| Title | Researching oil spills in Douglas Channel |
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| Author | Bringué, M |
| Source | 42nd AMOP Technical Seminar on Environmental Contamination and Response, abstracts/42e Colloque technique de l'AMOP - Contamination de l'environnement et intervention, résumés; 2019 p. 1 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2019 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20190266 |
| Meeting | 42nd AMOP Technical Seminar on Environmental Contamination and Response/ 42e Colloque technique de l'AMOP - Contamination de l'environnement et intervention; Halifax, NS; CA; June 4-6, 2019 |
| Document | book |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | British Columbia; Western offshore region |
| NTS | 103H/15; 103I/02 |
| Area | Douglas Channel; Kitimat |
| Lat/Long WENS | -129.0000 -128.5000 54.4167 53.7500 |
| Subjects | marine geology; surficial geology/geomorphology; environmental geology; geochemistry; Nature and Environment; Science and Technology; Transport; oil spills; petroleum industry; hydrocarbons; gas;
bitumen; biological communities; ecology; marine sediments; paleoenvironment; marine sediment cores; organic geochemistry; Microbes; Microplankton; Environmental hazards; Microbiology |
| Program | Environmental
Geoscience Program Management |
| Released | 2019 06 01 |
| Abstract | Dramatically increased tanker traffic through Douglas Channel, transporting Liquefied Natural Gas and possibly diluted bitumen products from the port of Kitimat to market, greatly enhances the risk of
oil spills affecting Canada's pristine Pacific coast. Environmental concerns prompted the current Tier restrictions that limit the maritime transport of Canadian resources. In addition, existing and planned infrastructures (e.g., LNG Canada) will
operate over several decades; however, the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia (increasingly concerning in BC's waters) on natural oil degradation rates have never been considered.
The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), in collaboration
with many partners including DFO, NRC and the U. of Victoria, is leading a 5-year project set to begin in April 2019, to study oil spills in the Kitimat area. The project aims to establish a baseline of current and past variability in
physico-chemical properties and microbial/microplanktonic populations in Douglas Channel, and to evaluate the ability of the system to self-mitigate oil spills under a range of reconstructed and forecast conditions. The first phase will focus on a
sediment trap time series from the main channel, to calibrate various indicators. Phase 2 consists in paleo-reconstructions of past natural conditions, where impacts of historical spills (e.g., following the sinking of MV Queen of the North) on the
system will be quantified using piston and box cores. Phase 3 consists in 'microcosm' experiments, testing oil degradation rates under past and forecast conditions.
The purpose of this presentation is to present GSC's plan to research oil spills
in Douglas Channel to the scientific community and to gather feedback from experts in several fields, including organic geochemistry and microbial ecology. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The Geological Survey of Canada has undertaken a 5-year research project on oil spill mitigation in the Kitimat area (Douglas Channel, North coast of BC)
and is seeking feedback from experts in the field. The project focusses on establishing a good understanding of natural variability in the system, measureable impacts of historical human activities, and testing oil-degradation rates under conditions
that are expected over the future decades. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 314894 |
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