Oil Extraction in Alaska
- Created by: AlexMaltby
- Created on: 20-02-21 16:37
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- Oil Extraction in Alaska
- Alaska
- has huge oilfields (Prudhoe Bay ~ 3000 million barrels)
- Extensive pipelines for transportation
- Oil Need
- 2014 USA used 6.95mil barrels
- rising demand (c. 2013)
- 40% US supply imports - concern
- Reserves
- To meet needs, oil fields in Alaska permitted
- Area 1002 in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has 16bil barrels
- could mean increased employment
- Impact on Periglacial System
- Extraction of oil impacts processes, flows of material + energy
- Material flows
- gravel pads for roads
- loss of gravel from streams/rivers affects erosional/depositional equilibrium
- hydrological processes
- material extraction (ie gravel) leads to falling water levels
- gravel pads for roads
- Energy flows
- release and burning of gas during drilling
- some gases burnt during 'flaring' -> releases CO2 + methane
- contribute greenhouse effect
- some gases burnt during 'flaring' -> releases CO2 + methane
- production of heat from extraction and transportation
- heating from domestic systems -> heat island effect
- fewer temp fluctuations (geomorphic processes affected)
- heating from domestic systems -> heat island effect
- release and burning of gas during drilling
- Material flows
- Extraction of oil impacts processes, flows of material + energy
- Changing Landforms
- heat released by buildings+infrastructure thaws permafrost -> longer melting of active layer
- can result in subsidence and increase active layer mobility
- allows solifluction and solifluction lobes
- can result in subsidence and increase active layer mobility
- heat released by buildings+infrastructure thaws permafrost -> longer melting of active layer
- Thermokarst
- landscape dominated by surface depressions due to ground ice thawing.
- extensively hummocky ground + waterlogged hollows.
- Alases are flat floored, steep-sided depressions (100m-15km wide) - from widespread thawing
- multiple can create alas valleys
- human activity can decrease ground ice insulation - increase thawing and subsidence
- Alaska
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