Risk Assessment Oil and Gas

4.6.4.3
Export
Attribute Name
4.6.4.3
Description
SPOT Derived Coverages
4.6.4.3
stlmnts3
4.6.4.3
Settlements road3.e00
Roads (lower 2/3)
expsite3.e00
Exploratory sites
4.6.4.3
Russian Coverages
density.e00 density_m
Waterfowl population density during migration to the area and prior to departure from the area, birds per km^2
density_j
Density of waterfowl population in the summer, birds per km^2
birds.e00
birds
Waterfowl nesting and feeding grounds s6.e00
Unpaved roads (upper 1/3)
s11.e00
Sites prepared for drilling dem.e00
height
Landscape isolines polut.e00
Pollution of surface waters polut_s.e00
Pollution
4.6.4.3
Combined Coverages
s_all.e00
field
Combined vegetation river.e00
Combined rivers (main riverbeds)
lake.e00
Combined lakes streams.e00
Combined streams dnc.e00
Pump stations (re-registered layer)
kust.e00
Oil well clusters (re-registered layer)
lep.e00
Powerlines (reregistered layer)
pipeline.e00
Pipelines – Russian option
(re-registered layer)
prist.e00
Dock (re-registered layer)
road.e00
Proposed road

128
Natural conditions in the test site area
The test site is located in the northern section of Priobskoye oil field with the following coordinates: 61
E16' - 61E24' N. latitude, 70E19' - 70E36' E. longitude.
Landscape conditions in the test site area in general are similar to landscape conditions in the test site 1. All types of landscape conditions are represented in the test site area that are characteristic of the Mid-Ob region. The main feature that forms local landscape is the Ob River. The Ob’s riverbed meanders through large distances and forms numerous small lakes and streams.
Several distinctive sections are represented in the flood plain: frequently flooded, occasionally flooded, and rarely flooded areas. The flood plain is covered by meadow and marsh grass vegetation with sparse forests growing on top of elevated areas. The flood plain is speckled with meandering streams, sors and flood plain marshes. The landscape features include terraces, sand spits, and bank arches, as well as “ridges” - erosion remnants of river terraces. Flood plain lakes are generally small - from several dozen meters to several kilometers in diameter and usually up to
5 meters deep.
The terrace within the test site boundaries is a marshy and relatively sloping area with dense forest vegetation. A large number of small and shallow lakes are observed in the terrace area. Terrace boundaries are parallel to the Ob River’s main riverbed with elevation over the Ob
River water level of 15 meters. Highland flood plain is also observed in the test site area located along the Ob River’s right bank. Its surface is relatively flat and speckled with numerous small marshes and lakes. Low mounds and spiral depressions are also common.
The rivers in the test site area are characterized with relatively slow current due to insignificant angle of elevation in landscape features. As mentioned earlier, the Ob River meanders sharply, thus creating numerous sors and lakes. It is necessary to note the existence of two large rivers in the test site area - Labytvor channel and Balinskaya river - that are of interest to researchers due to the fact that the areas of habitat for numerous fish and waterfowl species are adjacent to these rivers. Labytvor channel flows through the middle section of the test site area in parallel to the Ob River’s main riverbed and stretches for 10 to 12 kilometers in the research area.
Balinskaya river runs through the central section of the test site 3 in sub-meridian direction for 15
to 17 kilometers in the research area. Tributaries are supplied with water from local high-ground waters and surface water run-offs. Water level in the Ob River rises significantly during spring flood season due to discharge of water from melted snow and ice. Water level in the Ob River increases by 5 to 7 meters over its normal readings during spring floods in average years, while during the years characterized by higher floods the water level can increase by more than 10

129
meters, thus flooding the most of flood plain area. All large and small water reservoirs are also flooded and the significant increase in water volume is also caused by heavy rainfall that is common in this area in the spring. It is necessary to stress the creation of small lakes (sors) in the flood plain during this season. Sors are first flooded in the beginning of flooding in late April - early May and remain filled with water until late July - early August. Usually, sors are connected with the rivers through narrow flood channels. Sors often serve as spawning grounds for fish in the spring. Late October marks the beginning of water freezing in the research area. Ice blocks water channels resulting in the increase in water levels. Decrease in oxygen concentration levels is observed due to ice formation processes. Climate conditions in the research area are entirely similar to that described in the Site 1 description.
Site 3 is of interest to researchers due to the location of waterfowl habitat. The area is covered with a significant number of lakes of various size and different shoreline features - from flood plain lakes that are flooded during flood season to forest lakes that have very distinctive banks. According to observations, the largest populations of waterfowl have been observed along
Balinskaya river and Labytvor channel. In addition, waterfowl are attracted to highly productive lakes with plentiful fish supplies and no annual sedimentation as well as side channels of the Ob
River where underwater vegetation serves as an abundant food source.
A waterfowl population density map has been developed based on existing data as well as analytical expert assessments using topological maps and space-based imagery (Figure 25). Some clarification of the lower left section of the density map is in order. Several lakes that are attractive to waterfowl are located in this section, although such lakes are not the primary habitat areas due to their proximity to settlements (for example, Selyairovo).
The ecological resilience map for Site 3 has a much more complicated structure and is of greater interest than the similar map for the test site 1 due to the following reasons:
Local topology is more diversified compared to the Site 1.
1. The site could be classified as presently unaffected by anthropogenic impact.
There is a large number of channels, rivers, lakes, and streams that attract waterfowl.
Therefore, the total population of waterfowl in the Site 3 is much greater than in the Site 1. If we compare ecological resilience in these two sites, than the total ecological resilience in the Site 3 is much lower than in the Site 1. We have applied similar overall methodology to the development of waterfowl’s ecological resilience maps. The nature of anthropogenic impact is different from that in the test site 1 where such impact is represented by oil production sites, whereas in the test site 3 impact is provided by settlements (oil development of Site 3 is relatively low).

130
Infrastructure
The existing infrastructure sites include Selyairovo settlement on the Ob’s right bank, the dock, and three oil well clusters under construction where sand pour-off is presently conducted.
According to our data, road construction is presently underway on the Ob’s right bank. The road is planned to connect the dock and Selyairovo settlement. Those infrastructure sites are largely located in the upper flood plain area on the Ob’s right bank. According to our data, construction of several dozen oil well clusters that will be connected by pipelines is planned in the research area along with several pump stations and at least one central oil collection unit. The construction of such sites will most likely be accompanied by construction of roads, powerlines, pipelines, and housing units for personnel with appropriate infrastructure development.

131
Figure 25