Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment (2014) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 13-24
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From page 13... ...
The largest sea ice losses were documented in the Beaufort and Chukchi regions, particularly in the extremely low summer sea ice years of 2007 and 2012.1 Recent increases in surface ocean temperatures in the Arctic, particularly in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, are related to this sea ice retreat (e.g., Perovich et al., 2008, 2011)
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From page 14... ...
; all contiguous seas, including the Arctic Ocean and the Beaufort, Bering, and Chukchi Seas; and the Aleutian chain." U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area divided into the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas (Figures 1.1 and 1.2)
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From page 15... ...
All coastal commu nities receive barge shipments during the summer and early autumn open water months. Industrial activities of the region include commercial fishing in Kotzebue, Port Clarence, and Norton Sound;3 the Red Dog lead and zinc mine north of Kotzebue; and oil and gas fields on the North Slope.
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From page 16... ...
Arctic waters, focused on the Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, and Beaufort Sea. Geopolitical boundaries, principal coastal communities, cities, and bathymetry are also shown.
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From page 17... ...
is estimated to contain 11 billion barrels of undiscovered economically recoverable oil and 38 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, while the subsurface Beaufort Sea OCS is estimated to contain 6 billion barrels of undiscov ered economically recoverable oil and 11 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (at $110/barrel and $7.83/ thousand cubic feet of gas; BOEM, 2011)
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From page 18... ...
, between Kaktovik and Nuiqsut. As with the Chukchi exploration effort, vessels arrive in the Beaufort Sea by traversing the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea and rounding Point Barrow or, to a lesser degree, via Canadian waters to the east.
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From page 19... ...
Large commercial vessel traffic through the Bering Strait to Alaska's northern regions has typi cally been dedicated to servicing the nearshore and onshore oil production facilities on the North Slope, transporting zinc and lead from the Red Dog mine through its port on the Chukchi Sea, and delivering fuel, equipment, and supplies to coastal communities (Figure 1.3)
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From page 20... ...
The other 1,750 km were either lightly or very lightly oiled. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council estimates as many as 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, and 22 killer whales died as a result of the incident.
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From page 21... ...
The committee notes that the report sponsors asked for a specific focus on U.S. Arctic waters of the Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, and Beaufort Sea.
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From page 22... ...
will assess the current state of science and engineering regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region (with a specific focus on the Bering Strait and north) , with emphasis on potential impacts in U.S.
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From page 23... ...
. • Evaluate the effectiveness of oil spill response technologies under the following criteria: o Operation under various conditions and time frames (volatile fractions, wind, sea state, temperature, degree of emulsion, oil type and viscosity)
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From page 24... ...
R02581 -- Oil Spills.indd 24 7/17/14 11:15 AM
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