Frozen no more, a case study of Arctic permafrost impacts of oil and gas withdrawal

Abstract

Approximately 8100 km2 of Alaska are leased to the oil and gas industry for exploration and extraction. According to industry estimates, subsurface expansion from these leases could cover up to 130.2 km2 per pad. As industrial oil extraction activities increase across the thawing Alaskan permafrost, impacts on the permafrost environment will include rapid thaw, increased hydrological flux, and the release of climate warming greenhouse gases. Here, we use remote sensing and field observations to provide a first-order comparison of the direct impacts to the permafrost tundra from oil well pads, and the long-term consequences of a legacy oil pads on the warming North Slope of Alaska. We find that oil well pads on the permafrost accelerate permafrost degradation and persist despite remediation.