Effects of Gas Flaring on the Behavior of Night-migrating Birds at an Artificial Oil-production Island, Arctic Alaska

Day, Robert H.; Rose, John R.; Prichard, Alexander K.; Streever, Bill

doi:10.14430/arctic4507

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Annual economic losses related to gas flaring are estimated to be more than 5 and 11 billion dollars for Russia 2 and Nigeria 3 , which are the top two biggest contributors to gas flaring volumes in the world. Gas flaring has had a number of environmental and socioeconomic impacts, including changes in microclimate (e.g., temperature), reduction of bacterial and fungi, damage to economically valuable plant species 4 , oil contamination of soils and degradation of adjacent ecosystems 5 , increased risk of acid deposition 6 , alteration to the behavior of night-migrating birds 7 , increased risks of abortion, stillbirth, and mortality in domestic animals 8 , and reduced life expectancy 9 .…”

Section: Background and Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

A global gas flaring black carbon emission rate dataset from 1994 to 2012

Huang

2016

Sci Data

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Global flaring of associated petroleum gas is a potential emission source of particulate matters (PM) and could be notable in some specific regions that are in urgent need of mitigation. PM emitted from gas flaring is mainly in the form of black carbon (BC), which is a strong short-lived climate forcer. However, BC from gas flaring has been neglected in most global/regional emission inventories and is rarely considered in climate modeling. Here we present a global gas flaring BC emission rate dataset for the period 1994–2012 in a machine-readable format. We develop a region-dependent gas flaring BC emission factor database based on the chemical compositions of associated petroleum gas at various oil fields. Gas flaring BC emission rates are estimated using this emission factor database and flaring volumes retrieved from satellite imagery. Evaluation using a chemical transport model suggests that consideration of gas flaring emissions can improve model performance. This dataset will benefit and inform a broad range of research topics, e.g., carbon budget, air quality/climate modeling, and environmental/human exposure.

show abstract

Section: Background and Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

A global gas flaring black carbon emission rate dataset from 1994 to 2012

Huang

2016

Sci Data

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Northstar Island (70˚13.5′ N, 146˚20.6′ W) is an artificial oil-production island (3.6 ha in area) that lies about 6 mi (10 km) northwest of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska ( Fig. 1; Day et al, 2015). The highest permanent structures on the island are 40 to 50 m above sea level.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When possible, we visually determined the species and number of birds in a target. Excluding one night of extensive gas-flaring that caused extensive attraction of birds other than eiders to the island, when the accuracy of target identification was lower because non-eiders were flying so quickly (Day et al, 2015), the accuracy of target identification was 62%. The main source of misidentification appeared to be Long-tailed Ducks, which sometimes fly with characteristics similar to those of eiders and which migrate across the Beaufort Sea at the same time as eiders do.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of a Hazing-Light System on Migration and Collision Avoidance of Eiders at an Artificial Oil-Production Island, Arctic Alaska

Day¹,

Prichard²,

Rose³

et al. 2017

ARCTIC

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During migration, Common and King Eiders (Somateria mollissima and S. spectabilis) cross the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas of Arctic Alaska. Because they may become attracted to lights, eiders are susceptible to collision with structures, including offshore oil facilities. We used ornithological radar in 2001 – 04 to characterize the behavior of eiders migrating past Northstar Island, an oil-production island near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and to assess the effects of a hazing-light system on migrating eiders. “Eider” radar targets exhibited pulsed, irregular periods of movement; movement rates were higher when sea ice was present, without precipitation, and during tailwinds and crosswinds but were not affected by lights. Velocities (ground speeds) were higher when ice was present and with strong tailwinds. They were lower at night when the lights were on, but higher during the day when the lights were on. Radar targets exhibited little variation in flight behavior as they passed the island; the proportion of non-directional behavior was larger when ice was present, with tailwinds, with weak winds, and near the full moon when it was not visible. Lights had no effect on flight behavior. Birds tended to exhibit more course changes as they approached the island, greater angular changes when they changed course, and larger net increases in passing distance as a result of those course changes when the lights were on; however, none of these differences were statistically significant. Overall, the hazing lights at Northstar did not disrupt the birds’ migratory movements but resulted in increased avoidance of the island.

show abstract

“…Paradoxically, light is also sometimes used to deter birds from zones of humanwildlife conflict (reviewed by [3]). There is evidence that both the potential attractant and deterrent effects of light can cause immediate changes to bird movement [4] and alter habitat selection and settlement at a local [5,6] and regional spatial scale [7]. The potential of light as a management tool has generated interest in a wide variety of disciplines, from pest management to bird conservation [6,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of anthropogenic light on bird movement, habitat selection, and distribution: a systematic map protocol

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Anthropogenic light is known or suspected to exert profound effects on many taxa, including birds. Documentation of bird aggregation around artificial light at night, as well as observations of bird reactions to strobe lights and lasers, suggests that light may both attract and repel birds, although this assumption has yet to be tested. These effects may cause immediate changes to bird movement, habitat selection and settlement, and ultimately alter bird distribution at large spatial scales. Global increases in the extent of anthropogenic light contribute to interest by wildlife managers and the public in managing light to reduce harm to birds, but there are no evidence syntheses of the multiple ways light affects birds to guide this effort. Existing reviews usually emphasize either bird aggregation or deterrence and do so for a specific context, such as aggregation at communication towers and deterrence from airports. We outline a protocol for a systematic map that collects and organizes evidence from the many contexts in which anthropogenic light is reported to affect bird movement, habitat selection, or distribution. Our map will provide an objective synthesis of the evidence that identifies subtopics that may support systematic review and knowledge gaps that could direct future research questions. These products will substantially advance an understanding of both patterns and processes associated with the responses of birds to anthropogenic light. Methods: The protocol describes the steps taken to ensure the search for evidence is comprehensive, transparent and replicable. We will find relevant studies in the grey and peer-reviewed literature using publication databases, Google Scholar, stakeholder suggestions, and organizational websites. We will select studies for inclusion in the map by identification of relevant: (i) population including any species of bird; (ii) intervention or exposure to anthropogenic light; and (iii) outcomes including changes in bird movement, habitat occupancy, population density, or distribution. We will extract and organize metadata into a systematic map that can support subsequent search by interested individuals. The quantity of evidence on particular topics will be characterized through heat maps and narrative syntheses, but subsequent work will be needed to evaluate evidence validity.

show abstract

Effects of Gas Flaring on the Behavior of Night-migrating Birds at an Artificial Oil-production Island, Arctic Alaska

Cited by 16 publications

References 37 publications

A global gas flaring black carbon emission rate dataset from 1994 to 2012

A global gas flaring black carbon emission rate dataset from 1994 to 2012

Effects of a Hazing-Light System on Migration and Collision Avoidance of Eiders at an Artificial Oil-Production Island, Arctic Alaska

Effect of anthropogenic light on bird movement, habitat selection, and distribution: a systematic map protocol

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About