We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Legacy subsea plastics from the oil and gas industry: Environmental risks of decommissioning in situ.
AI summary Read the abstract
When old oil and gas pipelines are left on the seafloor instead of removed, they slowly break down and could release up to 500 tonnes of microplastics into the ocean every year, in some cases more than what used to come from banned cosmetic microbeads. Since these tiny plastic particles can harm marine life and eventually work their way up the food chain (including into seafood we eat), researchers say this risk should be factored into decisions about retiring old offshore equipment and planning future infrastructure like wind farms.
Accumulation of end-of-life plastic is a global environmental problem. Plastics are widely used in oil and gas infrastructure and bring considerable benefits while in service. However, the environmental consequences of end-of-life decommissioning scenarios are largely unknown. Using the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) as a case study we estimate the mass of plastics deployed in subsea pipelines, quantify degradation and estimate the rate of microplastic generation. Recognising that the relatively slow rate of any subsequent mineralisation leads to an accumulation of plastic particles in the marine environment, we then apply a novel approach using Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) analysis to estimate potential environmental risks of decommissioning in situ. We demonstrate physical and chemical degradation of oil and gas plastics after 22 years in the UKCS. Available data indicated 121,000 tonnes of plastics may be decommissioned in situ, and we estimate that depending on environmental conditions their degradation could generate 4.5-500 tonnes of microplastics annually. Our lowest release scenario is a similar order of magnitude to the annual releases of microplastics to the North Sea from UK rivers and our highest is considerably more than annual microbead releases from cosmetics prior to the UK ban. Moreover, our PNEC analysis indicates microplastics generated from legacy oil and gas plastics have the potential to harm marine life. Despite uncertainties in absolute levels of microplastics generated from oil and gas legacy plastics we recommend they are formally integrated into decommissioning decision-making and into planning and consenting of new installations, including offshore renewable energy infrastructure.
More Papers Like This
The Offshore Blind Spot: In Situ Microplastic Emissions and Their Fate in the Marine Environment
AI summary Read the abstract
This review of existing research suggests that offshore oil rigs, deep-sea mining, and other ocean-based industries aren't just passive backdrops where plastic pollution ends up—they may actually be actively releasing microplastics directly into the water near where marine life feeds and lives. Because these plastics never go through the sun and weather exposure they'd get on land, they may break down differently and pose different risks to sea creatures (and potentially to the seafood we eat), but scientists still don't have enough standardized data to know how big this problem really is. The takeaway: as ocean industries expand, we need better monitoring of this overlooked pollution
Sources, Distribution, and Fate of Microscopic Plastics in Marine Environments
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarizes the sources, distribution, and fate of microplastics in marine environments, covering how they enter oceans from cosmetic beads and fragmented larger plastics, and how they spread from shorelines to deep seafloors. A wide range of marine organisms ingest microplastics, and the review raises questions about whether this causes harm and whether pollutants on plastic transfer to tissues.
Microplastics in multi-stream discharges from offshore oil and gas platforms: Occurrence and ecological risk
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tested wastewater, sewage, and drilling waste from 21 offshore oil and gas platforms in Chinese seas, finding microplastics in every sample. More than half of samples showed extreme ecological risk scores, and the microplastic types matched those found in nearby seafloor sediments, suggesting platforms may be a source of this pollution.
Microplastics in marine environments: Occurrence, distribution and effects
AI summary Read the abstract
Beyond the visible litter washing up on beaches, our oceans are filled with tiny plastic fragments called microplastics that are too small to see but widespread in marine waters. This review pulls together existing research on where these particles come from, how they spread through ocean ecosystems, and how they may affect marine life, research that matters because these same particles can work their way up the food chain into the seafood we eat. While scientists are still studying the full health impact on humans, understanding how microplastics behave in the ocean is a crucial first step.
We estimate up to 14 million tonnes of microplastics lie on the seafloor. It’s worse than we thought
AI summary Read the abstract
Deep-sea sediment sampling estimates up to 14 million tonnes of microplastics have accumulated on the ocean floor, roughly 35 times the estimated weight of plastic floating on the ocean surface. This finding fundamentally changes the understanding of where plastic pollution resides and suggests the long-term ecological burden on marine ecosystems is far greater than surface measurements have indicated.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.