Rapid Land-Cover Changes in the Arctic due to Oil and Gas Infrastructure and Climate Comparison of the geoecological conditions, permafrost hazards, and infrastructure spread in the Bovanenkovo Gas Field, Russia and the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield, Alaska

Donald Walker, University of Alaska Fairbanks, ffdaw@uaf.edu
Howard Epstein, University of Virginia, hee2b@virginia.edu (Presenter)
Martha Raynolds, University of Alaska Fairbanks, mkraynolds@alaska.edu
Timo Kumpula, University of Eastern Finland, timo.kumpula@uef.fi
Yuri Shur, University of Alaska Fairbanks, ffys@uaf.edu
Mikhail Kanevskiy, University of Alaska Fairbanks, mkanevskiy@alaska.edu
Marina Leibman, Earth Cryosphere Institute, RAS, moleibman@gmail.com
Artem Khomutov, Earth Cryosphere Institute, RAS, akhomutov@gmail.com
Ken Ambrosius, Aerometric Geospatial Solutions, ken.ambrosius@bp.com
Marcel Buchhorn, University of Alaska Fairbanks, mbuchhorn@alaska.edu
Bruce Forbes, University of Lapland, bruce.forbes@ulapland.fi
Gary Kofinas, University of Alaska Fairbanks, gary.kofinas@alaska.edu
George Matyshak, Lomonosov Moscow State University, matyshak@gmail.com
Vladimir Romanovsky, University of Alaska Fairbanks, veromanovsky@alaska.edu
Lisa Wirth, University of Alaksa Fairbanks, lisa@gina.alaska.edu

Many areas of the Arctic are undergoing rapid permafrost and ecosystem transitions resulting from a combination of industrial development and climate change as summer sea ice retreats and abundant Arctic natural resources become more accessible for extraction. The Bovanenkovo Gas Field (BGF) in Russia and the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield (PBO) in Alaska are among the oldest and most extensive industrial complexes in the Arctic, and both are situated in areas with extensive ice-rich permafrost. Case studies of the two hydrocarbon fields provide an overview of the baseline geoecological conditions, rates of hydrocarbon development, and perceptions of change by local cultures in these two remote Arctic areas.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Theme 4: Human influence on global ecosystems   (Mon 4:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Walker, Skip: Adaptation to Rapid Land-Use and Climate Changes on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia: Remote Sensing and Models for Analyzing Cumulative Effects ...details
• Walker, Skip: Yamal LCLUC Synthesis: A synthesis of remote-sensing studies, ground observations and modeling to understand the social-ecological consequences of climate change and resource development on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia and relevance to the circumpolar Arct ...details

Poster Location ID: 58