Offshore Energy

Overview

The global energy sector is undergoing a major transition. While offshore oil and gas development has expanded into increasingly deeper waters over recent decades, the industry now faces significant change as nations shift towards renewable offshore energy sources, particularly offshore wind.

The environmental risks associated with deep-water hydrocarbon extraction were highlighted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster and remain a concern as operations move into deeper and more remote environments, including the waters of developing nations and potentially areas targeted for gas hydrate extraction. At the same time, the decline of offshore oil and gas activity raises important questions about the future of production platforms, drilling infrastructure, pipelines, and workforce transitions.

Although renewable offshore energy developments generally present lower environmental risks than hydrocarbon extraction, many of the same principles of environmental assessment, monitoring, and management remain relevant. Understanding how to sustainably manage offshore energy development while protecting deep-ocean ecosystems is therefore a growing priority.

The Working Group

The Offshore Energy Working Group facilitates science–policy engagement on deep-sea issues related to:

  • Offshore oil and gas development
  • Offshore renewable energy
  • Environmental impact assessment (EIA)
  • Monitoring and environmental management
  • Decommissioning of offshore infrastructure
  • Economic and workforce transitions

The group draws on expertise in deep-sea ecology, environmental assessment, monitoring technologies, and energy policy to support evidence-based decision-making. The Working Group currently includes more than 100 members from academia, industry, and government organisations worldwide.

Environmental Assessment and Management

The Working Group supports improvements in:

  • Environmental impact assessment (EIA) design and implementation
  • Environmental monitoring programmes
  • Knowledge exchange on environmental best practice
  • Sustainability of offshore energy operations
  • Science-based biodiversity assessment, including eDNA and metabarcoding approaches
  • Understanding acceptable levels of environmental change and adaptive management approaches

Research Priorities

Members are promoting collaborative research on:

  • Effects of underwater sound on fish and invertebrates
  • Microbial responses to offshore energy activities
  • Interactions between climate change and drilling impacts
  • Effects of dispersants on deep-sea organisms
  • Ecosystem recovery following disturbance
  • Cumulative environmental impacts
  • Appropriate buffer zones and setback distances
  • Biodiversity assessment and monitoring methods

Policy and Governance

Current policy-focused activities include:

  • Assessing the applicability of existing oil and gas regulations to offshore gas hydrate development.
  • Exploring how Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem (VME) and Ecologically or Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) concepts can support offshore energy planning.
  • Promoting cost-effective approaches to marine protected area (MPA) design.
  • Strengthening collaboration with the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA).
  • Identifying science needs to support future regulations, guidelines, and environmental assessments.

Workshops and Capacity Building

The Working Group is developing opportunities to strengthen international collaboration and capacity, including:

  • A broad stakeholder workshop to identify scientific knowledge needed to support future offshore energy regulations and environmental assessments.
  • Capacity-building initiatives focused on designing and implementing EIAs for offshore energy activities in developing nations.
  • Follow-up activities arising from the Colombia workshop and associated publication.
  • Exploration of a future workshop on mitigation measures for offshore energy development and strategic compensation approaches.

Redefining the Influence of Chemosynthetic Ecosystems for Effective Management (2021)

This policy brief examines the importance of chemosynthetic ecosystems in offshore energy planning and management, highlighting the need for improved consideration of these ecosystems within environmental assessment and decision-making processes.

