Bi Huifang, Wang Zheng, Yue Rengyu, Sui Jiyao, Mulligan Catherine N, Lee Kenneth, Pegau Scott, Chen Zhi, An Chunjiang
Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal H3G 1M8, Canada.
Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax B3H 4R2, Canada.
Sci Total Environ. 2025 Jan 1;958:178025. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178025. Epub 2024 Dec 16.
Coastal areas of the Arctic and Subarctic are vulnerable to accidental oil spills, impacting the ecosystem, society, and economy. This article provides a comprehensive overview of oil spill pollution issues in cold regions, focusing on environmental impacts, oil transport and fate, coastal/shoreline response measures, and the state of current international policies and regulations. Numerous studies have described the potential effects of oil pollution (crude oil and refined products) on wildlife (invertebrates, fish, birds, and marine mammals) and coastal communities within the Arctic and Subarctic regions. The observed detrimental effects are influenced by the oil fate and transport processes, including physiochemical attenuation and biodegradation, natural dissolution/dispersion following point-source release (surface and subsurface), entrainment by sea ice, and stranding onto shorelines (in which the residual oil may be translocated). Measures such as natural attenuation, bioremediation, manual removal, in situ burning, and washing/flooding are available for spill response in coastal regions. Case studies in cold regions are illustrated for a better analysis of practical response methods, implying that shoreline cleanup operations in the Arctic and Subarctic are more challenging than those in more temperate and populated regions because of environmental and logistical challenges. Regarding preparedness, a number of national and international policies, regulations, and guidelines have been established to advance oil spill prevention and response measures within the Arctic and Subarctic regions. Based on the state of knowledge presented in this review, recommendations are made for future research on oil spill pollution in coastal regions of the Arctic and Subarctic.
北极和亚北极的沿海地区容易发生意外石油泄漏，影响生态系统、社会和经济。本文全面概述了寒冷地区的石油泄漏污染问题，重点关注环境影响、石油运输与归宿、沿海/海岸线应对措施以及当前国际政策法规的状况。众多研究描述了石油污染（原油和精炼产品）对北极和亚北极地区野生动物（无脊椎动物、鱼类、鸟类和海洋哺乳动物）以及沿海社区的潜在影响。观察到的有害影响受石油归宿和运输过程的影响，包括物理化学衰减和生物降解、点源释放（表层和次表层）后的自然溶解/分散、海冰夹带以及搁浅到海岸线（其中残留油可能会转移）。自然衰减、生物修复、人工清除、原地燃烧以及冲洗/淹没等措施可用于沿海地区的溢油应对。文中列举了寒冷地区的案例研究，以便更好地分析实际应对方法，这意味着由于环境和后勤方面的挑战，北极和亚北极地区的海岸线清理行动比温带和人口密集地区更具挑战性。在准备方面，已经制定了一些国家和国际政策、法规及指南，以推进北极和亚北极地区的溢油预防和应对措施。基于本综述所呈现的知识状况，对北极和亚北极沿海地区石油泄漏污染的未来研究提出了建议。
