Distribution of oil and bioavailability

When oil is released in an area with ice we will face a complex interaction between oil, water and ice. The oil will be absorbed by snow on the ice edges, it may be trapped in the ice in brine channels and it may be moved underneath the ice. The ice field as such will also be under constant transformation driven by wind, currents and temperature. Some ice floes may be transported relatively far from their original position and relatively far from their original neighbors. Altogether this may be a strong d riving force for drift and spread of oil after oil has been released in an ice field. It is necessary to understand these processes before we can accomplish realistic and relevant studies of oil-ice-water interactions and before we can carry out relevant exposure studies in the laboratory. Acquiring data on these aspects is also of great importance for the upgrading of present oil drift models for ice covered areas. An offshore field experiment in the marginal ice zone, scheduled for May, 2009 gives a u nique opportunity to collect highly valuable information regarding the interaction between oil, ice, and water, and how the presence of ice influences the distribution and spreading of oil on the surface and in the water column, as well as to collect data for later interpretation of laboratory results. Controlled laboratory experiments will be performed based on the monitoring data by measuring body burden and biological effects of differently treated oil on Arctic amphipods. The data on the distribution of oil components as well as drift and spread of oil and ice will be used to improve and verify existing oil spill contingency and risk assessment models. The project will be related to P9 in the oil in ice JIP with collaborating partners from Coastal Re sponse Research Center (CRRC), the Universities of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Alaska Fairbanks. The project may form the basis for later PhD or Post Doc studies on the collected data.