Environmental effects monitoring of offshore oil and gas activities on the Norwegian continental shelf: A review

Abstract

This review examines the evolution and findings of Norway's offshore environmental monitoring (OEM) program over the past five decades. The program targets soft sediments, water column organisms, and deep-water epifauna across the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) to assess the impacts of offshore oil and gas activities. The program is required by Norwegian authorities and financed by oil and gas companies operating on the NCS. Initially prompted by widespread effects from oil-contaminated drill cuttings (OBM-DC) discharges, the first sediment quality monitoring came in 1973, and grew into a regional sediment quality monitoring program in 1995. A ban on discharge of OBM cuttings on the NCS was implemented in 1993, and the following years saw a clear reduction in areas with impacted sediments. Currently, significant contamination and macrofauna disturbances are typically confined within 250–500 m of DC discharge points. In the 1990s, concerns over increasing produced water (PW) discharges led to development of effect monitoring in the water column, with focus on fish and mussels as bioindicators. These in situ effect surveys have shown localized impacts near PW outlets. Other fish surveys have revealed elevated DNA adduct levels in demersal fish (haddock) in several areas on the NCS, but the causality of this phenomenon remains unclear. Deep-water petroleum exploration has necessitated visual surveys to map protected benthic epifauna communities, such as corals and sponges, though the methodology's suitability for assessing biological impact is uncertain. Future recommendations include redesigning sediment surveys to address combined stressors from the petroleum industry, fisheries, and climate change, adopting recent methodological and statistical advancements, and improving integration across program elements. This review describes how the offshore monitoring on the NCS has evolved in response to changing environmental concerns, regulations and industrial practices, providing insights for enhancing ecological protection in offshore petroleum activities.