Effects of offshore platforms on soft-bottom macro-benthic assemblages: A case study in a Mediterranean gas field

Terlizzi, Antonio; Bevilacqua, Stanislao; Scuderi, Danilo; Fiorentino, Dario; Guarnieri, Giuseppe; Giangrande, Adriana; Licciano, Margherita; Felline, Serena; Fraschetti, Simonetta

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.04.024

Cited by 60 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…*Denotes technical reports that are not publicly available and were summarized based on data from the EPA ( , representing a threat for coastal, shelf and deep-sea systems (Terlizzi et al 2008). The magnitude of effects on benthic assemblages varies depending on the complex interactions among local environmental factors and specific features of platforms (Terlizzi et al 2008). In summary, the use of OBFs has been phased out for most marine drilling programs due to the large spatial extent of biolo gical effects (up to 6000 m) and documented recovery trajectories of up to 8 yr (Olsgard & Gray 1995, Hurley & Ellis 2004.…”

Section: Research Gaps and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…*Denotes technical reports that are not publicly available and were summarized based on data from the EPA ( 1998. High concentra-SG: core samples and video transects to tions of SBF may be quantify large invertebrates due to slower biodegradation rates than those noted in the North Sea (Pulsipher & Daniel 2000), representing a threat for coastal, shelf and deep-sea systems (Terlizzi et al 2008). The magnitude of effects on benthic assemblages varies depending on the complex interactions among local environmental factors and specific features of platforms (Terlizzi et al 2008).…”

Section: Research Gaps and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…nd: no data, bbl: barrels of oil, MMS: minerals management service, PAO: polyalphaolefin, TPH: total petroleum hydrocarbon, SG: sampling gear, SS: sieve size. *Denotes technical reports that are not publicly available and were summarized based on data from the EPA ( , representing a threat for coastal, shelf and deep-sea systems (Terlizzi et al 2008). The magnitude of effects on benthic assemblages varies depending on the complex interactions among local environmental factors and specific features of platforms (Terlizzi et al 2008).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Discharged drilling waste from oil and gas platforms and its effects on benthic communities

Ellis

Fraser²,

Russell³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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This review paper identifies the main effects of oil and gas drilling waste on benthic environments. We identified 26 papers and technical reports that surveyed sediment samples from 72 production or exploration platform sites to assess the zone of influence of sediment contamination and biological effects on benthic communities. While oil-based fluids are now rarely used in the marine context, their release has had large-scale (out to 6 km) and persistent (decadal time scale) impacts on benthic communities. The zone of influence of water-based drilling fluids as determined by sediment barium concentration was larger (2 to 20 km) than for synthetic-based fluids (200 to 2000 m). The zone of biological effects on benthic community diversity and abundance ranged from 100 to 1000 m for both water and synthetic fluids. Effects include changes in benthic species diversity, abundance and alterations to community structure. Functional changes included a loss of suspension-feeding species and increases in deposit feeders and polychaetes. In general, this review demonstrates a loss of benthic biodiversity and suspension-feeding communities due to oil exploration and production and the potential for large-scale effects on sensitive communities such as deep-sea, coral and vegetated habitats. Current research gaps and priorities are identified.KEY WORDS: Benthic community composition · Chemical toxicity · Organic enrichment · Suspended sediments · Oil-based fluids · Synthetic-based fluids · Water-based fluids Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 456: [285][286][287][288][289][290][291][292][293][294][295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302] 2012 charged directly at sea. The third step includes the installation of a blow-out preventer on top of the wellhead which controls formation pressures. Additionally, a marine riser is installed that allows all drilling fluids and cuttings to be pumped up through the riser and back to the oil platform or drilling ship. The remaining sections of the well are then drilled to reach the oil reserve.Drill cuttings are produced by the grinding action of the drill bit and range in size from clay-sized particles to coarse gravel, having a mineralogy reflecting that of the drilled strata (Neff 1987, 2005, Trannum et al. 2010. Drilling muds lubricate the drill string, bring up cuttings from the well hole, control internal pressure and stabilize the well and constitute 5 to 25% of the discharged drill fluids (Trannum et al. 2010).There are 3 main types of drilling mud: oil-based, synthetic and water-based fluids (OBF, SBF, WBF). In oil-based mud, the dominant fluid is a mineral oil; in synthetic mud it is ester, ether, acetyl or olefin; and in water-based mud, fresh or salt water is used. Drilling muds also contain a weighting material, clay or an organic polymer, various inorganic salts, solids and organic additives (Neff 2005). Barite (BaSO 4 ) has been the most frequently used weighting material. More recently, ilmenite (FeTi...

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Section: Research Gaps and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Gaps and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Discharged drilling waste from oil and gas platforms and its effects on benthic communities

Ellis

Fraser²,

Russell³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…They act as artificial reefs that provide new attachment sites for benthic organisms and vertical relief attractive to fishes, inducing the development of new organism assemblages (Stachowitsch et al 2002;Terlizzi et al 2008). In particular, fish assemblages associated with these offshore structures encompass both soft-bottom dwelling species, which are also found in the original substrate, and reef dwelling species, which would hardly (if not at all) be represented without these permanent structures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic relationships among scorpaeniform fishes associated with gas platforms

et al. 2011

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“…Offshore structures provide some degree of refuge from trawling activities [72], because safety regulations prevent navigating closer than a distance of between 200 m and 1000 m from offshore platforms (Art. 28 del D.P.R.…”

Section: Wind and Wave Farmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boosting Blue Growth in a Mild Sea: Analysis of the Synergies Produced by a Multi-Purpose Offshore Installation in the Northern Adriatic, Italy

et al. 2015

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Abstract:In the near future, the oceans will be subjected to a massive development of marine infrastructures, including offshore wind, tidal and wave energy farms and constructions for marine aquaculture. The development of these facilities will unavoidably exert environmental pressures on marine ecosystems. It is therefore crucial that the economic costs, the use of marine space and the environmental impacts of these activities remain within acceptable limits. Moreover, the installation of arrays of wave energy devices is still far from being economically feasible due to many combined aspects, such as immature technologies for energy conversion, local energy storage and moorings. Therefore, multi-purpose solutions combining renewable energy from the sea (wind, wave, tide), aquaculture and transportation facilities can be considered as a challenging, yet advantageous, way to boost blue growth. This would be due to the sharing of the costs of installation and using the produced energy locally to feed the different functionalities and optimizing marine spatial planning. This paper focuses on the synergies that may be produced by a multi-purpose offshore installation in a relatively calm sea, i.e., the Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy, and specifically offshore Venice. It analyzes the combination of aquaculture, energy production from wind and waves, and energy storage or transfer. Alternative solutions are evaluated based on specific criteria, including the maturity of the technology, the environmental impact, the induced risks and the costs. Based on expert judgment, the alternatives are ranked and a preliminary layout of the selected multi-purpose installation for the case study is proposed, to further allow the exploitation of the synergies among different functionalities.

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Effects of offshore platforms on soft-bottom macro-benthic assemblages: A case study in a Mediterranean gas field

Cited by 60 publications

References 42 publications

Discharged drilling waste from oil and gas platforms and its effects on benthic communities

Discharged drilling waste from oil and gas platforms and its effects on benthic communities

Trophic relationships among scorpaeniform fishes associated with gas platforms

Boosting Blue Growth in a Mild Sea: Analysis of the Synergies Produced by a Multi-Purpose Offshore Installation in the Northern Adriatic, Italy

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