Increased traffic through Arctic waters is prompting the coast guard to help northern communities prepare for oil spills.

And as interest grows in energy development off northern coastlines, Canadian scientists are planning their first field tests of new techniques they hope will give them a powerful tool against future accidents.

"We really do need to conduct experimental field trials with controlled oil spills in the Arctic," said Ken Lee, director of offshore oil and gas research at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, N.S.

"I'm now interested in putting together an experimental field trial in the Arctic."

Over the last few years, energy giants have spent billions to acquire rights to explore for oil and gas in the seabed off the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Alaska. More spending is likely after U.S. President Barack Obama announced his government would lift the moratorium on drilling in parts of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

Many feel a major oil spill is likely. The U.S. Minerals Management Service has calculated a better than one-in-five chance of a major spill occurring over the lifetime of energy activity in just one block of leases off Alaska.

As well, shipping experts anticipate increased traffic through the Northwest Passage, which will also increase the risk of oil spills in Arctic waters.

"Just from the prospect of increased traffic, the risk increases," said Garry Linsey, director of maritime services for the coast guard's Arctic region.

"We feel the highest risk is at the oil landing facilities."

To help mitigate the risk of spills at sea and from ships delivering fuel to northern residents, the coast guard is sending a series of sea cans loaded with cleanup gear to eight Arctic communities this summer. Volunteer responders will also be trained in how to use the booms, absorbents, beach cleaning kits and oil skimmers they contain.

A total of 18 northern communities will then be equipped to deal with oil spills in their own aquatic backyard. But Linsey acknowledges the sea can gear has its limitations.

"A spill in ice-covered waters would be problematic," he said. His opinion is echoed in a recent paper by the U.S. Arctic Research Commission.

"Improvements are needed in the ability to clean up oil spilled under ice and only minor improvements have been made in the detection of thin oil slicks trapped under ice over the last two decades," said the report.

Ice hampers cleanups

The harsh Arctic environment is a tough place to clean up spilled oil.

Sea ice can block skimmers from lapping up the spill, destroy containment booms and reduce the effectiveness of dispersants. Oil that gets under the ice is hard to track. High winds and low temperatures add to the difficulty.

But Lee said international researchers have made progress.

Dispersants — which break up the oil into droplets that degrade more quickly — now work better on oil thickened by cold. Cleanup crews are learning to use the propeller wash from ships to stir such dispersants into an oil slick even in waters thickened with ice chunks.

His own researchers have developed a way to use fine clay particles instead of chemicals to break up oil globules into tiny droplets. Researchers now need approval to spill oil into Arctic waters to test their methods in the real world.

"Our greatest hurdle in Canada is the fact we're not conducting experiments in the field," he said. "It's definitely on my radar."

Such a trial would involve the release of anywhere from a few litres to a thousand litres, said Lee. He wouldn't reveal where such a test might take place or at what stage the approval process is.

Lee said offshore Arctic energy development will involve risks.

"There are risks, there's no doubt about it," he said. "But how do you mitigate them? The question is, what's acceptable?"