Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal: Estimates of Undiscovered Oil and Gas North of the Arctic Circle
Factsheet 2008-3049
Arctic Assessment Overview
The Arctic is an area of high petroleum resource potential, low data density, high geologic uncertainty and sensitive environmental conditions. A large portion of the remaining global endowment of oil and gas resources has long been thought to exist in the high northern latitudes of Russia, Norway, Greenland, United States, and Canada. However, the quality, quantity, and distribution of these resources are poorly understood.
To improve the understanding of the petroleum resources in this area, the USGS is undertaking a multi-year research effort, termed the Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA), to produce a comprehensive, unbiased probabilistic estimate of undiscovered petroleum resources in the high northern latitudes. This research effort is being conducted in collaboration with several U.S. and international entities. When completed, the results from the CARA will provide the first publicly available petroleum resource estimate of the area north of the Arctic Circle in its entirety.