Environmental effects of discharges from the offshore oil and gas industry in the North Sea

This report consists of six chapters: Chapter 1 is an introductory review. Chapter 2 describes the geographical extent and various types of offshore activity discharges of oil in general terms and summarizes the overall chemical and biological effects in the various compartments of the marine ecosystem. Chapter 3 contains physical-chemical information about the occurrence of oil and, where available, also of heavy metals, in the environmental compartments water, sediment and biota around offshore oil and gas industrial sites. Chapter 4 describes the biological effects, again where possible in relation to discharges from offshore oil and gas industry. The effects on various groups of organisms from low to high in the food chain are described separately. Chapter 5 contains conclusions and chapter 6 recommendations.