An oilspill risk analysis for the western Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak Island) Outer Continental Shelf lease area

James Richard Slack; Richard Allmon Smith; Timothy Wyant

doi:10.3133/ofr77212

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An oilspill risk analysis for the western Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak Island) Outer Continental Shelf lease area

James Richard Slack·Richard Allmon Smith·Timothy Wyant

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Abstract

An oilspill risk analysis was conducted to determine relative environmental hazards of developing oil in different regions of the Western Gulf of Alaska Outer Continental Shelf lease area. The study analyzed probability of spill occurrence, likely path of pollutants from spills, and locations in space and time of recreational and biological resources likely to be vulnerable. These results are combined to yield estimates of the overall oilspill risk associated with development of the lease area. While the analysis includes estimates of weathering rates and slick dispersion, the methodology has not yet been developed to analyze the mitigating effects of cleanups which if taken into account would reduce the impact probabilities.

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Source-reported bounding extent: 56.21231501382945° to 58.79559717938298° latitude; -154.7503536614101° to -147.57922178966962° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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James Richard Slack, Richard Allmon Smith, Timothy Wyant. 1977. An oilspill risk analysis for the western Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak Island) Outer Continental Shelf lease area. https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr77212

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