Oil sands and the marine environment: current knowledge and future challenges

Abstract

The environmental consequences of bitumen extraction from oil sands deposits are at the center of North American natural resource and energy policy debate, yet impacts on ocean environments have received little attention. Using a quantitative framework, we identify knowledge gaps and research needs related to the effects of oil sands development on marine biota. Fifteen sources of stress and disturbance – varying greatly in spatial and temporal scale – are generated via two pathways: (1) the coastal storage and oceanic transport of bitumen products, and (2) the contribution of industry‐derived greenhouse gases to climate change in the ocean. Of highest research priority are the fate, behavior, and biological effects of bitumen in the ocean. By contrast, climate‐change impacts are scientifically well established but not considered in key regulatory processes. Most stressors co‐occur and are generated by other industries, yet cumulative effects are so far unaccounted for in decision making associated with new projects. Our synthesis highlights priority research needed to inform future energy development decisions, and opportunities for policy processes to acknowledge the full scope of potential and realized environmental consequences.

Cross-sectoral input for the potential role of science in Canada’s environmental assessment

“…Inaccessibility and poor-quality of information (components 1 and 3) have been critiqued as weaknesses of Canadian EA processes for decades (e.g., Schindler 1976), including information either withheld or not delivered within appropriate timelines (Sinclair and Fitzpatrick 2002;Cizek 2014). "Open science" has the potential to confer significant national competitive advantages (Government of Canada 2014) and clarify knowledge gaps in baseline information and (or) potential environmental risk (e.g., Green et al 2017). For the potential disclosure of sensitive information, such as traditionally-or culturally-held knowledge or intellectual property, privacy experts and community members could help develop best practices that still maximize open data (e.g., the Department of Defense scored relatively high in scientific transparency; MagnusonFord and Gibbs 2014).…”

Wildlife winners and losers in an oil sands landscape

“…In North America, oil pipeline development projects, such as Dakota Access and Keystone XL, are at the front lines of disagreements over issues pertaining to social change and conservation (Green et al . ). Canada's oil sands, which rank among the world's largest hydrocarbon deposits, are the headwaters of these “rivers of oil”, and are therefore the epicenter of much debate.…”

Canada’s oil sands industry from a sustainability perspective

“…Managing the operational effects of oil sands, including improving the monitoring quality of surface water and groundwater, is critical and needs more detailed research (Chambers et al, 2018;Green et al, 2017;Jordaan, 2012). Researchers believe the current monitoring programmes in the oil sands region in Alberta are not sufficient to fulfil the needs for tracing the impact of the released chemicals on different water bodies and aquatic habitants (Dillon et al, 2011;Dowdeswell et al, 2010).…”