Canadian Arctic Oil Spill Could Increase Environmental Damage and Devastate the Indigenous

It's no secret that the rapid rate of ice melting in the Arctic due to anthropogenic activity and growth rate of global temperatures has opened the Northwest Passage to increased ship traffic that is directly proportional to an increase in oil spill risks in the Canadian Arctic that according to a study could increase environmental damage and devastate vulnerable indigenous communities.

How Oil Spills Impact Marine Life

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, oil spills have severe negative impacts on marine birds, marine animals, and the living world. Oil is known to destroy fur-bearing mammals like sea otters' ability to insulate. It also destroys the water repellency of sea bird's feathers, exposing them to the harsh elements. Without the ability to insulate from cold temperatures or repel water, both sea birds and mammals will die from hypothermia.

Juvenile sea turtles are also at risk of becoming trapped in the oil and subsequently mistake it for food. Whales and dolphins could inhale oil that would significantly affect their lungs, reproduction, and immune function. Birds and other animals have been known to ingest oil as they try to clean themselves, which leads to poisoning.

Although corals, fish, and shellfish aren't immediately exposed to oil from oil spills, they can come in contact with it as it mixes with the water column. When exposed to oil, fish may experience reduced growth, changes in heart and respiration, enlarged livers, fin erosion, and reproduction impairments.

With all the destruction in the environment, the last thing the ocean needs is more damage.

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Predicting the Devastation of Oil Spills in the Canadian Arctic

Mawuli Afenyo, lead-author of the study, says that infrastructures along the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic are almost non-existent. Thus it presents significant challenges to respond to cases of natural disasters.

In a study published in the journal Risk Analysis, entitled "A Multiperiod Model for Assessing the Socioeconomic Impacts of Oil Spills during Arctic Shipping," scientists developed a novel method that could help managers predict the increasing risks of pollutants due to ship activity. The study describes how the team used it to assess the socio-economic impacts of a potential oil spill in the Canadian Arctic.

The area of the Rankin Inlet is a critical regional hub for shipping in the Arctic, where traffic has been rapidly increasing since 2010. For the analysis, researchers simulated the Exxon Valdez disaster conditions, 1989, when oil takers released about 11 million gallons of oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

The simulation project leads to findings on how negative socio-economic impacts of the oil spills in the Arctic accelerate increasingly with time if no intervention is put into place. Afenyo says that the study shows how oil spills in the region could have serious social implications that will affect family dynamics and hunting traditions and cultures of indigenous communities in the area that rely upon the Canadian Arctic for livelihood sustenance and tradition SciTechDaily reports.