Building a strong knowledge base to support regulatory decisions
on offshore oil and gas activity
The Beaufort Regional Environmental Assessment (BREA) is a multi-stakeholder initiative that provides an opportunity forInuvialuit communities, industry, governments, academia and regulators to prepare for oil and gas activity in the Beaufort Sea by: filling regional information and data gaps related to offshore oil and gas activities; and supporting efficient and effective regulatory decision-making by providing scientific and socio-economic information to all stakeholders.
To date, 17 research projects have been selected to gather new regional information and assist regulators and Inuvialuit communities in understanding the Beaufort Sea environment as it relates to offshore oil and gas exploration and development.
1. Impacts of Development in the Beaufort Sea on Fish, their Habitats and Ecosystems
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in collaboration with six Inuvialuit communities, will conduct a four-year (2011-2015) study that will include a fishing survey in deeper waters of the outer continental shelf as well as slope areas of the Beaufort Sea. Researchers will study both bottom-dwelling and mid-water fish species, documenting the size of their populations, habitats, diets, roles in the food chain and migratory patterns – something which has never been done before. Increased understanding of the ecosystems on which fish species depend will support environmental assessments and sound decision making regarding fish habitat and offshore oil and gas activities.
2. Active Acoustic Mapping of Fish in the Beaufort Sea
Arctic cod is the main food source for seals, whales and birds in the Beaufort Sea Region. This cutting-edge project, led by ArcticNet, will use state-of-the-art fisheries sonar technology to map the distribution and abundance of Arctic cod and other fish in the offshore Beaufort Sea during the summer months. This new information will supplement existing research into the winter distribution patterns of Arctic cod.
3. Coastal and Marine Bird Usage of the Beaufort Sea Region
The Beaufort Sea Region provides marine and coastal habitat for hundreds of thousands of migrating and breeding birds. Environment Canada will lead this project to identify important nearshore and coastal nesting, feeding and migration areas. The study will compile existing information on coastal bird usage and will identify species, numbers and distribution of birds. A digitized Geographic Information System will be used to identify bird sensitivity areas in the Beaufort Sea based on available information. The information will be valuable to oil and gas developers and regulators through the environmental assessment process to ensure that negative impacts of development on birds are minimized.
4. Database and Atlas of the Birds of the Canadian Beaufort Sea
This project will synthesize existing information on offshore bird populations in the Beaufort Sea into a geo-referenced database. The database will include information on the offshore occurrence of birds, species, gender, age, date, location, movement and the data source. This work will complement the coastal bird population project being led by Environment Canada and will be led by a private consultant.
5. Overwintering in the Beaufort – Assessing Damage Potential to Vessels
Vessels filled with fuel are frozen into ice that is anchored to the shoreline (land-fast ice) throughout the Beaufort region over the winter months. The practice, called over-wintering, has raised concerns in some northern communities about the potential for oil spills. This project will assess whether vessels or barges experience any significant damage when overwintering in land-fast ice. The information will be used to make recommendations to Inuvialuit communities and regulators on the best ways to reduce the likelihood of damage to vessels overwintering in ice in the nearshore region of the Beaufort Sea that could pose environmental risks.
6. Southern and Northeastern Beaufort Sea Marine Observatories
This initiative will see three oceanographic observatories, each composed of two moorings, established to collect year-round marine observations of the Beaufort Sea. Researchers will monitor and interpret the information generated on sea ice, ocean circulation and biogeochemical fluctuations throughout the region. The four-year project, led by ArcticNet and an Inuit-owned environmental and engineering company, will collect data to gauge the physical conditions and variability of the Canadian Beaufort Sea year over year. This information will provide previously unavailable scientific evidence of oceanic and sea ice conditions, enabling regulators to make informed decisions about potential environmental effects of exploration drilling in the Beaufort Sea.
7. CanICE – A Sea Ice Information Database and Web-Based Portal
Sea ice exerts important seasonal effects on weather and climate, marine ecosystems, the safety of marine transportation, northern communities and offshore resource development and exploitation. Whether preparing policy or regulations, assessing the impacts of activities on ecosystems, designing sustainable infrastructure, or planning and conducting safe and secure shipping, information about sea ice conditions is vital given the variable and harsh Arctic marine environment. Environment Canada, in partnership with several universities, will create a publically accessible database that captures existing information on sea ice features including coverage, concentration, type, characteristics and extreme ice hazards. Access to the database will be through the Polar Data Catalogue. The interoperable database will enable online, open access to historical and current sea ice information and will allow others with sea ice information to add data to this central information source.
8. Measuring the Thickness and Strength of Deformed Multi-Year Ice in the Beaufort Sea
There is growing evidence that the amount of ice that survives each summer in the Arctic is decreasing in extent and thickness. Icebergs and ice islands, deformed multi-year ice and extremely thick ice continue to pose a hazard to offshore activities in the Beaufort Sea, both today and for the foreseeable future. This project, led by the Canadian Hydraulics Centre of the National Research Council of Canada, will describe the thickness and strength of extreme ice features in the Beaufort Sea at ice depths where no information currently exists. The research will provide information needed to better engineer structures to withstand the impacts of deformed multi-year ice. Increased knowledge of dangerous ice features will also enhance the decision-making capacity of regulators and industry.
