Permafrost is another hazard facing industry in the Beaufort Sea. 

 Because of significant ice scouring caused by ice flows, pipelines will 

 have to be buried deep into subsea permafrost . Not much is known about 

 how this environment will react to development or what the impact of 

 pipeline burial will be. 88 



Besides ice hazards and subsea permafrost, two other features of 

 Beaufort's nearshore environment may constrain or pose risks to oil 

 development activities and facilities. These are: (1) a limited supply 

 of freshwater and (2) a scarcity of gravel. Environmental damage caused 

 by extracting gravel and/or hauling it long distances could be substantial. 



The risk of a well blowout is a particularly serious problem in the 

 Beaufort Sea. If one occurred it could continue uncontrolled for more 

 than a year before a relief well could be drilled to bring it under 

 control due to the severe weather conditions of the Beaufort Sea. 

 Under these circumstances, considerable amounts of oil would be spilled 

 and eventually pollute the leads or strips of open water that form 

 within the offshore ice at spring breakup. Oil pollution in these leads 

 would probably trap thousands of mammals- -whales, seals, polar bears, 

 and Arctic foxes, and countless waterfowl. 91 Oil-spill countermeasures 

 available in 1976 would not greatly decrease the impact of such a spill 

 on wildlife 92 and biodegradation of the oil would be slow in the Arctic 

 environment. A study prepared by the Canadian Department of Environment 

 estimated the probability of a well blowout in Arctic waters at from 1 

 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000. 93 



Three other kinds of impacts to Beaufort's environment would 

 accompany oil development activities. Losses would occur from (1) chronic 



55 