  • Bravo, M.E. et al. (2023). Insights from the Management of Offshore Energy Resources: Toward an Ecosystem-Services Based Management Approach for Deep-Ocean Industries. Frontiers in Marine Science. 
  • The ‘Eye of Fire’ in the Gulf and a path forward away from fossil fuels – opinion piece by Erik Cordes in The Hill
  • Georgian SE, Saunders M, Fisher CR, Kramer K, Shedd W, Roberts HH, Lewis C, Cordes EE. (2020) Habitat suitability modeling to predict the spatial distribution of cold-water coral communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Journal of Biogeography. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13844
  • Jones DOB, Ardron JA, Colaço A, Durden JM (2020) Environmental considerations for impact and preservation reference zones for deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining. Marine Policy 118. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.10.025
  • Sutton TT, Frank TM, Romero IC, Judkins H (2020) Chapter 24: As Gulf oil extraction goes deeper, who is at risk? Community structure, distribution, and connectivity of the deep-pelagic fauna. In: Murawski, S.A., Ainsworth C., Gilbert, S., Hollander, D., Paris, C.B., Schlüter, M. and Wetzel, D. (Eds.) Scenarios and Responses to Future Deep Oil Spills – Fighting the Next War. Springer.
  • Weinnig AM, Hallaj A*, Gomez CE, Cordes EE. (2020) Assessing the impact of multiple stressors on a cold-water coral: the influence of temperature and pH on the phenotypic response of Lophelia pertusa to oil and dispersant exposure. Scientific Reports. 10: 1768. DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-020-58556-9
  • Drazen J, Smith C, Gjerde K, Au W, Black J, Carter G, Clark M, Durden J, Dutrieux P, Goetze E, Haddock S, Hatta M, Hauton C, Hill P, Koslow J, Leitner A, Measures C, Pacini A, Parrish F, Peacock T, Perelman J, Sutton T, Taymans C, Tunnicliffe V, Watling L, Yamamoto H, Young E, Ziegler A (2019) Report of the workshop Evaluating the nature of midwater mining plumes and their potential effects on midwater ecosystems. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e33527. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e33527
  • Gates, A. R., Horton, T, Serpell-Stevens, A, Chandler, C, Grange, L. J., Robert, K, Bevan, A, Jones, D. O. B. (2019) Ecological Role of an Offshore Industry Artificial Structure. Frontiers in Marine Science 6. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00675
  • Levin LA, Bett BJ, Gates AR, Heimbach P, Howe BM, Janssen F, McCurdy A, Ruhl HA, Snelgrove P, Stocks KI, Bailey D, Baumann-Pickering S, Beaverson C, Benfield MC, Booth DJ, Carreiro-Silva M, Colaço A, Eblé MC, Fowler AM, Gjerde KM, Jones DOB, Katsumata K, Kelley D, Le Bris N, Leonardi AP, Lejzerowicz F, Macreadie PI, McLean D, Meitz F, Morato T, Netburn A, Pawlowski J, Smith CR, Sun S, Uchida H, Vardaro MF, Venkatesan R, Weller RA (2019) Global Observing Needs in the Deep Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science 6. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00241
  • Milligan RJ, Bernard AM, Boswell KM, Bracken-Grissom HD, D’Elia MA, DeRada S, Easson CG, English D, Eytan RI, Finnegan KA, Hu C, Lembke C, Lopez JV, Penta B, Richards TT, Romero IC, Shivji M, Timm L, Warren JD, Weber M, Wells RJD, Sutton TT (2019) The application of novel research technologies by the Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND) Consortium. Marine Technology Society Journal. 52(6): 81-86.
  • Bredariol, T. O., and d’Avignon, A. L. (2018). Institutions and environmental governance: The case of environmental permitting for offshore oil and gas projects. Ambiente e Sociedade 21. https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4422asoc0090r1vu18l1ao
  • Cordes EE, Levin LA. (2018) Exploration before exploitation (editorial). Science 359: 719.
  • DeLeo DM, Lengyel SD, Quattrini AM, Kulathinal RJ, Cordes EE. (2018) Gene expression profiling reveals deep-sea coral response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mol Ecol 27: 4066-4077. doi: 10.1111/mec.14847
  • Fowler AM, Jørgensen A-M, Svendsen JC, Macreadie PI, Jones DOB, Boon AR, Booth DJ, Brabant R, Callahan E, Claisse JT, Dahlgren TG, Degraer S, Dokken QR, Gill AB, Johns DG, Leewis RJ, Lindeboom HJ, Linden O, May R, Murk AJ, Ottersen G, Schroeder DM, Shastri SM, Teilmann J, Todd V, Van Hoey G, Vanaverbeke J, Coolen JWP (2018) Environmental benefits of leaving offshore infrastructure in the ocean. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 16:571-578. DOI: 10.1002/fee.1827
