How does Alaskan oil extraction affect the animals?

Answer 1

Oil infrastructure development in Alaska can affect the animals directly, or by impacting their ecosystems indeirectly. The populations most obviously at risk would be the Porcupine Caribou, and the Polar Bear. Drilling within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in particular the 1002 area would cause potentially irreversable development associated with the drilling industrial complexes. The 1002 area is the only place that the caribou come to give birth in the spring. Muskoxen are another prey species that is abundant around the areas being considered for oil development. If too much presence of a predator species such as ourselves is recognized by the herd they may run leaving behind calves and go into defensive positions. The increased disturbance results in displacement of animals from prefered ecosystems and therefore increased energy requirements ultimately lowering calf production and incidence of predation. Development in the area 1002 area may result in numerous production sites spread out connected by a network of roads, pipelines, power plants, processing facilities, loading docks, housing, airstrips, gravel pits, and utility lines. All of this associated development with drilling has environmental consequences such as waste management. Once the power plants, roads, and utilites are established further development may be irreversible.