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PETROMAKS2-Stort program petroleum

Oil spills in ice-covered waters: Risk and response evaluation based on X-ray micro-tomography of sea ice

Tildelt: kr 0,20 mill.

The interest in Arctic oil deposits is presently increasing, as the ongoing climate change implies easier accessibility of the region. To evaluate the environmental risks of oil exploration in ice-covered waters, oil-ice interaction has to be properly und erstood. Of particular interest is the situation of an oil spill below and ice cover, as open water clean-up procedures would not work. The spilled oil will collect in under-ice pools and (i) be encapsulated as a layer in the growing ice sheet or (ii) mig rate, due to its lower density compared to sea water, into the sea ice pore space. The oil will not be accessible until the next melt season, when it is expected to migrate to the ice surface through the widening pore network or/and will be released upon complete melting. To properly predict this timing of oil migration and surface release, and evaluation which areas will be affected during ice drift (of typically hundreds of kilometers per month), is an important yet unresolved issue. Primary questions i n its context are 1. How much oil remains in topographic depressions below the ice, and how much migrates into the sea ice pore space? 2. How far does the ice drift, and how much does it deform until it melts? 3. When, during the drift and warming of oil- saturated ice, will oil be released to the surface? 4. When will the ice fracture and disintegrate into floes, and how does this affect the mobility of oil? In the planned main project we will investigate these questions on the basis of novel X-ray micro tomographic imaging of sea ice and oil. We shall quantify oil entrapment in ice (1.) and its release to the ice surface during warming (2.), as well as determine the intrinsic mechanical properties of sea ice, to predict its drift, fracture and disintegra tion. We propose this as a a novel effective procedure in case of an oil spill. In the pre-project we will perform an X-ray test-experiment, organize a project plan and consortium, and write the main proposal.

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PETROMAKS2-Stort program petroleum