Arctic Oil: Photographs of Alaska's North Slope introduces readers to a remote region north of the Arctic Circle. Only the Native peoples who lived there for centuries and the small workforce that keeps Alaska s mammoth oil fields producing had previously known the area. Judy Patrick s photographs now bring this secret corner of the world to the public eye. Images of ice roads and ice islands built for winter exploration lie next to images of year-round production complexes hauled north by barge, and page turns reveal the faces of roughnecks on drill rigs. The melding of pristine Alaska and modern industry in each image make this book is a unique and intriguing compilation. Taken over two decades, these photographs showcase Alaska s North Slope oil industry from the massive Prudhoe Bay field to the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and beyond. Few people beyond those who work there get to see what Alaska s oil industry looks like, but Alaskan photographer Judy Patrick brings it to life for those of us who will never make the trek north.

This book identifies accumulated environmental, social and economic effects of oil and gas leasing, exploration, and production on Alaska's North Slope. Economic benefits to the region have been accompanied by effects of the roads, infrastructure and activies of oil and gas production on the terrain, plants, animals and peoples of the North Slope. While attempts by the oil industry and regulatory agencies have reduced many of the environmental effects, they have not been eliminated. The book makes recommendations for further environmental research related to environmental effects.