the IPIECAIOGP (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers) Oil Spill Response Joint Industry Project (OSR-JIP) and the American Petroleum Institute's Joint Industry Task Force (APIJITF). These alone represent million dollars of investment and the collective contribution of hundreds of subject matter experts from around the world. The above two initiatives have produced numerous technical reports, good practice guides and recommended practices that have offered significant advances in industry's oil spill preparedness and response capabilities. Additionally, the various research projects conducted primarily by API have greatly enhanced the understanding of the efficacy and fate and effects of selected response options with a focus on subsea dispersant injection. This paper provides an overview and assessment of the key outcomes of these programs as well as highlighting some of the key breakthrough projects including spill impact mitigation assessment (SIMA), incident management, tiered provision of response capability, wildlife response and dispersants. The authors also describe briefly how the industry has continued this legacy through ongoing API and IPIECA/IOGP programs, together with a brief exploration of the full extent of value which may be derived from these kinds of initiatives.

scholarly journals DOME'S PETROLEUM STUDY OF OIL AND GAS UNDER SEA ICE

1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Dickins ◽  
Ian A. Buist ◽  
William M. Pistruzak
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
First Year ◽  
Oil Well ◽  
Oil Migration

ABSTRACT The main cleanup of an oil spill originating from a late-season oil well blowout in the Beaufort Sea would take place in the spring. It is at this time that the oil trapped in and under the ice would surface to accumulate in melt pools on top of the ice. To tie all the previous work on oil migration an in-situ burning together, Dome Petroleum Ltd. undertook a major oil spill experiment during the winter of 1979/80 in the Beaufort Sea. The objective of this field experiment was to determine the efficiency of burning as a countermeasure and to optimize burning techniques for oil and gas released from a Beaufort Sea blowout under ice. The experiment took place in three phases, approximately 8 kilometres offshore from McKinley Bay in the Beaufort Sea, in first-year ice. Approximately 19 cubic metres of crude oil was discharged under the ice in conjunction with gas (air). This oil surfaced in the spring in pools thick enough to burn. Some 80 percent of the oil discharged was removed from the marine environment.

Microzooplankton composition in the winter sea ice of the Weddell Sea

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Monti-Birkenmeier ◽  
Tommaso Diociaiuti ◽  
Serena Fonda Umani ◽  
Bettina Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Complete Loss ◽  
Weddell Sea ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Antarctic Sea Ice ◽  
Carbon Biomass ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Carbon Concentrations

AbstractSympagic microzooplankton were studied during late winter in the northern Weddell Sea for diversity, abundance and carbon biomass. Ice cores were collected on an ice floe along three dive transects and seawater was taken from under the ice through the central dive hole from which all transects were connected. The areal and vertical microzooplankton distributions in the ice and water were compared. Abundance (max. 1300 ind. l-1) and biomass (max. 28.2 µg C l-1) were high in the ice cores and low in the water below the sea ice (max. 19 ind. l-1, 0.15 µg C l-1, respectively). The highest abundances were observed in the bottom 10 cm of the ice cores. The microzooplankton community within the sea ice comprised mainly aloricate ciliates, foraminifers and micrometazoans. In winter, microzooplankton represent an important fraction of the sympagic community in the Antarctic sea ice. They can potentially control microalgal production and contribute to particulate organic carbon concentrations when released into the water column during the ice melt in spring. Continued reduction of the sea ice may undermine the roles of microzooplankton, leading to a reduction or complete loss of diversity, abundance and biomass of these sympagic protists.

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