Response of Microbial Communities to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material-Contaminated Sediments: A Microcosm-Based Study.

There is a growing need to understand the potential ecological impacts of contaminants in offshore oil and gas infrastructure, especially if that infrastructure is to be left in situ as a decommissioning option. Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) is one type of contaminant found in solid deposits on internal surfaces of infrastructure that poses potential ecological harm if released into the marine environment. Microbes are important components of marine sediment ecosystems because they provide ecosystem services, yet the impacts of NORM contamination to these communities are not well understood.

Naturally occurring radioactive materials in offshore infrastructure: Understanding formation and characteristics of baryte scale during decommissioning planning.

Contaminants, including naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) of the 238-uranium and 232-thorium decay series, have been recognized as a global research priority to inform offshore petroleum infrastructure decommissioning decisions. This study aimed to characterize pipeline scale retrieved from a decommissioned subsea well tubular pipe through high-resolution elemental mapping and isotopic analysis. This was achieved by utilizing transmission electron microscopy, Synchrotron x-ray fluorescence, photostimulated luminescence autoradiography and Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry.

Assessing the ecological impacts of NORM-contaminated scale on marine infauna using sediment microcosms.

Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) can be found in decommissioned oil and gas infrastructure (e.g. pipelines), including scales.

Offshore decommissioning horizon scan: Research priorities to support decision-making activities for oil and gas infrastructure.

Thousands of oil and gas structures have been installed in the world's oceans over the past 70 years to meet the population's reliance on hydrocarbons. Over the last decade, there has been increased concern over how to handle decommissioning of this infrastructure when it reaches the end of its operational life. Complete or partial removal may or may not present the best option when considering potential impacts on the environment, society, technical feasibility, economy, and future asset liability.

Threshold values for the protection of marine ecosystems from NORM in subsea oil and gas infrastructure.

This modelling study uses the ERICA Tool and Bateman's equation to derive sediment threshold values for radiation protection of the marine environment relevant to NORM-contaminated products (radium-contaminated scales, Pb films and Po films) found in subsea oil and gas infrastructure. Threshold values are calculated as the activity concentration of the NORM-contaminated products' head of chain radionuclide (i.e.

Radiological risk assessment to marine biota from exposure to NORM from a decommissioned offshore oil and gas pipeline.

Scale residues can accumulate on the interior surfaces of subsea petroleum pipes and may incorporate naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). The persistent nature of 'NORM scale' may result in a radiological dose to the organisms living on or near intact pipelines. Following a scenario of in-situ decommissioning of a subsea pipeline, marine organisms occupying the exteriors or interiors of petroleum structures may have close contact with the scale or other NORM-associated contaminated substances and suffer subsequent radiological effects.

Heavy metal wombats? Metal exposure pathways to bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) living on remediated tin mine tailings.

Rehabilitation of disused mine sites through stabilisation and botanical restoration is ecologically important, but metal transfer pathways to colonising wildlife are often less understood and have never been studied in marsupials. The rehabilitated Royal George tin mine tailings (Tasmania, Australia) and colonisation by bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) represented an opportunity to examine potential metal transfer from mine tailings to an herbivorous marsupial. The aim of this study was to examine metal transfer pathways from the mine tailings to wombats, and to determine if wombats are at risk from metal exposure.

Current understanding and research needs for ecological risk assessments of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in subsea oil and gas pipelines.

Thousands of offshore oil and gas facilities are coming to the end of their life in jurisdictions worldwide and will require decommissioning. In-situ decommissioning, where the subsea components of that infrastructure are left in the marine environment following the end of its productive life, has been proposed as an option that delivers net benefits, including from: ecological benefits from the establishment of artificial reefs, economic benefits from associated fisheries, reduced costs and improved human safety outcomes for operators. However, potential negative impacts, such as the ecological risk of residual contaminants, are not well understood.