title: The acute and chronic effects of wastes associated with offshore oil and gas production on temperate and tropical marine ecological processes.
abstract: A review of the acute and chronic effects of produced formation water (PFW), drilling fluids (muds) including oil-based cutting muds, water-based cutting muds, ester-based cutting muds and chemical additives, and crude oils associated with offshore oil and gas production was undertaken in relation to both temperate and tropical marine ecological processes. The main environmental effects are summarized, often in tabular form. Generally, the temporal and spatial scales of these studies, along with the large levels of inherent variation in natural environments, have precluded our ability to predict the potential long-term environmental impacts of the offshore oil and gas production industry. A series of critical questions regarding the environmental effects of the offshore oil and gas production industry that still remain unanswered are provided for future consideration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Biology, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Vic, Australia. d.holdway@rmit.edu.au
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Holdway
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004463:Ecology; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D010578:Petroleum / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012623:Seawater; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical