Summary and conclusions: environmental effects of North Sea oil and gas developments

1987 ◽  
Vol 316 (1181) ◽  
pp. 669-677 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Benthic Fauna ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea

This Royal Society Discussion Meeting has examined the total environmental impact of a whole industry in a single geographical area. Land-based developments related to the exploitation of the North Sea oilfields and their social consequences have been substantial, although neither the worst fears nor the best hopes have been realized. An accommodation has been reached with the fishing industry in the affected area. Offshore platforms are a source of chronic pollution from production water, but in recent years there has been a marked increase in the use of oil-based drilling muds and it is estimated that 20 Mt per year of petroleum hydrocarbons are added to the sea in oil-contaminated drill cuttings. The effect of these additions has been studied in the laboratory, in mesocosms and in field surveys which, together, yield a consistent picture. Within a radius of a few hundred metres of a platform there is impoverishment of the benthic fauna. Close to the platform the production of anoxic conditions through smothering and the activity of sulphide-producing bacteria is probably more significant than the toxic effect of the oil-based muds. Outside this immediate zone of impact, the oil results in organic enrichment and enhanced populations of some of the fauna. The total area affected is, in the context of the North Sea, minuscule. There is no evidence that plankton is materially affected and the success of commercial fisheries dependent upon the plankton crop is more influenced by fishery practices than by any other factor. Seabird populations, about which there was formerly much concern, have not so far been affected by oil pollution in the North Sea. There is wide fluctuation in recruitment success, but populations of species thought most vulnerable to oil pollution are generally increasing. Although marine pollution research has yielded valuable insights into the responses of individuals, populations and communities to perturbation, natural as well as man-made, it is not likely that future problems associated with oil extraction from the sea will be as stimulating to fundamental research. Different problems relating to environmental pollution should now be addressed by marine scientists.

Benthic monitoring of oil and gas offshore platforms in the North Sea using environmental DNA metabarcoding

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Mauffrey ◽  
Tristan Cordier ◽  
Laure Apothéloz‐Perret‐Gentil ◽  
Kristina Cermakova ◽  
Thomas Merzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
The North ◽  
Dna Metabarcoding ◽  
The North Sea

A top-down approach for quantifying methane and speciated VOC emissions from North Sea oil and gas facilities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shona Wilde ◽  
Ruth Purvis ◽  
James Lee ◽  
James Hopkins ◽  
Alastair Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Mixed Boundary ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Joint Project ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk

<p>The North Sea is home to around 200 offshore platforms that extract oil and natural gas from beneath the sea. Total offshore emissions (carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), nitrogen oxides (NO + NO<sub>2</sub> = NO<sub>x</sub>), nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O), sulphur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) and total VOCs) from upstream oil and gas production in the UK increased by 7 % from 2016 to 2017. Therefore, the accurate measurement and analysis of leakage is critical for global emissions inventories and in terms of mitigating climate change. A recent study (Riddick et al., 2019) showed that on average methane leakage during normal operations is more than double what is reported to the UK National Emissions Inventory (NAEI) for each installation. Here we provide a top-down emissions estimation methodology from which emissions of CH<sub>4</sub> and up to 30 individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be estimated for point-source platforms. We apply a direct integration technique, and use VOC measurements obtained within downwind plumes as a tool for source identification. A total of 16 research flights were conducted as part of a joint project between the UK National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), BEIS, the UK Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) and Ricardo Energy & Environment to characterise emissions from platforms in the North Sea. The hydrocarbon to ethane enhancement ratio within downwind plumes, measured under well-mixed boundary layer conditions, was used to scale a 1 Hz ethane measurement from the aircraft to other hydrocarbons collected using whole air samplers and measured using GC-FID. This allowed individual VOC emission rates to be calculated and compared to existing inventories. This work highlights how a top down technique can be used to quantify emissions and also provide insight into specific emission sources, in contrast to existing methods which often fail to achieve both simultaneously.</p>