9. Radars at Mapping of Extreme Ice Features in the Southern Beaufort Sea
There is growing global interest in marine shipping and oil and gas development in the Southern Beaufort Sea as ice cover in Arctic waters diminishes over the summer months. However, hazardous ice remains a risk to industrial operations in the region. This research will provide regionally relevant information on extreme ice features along the northwestern flank of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The University of Manitoba is leading a team of investigators that will use Radarsat technology to detect, monitor and eventually model the distribution and motion of hazardous ice features and their movement over significant oil and gas exploration licenses in the area. This scientific knowledge will be married with information collected by local residents participating in a new community-based pilot program to monitor sea ice thickness.
10. Understanding Extreme Ice Features in the Beaufort Sea
Among the most serious challenges to operating in the Beaufort Sea are widely varying sea ice types and severe ice conditions. This project will see the University of Alberta use electromagnetic surveys and drift beacons to perform large-scale, airborne ice thickness surveys to quantify the thickness and regional distribution of multiyear ice and extreme ice features in the Southern Beaufort Sea. The results of this research will improve understanding of how sea ice moves in response to winds and currents, and will contribute to the development of tools to predict ice drift. Being prepared for any and all eventualities is one of the realities facing regulators and industry contemplating offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling.
11. Beaufort Sea Environmental Database
Over the years, a significant amount of environmental data has been collected in the Beaufort Sea, but it is widely scattered. Searching for the best available datasets is often difficult. Downloading, extracting and visualizing the information from various sources and file formats is even more challenging and time consuming. The Canadian Hydraulics Centre of the National Research Council of Canada will develop an integrated database for the storage, query and visualization of all key relevant environmental data for the Beaufort Sea. This single-window information source will give regulators access to definitive regional environmental information. Specific applications will be developed to determine design ice loads for offshore platforms and marine operations.
12. Forecasting Extreme Weather and Ocean Conditions in the Beaufort Sea
Drilling operations in the Beaufort Sea are increasingly focused on the shelf break between the deep and shallow parts of the Sea – an area characterized by extreme weather events, ocean currents and waves. This research will develop and implement an integrated ocean-wave-ice-atmosphere prediction system to forecast the changing marine weather, sea ice and ocean conditions. This invaluable information will support the Global Maritime Distress Safety System’s warnings and information services for the Arctic. It will be equally vital to oil and gas exploration and development by providing forecasts that will inform operations in the Beaufort Sea.
13. Seasonal Forecasting of Ocean and Ice Conditions in the Beaufort Sea
Predicting the weather days in advance is standard fare in most parts of the country. But for oil and gas companies considering exploration and drilling activities in the Arctic, anticipating what the weather will be like over the coming year is extremely important. This project, led by Environment Canada, will create a high-resolution forecasting system capable of predicting ocean and sea-ice conditions in the Beaufort Sea region from one to twelve months in advance. The research will provide enhanced regional detail in operational seasonal predictions and contribute directly to the development of improved climate prediction products. This will serve both regulators’ and industry’s operational needs, now and in the future.
14. Deep Water Seabed Geohazards
Oil and gas exploration in the deep waters of the Beaufort Sea requires knowledge of seabed stability conditions to ensure safe drilling practices. Under this initiative, the Geological Survey of Canada will conduct a regional assessment of seabed instability conditions, such as mud volcanoes, gas vents and faults, subsea permafrost and the severity of these geohazards. Seabed geohazard research provides baseline knowledge in support of spill prevention and contributes to the preservation of the marine ecosystem and protection of renewable resources. Research findings from this regional assessment will be essential for environmental impact assessments and will support informed decision making in the development of an effective regulatory regime.
15. Biological Data to Assess the Net Environmental Benefits and Costs of Dispersants and In-Situ Burning in Oil Spill Response
An important part of oil spill response planning is to develop tools to assist in assessing the risks from oil spills and the benefits of countermeasures (e.g., dispersants, burning) used to fight them. This project will examine traditional knowledge to identify Inuvialuit environmental protection priorities in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Traditional knowledge will be combined with scientific data to:
- describe Inuvialuit harvesting and other activities;
- describe the fish, bird and marine mammal populations upon which these activities depend; and
- assess the vulnerability of all of these to effects of spills and countermeasures.
Using realistic spill scenarios, this information will be used to illustrate the use of net environmental benefit analysis to assess the merits dispersant and in-situ burning in responding to oil spills in the Beaufort Sea.
16. Polar Bears in the Deep Offshore Regions of the Beaufort Sea: A Preliminary Study to Estimate Distribution and Density in Previously Under-Surveyed Areas
The potential presence of polar bears in the deep waters of the offshore region of the Beaufort Sea has been a longstanding interest of Inuvialuit communities, but scientific surveys for bears in this region have never been undertaken. This study, being led by the Joint Secretariat, will involve an aerial survey in early March 2012 to document the distribution and density of polar bears in the deep offshore region of the Beaufort Sea. Preliminary estimates of bear density in the offshore region will enable regulators to better understand the potential effects of offshore oil and gas development activities on these marine mammals. At the same time, results from this study will help guide further studies into population structure in this part of the Beaufort Sea, eventually leading to a longer-term understanding of polar bears in the region.
17. Delineation of Extreme Ridges in High Resolution Satellite-Based Radar Imagery
This project, led by C-Core, will demonstrate the feasibility of using satellite-based imagery to delineate extreme ridge features in sea ice of the Beaufort Sea. Data collected from ice profiling sonar maintained by the Institute of Ocean Sciences (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) will be compared to high resolution satellite radar images for the detection of these extreme ice features. Knowledge of the spatio-temporal frequency of ice ridges will provide valuable information for engineering design and transportation issues related to oil and gas activities in the Beaufort.
