Environmental Information for Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Decisions in Alaska (1994) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
7 Mitigation and Remediation of Oil and Gas Activities
7 Mitigation and Remediation of Oil and Gas Activities
Pages 153-186
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From page 153... ...
spiDs~oth the effects associated with placing equipment in arctic marine waters and the special difficulties in applying countermeasures to mitigate oil spills are discussed. To predict effects properly, one needs to know about the biological and human resources that might be affected and have some idea of the location and size of the hydrocarbon resource base.
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From page 154... ...
In dial case, it would be essential to know Be size of Me "footprint" of He activity and its ecological spatial and temporal relevance to draw any meaningful conclusions about its potential to cause lasting harm. A12EAS AFFECTED BY ICE Platform Deslon The task of designing and cons~uchng of} production platforms for regions such as He Chukchi and Beaufort seas should seem nearly impossible given He formidable environment that must be confronted, but it is not.
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From page 155... ...
Designing offshore structures that can withstand the forces exerted by moving pack ice is hardly a new problem. Similar problems with designing icebreakers (Makarov, 1901; Lewis and Edwards, 1970; Weeks and Handy, 1970)
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From page 156... ...
However, even considering these limitations, there still are enough field and laboratory data and theory to assess threats to and design criteria of offshore production structures for the OCS areas of the Beautort and Chukchi seas. One reason that some believe that it is impossible to design production structures for the Beautort and Chukchi seas is the presence of ice islands, which are produced by the breakup of portions of the Ellesmere Ice Shelf and are the tabular icebergs of the Arctic Ocean.
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From page 157... ...
In the Chukchi Sea, it is easy to conceive of production sites requiring hundreds of kilometers of subsea pipelines that transect regions where the seafloor is extensively gouged by ice. In the Beautort Sea, the area affected by gouging is smaller, because the shelf is narrower, but the problem is no less severe; gouging is generally more intense in the Beaufort Sea.
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From page 158... ...
Most gouges are oriented roughly parallel to Be coast, running generally east-west in Be Beautort Sea and nor~east-southwest in Be Chukchi Sea. In bow tile Beautort and Be Chukchi seas, where there are offshore shoals, the largest number of gouges occur on the seaward flanks of the shoals (Reimnitz and Kempema, 1984~.
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From page 159... ...
data base on gouging rates and the infilling process requires yearly replicate measurements of gouging patterns in selected regions of Be Alaskan OCS. Although some data exist (Barnes et al., 1978; Rearic et al., 1981)
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From page 160... ...
To date in the Beautort OCS, ~ of 21 wells drilled have exhibited significant quantities of oil, so we believe Tat it is desirable to know as much as possible about gouging over both the Beautort and Chukchi OCS. AQCTIC OIL SPILLS: I~CIDI FOCI ED Al SPO~SI Recent reviews of the quantity and incidence of oil discharges into We world's oceans (GESAMP, 1993)
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From page 161... ...
(OSTR, 1993~. SPIII Response The response to an of} spill in arctic conditions is complicated by three main factors: the common presence of ice, the distance from spill cleanup logistic support, and long periods of darkness and cold.
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From page 162... ...
Reprinted with permission from Oil Spill Intelligence Report Newsletter; copyright 1993, Cutter Information Corp., Arlington, Mass. problems and the effectiveness of most containment and recovery systems is compromised.
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From page 163... ...
Source: OSIR, 1993. Repnnted with permission from Oil Spill Intelligence Report Newsletter; copyright 1993, Cutter Information Corp., Arlington, Mass.
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From page 164... ...
(1990) , annual Arctic Marine Oilspill Program symposia, and biennial oil spill conferences.
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From page 165... ...
Finally, a spill could happen near fast ice or in mobile pack ice two vastly different situations. Spills In Newt Forming Sea Ice The simplest example in which the spill occurs in open water and subsequently becomes involved in newly forming sea ice occurs during the initial fall ffeeze-up when a Din first-year ice cover starts to develop.
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From page 166... ...
If the spill occurs below a region of fast ice, the ice also tends to restrict the movement of the oil, because the underside of undeformed fast ice is irregular due to local variations in ice growth rate caused by variations in the thickness and properties of the surface snow (Kovacs, 1977; Barnes, 19791. A few studies suggest that the bottom roughness of typical fast ice near the margin of the Arctic Ocean is adequate to immobilize significant quantities of oil.
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From page 167... ...
estimates that mechanical recovery has been approx~mately 15% efficient under good conditions. Even though major advances are being made for spill response in open waters as a result of the requirements ureter the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, it is unlikely that the capability for control and recovery of spilled oil in ice-infested waters will be easily improved Spills in Pack Ice The most difficult situation is when the spill occurs in a region of heavy, mobile pack ice of varied thickness the situation most commonly encountered in the Beautort and Chukchi seas, where multiyear ice is invariably present.
