title: Development of a risk-based environmental management tool for drilling discharges. Summary of a four-year project.
abstract: This paper briefly summarizes the ERMS project and presents the developed model by showing results from environmental fates and risk calculations of a discharge from offshore drilling operations. The developed model calculates environmental risks for the water column and sediments resulting from exposure to toxic stressors (e.g., chemicals) and nontoxic stressors (e.g., suspended particles, sediment burial). The approach is based on existing risk assessment techniques described in the European Union technical guidance document on risk assessment and species sensitivity distributions. The model calculates an environmental impact factor, which characterizes the overall potential impact on the marine environment in terms of potentially impacted water volume and sediment area. The ERMS project started in 2003 and was finalized in 2007. In total, 28 scientific reports and 9 scientific papers have been delivered from the ERMS project (http://www.sintef.no/erms).
authors.affiliation: SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, N-7465, Trondheim, Norway. ivar.singsaas@sintef.no
authors.forename: Ivar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Singsaas
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rye
authors.forename: Tone Karin
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.forename: Mathijs G D
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Eimund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garpestad
authors.forename: Ingvild
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Skare
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bakke
authors.forename: Leticia Falcao
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Veiga
authors.forename: Melania
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buffagni
authors.forename: Odd-Arne
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Follum
authors.forename: Ståle
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnsen
authors.forename: Ulf-Einar
authors.initials: UE
authors.lastname: Moltu
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D004777:Environment; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D010578:Petroleum; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012623:Seawater; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D014873:Water Pollutants