7 November 2010 How Does Fuel "Go Green?" - by Angela Broadwell

While the ICE AGED team is researching the critters on the seafloor in Antarctica, a group of students at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California is developing their researching and writing skills. Under the guidance of Tina, with her feedback and lessons communicated through the internet by an online learning system called Blackboard, they are simultaneously learning about Antarctica. What follows is an essay from Angela Broadwell about fuel in Antarctica and how it relates to her and her life in the United States. Enjoy!

How Does Fuel "Go Green?" by Angela Broadwell

Do you ever take things for granted? Of course you do, because that is something us humans do every single day. We don't realize what we have until it is no longer there. And after it's gone, that's when we realize how much we needed or adored whatever it is that we are missing. When it comes to gasoline, we are warned constantly about the shortages and problems we are facing with it in the world. What if we lived in Antarctica, where fuel is shipped in only once a year, and would cost between $15 and $25.00 per gallon? Do you think humans would be a little bit more aware of the issue we are facing with fuel in the US? Living luxurious in the United States, we tend to ignore the warnings of fuel shortages, even if we are paying over four dollars a gallon for it. Not because "we don't really care", but because it is an important asset in driving or operating a vehicle, and we don't realize that one day we might run out. Fuel is used for a lot of things other than operating a moving vehicle. We use fuel for cooking on gas or electric stoves, microwaves, propane grills, and in the oven. Also, fuel is used for electricity, such as heating and air conditioning, water heaters, and even for making products such as medicines, cereal, boxed goods, and other groceries.

No matter where you are in the world, you essentially need oil. Even if you are with a small team of different researchers and scientists stuck on the worlds driest, largest desert we call Antarctica as Sarah Wheeler, the author of Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica ¹, describes it.

For one, those of you that are not in this class, yes, people go to Antarctica. But have you thought about the conditions and the challenges that could be facing them? The McMurdo station has their fuel shipped in only once a year, literally ship-borne. The fuel is used to power, heat, and provide food for the people living at the station, not to mention it is used for the vehicles and planes that fly in and out from New Zealand as well. So if you think about it, most gas stations have a big fuel tank-truck that re-fills the station usually once a week. So for the McMurdo station to be re-filled only once a year that means that the fuel is very expensive, and there must be a lot of it. According to Seth White, a polar photojournalist who has traveled to Antarctica, "Fuel Shipments to field camps are prohibitively expensive and have been estimated to cost as high as $15-25/gallon"(White ²).

So how does it all work? There are three types of fuel that McMurdo uses: "JP-5- a diesel grade for ground vehicles, AN-8 which is an aircraft grade formulated for Antarctic use", and Mogas, which is unleaded fuel for ground vehicles "identical to what you get at the corner store" (White). One of my questions through this exploration of research was exactly how does McMurdo get power? What type of fuel is used to run the generators and kitchen utilities? From what I found in my research, "traditionally" in the 1960's, the station was run by two diesel generators stationed at each camp. The generators only provided power when they were on and running. But in the late 1990's, solar electric and small wind technologies became more available, and were introduced to the field camps. This resulted in environmental benefits that caused reduction in cost and fuel usage in which, overall has really improved fuel economy, environmental impact, and enhanced quality of research. The McMurdo station is given enough fuel to power vehicles, electricity, kitchen utilities, aircrafts, and the whole station. The fuel is held in large 55-gallon drums that are either flown in or re-filled. Each time the drum is filled, it is labeled what type of fuel it is holding, the date, the "science event #", and the delivery location. It may sound like a simple procedure, but it is a lot more complex than it seems. There are so many different roles that are involved in fueling McMurdo. For example, there are "Fuels Operators" who are responsible for completing the given tasks, maintenance, and records. And then there are "Fuels Coordinators", and they are responsible for reporting "numbers" from one station to the others, reviewing and forwarding receipts, and keeping track of accounting, and recording any individual re-fueling of "Coast Guard, New Zealand and Italian helicopters" (Marble Point Fuel Operations ³). There are also people who are more hands on and actually re-fill the station every year by traveling by ship through gruesome whether to make fueling for McMurdo possible. Although there are a lot more jobs than it seems like there should be, there needs to be a way to keep track of how much fuel McMurdo is getting and using each year.

One thing I found that was recently decided to help with bettering this process happened in March of 2010. According to the National Science Foundation, The NSF agreed to a "fuel storage upgrade" for McMurdo ⁴. The project will involve the construction of two- two million gallon fuel tanks to double the storage capacity. The funding for this process, including the completion of assessments and line piping structures is 5.0 Million dollars. The process is said to be worked on over the next few years.

