ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the impact and regulation of regular oil-exploration activities in the marine environment. It provides a short introduction to the challenges facing the management of the marine ecosystem and to the regulatory framework for oil activities in Greenland. The chapter describes how research and monitoring are an integrated part of the planning, the mitigation of negative impact and the regulatory process of oil-exploration activities. It also focuses on three topics: the development of strategic environmental impact assessments (SEIAs, also called SEAs); drilling discharges during the most recent drilling campaigns in West Greenland; and the noise from seismic surveys in Baffin Bay 2012. The chapter demonstrates how the authorities in some cases have to deal with considerable uncertainty due to lack of basic knowledge, and how they manage to do so in an adaptive manner. It discusses how research and monitoring are fundamental for implementing ecosystem-based management when adapting to Arctic change.
