Effects of non-aqueous fluids cuttings discharge from exploratory drilling activities on the deep-sea macrobenthic communities

Recovery of deep-water megafaunal assemblages from hydrocarbon drilling disturbance in the Faroe−Shetland Channel

“…Disturbance from typical best-practice hydrocarbon drilling generally causes sedimentation and some chemical stress to benthic communities, rarely measurable beyond 250 m of the drilled area (Jones et al 2007b, Santos et al 2009). With increasing drilling activity in deeper waters (Radler 2006), and in environmentally sensitive areas, disturbance from drilling is an increasing threat to benthic ecosystems across the globe.…”

Effects of the Terra Nova offshore oil development on benthic macro-invertebrates over 10 years of development drilling on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Canada

“…However, members of the bivalve family Tellinidae were found to increase in abundance near Terra Nova drill centres; whereas some bivalves have been shown to be sensitive elsewhere (Daan et al, 1994;Schaaning et al, 2008). Paraonidae were sensitive at Terra Nova, but this polychaete family was largely unaffected in deep waters off Brazil (Santos et al, 2009).…”

Environmental Impacts of the Deep-Water Oil and Gas Industry: A Review to Guide Management Strategies

“…At present, little information is available on the effects of these processes at the microbial level. At the metazoan level, community-level changes in the density, biomass, and diversity of protistan, meio-, macro-, and megafaunal assemblages have been recorded in several studies (Gray et al, 1990;Currie and Isaacs, 2005;Jones et al, 2007;Netto et al, 2009;Santos et al, 2009;Lanzen et al, 2016). These changes have been linked with smothering by drilling cuttings and increased concentrations of harmful metals (e.g., barium) and hydrocarbons (Holdway, 2002;Breuer et al, 2004;Santos et al, 2009;Trannum et al, 2010).…”