Open AccessOil and gas impacts in northern Alaska
Author(s) -
Showstack Randy
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2003eo110004
Subject(s) - tundra , kilometer , fossil fuel , oil sands , square (algebra) , oil exploration , environmental science , petroleum industry , geology , environmental protection , mining engineering , petroleum engineering , geography , arctic , engineering , environmental engineering , oceanography , archaeology , waste management , transport engineering , geometry , mathematics , asphalt
Efforts by the oil industry and regulatory agencies have reduced, but not eliminated, the adverse environmental effects of oil and gas exploration and production on Alaska's North Slope, according to a 5 March report issued by the U.S. National Research Council. The report found that within the 230,000‐ square‐kilometer North Slope region, there have been substantial improvements in seismic exploration technologies and that operators have been more careful. “The technology used for obtaining seismic data continues to improve, but there is still potential damage to the tundra because of the large camps, the number of vehicles used, and the higher spatial density of [three‐dimensional seismic] trails. The new technology has reduced but not totally eliminated damage to the tundra,” the report said.