Progress and products

Barrow Experts' Workshop: Reducing Risks in Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration

The North by 2020 Oil & Gas theme hosted the workshop, "Reducing environmental risk and impacts in Arctic coastal and offshore oil and gas exploration," in Barrow, AK, November 12-14, 2008.

The workshop addressed key questions on how technological advances, local knowledge, science, and adaptive management can together minimize the environmental risks and impacts of offshore oil and gas development, particularly in the exploration phase. Roughly 90 participants from the North Slope, industry, government, academia, Canada, and Norway, with expertise in Iñupiat environmental knowledge,Arctic technology, spill response, management regimes, stakeholder involvement, and natural and social sciences, came together over two-and-a-half days to exchange information and address challenging questions in an open classroom-style setting. Sessions on reducing discharges, reducing noise, and spill response featured presentations on local concerns, state-of-the-art technologies, and integrating science and local knowledge, followed by constructive discussion of key questions and concerns. On the final day, work in smaller groups brought out shared values, and helped identify the next steps in research and information exchange.

From 28 April to 8 May 2008, the North by 2020 Oil & Gas theme hosted Prof. Anatoly Zolotukhin, an internationally recognized experted in coastal and offshore oil and gas development, Vice-Rector for International Affairs from the Russian State Gubkin University for Oil and Gas and faculty member at the University of Stavanger in Norway. Prof. Zolotukhin met with a number of different stakeholder groups, as well as faculty and students at the University of Alaska campuses in Anchorage and Fairbanks and in the community of Barrow. Public presentations, meetings with a number of different stakeholder working groups and discussions at the University of Alaska focused on technical and environmental opportunities and challenges for offshore oil and gas development in a global market. Through his unique Norwegian-Russian perspective that combines industry and academic backgrounds, Prof. Zolotukhin was able to provide important background information and share international experiences relevant for future development in Alaska. Copies of his presentations can be downloaded below; a summary of a panel discussion with Prof. Zolotukhin is accessible here.

Presentation 1 at the International Association for Energy Economics, Anchorage April 29: Future Development Prospects and Technical Challenges in the Russian Arctic

Presentation 2 at the University of Alaska Anchorage (hosted by the Complex Systems Group, UAA): Environmental Challenges for Oil and Gas Development in the Arctic

Presentation 3 at the University of Alaska Anchorage (Graduate Class in Project Management): Economics of Safety for Offshore HC Field Development Projects

Presentation 4 at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Institute of Social and Economic Research: Development of the arctic resources and the Norwegian experience

Presentation 5 in Barrow, Alaska: Development of the arctic resources and the Norwegian experience

Presentation 6 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dept. of Petroleum Engineering: Development of Arctic resources and international experience

Presentation 7 at the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Luncheon: Development of the Arctic resources and international experience

Presentation 8 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (Host: Students who enjoy economic thinking - SWEET): Economics and geopolitics of global energy processes

- Following out of our first organizational meeting in Fairbanks, has been networking among a group of people interested in the North by 2020 Oil & Gas theme. A list of participants and contact information can be obtained here by reading our Meeting Summary (pdf) and further explanation of our objectives and activities are in the presentation (pdf). We are very much interested in expanding this dialog and invite you to contact one of the themeleaders if you want to be added to the distribution list. This website will also serve as a hub for information and updates.

- We are coordinating our activities with IPY Project 310 (The Impacts of Oil and Gas Activity on Peoples of the Arctic Using a Multiple Securities Perspective), led by Prof. Gunhild Hoogensen from the University of Tromso (http://classic.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=310 ). Our theme and the IPY-310 group have complementary interests and we are planning to jointly address synthesis during the latter phase of the IPY. Prof. Sharman Haley (on a Fulbright Fellowship in Norway in Summer/Fall 2007) and Matthew Klick (Master’s student at UAF) participated in a first project meeting of IPY-310 in August 2007. A report of the IPY310 Project meeting and status compiled by Prof. Haley is available here.

- During her Fulbright Fellowship visit to Norway, Prof. Haley attended the Deep Offshore Technology Conference in Stavanger in October 2007. The meeting had a number of talks highly relevant to the questions North by 2020 is addressing in regards to Arctic offshore oil and gas development. A report of the meeting can be downloaded here .

