Seismic testing: This would scar the Arctic Refuge for decades
Seismic testing: This would scar the Arctic Refuge for decades
- Wed, Aug 20 2025 at 10:02 AM
Mark,
The Arctic is full of natural beauty and wonder -- but the wild northern reaches of our planet are far too often threatened by destructive oil and gas development. Right now, a particularly special place could be at risk.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could soon be threatened by seismic testing: A destructive process of exploration for underground fossil fuels that can lead to polar bears being crushed in their dens.1
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a massive wilderness in northeastern Alaska. The area -- which is about the size of South Carolina -- is unmarred by any roads and empty of buildings.2
The sprawling tundra and mountains of the Arctic Refuge are truly special. It's the largest wildlife refuge in America. All three species of North American bears roam there alongside the Porcupine and Central Arctic caribou herds. More than 200 species of birds flock to the refuge to nest each year.3
An aerial view of the Brooks Range in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
This is one of the last pristine wildernesses on the planet -- but unfortunately, not everybody wants to keep it that way.
Oil and gas development companies have long suspected that reserves of fossil fuels lie hidden beneath the Arctic Refuge. Right now, Alaskan authorities are looking to conduct seismic tests in the area to search for oil under the earth.
Seismic testing is an imaging technique that works by creating massive shockwaves that travel into the earth. Measuring the vibrations results in a visualization of what is hidden underground.4
But seismic exploration and pristine Arctic wilderness just don't mix.
The heavy "thumper trucks" that create the seismic blasts travel along straight lines, carving scars into the landscape that can remain for decades or longer.5 When the testing is over, the formerly pristine tundra is criss-crossed by a stark grid of damage that never fades.
The tundra landscape is extremely sensitive to disturbance. Any depression in the land -- even the shallow marks left behind by the thumper trucks -- can change the way water flows, potentially draining lakes or melting permafrost.6
The deafening noises and heavy machinery of seismic testing would have devastating impacts on the Arctic Refuge's unique wildlife, including polar bears and caribou herds.
As winter approaches the Arctic Refuge, pregnant polar bear mothers dig their dens deep in the snow, where they'll give birth to their cubs. But the rumble of seismic tests can scare polar bear mothers from their dens, leaving helpless cubs behind.7 Sadder yet, dens can be crushed under the trucks' heavy treads with sleeping polar bears still inside.8
Massive herds of caribou migrate through the Arctic Refuge each year, following ancient paths across their ancestral home. But seismic testing can disturb this magnificent migration, scaring caribou away from the paths they've followed for generations.9
One thing is for sure: The Arctic wilderness is too precious to spoil with oil and gas development. The Arctic Refuge's unspoiled natural beauty, and all of the animals that call it home, deserve protection -- not destruction.
We've rallied to defend the Arctic Refuge from proposed seismic exploration before by urging the Interior Department to say "no" to drilling when companies ask to exploit this special place. Now, we need to do it again, as investors in Alaska seek permission to conduct these destructive tests across a 1.6 million acre chunk of the refuge.10
Together, we'll stand up for the Arctic and keep oil and gas drilling away from this special place. Our planet's wildest places are worth protecting.
Thank you,
The Environmental Action team
P.S. All of our work to protect Arctic wildlife is made possible by supporters like you. Will you donate today to keep this campaign going strong?
1. Henry Fountain, "Oil Industry Tool to Spare Polar Bears Is More Miss Than Hit," The New York Times, February 27, 2020.
2. "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, last accessed August 8, 2025.
3. "Seasons of Wildlife," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, last accessed August 8, 2025.
4. Mark R. Milligan, "What are seismic surveys and how much "shaking" do they create?," Utah Geological Survey, last accessed August 8, 2025.
5. Henry Fountain, "See the Scars That Oil Exploration Cut Across Alaska's Wilderness," The New York Times, August 3, 2018.
6. Henry Fountain, "See the Scars That Oil Exploration Cut Across Alaska's Wilderness," The New York Times, August 3, 2018.
7. Henry Fountain, "Arctic Seismic Work Will Not Hurt Polar Bears, Government Says," The New York Times, December 7, 2020.
8. Henry Fountain, "Oil Industry Tool to Spare Polar Bears Is More Miss Than Hit," The New York Times, February 27, 2020.
9. Nicholas Kusnetz, "Is ConocoPhillips Looking to Expand its Controversial Arctic Oil Project?," Inside Climate News, October 27, 2023.
10. Ian M. Stevenson, "Alaska plans seismic tests for oil in ANWR," E&E News, July 31, 2025.Your donation will be used to stand up for wildlife and the wild places they call home, and to support all of our campaigns to protect our environment. The generosity of people just like you is what makes all of our work possible.
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