Abstract
When the ambition of a zero discharge of harmful components policy was introduced for the offshore oil and gas industry on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the subsequent regulatory demand in Norway for monitoring the marine environment, the need for better monitoring methods and risk assessment tools emerged. Biological marine monitoring and risk assessment require sufficient information on the toxico-kinetic properties of the chemicals and their mechanism of action in the targeted organisms. In addition it is essential to establish quantitative relationships between external dose, internal dose and adverse effects to understand the meaning of the biomarker response. To meet these challenges TOTAL E&P NORGE AS (TOTAL) initiated a research program on biological markers (biomarkers) in 1995 to evaluate their potential to assess and monitor environmental risk associated to offshore E&P discharges. Priority was given to investigate the potential effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in dispersed oil present in produced water discharges as PAH are known to be harmful to organisms.
Biomarkers have been developed for marine crustaceans and fish in different environmental conditions: temperate, tropical and arctic conditions. Both laboratory and field validation studies have been carried out to ensure that operational tools suitable for E&P activities were developed. This allows data analysis and development of more relevant and cost efficient biological marine monitoring programs. The main outcome of these research studies to date is the definition of a set of biomarkers and a methodology suitable to detect and monitor potential effects linked to E&P activities. Ongoing research activities focus upon further refinement of the interpretation of biomarker responses and possible impact on population level as well as using biomarkers as environmental indicators for the general health condition of the ecosystem.
