Technical procedures for recovery and evaluation of chemical spills on tundra

Abstract

Prior to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, arctic and subarctic spill response was in its infancy, and documented research into the environmental consequences of terrestrial spills in cold regions was scarce. Spills to tundra most often result from oil exploration and pipeline transport of fuels, the preponderance of documented spills having been crude oil and refined petroleum products, and the occasional spill of saline water or synthetic fluids. In their present state, North American tundra treatment guidelines generally describe the response and cleanup methods applicable to petroleum-related spills; adequate recovery methods for acid-mixture spills on tundra have not been developed. This paper describes the lessons learned from an acid/xylene spill that occurred in the central Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska (North Slope) in October 2001. Recovery (response and cleanup) methods are developed and site characterization is discussed with consideration for sampling and analysis plan design, potential problems with standard analytical testing methods, and an alternative approach to assessing contamination in frozen ground.