Oil spills are potentially catastrophic events for the local environment. Published in 1977, Mr. Berger would have recently seen Alaska’s decision to reverse its ruling on drilling in the Kachemak Bay after a relatively minor spill.1 Oil spills on land, such as those from a pipeline, can be tremendously damaging and kills all currently growing tissue.2 Across water, the potential for the spill to spread is greatly increased, and any damage is exacerbated by the Arctic climate, where its slow rate of degradation would allow it to remain for as long as 50 years.3 The spills are most dangerous on the surface, where they prove especially deadly to birds, and there is concern that a spill could quickly diffuse over a large area, increasing the radiation absorbed and greatly facilitating ice melt. Given the event of a catastrophic failure, the pipeline would have the potential to leak tens of thousands of barrels, not including smaller leaks and the time necessary to detect and repair them. Furthermore, attempts to prevent the spill from reaching the water using temperate containment techniques may be more damaging than helpful due to the use of heavy equipment and the risk this poses to the permafrost.4 In 1967, the Torrey Canyon Oil Spill illustrated the dangers posed by a spill. A supertanker ran aground off the coast of England, spilling between 857,600 and 872,300 barrels of oil, contaminating 300 miles of coastline and killing 25,000 birds as well as various seals and other marine life.5 Therefore, any spill is detrimental to the environment, and if it allowed to reach water, these effects will only be compounded.
- Panitch, Mark. "Kachemak Bay: Oil Spill Leads Alaska to Reverse Drilling OK." Science 193, no. 4248 (1976): 131. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1743047.
- Wein, Ross W., and L. C. Bliss. "Experimental Crude Oil Spills on Arctic Plant Communities." Journal of Applied Ecology 10, no. 3 (1973): 671-82. doi:10.2307/2401861.
- Campbell, W. J., and S. Martin. "Oil and Ice in the Arctic Ocean: Possible Large-Scale Interactions." Science 181, no. 4094 (1973): 56-58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1735934.
- Shelton, R. G. J. "Effects of Oil and Oil Dispersants on the Marine Environment." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 177, no. 1048 (1971): 411-22. http://www.jstor.org/stable/75994.
- "Torrey Canyon." Joye Research Group. Accessed March 5, 2017. http://www.joyeresearchgroup.uga.edu/public-outreach/marine-oil-spills/other-spills/torrey-canyon.