New Report Available
"Advancing Oil Spill Response in Ice-Covered Waters"
U.S. Arctic Research Commission (USARC)
Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI)
The report can be downloaded from:
http://www.pws-osri.org (what's new)
http://www.arctic.gov (publications)
For further information, please contact:
Nancy Bird
President, Prince William Sound Science Center
Director, OSRI
Cordova, Alaska
E-mail: bird [at] pwssc.gen.ak.us
Dr. Carl Schoch
Science Director, OSRI
Cordova, Alaska
E-mail: cschoch [at] pwssc.gen.ak.us
Dr. Garry Brass
USARC Executive Director
Arlington, Virginia
E-mail: g.brass [at] arctic.gov
Dr. Lawson Brigham
USARC Alaska Office Director
Anchorage, Alaska
E-mail: usarc [at] acsalaska.net
BACKGROUND
OSRI and USARC, assisted by D.F. Dickins Associates Ltd. (La Jolla,
California), produced this report to identify key programs and research
and development projects that will improve the ability to respond to
accidental oil spills in ice-covered waters. The multi- phased project
concluded with a workshop of international specialists (from Canada,
Finland, Norway, and the United States) held in November 2003 in
Anchorage.
In most high latitude areas of the world, the greatest need is to
develop a credible and effective response to oil that has been spilled
in moving, broken pack ice in the ocean, lakes, or rivers. Several
practical response strategies are already available to deal with spills
in a stable, fast ice environment. However, a notable exception involves
the lack of operational tools to detect or map oil in any ice type.
The report includes seven priority research and development programs
deserving attention:
- dispersants in ice;
- oil deflection or redirection in a broken ice field;
- remote sensing of oil under, in, among, or on top of ice;
- transferring viscous products with ice;
- chemical herders;
- enhance capabilities of existing mechanical recovery systems; and
- simulants.
Greater marine access throughout the Arctic Ocean in the coming decades
makes it imperative that research on oil spill response in ice-covered
waters be given a high priority by the responsible national authorities,
the private sector, and the entire international Arctic community.
The U.S. Arctic Research Commission and Prince William Sound Oil Spill
Recovery Institute welcome comments on this report from the U.S. and
international polar community.
The report can be downloaded from:
http://www.pws-osri.org (what's new)
http://www.arctic.gov (publications)