Abstract
Canada, with its immense arctic and subarctic regions, wants to develop the promising hydro-carbon potential of the Beaufort Sea, the high arctic islands, the eastern arctic and Labrador. Of necessity, Canada has gradually become a world leader in arctic marine oil spill research. Some of this research has been done by the Canadian federal government through AMOP, the Arctic Marine Oilspill Project. There has been joint oil industry/government research, such as the Beaufort Sea Project and the Baffin Island Oil Spill Project. In oil company initiatives, Dome Petroleum has been a leader in the Beaufort Sea region. Finally, a cooperative oil industry organization, the Arctic Petroleum Operators' Association and its research group, the Canadian Offshore Oil Spill Research Association, have made many important studies. Initial efforts aimed to strengthen existing containment and recovery equipment to operate in light ice conditions. When the limits of this technology were rapidly reached, research turned to developing burning techniques, including fireproof booms, in situ burning against ice edges and in spring melt pools, air deployable igniters and portable burners and incinerators. New dispersant technology was developed for aerial application, for cold water dispersion and for solidification. The effects of dispersed oil in the arctic nearshore and onshore environment were assessed. More recently, subsea containment has become an important area of study. Future research will include methods of mechanical recovery of oil in ice, oil/water emulsions in and under ice, and the mechanism of oil migration upward through pack ice.
Published Version
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