ANWR's Index Estimated number of miles of scarring to be caused just by preliminary exploration if the ANWR is opened to drilling: 112,000 The lines that were made in the mid-80's were 2-D seismic exploration, whereas the current method, 3-D seismic, would require a grid EIGHT times as dense as the previous one. While 3-D seismic exploration would only be done in the "more promising areas" according to USFWS staff, the impact would still be EIGHT times as great in those areas. This impact is only from the seismic exploration, and dos not include the actual drilling, creation of roads, pump-stations and other infrastucture that would follow. see this picture "Seismic exploration is conducted every winter on the North Slope of Alaska, west of the Refuge. New vehicle tracks and older ones in various stages of recovery are visible on the tundra in the summer. Today, 3-dimensional (3-D) seismic surveys, as conducted west of the Refuge boundary, require a much more dense grid of lines to collect all the data necessary for creating 3-D images of oil reserves. While the 1984-85 2-D trails on the Arctic Refuge were 4 miles apart, 3-D trails would be one half mile or less apart. The impact to vegetation and soils on the Refuge would likely be much greater from 3-D seismic surveys than from the 2-D seismic surveys conducted in the 1980s." sources: -From Potential Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on Refuge Resources return to index