Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment

Abstract

A recently released National Research Council report evaluated the current state of science and engineering regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment of Arctic marine waters, with emphasis on potential impacts in U.S. waters in the Bering Strait and Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The volunteer committee reviewed research activities and recommended strategies to advance research and address information gaps, identified opportunities and constraints for advancing oil spill research, described promising new concepts and technologies, and assessed the types of baseline information needed to monitor the impacts of an oil spill and to develop plans for recovery and restoration.