Until this process is completed, the McMurdo teams still have to face the issues of dealing with fuel and its effects on the environment. One effect that concerns me in this topic is fuel spills. While searching on U.S. Energy Information Administration, I came across a page titled Antarctica Fact Sheet, and I found that on January 28, 1989 the Bahia Paraiso, an Argentine navy transport ship hauling supplies and tourists, ran aground approximately two miles off the coast of Antarctica in the vicinity of Palmer Station [a different research station in Antarctica]…. The wreck proved to be a setback for the nearby coastal ecosystem, as a 30-foot gash in the ship's double-walled hull released some 250,000 gallons of diesel fuel and other petroleum products into the surrounding area. The fuel spill on the local flora and fauna [effected mostly just various sea birds, krill, and populations of moss] with few populations [showing death rates higher than twenty percent] Because the Bahia Paraiso spill was reportedly the first known accident of its kind in the Antarctic region…[the event really alarmed environmental groups, and became a warning for future accidents if tourism and "ship transport" were to continue in the area](Antarctica Fact Sheet ⁵). Reading this actually alarmed me as well, and one of the craziest parts to this event is that it happened not very long ago. Therefore, another question I have for the ICED AGED team; what happens when fuel spills during the re-filling process at McMurdo? How does fuel get cleaned up without polluting the environment? Where would you put the soil or ice that the fuel contaminates? According to the NSF when a vehicle is parked, being re-fueled, or being worked on there are drip pans that are placed underneath the vehicle to prevent leaking or drips on the ice. If there is an incident with a vehicle leaking or dripping it must be reported to the "NSF Environmental Officer" within 30 days. Any fuel that does happen to drip onto soil is taken care of by "the natural processes of evaporation and biodegradation by indigenous microbiota [the microscopic living organisms of a specific region]"(Klein), which removes "labile Hydrocarbons"(Klein ⁶) from the soil. So in other words, Andrew Klein, one of the authors for the Alaskan Science Forum, is describing that the oil is naturally removed by evaporation, biodegration, and microscopic organisms that help remove the oil carbons from the soil.

In an article written by Kevin A. Hughes and Bethan Stallwood about oil pollution in Antarctica they say "Minor spills (1 liter) are [used to be, depending on how careful one is] common throughout Antarctica during vehicle and aircraft re-fuelling. Often these spills are unnecessary and could be avoided if operators were more careful"(Huges/Stallwood ⁷).

When fuel spills on the ice, you would think that it would freeze, but gasoline actually cannot freeze until approximately -97F, so that would make it easier to clean up. In 1996, Ned Rozell wrote an article about a species of "fuel-eating bacteria, known as Pseudomonas"(Rozell 8). that were discovered in McMurdo by Mark Tumeo, who was the director of "the Environmental Technology Laboratory at the University of Alaska Fairbanks"(Rozell ⁸). Tumeo was aware that the introduction to new species in Antarctica was prohibited, so he came up with a theory that the Pseudomonas "may have hitched a ride on an oil tanker"(Rozell). This strange species of fuel eating bacteria is known to live in very harsh environments, and they may help with cleaning up some of the oil residue that is left on the ice.

It seems like spills in Antarctica on the ice and in soil are easier to deal with compared to oil spills here in the bay, since the likelihood of accidents happening in Antarctica is less due to population and a higher awareness. Although it seems easier, in Antarctica people really have to go out of their way to make sure they are being as careful as possible. Here in America, we tend to be a little careless about the warnings and red flags that are flying right in front of our faces. Although, the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico might have opened our eyes considering it spilled an estimate of 210,000 gallons per day according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ⁹), it still doesn't really affect the thought of our shortage on oil and elements. The first thought, for most people, when they think of the oil spill is the environment, and the damages it is causing to our fragile planet. Oil is a prime element that we rely on for vehicles, and until the world decides to go hybrid, outcomes like oil spills and pollution are things that we will continue to face us as we proceed to transport fuel. However, transporting oil elements is merely one of the easier steps in the process of actually getting it. The problem is that the world is beginning to run low in oil, "the issue is not one of "running out" so much as it is not having enough to keep our economy running", says Matt Savinar, an author of an article about oil and our economy. But over the next 30 years as population grows larger, there will be a need for more oil. All oil production runs on a "bell-curve", if you were to look at a bell chart of our oil production you would notice that we are at the peak of the chart, facing a large plummeting drop. By the year 2020 gas prices will be drastically different, to give you an example "the ramifications of Peak Oil for our civilization are similar to the ramifications of dehydration for the human body"(Savinar ¹⁰).

Can you imagine what it would be like if the world became dehydrated from oil? Gas prices would skyrocket, vacation would minimize due to airfare being too expensive, bills would be harder to pay (depending on your salary), and it would cause problems with food transportation, and even result in making the United States close to a third-world country. If these things happen, crime rate will rise and we could even break out in war.

The last thing we need in the world is more war; therefore this is an extremely serious issue. Who could have thought that something like oil could cause such a large domino effect? If this hasn't opened your eyes about the problem we are facing in the world, then I don't know how else to get people to realize how serious this issue is.

However, there are things we can do to help lower the chances of the result being this drastic. First thing that is a definite "obvious" would be to buy a hybrid, but clearly not everyone in the world can or will do that. Other ways to help are as easy as riding your bike to work or to school, taking public transportation more often, and even walking. Not only does that lessen the amount of vehicles on the road, but also, riding your bike or walking is a good way to get exercise. Plus, if you are a "go green" type of person, less vehicles means less air and water pollution.

Some more complex ways to help the environment is switching to an alternative fuel such as vegetable oil, if you don't mind driving a car around that smells like French fries, this could really help out the environment. Or think about if the world created an alternative fuel for transportation that would somehow prevent things like pollution and a total dehydration of the world, would you switch to use that instead? I think that could be the turn of the Century. But until then, there are plenty of ways you can help better the environment. Next time you get into a car, think about Antarctica and the ICE AGED team, and how little resources they have in such a harsh environment.

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