Drilling holes through the sea ice in temperatures as low as minus 40F (-40C) or patrolling the frozen tundra in the polar winter researching caribou may not be many people’s idea of fun. But for environmental biologist Bill Streever, venturing out into the Arctic wilderness is all in a day’s work.

Streever is the environmental studies leader for BP Exploration (Alaska), and is based at Anchorage, quite close to the Arctic oilfields of Alaska’s North Slope region.

“Part of my job is running the ecological studies programme on the North Slope, looking at the potential impact of operations in the area on wildlife, including caribou, polar bears and grizzly bears, birds, fish and whales, and at ways to mitigate the impact,” he says.

The other major aspect of Streever’s work involves managing marine mammal issues for BP. Much of this time is spent researching underwater sound from oil industry operations and its possible effects on a range of sea life.

Streever’s research is used to reduce the impact of BP’s operations on the ecological environment. “We try to draft operational guidelines,” he says. “For example, we developed a company-wide policy on how you should conduct operations in terms of underwater sounds and their impact on marine mammals.”

It is not all polar bears and bowhead whales, though. Back at his Anchorage base there is the usual office work: answering e-mail and writing technical reports and papers. But then there is the part of the job that Streever looks forward to. In a good year, he says, he will spend a third of his time outdoors in the field, whether on the tundra or at sea.

“Later this month I will be out on the ice in the Beaufort Sea, drilling holes in the ice and lowering hydrophones into the water to record sounds from the construction activity. At this time of year it is 40F below zero, with 6ft of ice covering the ocean.”

Dealing with such extreme conditions requires a certain toughness. “Biologists working in the Arctic need physical and mental endurance, as well as field savvy – knowing when a situation is acceptable or not,” he says. “You can get into trouble pretty quickly out there.”

Other qualifications for the job, he says, include a strong backbone – an environmental biologist working for an oil major has to stand up to a lot of people with different viewpoints – and a thick skin, because people can get very personal when you are dealing with emotive issues.

Excellent academic credentials are also a must. Streever, who has a degree in zoology and a PhD in environmental engineering sciences, says that to become an environmental scientist in an oil and gas major, applicants need a higher degree, preferably a PhD, with knowledge across a broad range of topics, rather than specialist knowledge of a few.

Experience is also useful. “Just understanding biology isn’t enough. You have to understand the industry as well,” he says. “If people want to be environmental scientists and work in the oil industry, they should take courses or do jobs that expose them to the way the oil industry works.” Streever worked as a commercial diver in the industry for eight years.

His decision to work for BP attracted criticism from some quarters, but for anyone contemplating a career as an environmental scientist – and there is a definite shortage of people with the right skills, Streever says – the move makes sense.

“This is a job that puts you close to the source of the environmental impact; it allows you to make a difference. As an environmentalist working for a company like BP I am part of the decision-making process from the very beginning.”

So what does he enjoy most about his job? “There are opportunities to see and do things that most people would never normally have a chance to; like listening to bowhead whales, talking to Inupiat Eskimo hunters or holding a polar bear,” he says.

“I love being in the field, but even more than that, I enjoy the relatively rare times when I can just sit down and look out at the ice, sit on the tundra and think about what we are doing and trying to accomplish. It really feels like I have made a difference; that’s why I took the job and pursued this career track.”

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