Scientific Drilling in the Arctic Ocean : a summary document to encourage Academic and Industry collaboration : January 2011

Drilling in the Arctic has been prevented by many factors, but none more significant than the presence of perennial ice cover. The ice cover also impedes the acquisition of geophysical data that underpins any drilling proposal, and the hypotheses on which they are based; not to mention the geophysical site–survey investigations necessary to ensure safe drilling operations. Whereas Industry has demonstrated capability drilling in near– shore environments around the perimeter of the Arctic Ocean, due to environmental limitations very little drilling has been attempted in the central Arctic Ocean.