Environmental impact of the proposed Trans-Alaska pipeline on marine mammals in the Beaufort sea: Proposed Trans-Alaska Pipeline System potential environmental impact, possible loss of oil
Published By US Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior
Issued almost 10 years ago
US
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Summary
Description
This paper describes the Beaufort Sea and how its characteristics would influence the course of fate of oil spills in generally predictable ways: currents would move oil along the coast, usually in a westerly direction; low water temperatures would retard bacterial degradation and cause certain fractions to congeal; an ice edge would tend to trap and contain spills and aid cleanup procedures; oil trapped in or under ice floes could remain in the Pacific Gyral for years; and bottom scour by ice floes and ice islands would threaten the integrity of pipelines buried in the sea floor.