The environmental effects of offshore drilling

Reviews and articles on the environmental effects of offshore drilling for oil and gas.

**updated June 2025**

Classic review:

*Menzie, C.A. (1982). The environmental implications of offshore oil and gas activities. Environmental Science & Technology, 16 (8), 454-472.

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Recent reviews/articles:

*Albeldawi, M. (2023). Environmental impacts and mitigation measures of offshore oil and gas activities. Developments in Petroleum Science, 78, 313-352.

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*Cordes, E. E., Jones, D. O. B., Schlacher, T. A., Amon, D. J., Bernardino, A. F., Brooke, S., . . . Witte, U. (2016). Environmental impacts of the deep-water oil and gas industry: A review to guide management strategies. Frontiers in Environmental Science.

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*Gorchov Negron, A.,M., Kort, E. A., Conley, S. A., & Smith, M. L. (2020). Airborne assessment of methane emissions from offshore platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(8), 5112-5120. 

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*Meyer-Gutbrod, E., Kui, L., Nishimoto, M. M., Love, M. S., Schroeder, D. M., & Miller, R. J. (2019). Fish densities associated with structural elements of oil and gas platforms in southern California. Bulletin of Marine Science, 95(4), 639-656.

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*Nguyen, T.T., Cochrane, S.K.J., &  Landfald, B. (2018).  Perturbation of seafloor bacterial community structure by drilling waste discharge. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 129 (2), 615-622.

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*Nyman, E. (2017). Maritime energy and security: Synergistic maximization or necessary tradeoffs? Energy Policy, 106, 310-314. 

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*Punzo, E., Gomiero, A., Tassetti, A.N., Strafella, P., Santelli, A., et al. (2017). Environmental Impact of Offshore Gas Activities on the Benthic Environment: A Case Study. Environmental Management, 60 (2), 340-356. 

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*Riddick, S.N., Mauzerall, D.L., Celia, M., Harris, N.R.P.; Allen, G., et al. (2019). Methane emissions from oil and gas platforms in the North Sea. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics,19 (15), 9787-9796.

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*Wang, J., & Jiti, Z. (2021). Petroleum exploitation enriches the sulfonamide resistance gene sul2 in offshore sediments. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 39(3), 946-954.  

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engelk@grinnell.edu