Mission

Four Simple Goals

OSRI supports research, education, and demonstration projects that improve understanding of and response to oil spills in Arctic and sub-Arctic marine environments. To achieve the mission OSRI follows a science plan that outlines four goals and topic areas within the goals.

Understand

Attain an interdisciplinary understanding of Arctic and sub-Arctic marine environments as it pertains to: the baseline; the source, transport, fate, and effects of spilled oil; damage assessment; and the recovery of those environments following a spill.

Includes:

  • Evaluate short and long-term effects
  • Identify chemical, biological, and physical impacts and consequences
  • Identify baseline conditions including the natural variability and their drivers
  • Evaluate impacts from oil spills on the economy, food security, subsistence activities, lifestyle and well-being of people and the resiliency of communities
  • Identify and improve new methods for assessing transport, fate, and effects

Inform

Share information and educate about the issues of oil spill prevention, response, and impacts.

Includes:

  • Publish scientific and technical results in open literature
  • Brief the response, assessment, and restoration communities on OSRI efforts
  • Facilitate the exchange of information and ideas through workshops and other forums
  • Educate future researchers and responders through K-12 programs, undergraduate internships, and graduate fellowships
  • Convey information to the general public through various media
  • Serve as a source of expertise

Respond

Enhance oil spill response and mitigation capabilities in Arctic and sub-Arctic marine environments.

Includes:

  • Collaborate with other efforts related to OSRI’s mission
  • Seek out new partnership opportunities
  • Identify, develop, and/or evaluate prevention, assessment, and response tactics and technologies
  • Identify the impacts of oil spill response options on the environment and human health

Partner

Partner with other organizations to take advantage of shared funding, facilities, knowledge, and experience.

    Includes:

    • Collaborate with other efforts related to OSRI’s mission
    • Seek out new partnership opportunities