40 arctic exploration
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crustal thickness maps and ocean-continent transitions where more than 40 per cent of all wild seafood is
for that ocean. And conflicts there are likely to be, as the caught in the US. Oil and gas development in the bay is
US Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic may be estimated to bring in US$7.7 billion over the 25–40 year
home to 30 per cent of the planet’s undiscovered natural lifetime experts predict it would take to extract the
gas reserves and 13 per cent of its undiscovered oil. In resources. By comparison, says the WWF, the renewable
addition, much of the reserves are projected in be in less fisheries of the Bristol Bay region are valued at
than 500 metres of water (Fig. 1). However, while US$50–$80 billion over that same time period.
countries including Canada, Greenland/Denmark, Among the WWF’s other main recommendations are:
Norway, Russia and the US jockey for exploration
positions, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has renewed l Response gap analyses should be performed
its call for a time-out on offshore drilling in the Arctic. throughout the Arctic to better understand the factors
contributing to the lack of information and timing
I
n its new report Lessons not learned: 20 years after about where local conditions exceed the limits of spill
the Exxon Valdez disaster, little has changed in how response systems. These should be integral
we respond to oil spills in the Arctic, the components of feasibility and assessment studies for
organisation wants development to be put on oil operations and part of contingency planning.
hold until technologies improve to ensure adequate
clean-up of an oil spill are available. WWF is also calling l All Arctic states should conduct comprehensive risk
on the Obama administration to permanently protect assessments of industrial activities, such as shipping
Alaska’s fish-rich Bristol Bay from drilling. and petroleum development, along with climate
Bill Eichbaum, WWF’s vice president for marine and change-induced impacts on the marine environment.
arctic policy, said: “Sea ice is disappearing and open
water seasons are lasting longer, creating a frenzy to l Arctic states should upgrade investments to improve
stake claims on the Arctic’s rich resources – especially oil existing technologies and spill response mechanisms
and gas development. Oil spills can be devastating to with enhanced involvement of local communities and
Arctic marine environments given the current lack of oil stakeholder groups who have a vested interest in spill
spill response capabilities. We need a ‘time-out’ until response outcomes.
protections are in place.”
WWF, which has the world’s largest Arctic l Arctic states should initiate a conservation plan that
conservation programme, also recommends that the assesses the health, biodiversity and functioning of
most vulnerable and important areas of the Arctic be Arctic ecosystems, including impacts of industrial
deemed permanently off-limits to oil and gas activities. Adopting a precautionary approach, this
development. Such no-go zones should be based on the plan would use extensive spatial planning to
sensitivity and productivity of special priority areas, determine permanently protected areas as well as
where oil spill response would be virtually impossible to guiding decisions about whether, when, where and
clean up or where any spill would cause irreparable how industrial activities should take place. l
long-term damage.
These areas include Bristol Bay in the southeastern
(*)
For more see Geophys. J. Int. (2008) doi:
Bering Sea in Alaska, known as America’s fish basket, 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03803.x
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