Arctic Coastal and Marine Environmental Monitoring
169
user is asked if they would like to relocate the pipeline, and the calculation is
repeated. These tools calculate relative values of risk to the environment, which can
be useful when comparing alternative cases in the planning process to help the
manager chose a solution with the least risk to the environment.
Shipping routes: Shipping routes are often influenced by the sea-ice conditions in
the Arctic seas, and can therefore not always take the shortest or most
‘environmentally friendly’ route to their destination. This module calculates areas
of preferred shipping activity, where buffer zones are established around sensitive
areas, and average ice conditions are considered. The user can input the time of
year they are interested in, and then display a polygon within which are the
preferred areas for shipping with respect to VECs and sea-ice, if relevant. In
practice ships navigate with the aid of satellite imagery in ice prevalent waters, and
the ability to include this information, and update ‘preferred’ shipping areas in real
time are essential.
Oil spill scenario : This is the most powerful set of tools written for this model, and
they demonstrate some of the more advanced sides of GIS. The idea behind this
module was to show that it is possible to build some simple modelling directly into
a GIS and use the results of the to calculate the risk posed to the VECs.
Alternatively it would be possible to import the results generated by true oil
dispersal model and use these results to run the risk calculations. This model is not
a complex true mathematical oil drift, and so does not model oil drift realistically.
However, it does show that the implication of such a model is feasible. The user is
requested to input the location of a hypothetical oil spill interactively on the
computer screen, and enter the quantity of oil discharged. The next phase is to
model the drift of oil based on ocean currents, and optional wind parameters (wind
speed and direction) which are user defined, for a user specified time interval. The
model then goes onto calculate the area, quantity and density of oil that would
come in contact with VECs. Finally a value associated with the environmental risk
to each VEC is calculated, along with a figure representing the risk to the affected
environment as a whole (Fig. 4). In the situation where an oil spill has occurred, it
is obviously not possible to relocate the incident elsewhere. However, the results
generated by this model would not only provide real values as to the risk posed to
the environment but also present the situation clearly in digital map form, such that
an oil spill contingency plan can be quickly drawn up. This may involve taking
measures to deflect the oil to other areas, so it would be useful to recalculate the
risk to habitats that may then be affected. Other measures may include using
dispersants, which could have side effects on particular ecosystems (IMO/IPIECA,
1996). By running a simple query in the GIS, the manager could retrieve metadata
files describing whether or not this is an acceptable solution in this particular case.
3.
4.
169
user is asked if they would like to relocate the pipeline, and the calculation is
repeated. These tools calculate relative values of risk to the environment, which can
be useful when comparing alternative cases in the planning process to help the
manager chose a solution with the least risk to the environment.
Shipping routes: Shipping routes are often influenced by the sea-ice conditions in
the Arctic seas, and can therefore not always take the shortest or most
‘environmentally friendly’ route to their destination. This module calculates areas
of preferred shipping activity, where buffer zones are established around sensitive
areas, and average ice conditions are considered. The user can input the time of
year they are interested in, and then display a polygon within which are the
preferred areas for shipping with respect to VECs and sea-ice, if relevant. In
practice ships navigate with the aid of satellite imagery in ice prevalent waters, and
the ability to include this information, and update ‘preferred’ shipping areas in real
time are essential.
Oil spill scenario : This is the most powerful set of tools written for this model, and
they demonstrate some of the more advanced sides of GIS. The idea behind this
module was to show that it is possible to build some simple modelling directly into
a GIS and use the results of the to calculate the risk posed to the VECs.
Alternatively it would be possible to import the results generated by true oil
dispersal model and use these results to run the risk calculations. This model is not
a complex true mathematical oil drift, and so does not model oil drift realistically.
However, it does show that the implication of such a model is feasible. The user is
requested to input the location of a hypothetical oil spill interactively on the
computer screen, and enter the quantity of oil discharged. The next phase is to
model the drift of oil based on ocean currents, and optional wind parameters (wind
speed and direction) which are user defined, for a user specified time interval. The
model then goes onto calculate the area, quantity and density of oil that would
come in contact with VECs. Finally a value associated with the environmental risk
to each VEC is calculated, along with a figure representing the risk to the affected
environment as a whole (Fig. 4). In the situation where an oil spill has occurred, it
is obviously not possible to relocate the incident elsewhere. However, the results
generated by this model would not only provide real values as to the risk posed to
the environment but also present the situation clearly in digital map form, such that
an oil spill contingency plan can be quickly drawn up. This may involve taking
measures to deflect the oil to other areas, so it would be useful to recalculate the
risk to habitats that may then be affected. Other measures may include using
dispersants, which could have side effects on particular ecosystems (IMO/IPIECA,
1996). By running a simple query in the GIS, the manager could retrieve metadata
files describing whether or not this is an acceptable solution in this particular case.
3.
4.