The purpose of this circumpolar Arctic response viability analysis was to better understand the potential for different oil spill response systems to operate in the Arctic marine environment. There is increasing concern about the risk of oil spills as human activity increases in the Arctic. The Arctic Council’s Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (EPPR) Working Group commissioned this study of oil spill response viability for the circumpolar Arctic region, co-sponsored by Norway, the United States, and Denmark. This response viability analysis estimated the percentage of time that metocean conditions may be favorable, marginal, or not favorable for a particular oil spill response system considering the combined effects of wind, waves, air temperature, wind chill, sea ice, icing, and visibility.
Completed