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1. Introduction
Pages 12-18

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From page 12...
... North Slope oil has averaged about 20% of U.S. domestic production since 1977, and it currently provides about 15% of the annual domestic production of approximately 3.3 billion bbl and 7% of the annual domestic consumption of approximately 7 billion bbl.
From page 13...
... Environmental concerns about exploration and development on the North Slope have focused on many subjects, including but not limited to the following: · the effects of structures on the migration of fish and large mammals, especially caribou · the effects on the tundra of off-road travel · the effects on bowhead whales and other marine mammals of seismic exploration and industrial noise · the risk of toxic contamination of fish, wildlife, and plants used for food by Alaska Natives · the effects of roads (both gravel and ice) · the effects of oil spills on terrestrial, marine, and coastal ecosystems and on the humans that depend on them · the effects on a variety of ecosystems of transportation of material, supplies, and people · the extent to which effects are reversible · whether remediation is possible and will actually be undertaken Concerns have also focused on social consequences, such as the effects of new roads and access to formerly isolated communities; the socioeconomic effects of jobs related to oil and gas development; the effects on subsistence practices, either as a result of the introduction of a wage economy or because of environmental change; and loss of wildland and wilderness values.
From page 14...
... · Compounding effects synergistic effects attributable to multiple sources on a single environmental medium, such as the combined effects of gaseous and liquid emissions from multiple sources on a single area, or nonlinear effects, or interaction of natural and anthropogenic effects, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill and E1 Nino events. · Thresholds effects that become qualitatively different once some threshold of disturbance is reached, such as when eutrophication exhausts the oxygen in a lake, converting it to a different type of lake.
From page 15...
... Although the resultant climate change affects the North Slope probably more than lower-latitude areas this effect is not considered as an effect of North Slope oil and gas activities in this report because the North Slope provides only a small fraction of all the fossil hydrocarbons burned on earth. However, it is an important factor that must be considered in all analyses of this type.
From page 16...
... Moreover, they are rarely involved in the formative stages of collaborative research, and for the most part they are not involved in the actual research efforts. In addition, many Alaska Native elders, who are potentially important sources of information, do not speak English fluently or at all, and they are not schooled in communicating with Western culCUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF ALASKA NORTH SLOPE OIL AND GAS
From page 17...
... For example, Alaska Natives in the Arctic have reported changes in migration patterns of the bowhead whale, changes in the thickness and elasticity of seal skins, and changes in the taste and color of "Eskimo tea." Many changes in wildlife are apparent only to people who interact with the animals regularly; scientists who do not eat the local diet would not know, for example, that the taste of seal meat has changed no matter how much research has been conducted. If communication and collaboration were improved, traditional and local knowledge could provide scientists with new and timely hypotheses to pursue in their search for the causes of wildlife declines.
From page 18...
... It includes brief descriptions of how oil is found, extracted, and transported, and it describes the physical infrastructure of North Slope oil fields. It ends with descriptions of recent technological advances and of how oil and gas activities can affect the environment.


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