April 2014 v3 2D SEISMIC SURVEY OFFSHORE NORTH EAST GREENLAND EIA Report PROJECT 2D seismic survey offshore North East Greenland EIA report v3 Prepared by IGP Verified by IGP Approved by IGP, TJH IKKE TEKNISK RESUMÉ CONTENTS TEKNIKKITIGUUNNGITSUMIK EQIKKAANEQ NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY 1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Overview ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Companies involved ................................................................................... 3 1.3 Purpose of the Project ................................................................................ 4 2 Description of activities ............................................................................ 5 2.1 Overview and Programme .......................................................................... 5 2.2 Seismic Survey ........................................................................................... 7 2.3 Logistics .................................................................................................... 10 2.3.1 Vessels proposed ..................................................................... 10 2.3.2 Anticipated energy requirements .............................................. 11 2.3.3 Use of Chemicals ...................................................................... 12 2.3.4 Waste Handling......................................................................... 12 2.3.5 Air Emissions ............................................................................ 12 2.3.6 Discharges to Water ................................................................. 13 2.3.7 Alternative Project Options ....................................................... 13 2.3.8 Built in mitigation ....................................................................... 13 3 Physical Environment ............................................................................. 15 3.1 Climate ...................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Bathymetry ................................................................................................ 16 3.3 Oceanography ............................................................................................ 3 3.4 Ice Conditions ............................................................................................. 5 3.5 Baseline Chemical and Pollution Levels ..................................................... 9 4 Protected sites ......................................................................................... 11 4.1 Protected Areas ........................................................................................ 11 4.2 Summary of Valued Ecosystem Components (VECS) ............................. 14 5 Biological Environment ........................................................................... 19 5.1 Benthic ecology ........................................................................................ 19 5.2 Pelagic ecology ......................................................................................... 20 5.3 Fish and shellfish ...................................................................................... 23 5.4 Seabirds .................................................................................................... 28 5.5 Marine mammals ...................................................................................... 32 5.5.1 Overview ................................................................................... 32 5.5.2 Polar Bear ................................................................................. 33 5.5.3 Pinnipeds .................................................................................. 35 5.5.4 Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) ...................................... 37 5.5.5 Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) ............................... 40 2D seismic survey offshore North East Greenland EIA report v3 5.5.6 Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) ........................... 40 CONTENTS 5.5.7 Other large cetaceans .............................................................. 40 5.5.8 Northern Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) .................. 42 5.5.9 Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) ............................................... 42 5.5.10 Beluga or white whale (Delphina pterusleucas) ....................... 44 5.5.11 Other odontocete species ......................................................... 44 5.5.12 Summary ................................................................................... 44 6 Human activities ...................................................................................... 46 6.1 Fishing ...................................................................................................... 46 6.2 Hunting ...................................................................................................... 49 6.3 Tourism ..................................................................................................... 50 7 Impact assessment .................................................................................. 52 7.1 Assessment methodology ......................................................................... 52 7.2 Noise generated by the survey ................................................................. 57 7.3 Biological environment .............................................................................. 64 7.3.1 Benthic ecology......................................................................... 64 7.3.2 Pelagic ecology ......................................................................... 66 7.3.3 Fish and shellfish ...................................................................... 69 7.3.4 Seabirds .................................................................................... 72 7.3.5 Marine mammals ...................................................................... 74 7.3.6 Additional mitigation and residual impact assessment for marine mammals .................................................................................. 88 7.4 Human Activities ....................................................................................... 90 7.4.1 Fishing ...................................................................................... 90 7.4.2 Hunting ...................................................................................... 91 7.4.3 Tourism ..................................................................................... 92 8 Cumulative Impacts ................................................................................. 93 9 Monitoring & Mitigation ........................................................................... 94 9.1 Built-in Mitigation ...................................................................................... 94 9.2 Additional Mitigation .................................................................................. 97 9.3 Proposed Monitoring ................................................................................. 97 10 References................................................................................................ 99 Cover page image: polar bear (Ursus maritimus) with seal kill observed during 2013 survey off NE Greenland by MMSOs on TGS survey vessel. 2D seismic survey offshore North East Greenland EIA report v3 NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Proposed Project TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA (TGS) proposes to undertake a two dimensional (2D) seismic survey in the western Greenland Sea off North East Greenland between 15 August and 30 October 2014. The Survey Area (Figure A) is entirely within the Arctic Circle. The wider Survey Area includes deep wa- ters beyond the continental shelf but survey activities are largely planned over the continental shelf in relatively shallow waters around 80 to 300m deep. The survey will take place at least 12nm offshore at all times and for the most part well beyond this distance. 2D seismic surveys such as this contrast with more intensive 3D surveys where survey lines are much more closely spaced and very detailed information is col- lected, but over smaller areas. This is an important point in relation to the as- sessment since it means that any environmental effects from 2D surveys at a given location will be very short term. In contrast, the survey will take place over a relatively large area and thus has potential to affect a wider area, albeit less intensively. The purpose of the survey is to acquire data that will be used by various clients (exploration companies) to prospect for hydrocarbon resources. The data ac- quired by the survey will contribute to a more accurate and advanced under- standing of the geology and hydrocarbon potential of the area. Conducting the project as a multi-client project will eliminate (or significantly reduce) the need for the various different exploration companies to acquire the same data inde- pendently and thereby limit the overall impact to the environment. 2D seismic survey offshore North East Greenland EIA report v3 Figure A: location of TGS Survey Area (thick red line). Seismic Regulation Areas for marine mammals are also indicated.). TGS has completed survey programmes in the same area in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In 2014 the application is to acquire data from up to 7,000 line kilometres. Similar maximum values were planned in previous years but survey