White Paper – Oil Spills in Arctic Waters

This White Paper is a compilation of research on oil spills in ice-covered Arctic waters and it offers suggestions for future study. It is subtitled, “An Introduction and Inventory of Research Activities and USARC Recommendations.”  The authors identify research entities in governmental, nongovernmental,
industrial, and private organizations, and provide
an inventory of research projects.

Given that much work is
currently in progress, they provide only a snapshot in time, and
an introduction to the topic.
While an in-depth evaluation of the research results, a prioritization
of research and development gaps, and a critical examination of the connection between research and oil
spill response capability are undoubtedly important topics,
they are beyond the scope
of this effort.

The authors hope that their foray into this subject
encourages others to address
these critical topics. Finally,
the US Arctic Research
Commission (USARC)
closes this paper with recommendations
for additional
research on the
topic of oil spills in icecovered
Arctic waters.

Click here to access the White Paper (PDF). 

© 2013, US Arctic Research Commission.

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