title: Polychaete/amphipod ratio as an indicator of environmental impact related to offshore oil and gas production along the Norwegian continental shelf.
abstract: Benthic faunal data is regularly collected worldwide to assess the ecological quality of marine environments. Recently, there has been renewed interest in developing biological indices able to identify environmental status and potential anthropogenic impacts. In this paper we evaluate the performance of a general polychaete/amphipod ratio along the Norwegian continental shelf as an environmental indicator for offshore oil and gas impacts. Two main trends are apparent: first, a contamination gradient is discernible from where production takes place compared to stations 10,000 m away. Second, the quality of the marine environment has improved over time. These results are consistent with monitoring reports employing a combination of uni- and multi-variate statistics. Thus, we consider this ratio as a relatively simple, useful and potentially cost-effective complement to other more demanding assessment techniques. Because of its strong theoretical basis, it may also be useful for detecting ecological change as a result of other activities.
authors: Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway. hector.andrade@akvaplan.niva.no
authors: Hector
authors: H
authors: Andrade
authors: Paul E
authors: PE
authors: Renaud
mesh_terms: D033304:Amphipoda / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D058448:Biota; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D059206:Natural Gas / Q000633:toxicity*; D009659:North Sea; D009664:Norway; D061329:Oil and Gas Fields; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D011156:Population Density; D013045:Species Specificity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D059206:Natural Gas; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical