Study: The closer that birds’ nests are to Prudhoe oil infrastructure, the lower the survival rates

The study provides a cautionary tale about long-term impacts of oil development

By Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon July 17, 2023
295

Loons swim near a pipeline and other oil field infrastructure at the Greater Prudhoe Bay Unit on Alaska's North Slope in this undated photo. A new study finds that nest survival is lower for birds closer to high-use infrastructure. (Photo by Kayla Scheimreif/Wildlife Conservation Society)
Loons swim near a pipeline and other oil field infrastructure at the Greater Prudhoe Bay Unit on Alaska’s North Slope in this undated photo. A new study finds that nest survival is lower for birds closer to high-use infrastructure. (Photo by Kayla Scheimreif/Wildlife Conservation Society)

A long-term study of birds that summer around the Prudhoe Bay oil complex found that nest survival for all bird types decreased significantly the closer those nests were to high-use oil field infrastructure.

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