Effects and Potential Effects of Oil
and Gas Activities in the Arctic
An Assessment of the Arctic Council 2008
Key Findings and Recommendations
Dennis Thurston
www.amap.no
Lessons from Continuity
and Change in the Fourth
International Polar Year
Symposium
March 4-7, 2009
Oil and Gas activity in the Arctic is
likely to increase
Hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic are substantial
Oil
Gas
Oil and Gas activity in the Arctic is
likely to increase
There is a long history of oil and gas exploration
and production in the Arctic
400,000 km
Exploration and
Discovery Wells
2D Seismic data
acquisition
200,000 km
Oil and Gas activity in the Arctic is
likely to increase
Levels of oil and gas activities in the Arctic are
affected by many factors
Areas Leased or Licensed for Petroleum
Production wells drilled
Oil and Gas activity in the Arctic is
likely to increase
Oil and gas activities are likely to expand into new
areas
Oil and Gas activity in the Arctic is
likely to increase
Arctic oil and gas transportation systems will
expand
Findings – Social and Economic Effects
Oil and Gas activities are major drivers of
change
Effects are mitigated by the planning,
regulatory and allocation functions of
governments
Findings – Social and Economic Effects
Effects vary by scale and “life-cycle” stage
of oil and gas activity
Indigenous Arctic peoples are becoming more
involved and affected as development expands
Findings – Social and Economic Effects
The economic value of activities plays a
significant role in national, regional and
local-level effects
Findings – Social and Economic Effects
Governance, regulatory systems, and
international standards are important aspects of
the performance of industry
Use of international standards and best practices
are contributing to reduction of negative
environmental and socioeconomic effects
Legal regimes are relatively stable, modern and
designed to protect human health, rights of
indigenous residents and the environment, but in
some cases regulatory systems are outdated,
incomplete, or enforcement is inadequate
Contamination from oil and gas activities
in the Arctic is relatively small compared
to inputs from natural seepages
• Natural seeps--Majority of total input of oil
hydrocarbons
• Several sources of emissions exist, and result in
local pollution in some areas
• Oil and gas activities are currently a minor source
on a regional scale, but can be important locally
• Has the potential for large-scale accidental or
long-term releases of contamination to land and
sea
Levels of oil hydrocarbons and
PAH in the Arctic environment are
generally low, except in some local areas
o
Low background concentrations of oil hydrocarbons
and PAH are found in the Arctic marine environment
o
Information on oil hydrocarbons and PAH on land and
in freshwater systems is more limited, but the
available information indicates low levels in areas
distant from human activities
o
Elevated concentrations of oil hydrocarbons and PAH
are usually found close to industrial and urban
communities in the Arctic
(5) Physical impacts, disturbances and
habitat fragmentation are the main issues
for terrestrial environments
5.1 Oil and gas activities leave a physical “footprint”
on land
(5) Physical impacts, disturbances and
habitat fragmentation are the main issues
for terrestrial environments
5.2 The physical impact from past activities has
affected varying proportions of tundra
environments
(5) Physical impacts, disturbances and
habitat fragmentation are the main issues
for terrestrial environments
5.3 Modern oil and gas activities leaves smaller
physical “footprints” than corresponding
activities in the past
(5) Physical impacts, disturbances and
habitat fragmentation are the main issues
for terrestrial environments
5.4 Oil spills on land have limited spatial extent
compared to oil spills at sea but may have longlasting impact
(6) Oil spills have the
greatest potential to impact
aquatic environments
6.1 Small spills are relatively
frequent while large spills
are rare events
6.2 Seabirds and fur-bearing
marine mammals are
vulnerable to oiling
6.3 Whales have low vulnerability
to oiling in general but their
vulnerability could be higher in
ice-covered waters
6.4 Even small spills can affect
many animals if they occur at
times and places where the
animals have congregated in large
numbers
6.5 Small cod-fishes that spawn
under the ice are sensitive
components of arctic marine
ecosystems
6.6 An oil spill in ice-covered waters
could have large ecological impact
7 Oil and gas activities have had
environmental effects locally but longterm changes to arctic wildlife
populations have not been documented
• 7.1 Pollution effects due to oil and gas activities in the
Arctic are local
• 7.2 Physical impacts in the marine environment are local
• 7.3 Noise associated with oil and gas activities is a source
of disturbance
• 7.4 There is little evidence that Arctic oil and gas activities
have caused long-term changes to arctic wildlife
populations
• 7.5 Exposure to oils affects the quality of fishery products
for human consumption by imparting to them undesirable
tastes and odours that persist for variable periods
Human health in the Arctic can potentially be
affected by oil and gas activities but there is
limited information to assess if effects have
occurred to date
• 8.1 Some components of crude oil have the potential to
cause acute and chronic human health impacts
• 8.2 There are insufficient human exposure and
epidemiological data available for the Arctic region to
conclude whether non-occupational population groups are
currently affected and to undertake a risk assessment
• 8.3 Psychological damage appears to be a consistent
impact of oil spill situations
• 8.4 There are insufficient human exposure and
epidemiological data available for the Arctic region to
conclude whether non-occupational population groups are
currently affected and to undertake a risk assessment
• 8.5 Oil and gas activitiy in the Arctic can have a positive
impact on health.
(9) Technology and use of best practices
have lowered the environmental impacts,
but additional risks may occur as
conditions change or new areas are
explored and developed
9.1 Technology and practices have adapted and
evolved to deal with arctic operating and
environmental conditions
(9) Technology and use of best practices
have lowered the environmental impacts,
but additional risks may occur as
conditions change or new areas are
explored and developed
9.2 Changing conditions at existing fields and
exploration and development in new areas may
introduce additional risks for potential impacts on
sensitive arctic species and habitats
(10) Governance, regulatory systems,
and international standards are
important aspects of the performance of
the oil and gas industry in the Arctic
10.1 The use of international standards and best
practices are contributing to reduction of negative
environmental and socioeconomic effects from oil
and gas activities
(10) Governance, regulatory systems,
and international standards are
important aspects of the performance of
the oil and gas industry in the Arctic
10.2 Arctic national oil and gas legal
regimes are relatively stable, modern
and designed to protect human health,
rights of indigenous residents and the
environment, but in some cases
regulatory systems are outdated,
incomplete, or enforcement is
inadequate
Chapter 7 Recommendations
Recommendations
• Managing oil and gas activities in the
Arctic
• Lack of information for assessment
• Monitoring to improve the basis for
assessment
• Gaps in knowledge
2. Managing oil and gas activities in the
Arctic
Prevention of oil spills
2. Managing oil and gas activities in the
Arctic
Use of best practices
2. Managing oil and gas activities in the
Arctic
Pollution prevention
3 Lack of information for assessment
Point sources of pollution and
concentration gradients
3 Lack of information for assessment
Habitat fragmentation
3 Lack of information for assessment
Socio-economic conditions and human
health
3 Lack of information for assessment
Standards and regulations
Monitoring
•
•
•
•
•
•
Contaminated and polluted areas
Compliance monitoring
Integrated monitoring and assessment
Animal populations
Human health
Environmental impact assessment
Gaps in knowledge
• Research to improve technology
• Oil spill clean-up
• Comparative studies of socio-economic
effects
• Human health
• Contaminated sites (e.g., previous spill
sites) and natural seeps
Gaps in knowledge (2)
•
•
•
•
•
Behaviour and fate of oil in sea-ice
Exposure and toxicology
Animal populations and ecosystems
Sensitive areas
Coordination of research