Evaluating Sublethal Effects of Exposure to Petroleum Additives on Fishes Associates with Offshore Platforms

摘要

A tremendous amount of research has been directed towards understanding the effects of offshore oil development in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Recently, declining inshore production, rising oil prices and new technology have expanded petrochemical exploration into increasingly deeper water (>300 m) at increased risks to the marine fauna including the release of contaminants and noise pollution associated with the construction of offshore oil platforms. One type of risk is from chemical additives that are used to enhance deep-water production. Oil and gas platforms are a source of anthropogenic inputs including contaminated waters that are separated from crude oil at the extraction point (i.e., produced formation water), drilling-fluid chemicals, oil-based and water-based drilling muds and cuttings, and production additives, some of which are toxic to the fauna that reside on and near oil production structures.