Threat of Oil Spills in Arctic

The document "An Emergency Response Biomonitoring Plan for Accidental Spills" warns the federal government isn't fully prepared to respond in the event of an oil spill in the Arctic or in deep water offshore

An internal report warns the federal government isn't fully prepared to respond in the event of an oil spill in the Arctic or in deep water offshore.

The document "An Emergency Response Biomonitoring Plan for Accidental Spills" dated May 23, 2014, was prepared for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It was written by the consulting firm SL Ross Environmental Research Ltd. of Ottawa, and released under Access to Information laws.

"To date, there have not been any major spills related to offshore oil exploration in Canada's Arctic, but should they occur they could pose some challenges for monitoring," it says.

Knowledge of key marine species found in the region's unique habitat, such as Arctic cod, is limited, says the report.

Marine research in the area is ongoing and should be regularly gathered and assessed to offer a baseline against which any potential oil exposure could be measured, it recommends.

The report also raises concerns about the oil industry's increasing tendency to drill in 1,000 metres of water or more. Major spills at such depths create unpredictable plumes that can take days to surface.

'A significant challenge'

"From a monitoring perspective, subsea dispersant injection into these deep, subsea blowouts poses a significant challenge as evidenced by the Gulf of Mexico spill in 2010," it says.

"The behaviour of these subsea plumes is still poorly understood and will require extensive monitoring."

Newfoundland and Labrador relies on offshore oil for about one-third of government revenues. Deepwater prospects in the Flemish Pass more than 1,200 metres down and 500 kilometres offshore are touted as the next frontier for the province, along with a role in possible Arctic exploration.

Carole Saindon, a spokeswoman for the federal Fisheries department, said government is working to address some of the gaps in response readiness identified in the report.

She said funding at Universite du Quebec is helping researchers study the effects of crude oil on blue mussels under ice cover. Federal scientists are also identifying ecologically and biologically significant areas in the Arctic, "an important step in assessing the state of Arctic marine ecosystems," she said in an emailed statement.

Source: CBC

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here

Media

Taxonomy

• Oil & Gas
• Research
• Pollution