- The Arctic Council’s Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA,http://arcticportal.org/pame/amsa ) coordinated by Dr. Lawson Brigham is highly relevant for coastal oil and gas development. We have participated in AMSA workshops and are discussing on a collaborative effort to examine regional impacts for the Bering Strait region in a scenarios modeling approach.

- Our regional focus on the North Pacific (sub)Arctic sector includes a partnership with our colleagues in Japan at Hokkaido University and elsewhere. We are conducting joint field research and are planning a joint conference/workshop with our partners at the Pan-Okhotsk Research Center (http://wwwoc.lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp/en/index.html ).

Information exchange and archival:

While this website serves as a repository of information and activities, the following activities related to our theme are of interest as well:

- The IPY Arctic Observation Network (AON) comprises a number of projects that are collecting relevant environmental as well as socio-economic data of interest to this theme (and include participation by a number of theme members), access more information on AON projects at http://www.eol.ucar.edu/projects/aon-cadis/projects/#ocean .

- North by 2020 and the Alaska Ocean Observing System organized a roundtable discussion in Anchorage, October 11, 2007 (back-to-back with the Oil & Ice Workshop) to initiate a discussion on the exchange and archival of relevant environmental data collected over the Alaskan shelves and coasts (as well as other regions) by researchers, industry, agencies and other groups. This meeting is seen as the first step in building a network and partnership to establish data exchange in order to fill data gaps and address stakeholder and scientific information needs (in partnership with Alaska Ocean Observing System, www.aoos.org). Our Roundtable Meeting Notes (pdf) offer more detail.

Research and case studies:

As part of the IPY, a number of research projects associated with this theme are underway (see above). Some examples include:

- Graduate student Matthew Klick is working towards a degree in resource economics studying oil and gas development in Northern Norway.

- Graduate student Matthew Druckenmiller is examining the role of geophysical and Iñupiat sea-ice knowledge in mitigating and responding to oil spills and other hazards in ice-covered waters.

- The Seasonal Ice Zone Observation Network (SIZONet, http://www.eol.ucar.edu/projects/aon-cadis/projects/), with contributions by Hajo Eicken, Amy Lovecraft and others, is examining how the concept of sea-ice systems services can help in planning and implementing an integrated observing network.

Adaptive Information Management:

- A key theme of North by 2020 is the question of how to cope with errors, uncertainty and unpredictability in the context of planning for different futures in a changing, highly variable Arctic environment. Addressing this question successfully will require an integrated approach to information management that is adaptive, i.e., responsive to user needs with a data acquisition approach that samples the relevant scales and specifies associated errors and uncertainties. These questions will be addressed during the synthesis phase of the project, in collaboration with the Complex Systems Theme.

Synthesis:

- The latter stages of the IPY will focus on synthesizing the information and determining future needs and information gaps. This process will also examine change and adaptation in the Arctic from the broader perspective of North by 2020 in its entirety and explore specific recommendations for research and policy. The oil & gas theme has plans for a synthesis workshop in Summer/Fall of 2008 that would include a focus on a comparative examination of the Okhotsk Sea and Alaskan Seas in the context of interplay between environmental and socio-economic change now and in the future.

Outreach and education:

- Following up on one of the oil & gas theme group meetings, the 2007 graduate class in Adaptive Management and Integrated Assessment taught by Professors Gary Kofinas and Branka Valcic completed a class project on citizens’ involvement in oil and gas development and planning. The group met with different stakeholder groups, gave public presentations in Fairbanks and Barrow and produced a report and DVD summarizing their findings and activities. Please see The Study of North Slope Community Sustainability and Citizens' Involvement in Oil and Gas Development(pdf). For further information, please contact Prof. Kofinas (ffgpk@uaf.edu).

- Several theme members gave public presentations or were involved in outreach activities to stakeholder groups and the general public. Recently, Amy Lovecraft spoke to the Alaska Municipal League about the importance of North by 2020 and its focus on oil and gas. This has led to a series of contacts with UAF’s Cooperative Extension which we hope can lead to greater public participation at the municipal level.

- For spring of 2008, members of the oil & gas theme will offer an interdisciplinary field course that focuses on sea-ice system services as relevant to oil & gas development and other activities and uses (for more information contact Hajo Eicken).