Environmental Studies Research Funds 177 Beaufort Sea Oil Spills State of Knowledge Review and Identification of Key Issues November 2010 Correct citation for this report is: SL Ross Environmental Research Ltd., DF Dickins Associates LLC., Envision Planning Solutions Inc. 2010. Beaufort Sea Oil Spills State of Knowledge Review and Identification of Key Issues. Environmental Studies Research Funds Report No. 177. Calgary. 126p. The Environmental Studies Research Funds are financed from special levies on the oil and gas industry and administered by Natural Resources Canada for the Minister of Natural Resources Canada and the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The Environmental Studies Research Funds and any person acting on their behalf assume no liability arising from the use of the information contained in this document. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Environmental Studies Research Funds agencies. The use of trade names or identification of specific products does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for use. Published under the auspices of the Environmental Studies Research Funds NE22-4/177E-PDF Environmental Research Studies Funds Report No. 177 November 2010 Beaufort Sea Oil Spills State of Knowledge Review and Identification of Key Issues by SL Ross Environmental Research Ltd. Ottawa, ON with DF Dickins Associates LLC La Jolla, CA and Envision Planning Solutions Inc. Calgary, AB Table of Contents Table of Contents............................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 3 Oil Spill Behaviour and Modelling in Ice Conditions .................................................................... 5 State of the Art in the Early 1990s.............................................................................................. 5 Research and Development Relative to Oil Spill Behaviour and Modelling in Ice Since 1990 6 Surveillance and Monitoring......................................................................................................... 12 Airborne and Spaceborne Remote Sensing............................................................................... 14 Surface-based Remote Sensing Systems .................................................................................. 21 Tracking and Long-Term Monitoring....................................................................................... 24 Possible Future Technologies ................................................................................................... 26 Containment and Recovery........................................................................................................... 29 State of the Art in the Early 1990s............................................................................................ 29 Research and Development on Containment and Recovery since 1990................................... 29 Summary................................................................................................................................... 34 In-situ Burning (ISB) .................................................................................................................... 35 State of the Art in the Early 1990s............................................................................................ 35 Research and Development Relative to In-situ Burning since 1990 ........................................ 37 Dispersants and the Use of Oil-Mineral Aggregates .................................................................... 48 Dispersant Effectiveness (DE) in Cold Water .......................................................................... 48 Presence of Ice .......................................................................................................................... 49 Brackish Water Influence ......................................................................................................... 50 Remote Location....................................................................................................................... 51 Net Environmental Benefit Analysis and Planning .................................................................. 51 Use of Oil-Mineral Aggregates (OMA).................................................................................... 52 Arctic Oil Spill Waste Management............................................................................................. 55 State of the Art in the Early 1990s............................................................................................ 55 Research and Development on Arctic Oil Spill Waste Management since 1990..................... 56 Shoreline Spill Response .............................................................................................................. 57 Case Histories of Oil Spills in Ice Conditions Since 1990 ........................................................... 61 Acute and Long-term Impacts of Spills and Countermeasures .................................................... 63 Fate of Stranded Oil: The BIOS Experiment............................................................................ 63 Marine Mammals...................................................................................................................... 64 Marine Birds and Waterfowl .................................................................................................... 66 Fish and Fisheries ..................................................................................................................... 67 Environmental Issues with Dispersant Use............................................................................... 70 Environmental Issues with In-Situ Burning.............................................................................. 71 Present Oil Spill Response Capability .......................................................................................... 73 General Reviews and Research Recommendations...................................................................... 77 Research Recommendations in the Early 1990s....................................................................... 77 Reviews and Research Recommendations in the Last Five Years ........................................... 78 -ii- Geo-References............................................................................................................................. 82 Stakeholder Views of Oil Spill Response Options ....................................................................... 84 Task Objectives......................................................................................................................... 84 Approach and Process............................................................................................................... 84 Feedback Results ...................................................................................................................... 87 Summary and Key Focus Areas................................................................................................ 92 References..................................................................................................................................... 95 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 117 Appendix A Workshop and Discussion of Key Issues ................................................................... 1 Appendix B Geographic Databases of Coastal Resources, Vulnerabilities and Sensitivities ..... 11 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 16 Appendix C List of Stakeholders Contacted................................................................................. 20 List of Stakeholders Contacted ....................................................................................................... 1 Appendix D Beaufort Sea Spill Response Sample Email............................................................... 2 Beaufort Sea Spill Response Sample Email ................................................................................... 1 Appendix E Beaufort Sea Spill Response Survey Form................................................................. 2 Beaufort Sea Spill Response Survey Form..................................................................................... 1 -iii- List of Figures Figure 1: Barge-Based Containment and Recovery System Circa 1990 ...................................... 30 Figure 2: Beaufort Sea Oil Spill Co-op Open Water In-situ Burning System Schematic ............ 36 Figure 3: Beaufort Sea Oil Spill Co-op Aerial Ignition Systems for Spills on and under Ice...... 36 Figure 4: Burning of Oiled Snow, as Proposed in 1990 ............................................................... 37 List of Tables Table 1: Airborne and Space Sensor Comparison for Spills on Water