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Navigation

• Chapter 1: Oil and gas resources on the Arctic Con
• 1.1. Russia’s oil and gas industry - a historical
• 1.2. Oil and gas raw material base on the Russia’s
• 1.3. Strategy for developing the oil and gas poten
• 1.4. Oil resources on Russia’s Euro-Arctic shelf
• 1.5. Gas resources on Russia’s Euro-Arctic shelf
• 1.6. Development of offshore oil and gas reserves
• 1.7. Subsoil regulation in Russia
• 1.8. Companies operating on the Arctic shelf
• Appendix I - I
• Appendix I - II
• Appendix I – III
• Appendix I – IV
• Appendix I - V
• Appendix I - VI
• Appendix I - VII
• Chapter 2: Transporting oil and gas in Northwest R
• 2.1. State regulations and strategies
• 2.2. Existing transport systems in Northwest Russi
• 2.3 Navigation
• 2.4. Future plans for oil and gas transport in Nor
• Chapter 3. Environmental risks when extracting an
• 3.1. Environmental risk when carrying out geologic
• 3.2. Environmental risks when exploiting oil and g
• 3.3. The Environmental risk when transporting oil
• 3.4. The state of the environment in the Pechora,
• Appendix III - I
• Appendix III - II
• Chapter 4. Oil and gas accidents – prevention and
• 4.1. Accidents and incidents: causes and consequen
• 4.2. Oil spill classification and responsibilities
• 4.3. Drafting plans for eliminating accidental oil
• 4.4. Eliminating spills
• 4.5 The Barents Sea’s Emergency Rescue Organizatio
• 4.6. Assessing damage and fines
• 4.7. The role of public organisations
• Appendix IV - I
• Appendix IV - II
• Appendix IV - III
• Chapter 5. Environmental impact of oil and gas ac
• 5.1. The Barents Sea
• 5.2. Environmental impact of oil and petroleum pro
• 5.3. The key areas for preserving bioresources in
• Appendix V - I
• Appendix V - II
• Appendix V - III
• Conclusion
• Appendix VI. The future of the northern regions

Chapter 5. Environmental impact of oil and gas activity in the Arctic

This chapter presents detailed information on the special ecological features of the Barents region. The ecosystem structure in the northern seas is examined and food chain models are outlined. The chapter also discusses the increased vulnerability of the biota in the event of emissions of oil and petroleum products into the marine environment.

The chapter recounts how oil and petroleum products impact directly on living organisms and their vital activities and includes detailed description on environmental impact on birds, mammals and fish during various stages of their development. A list of the key areas for preserving bio resources in the Arctic shelf region is also provided.

The readings of this chapter also include two articles in the appendix (number V-i and V-ii) about the Barents Sea written by Dr. Cecile H. von Quillfeldt. The articles Special ecological features of the Barents Sea and Vulnerable areas were first published in OTTAR nr. 260/ 2006, the journal of the University Museum of the University in Tromsø, Norway. Bellona is grateful for the permission to translate and reprint these articles. We also recommend to study in depth appendix V-iii. Consequences of a large oil spill in the Arctic. All this readings are advised as complementary reading to this chapter. We also remind the reader of appendix III Climate Change.

All the information presented in this chapter is accompanied by reference data, opinions from specialists, legal notes and illustrations.