Offshore Decommissioning Horizon Scan: Research Priorities to Support Decision-Making Activities for Oil and Gas Infrastructure

Watson, Sarah; McLean, Dianne; Balcom, Brian; Birchenough, Silvana N.R.; Brand, Alison M.; Camprasse, Elodie  C.M.; Claisse, Jeremy T.; Joop, Coolen J.W.; Cresswell, Tom; Fokkema, Bert; Susan, G.; Lea-Anne, Henry; Chad, Hewitt L.; Love, Milton S.; MacIntosh, Amy; Marnane, Michael; McKinley, Emma; Micallef, Shannon; Morgan, Deborah; Nicolette, Joseph P.; Ounanian, Kristen; Paterson, John; Seath, Karen; Selman, Allison  G.L.; Suthers, Iain M.; Todd, Victoria L. G.; Tung, Aaron; Macreadie, Peter I.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.4367432

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…Over the last decade, there has been increased concern about the environmental risks of contaminants in offshore oil and gas infrastructure that may be left in the ocean (in situ) as a decommissioning option (Cresswell et al, 2021;MacIntosh et al, 2021MacIntosh et al, , 2022Melbourne-Thomas et al, 2021). The decommissioning of offshore facilities and their subsea infrastructure may result in the release of contaminants into the marine environment from various sources, either immediately or over an extended period postoperation (Watson et al, 2023). Assessing the ecological impacts of contaminants has been recognized as a global research priority with a need to further understand the impacts of offshore petroleumassociated contaminants on the marine environment (Watson et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The decommissioning of offshore facilities and their subsea infrastructure may result in the release of contaminants into the marine environment from various sources, either immediately or over an extended period postoperation (Watson et al, 2023). Assessing the ecological impacts of contaminants has been recognized as a global research priority with a need to further understand the impacts of offshore petroleumassociated contaminants on the marine environment (Watson et al, 2023). Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) is one group of contaminants that accumulate in oil and gas production infrastructure, often as solid deposits of inorganic crystalline salts (typically dominated by barium sulfate, barite [BaSO 4 ]), known as "scales" (Koppel et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Response of Microbial Communities to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material–Contaminated Sediments: A Microcosm‐Based Study

MacIntosh,

Dafforn,

Chariton

et al. 2024

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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There is a growing need to understand the potential ecological impacts of contaminants in offshore oil and gas infrastructure, especially if that infrastructure is to be left in situ as a decommissioning option. Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) is one type of contaminant found in solid deposits on internal surfaces of infrastructure that poses potential ecological harm if released into the marine environment. Microbes are important components of marine sediment ecosystems because they provide ecosystem services, yet the impacts of NORM contamination to these communities are not well understood. The present study aimed to investigate the response of benthic microbial communities to NORM‐contaminated scale, collected from an offshore oil and gas system, via controlled laboratory microcosm studies. Changes to microbial communities in natural sediment and sediments spiked with NORM at radium‐226 activity concentrations ranging from 9.5 to 59.8 Bq/kg (in partial equilibria with progeny) over 7 and 28 days were investigated using high‐throughput sequencing of environmental DNA extracted from experimental sediments. There were no significant differences in microbial community composition between control and scale‐spiked sediments over 7 and 28 days. However, we observed a greater presence of Firmicutes in the scale‐mixed treatment and Chloroflexi in the scale‐surface treatments after 28 days. This could suggest selection for species with contaminant tolerance or potential resilience to radiation and metal toxicity. Further research is needed to explore microbial tolerance mechanisms and their potential as indicators of effects of radionuclide‐contaminated sediments. The present study demonstrated that microcosm studies can provide valuable insights about the potential impacts of contamination from oil and gas infrastructure to sediment microbial communities. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;00:1–14. © 2024 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Microbial Communities to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material–Contaminated Sediments: A Microcosm‐Based Study

MacIntosh,

Dafforn,

Chariton

et al. 2024

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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show abstract

“…MAS decommissioning is now being recognised worldwide as a global challenge (Watson et al, 2023). Its strategic planning, management and governance requires a strong evidence base (Lonsdale et al, 2022), but few additional empirical data from real-world decommissioning are being produced to inform decommissioning decisions (Lemasson et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To What Extent Can Decommissioning Options for Marine Artificial Structures Move Us Toward Environmental Targets?

Knights,

Lemasson,

Firth

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Offshore Decommissioning Horizon Scan: Research Priorities to Support Decision-Making Activities for Oil and Gas Infrastructure

Cited by 2 publications

References 105 publications

Response of Microbial Communities to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material–Contaminated Sediments: A Microcosm‐Based Study

Response of Microbial Communities to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material–Contaminated Sediments: A Microcosm‐Based Study

To What Extent Can Decommissioning Options for Marine Artificial Structures Move Us Toward Environmental Targets?

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