Development of a risk-based environmental management tool for drilling discharges. Summary of a four-year project.
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).
Singsaas
Ivar
I
SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, N-7465, Trondheim, Norway. ivar.singsaas@sintef.no
Rye
Henrik
H
Frost
Tone Karin
TK
Smit
Mathijs G D
MG
Garpestad
Eimund
E
Skare
Ingvild
I
Bakke
Knut
K
Veiga
Leticia Falcao
LF
Buffagni
Melania
M
Follum
Odd-Arne
OA
Johnsen
Ståle
S
Moltu
Ulf-Einar
UE
Reed
Mark
M
D004777:Environment; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D010578:Petroleum; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012623:Seawater; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
D010578:Petroleum; D014873:Water Pollutants