Analysis approach to the of meteorological conditions that determine the gap in response to marine oil spills in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation

The present study reviews the approach to assessing the oil spills response delay caused by hydrometeorological and geographical conditions at the operation site. To illustrate the method and discuss the results, the application of two mechanical response system in ice and ice-free conditions are considered. Two points of the northern and southern area of the Northern Sea Route are analyzed. It is found that the value of the OSR completion time can exceed a year with a very significant probability. The proposed analysis makes it possible to assess the possibilities of improving the response efficiency for existing and newly created oil spill response strategies in the region of interest, as well as to apply other measures to reduce the risks of the negative impact of accidental spills on Arctic ecosystems.