Arctic Oil and Natural Gas Potential

摘要

The Arctic could hold about 22 percent of the worlds undiscovered conventional oil and natural gas resources. The prospects for Arctic oil and natural gas production are discussed taking into consideration the nature of the resources, the cost of developing them, and the political and environmental issues associated with their development. The area above the Arctic Circle encompasses about 6 percent of the Earth's surface area. While the Arctic is about the size of the African continent, most of the Arctic is oceanic. About one-third of the Arctic is occupied by land. Another one-third of the Arctic consists of offshore continental shelves located in less than 500 meters (1,640 feet) of Arctic Ocean water. The remaining one-third of the Arctic is in Arctic Ocean waters deeper than 500 meters.