Table 1: Summary of impacts of offshore oil and gas sector.
|
Impacts and Environmental Components |
Phases |
||||
|
Exploration |
Development and production |
||||
|
Activities |
|||||
|
Seismic survey |
Drilling and Appraisal |
Process and storage |
|||
|
Sources |
|||||
|
Seismic equipment |
Vessel operations |
Operations, including vessel and helicopter movements |
Decommissioning |
Operations, including increased vessel and helicopter movements |
|
|
Aquatic |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Generation of noise |
√ |
|
√ |
|
|
|
Generation of light |
√ |
|
√ |
|
|
|
Changes in water quality |
|
√ |
√ |
|
√ |
|
Changes in the dimensions of the seabed |
|
|
√ |
√ |
|
|
Atmospheric |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Changes in ambient air quality |
|
√ |
√ |
|
√ |
|
Generation of noise |
|
|
√ |
|
√ |
|
Generation of light |
|
|
√ |
|
√ |
|
Terrestrial |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Changes to soil quality |
|
√ |
√ |
|
√ |
|
Solid waste generation |
|
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
Biological |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Disturbance to marine organismsa |
√ |
|
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
Social |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lack of/limited access to natural capital by other resource users (e.g. fisherfolk) |
|
√ |
√ |
|
√ |
|
Changes in local population levels as a result of immigration (labour force) |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
Changes in the socio-economic systems due to new employment opportunities, inflation, income differentiation |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
Changes in socio-cultural systems, such as social structure, practices and beliefs and value systems |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Compiled using information from E&P Forum/UNEP [11] and World Bank Group [12].
aSome of the reported impacts on the marine biological environment include the disruption of behaviour of marine mammals due to noise, the effect of light on the diel vertical migration of phytoplankton, and damage to benthic organisms from the setting of anchors on the seabed [10].