See also:
Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op
Fuel Spills in Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and Adjacent Areas
What is happening?
- There have been very few spills of petroleum (e.g. diesel fuel, gas, or hydraulic oil) within the range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd in Alaska or the nearby offshore marine area. The eight small spills reported here were accidents associated with storage or transportation.
- By comparison over 1.2 million litres was reported spilled west of ANWR, in other areas of the Alaskan North Slope, during the same period. Most of those spills were associated with exploration, oil production and transportation.
Why is it happening?
- Fuel spills occur accidentally during transport, transfer or storage. The risk of spills rises as oil and gas exploration work increases because there are more opportunities for accidents.
Why is it important?
- Spills of petroleum products can have a great impact on both marine and fresh water environments while spills on land can also cause problems when they seep into groundwater or join waterways through runnoff.
Technical Notes
- These data were obtained from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation - Division of Spill Prevention and Response.
Text revised: March 7, 2006 Data added: March 7, 2006
