RSC expert panel points to research needs for improving response to oil spills in water

An expert panel on the impact of oil spills in aqueous environments has concluded that environmental conditions and the timeliness of response are even more critical than identifying oil type when attempting to limit their damage. Assembled and supported by the Royal Society of Canada, the panel's report — Behaviour and Environmental Impacts of Crude Oil Released into Aqueous Environments — includes seven research-oriented recommendations for tackling future spills into oceans, rivers, lakes and wetlands.

Funded by the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), the seven-member expert panel was chaired by D. Kenneth Lee, director of the Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Perth, Australia.

The overarching aim of the panel's report is to "provide a roadmap to research questions concerning how crude oils, including diluted bitumen and other unconventional oils, behave and how they affect ecosystems and communities after spilling into the changeable and weather-affected environments of Canada's vast marine and inland waters".

The panel concluded that high-priority research is required to:

• better understand the environmental impact of spilled crude oil in high-risk and poorly understood areas;

• increase the understanding of effects of oil spills at the population, community and ecosystem levels;

• better understand spill behaviour and effects across a spectrum of crude oil types in different ecosystems and conditions;

• investigate the efficacy of spill responses and take full advantage of ‘spills of opportunity';

• improve spill prevention and develop/apply response decision support systems to ensure sound response decisions and effectiveness; and,

• update and refine risk assessment protocols for oil spills.

The 461-page report can be viewed at www.rsc.ca.

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