A Survey of Traffic Passing Offshore Installations in the North Sea

1984 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-263
Author(s):  
M. A. F. Pyman ◽  
P. R. Lyon ◽  
G. Rowe May
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
The North ◽  
Offshore Installations ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk

Since drilling for oil and gas began in the North Sea in the mid 1960s, the possibility of merchant ships colliding with offshore platforms or rigs, has been of concern to both government and operators. There are nearly 100 fixed and floating installations in the UK sector of the North Sea; they vary in size, location and type of construction, but in all cases, collision would pose serious risks to life, pollution and loss of production. Some platforms are near busy shipping lanes and some have several hundred personnel on them at certain times.

ADVANCED AERIAL SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FOR DETECTION OF MARINE POLLUTION AND INTERNATIONAL AERIAL SURVEILLANCE COOPERATION IN THE NORTH AND BALTIC SEAS

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-26
Author(s):  
Capt. Klaus Schroh
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Aerial Surveillance ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques ◽  
The Baltic

ABSTRACT Marine pollution of the North and the Baltic Seas caused by accidental and illegal operational discharges has sharpened the awareness of states adjoining these waters. Consequently, the member states of the Bonn Agreement1 for the North Sea and the Helsinki Convention2 for the Baltic Sea have agreed to cooperate closely to develop remote-sensing techniques to improve the detection of oil pollution and the identification of polluters, and to develop reliable methods to estimate the total level of oil pollution at sea. In the ministerial declaration of the Third International Conference on the Protection of the North Sea (1990) and according to a recommendation of the Helsinki Commission, the member states are invited to develop and improve the existing remote-sensing techniques for effective evaluation of spills, even at night and under bad weather conditions. With the integration of a laser fluorosensor (LFS) and a microwave radiometer (MWR) in its existing sensor system (SLAR, IR/UV scanner, single frequency MWR), Germany has widened the detection and identification by enabling classification of discharged oil and the detection of released chemicals with fluorescent properties. Apart from this technical progress, the international cooperation between the North Sea and Baltic Sea states is a further step to deter potential polluters and to improve the prosecution of suspected offenders and to assist oil recovery operations at sea through permanent aerial guidance.

scholarly journals A prospective observational study of why people are medically evacuated from offshore installations in the North Sea

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e037558
Author(s):  
Anne Waje-Andreassen ◽  
Øyvind Østerås ◽  
Guttorm Brattebø
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Record System ◽  
The North ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Offshore Installations ◽  
Severity Scores ◽  
The North Sea

ObjectivesFew studies have described evacuations due to medical emergencies from the offshore installations in the North Sea, though efficient medical service is essential for the industrial activities in this area. The major oil- and gas-producing companies’ search and rescue (SAR) service is responsible for medical evacuations. Using a prospective approach, we describe the characteristics of patients evacuated by SAR.Design and settingA prospective observational study of the offshore primary care provided by SAR in the North Sea.MethodsPatients were identified by linking flight information from air transport services in 2015/2016 and the company’s medical record system. Standardised forms filled out by SAR nurses during the evacuation were also analysed. In-hospital information was obtained retrospectively from Haukeland University Hospital’s information system.ResultsA total of 381 persons (88% men) were evacuated during the study period. Twenty-seven per cent of missions were due to chest pain and 18% due to trauma. The mean age was 46.0 years. Severity scores were higher for cases due to medical conditions compared with trauma, but the scores were relatively low compared with onshore emergency missions. The busiest months were May, July and December. Weekends were the busiest days.ConclusionThree times as many evacuations from offshore installations are performed due to acute illness than trauma, and cardiac problems are the most common. Although most patients are not severely physiologically deranged, the study documents a need for competent SAR services 24 hours a day year-round. Training and certification should be tailored for the SAR service, as the offshore health service structure and geography differs from the structure onshore.

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