Oil spill tests on ice prove Arctic quests risky

The skimmer is lowered from the rear of the icebreaker, its weight pushing massive pieces of ice under the water and forcing the spilt oil up to the surface, where the sticky black goo can be sucked up.

Luckily, this is just a test: as the world's superpowers eye the lucrative Arctic region with growing interest, unprecedented oil spill clean-up tests in icy Finnish conditions reveal just how hazardous and challenging an accident in the Arctic's pristine sea ice could be.
Emergency crews could face total darkness, extreme storms and shifting pack ice, racing against time as the oil puts endangered polar bears, seals and other wildlife at risk.
With countries and companies increasingly venturing into the polar region—the melting ice caused by global warming has opened up new shipping routes and potential oil, gas and mineral deposits—the risk of an environmental catastrophe has skyrocketed, worrying ecologists and authorities.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-04-oil-ice-arctic-quests-risky.html#jCp