A Literature Review and Synthesis on the Effect of Pipeline Height on Caribou Crossing Success
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U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management BLM Alaska Open File Report 106 BLM/AK/ST-06/016+6501 +020 April 2006 A Literature Review and Synthesis on the Effect of Pipeline Height on Caribou Crossing Success Brian E. Lawhead, Julie P. Parrett, Alexander K. Prichard, and David A. Yokel The BLM Mission The Bureau of Land Management sustains the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Cover Photo Caribou graze near elevated pipelines in the Kuparuk Oilfield, northern Alaska, after reaching coastal mosquito-relief habitat on 10 July 2002. Photo by Brian Lawhead, ABR, Inc. Copyright ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. Authors Brian E. Lawhead and Alexander K. Prichard are Senior Scientists at ABR, Inc. Environmental Research and Services in Fairbanks, Alaska. Julie P. Parrett is a Research Biologist at ABR in Fairbanks. David Yokel is a wildlife biologist at the BLM Fairbanks District Office in Fairbanks. Disclaimer The mention of trade names or commercial products in this report does not constitute endorsement or rec ommendation for use by the federal government. Open File Reports Open File Reports issued by the Bureau of Land Management-Alaska present the results of inventories or other investigations on a variety of scientific and technical subjects that are made available to the public outside the formal BLM-Alaska technical publication series. These reports can include preliminary or incom plete data and are not published and distributed in quantity. The reports are available while supplies last from BLM External Affairs, 222 West 7th Avenue #13, An chorage, Alaska 99513 and from the Juneau-John Rishel Minerals Information Center, 100 Savikko Road, Mayflower Island, Douglas, AK 99824, (907) 364-1553. Copies are also available for inspection at the Alaska Resource Library and Information Service {Anchorage), the USDI Resources Library in Washington, D. C., various libraries of the University of Alaska, the BLM National Business Center Library {Denver) and other selected locations. A complete bibliography of all BLM-Alaska scientific reports can be found on the Internet at: http://www.ak.blm.gov/affairs/sci_rpts.html. Related publications are also listed at http://juneau.ak.blm.gov. A Literature Review and Synthesis on the Effect of Pipeline Height on Caribou Crossing Success Brian E. Lawhead Julie P. Parrett Alexander K. Prichard David A. Yokel BLM-Alaska Open File Report 106 April 2006 U. S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management ABSTRACT The effects of elevated pipelines on the movements of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Alaska have been studied since the late I 960s. The recent expansion of oil development west of the Kuparuk Oilfield raised the issue of pipeline height to prominence for local residents ofN uiqsut and other North Slope villages and prompted this review of the literature. Linear infrastructure such as pipeline/road corridors can act as obstructions that impede caribou movements but do not act as complete barriers unless they are physically impassable, such as large-diameter pipelines on or near the ground. Most of the pipelines in the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield were constructed in the 1970s before the minimum height of 1.5 m (5 ft) above ground level was stipulated by the State ofAlaska. Older pipelines elevated 0.4-1.1 m above ground level in the Prudhoe Bay field constitute barriers to caribou crossings in the absence of crossing ramps. The available data on pipe-height selection by caribou demonstrate that pipelines elevated to the minimum height of 1.5 mare high enough to accommodate crossings by caribou during snow-free periods. The limited data on pipeline crossings by caribou in winter indicate that pipeline heights in the range of2. l-2.5 m (7-8 ft) are more likely to be used by caribou than are lower heights. Because of a tendency for more snow to accumulate beneath lower pipe, elevating pipelines higher than 1.5 m will decrease the risk of reduced clearance between the snow surface and the bottom of pipelines, especially in severe winters. Research in northern Alaska oilfields has confirmed that the most important factor affecting caribou crossing success at pipeline/road corridors is traffic on nearby roads. The combination of high-traffic roads ( 15 or more vehicles/hr) adjacent to pipelines elevated to the minimum height of 1.5 m created a synergistic effect that reduced caribou crossing success. Hence, to be as effective as possible, elevated pipelines should be separated at or beyond the recommended minimum distances of 122-152 m (400-500 ft) from roads. Separating roads from pipelines also achieves the important purpose of eliminating snow drifts under pipelines next to roads. In addition to traffic, other factors that confound evaluation of pipeline-crossing success by caribou include differences in infrastructure and study design, caribou group dynamics, insect harassment, season, habitat, topography, and habituation. Needs for further information regarding the effects of pipeline characteristics on caribou crossing success include the adequacy of 1.5-m-high pipelines in winter (to supple ment the scant data available); the effects of habituation; the effects ofreflectivity of pipeline sheathing and other potentially confounding factors not yet investigated, such as auditory and chemical stimuli; and the adequacy of the 1.5-m minimum height for crossings by subsistence users on snowmobiles. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding for this project was provided by the Bureau of Land Management's Arctic Field Office. Stephen Murphy of ABR reviewed the draft report and provided valuable insights from his experience studying oilfield impacts on caribou. Caryn Rea, with ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., granted permission to use digital map layers of oillield infrastructure and photographs of elevated pipelines taken during research funded by ConocoPhillips Alaska. Dortc Dissing prepared the map figure. Lincoln Panelt assisted in acquiring literature. CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ....................................................................... i Introduction ............................................................................. I Methods ................................................................................ 3 Review and Synthesis .................................................................... 3 Analysis of Crossing Success ............................................................. 3 Pipeline Height ....................................................................... 5 Pipeline Height Below 1.5 M .......................................................... 6 Pipelines Elevated 1.5 M And Higher ................................................... 7 Other Factors Affecting Crossing Success .................................................. 10 Infrastructure Design . ................ 10 Crossing Ramps ................................................................... 11 Traffic ........................................................................... 12 Group Dynamics ................................................................... 12 Insect Harassment . ...... 13 Season ........................................................................... 14 Habitat And Topography ............................................................ 14 Habituation ....................................................................... 15 Conclusions ............................................................................ 15 Research Needs ....................................................................... 16 Literature Cited ......................................................................... 19 FIGURES Figure 1. Regional map of Alaska North Slope oilfields, 2004................................... 2 Figure 2. Pipeline-height categories used for crossings by caribou in relation to availability along the Endicott pipeline/road corridor, northern Alaska. ................................. 9 Figure C-1. Elevated pipeline design using "potato-masher" style of oscillation dampener, or TVA, for the Meltwater Project, northern Alaska............................................. 30 Figure C-2. Pipeline elevated to 1.5-m minimum height and showing older spherical style and newer "potato-masher" style of oscillation dampeners, and reflectivity of standard sheathing, Kuparuk DS-2L project, northern Alaska ........................................... 31 Figure C-3. Pipelines with nonreflective sheathing and elevated to a minimum height of 2.1 m, constructed in winter 2001-2002, Kuparuk DS-3S project, northern Alaska................ 32 TABLES Table 1. Study design criteria used to evaluate crossing success of caribou groups encountering pipeline/road corridors in the Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk oilfields, northern Alaska........... 4 APPENDICES Appendix A. Measurement Units and Acronyms ................................................25 Appendix B. Experts Consulted............................................................. 27 Appendix C. Infrastructure in Alaska North Slope Oilfields .......................................29 Appendix D. Annotated Bibliography. ......................................................33 ii INTRODUCTION local residents about the adequacy of minimum pipeline height stipulations, especially for caribou encountering In the North Slope oilfields of arctic Alaska (Figure infrastructure during