Environmental Report 1999 Index

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UKCS Seabed Survey Review Regional seabed surveys carried out on the Atlantic Frontier have provided important information, and UKOOA has decided that a similar approach to the mature areas of the UKCS would be equally valuable. More than 400 seabed surveys have been carried out in the North Sea since the 1970s, generating a huge amount of data on the seabed and its characteristics. Now, we have started collecting and collating all of this historical data in a two-year study that will be completed in 2001. The aim is to construct a regional database of all the chemical and biological data from these surveys. This will allow us to identify large-scale trends, if any, over wide geographic areas and over time. The study will also examine the extent of seabed contamination from exploration and production activities, which will help us assess the impacts the oil industry has had on seabed life. We will also look for signs of recovery since the discharge of oil-based muds was phased out at the end of 1996, and we will measure the background levels of hydrocarbons in the seabed sediments. This compilation of the inventory of all surveys will establish a full and comprehensive list of seabed surveys which will be available to the public.