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From page 168... ...
As He Minor ice classes characteristically found in leads are also He ice most commonly found In pressure ridges, it is to be expected Hat numerous ridges will have oiled ice distributed throughout their complete thickness. It is also likely that the keels of pressure ridges, which can go as much as 50 m into the water, will act as skimmers to any of} present in He water column that is not electively fixed to the ice.
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From page 169... ...
When producdon areas are identified in He Chukchi and Beaufort seas, additional studies
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From page 170... ...
oil spills, there have been conflicts during spill cleanup over the desire to remove visible oil so that the environment looks "clean" and We desire to minimize the spill's environmental impact and promote natural recovery, which can mean using control methods in one area to prevent oil from entering another or leaving some of} on shorelines or in sensitive habitats when further cleanup would increase the damage caused by a spill (Lindstedt-Siva, 1979a,b)
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From page 171... ...
4 - Potential for increase in the likelihood of oil reentry to the environment. summarizes Me areas of potential harm in the four categories by various cleanup techniques in IS habitat lopes.
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From page 172... ...
Mechanical removal Mechanical removal methods include the use of special equipment developed to contain and recover oil on water, as well as conventional construction or other motorized equipment (vacuum trucks, front-end loaders) adapted for oil spill cleanup.
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From page 173... ...
, in a review of Me results of Me Baffin Island Oil Spill project- a controlled set of experimental spills in Me Canadian Arctic concluded Mat Mere are no compelling reasons Mat dispersants should not be used in Me Arctic when Weir use would result in benefits relative to over options. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM, 1986)
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From page 174... ...
This approach has been recommended for basic research, evaluation of response techniques and training (Interagency Coordinating Committee, 1992; NRC, 1993b; Owens et al., 1993~. There are many advantages of conducting experimental spills over using so-called "spills of opportunibr." First, Mere is opportunity to plan the experiment to fit the site.
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From page 175... ...
Experimental spills also are needed to evaluate spill- response technolog~es. For example, some testing of mechanical recovery equipment and chemical dispersants can be conducted in test tanks and in the laboratory.
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From page 176... ...
Such research should include the identification of those habitats and ecosystems that are unlikely to be amenable to restoration efforts; indeed, it seems safe to say that MMS should focus on nearshore and terrestrial ecosystems rather than on deepwater habitats and pelagic ecosystems. Second, MMS should take advantage of restoration efforts of industry on the North Slope and evaluate its experiences.
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From page 177... ...
Furthermore, this is a critical component to analyzing, quantifying, and managing potential effects from the ultimate downmrn of oil revenues. It is particularly deserving of attention because MMS has influence over whether facilities are located onshore or offshore, and because Be effect could vary greatly depending on whether potential revenues to the North Slope Borough, and the implied effects, are considered in the decision of where to locate facilities.
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From page 178... ...
For Be general and overall conclusions of this report, see Chapter 8. Conclusion I: The development of a good data base on gouging rates and the inhaling process requires yearly replicate measurements of the gouging patterns on selected representative regions of the Alaskan shelf.
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From page 179... ...
The ultimate consequence of inadequate offshore pipeline design could, of course, be a spill below the pack ice. The social, economic, political, and ecological consequences could be devastating.
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From page 180... ...
There is only limited experience in cold and ice-infested waters wig experimental spills. Recommendation 5: MMS should attempt to evaluate critically the relative effectiveness of different countermeasures as applied under a representative range of conditions that ought be expected in the Arctic.
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From page 181... ...
Experimental spills also are essential in the training of local industry and community spill teams. The performance of spill response teams cannot be expected to be excellent if Key are never permitted to practice using real oil.
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From page 182... ...
Conclusion 7: Outside Me U.S., the individual agencies and companies involved in arctic exploration and development are conducting experimental spill studies wig little interaction wig MMS. Recommendation 7: Institute cooperative research panning and furring of expenmental spid shies.
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From page 183... ...
Conclusion 10: Most of MMS's research on oil spills associated with lease sales has focuses! on documenting potendal effects rather than on preventing them or minimizing their consequences.
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From page 184... ...
Experimental spills are He preferred way to acquire this information, but spills of opportunity also should be studied as appropriate and a science response plan should be developed to take advantage of Be study opportunities Key provide. More work is needed on developing and verifying models Cat assess fate, behavior, and effects of spills.
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From page 185... ...
MmGAlION AND REMEDIAT1ON 185 If properly implemented, such an approach could permit MMS to work cooperatively with affected groups in a good-fai~ effort to develop relevant answers where possible and to develop mutually acceptable procedures for dealing why residual and unavoidable uncertaindes where answers are not likely within a reasonable period and at reasonable cost. Alternative: None recommended.
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