Executive Summary

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Barrier Islands; Beaufort Sea; Prudhoe Bay; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.204.8012; http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/ipp/docs/2007%20Mechanical%20Recovery%20Ice.pdf

to research and evaluate oil spill response mechanical recovery systems for iceinfested waters. The purpose of this report is to provide information and analysis that may be applied to improve oil spill response effectiveness on the Alaskan North Slope Beaufort Sea by identifying the existing state-of-technology for mechanical recovery in sea ice, and investigating any new mechanical recovery systems that may be transferable for use in ice-infested waters. The coastline of the Beaufort Sea near Prudhoe Bay is a particularly challenging operating environment characterized by a coastal wetland and a shallow nearshore area inside a series of barrier islands. Water depths of less than six feet extend as far as two miles offshore and water depths of less than twelve feet extend as far as five miles offshore. Because of the extremely shallow nearshore water depths, the deployment and operation of many mechanical recovery technologies may be limited by vessel access to these shallow areas. Sea ice further complicates oil spill response operations, particularly during fall freeze-up and spring break-up. Because of the variation in water depth and the range of ice conditions possible in