  • Macreadie PI, McLean DL, Thomson PG, Partridge JC, Jones DOB, Gates AR, Benfield MC, Collin SP, Booth DJ, Smith LL, Techera E, Skropeta D, Horton T, Pattiaratchi C, Bond T, Fowler AM (2018) Eyes in the sea: Unlocking the mysteries of the ocean using industrial, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Science of the Total Environment 634:1077-1091. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.049
  • Romero IC, Sutton TT, Carr B, Quintana-Rizzo E, Ross SW, Hollander DJ, Torres JJ (2018) Decadal Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mesopelagic Fishes from the Gulf of Mexico Reveals Exposure to Oil-Derived Sources. Environmental Science & Technology, 52(19): 10985-10996.
  • Vad J, Kazanidis G, Henry L-A, Jones DOB, Tendal OS, Christiansen S, Henry TB, Roberts JM (2018) Potential impacts of offshore oil and gas activities on deep-sea sponges and the habitats they form. Advances in Marine Biology. 79:33-60. DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2018.01.001
  • Woodall LC, Andradi-Brown DA, Brierley AS, Clark MR, Connelly D, Hall RA, Howell KL, Huvenne VAI, Linse K, Ross RE, Snelgrove P, Stefanoudis PV, Sutton TT, Taylor M, Thornton TF, Rogers AD (2018) A multidisciplinary approach for generating globally consistent data on mesophotic, deep-pelagic, and bathyal biological communities. Oceanography 31(3): https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2018.301.
  • Almada G, Bernardino, AF (2017). Conservation of deep-sea ecosystems within offshore oil fields on the Brazilian margin, SW Atlantic. Biol. Cons. 206: 92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.12.026
  • Amon DJ, Gobin J, Van Dover CL, Levin LA, Marsh L and Raineault NA (2017) Characterization of Methane-Seep Communities in a Deep-Sea Area Designated for Oil and Natural Gas Exploitation Off Trinidad and Tobago. Front. Mar. Sci. 4:342. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2017.00342
  • Bernardino AF, Sumida PYG (2017) Deep risks from offshore development. Science 358 (6361): 312. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaq0779.
  • Burdett EC, Fine C, Sutton TT, Cook AB, Frank TM (2017) Geographic and depth distributions, ontogeny, and reproductive seasonality decapod shrimps (Caridea: Oplophoridae) from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Bulletin of Marine Science 93(3): 743-767. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2016.1083.
  • Gates AR, Benfield MC, Booth DJ, Fowler AM, Skropeta D, Jones DOB (2017) Deep-sea observations at hydrocarbon drilling locations: Contributions from the SERPENT Project after 120 field visits. -sea Research II. 137:463-479. DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.07.011
  • Reygondeau G, Guidi L, Beaugrand G, Henson SA, Koubbi P, MacKenzie BR, Sutton TT, Fiorini M, Maury O (2017) Global biogeochemical provinces of the mesopelagic zone. Journal of Biogeography. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13149.
  • Sutton TT, Clark MR, Dunn DC, Halpin PN, Rogers AD, Guinotte J, Bograd SJ, Angel MV, Perez JAA, Wishner K, Haedrich RL, Lindsay DJ, Drazen JC, Vereshchaka A, Piatkowski U, Morato T, Błachowiak-Samołyk T, Robison BH, Gjerde KM, Pierrot-Bults A, Bernal P, Reygondeau G, Heino M (2017) A global biogeographic classification of the mesopelagic zone. Deep Sea Research I 126: 85-102.
  • Cordes EE, Auscavitch S, Baums IB, Fisher CR, Girard F, Gomez CLS, McClain-Counts J, Mendlovitz HP, Saunders M, Smith S, Vohsen S, Weinheimer A. (2016) ECOGIG: Oil spill effects on deep-sea corals through the lenses of natural hydrocarbon seeps and long time series. Oceanography 29:28-29.
  • Cordes EE, Jones DOB, Schlacher TA, Amon DJ, Bernardino AF, Brooke S, Carney R, DeLeo DM, Dunlop KM, Escobar E, Gates AR, Génio L, Gobin J, Henry L-A, Herrera S, Hoyt S, Joye S, Kark S, Mestre NC, Metaxas A, Pfeifer S, Sink K, Sweetman AK, Witte U. (2016) Environmental impacts of the deep-water oil and gas industry: a review to guide management strategies. Front Environ Sci 4: 58. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2016.00058
  • DeLeo DM, Ruiz-Ramos D, Baums IB, Cordes EE. (2016) Response of deep-water corals to oil and chemical dispersant exposure. Deep-Sea Res II 129: 137-147. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.02.028
  • Demopoulos AWJ, Bourque JR, Cordes EE, Stamler KM. (2016) Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep-sea coral sediment communities. MEPS 561: 51-68. doi:10.3354/meps11905
  • Fisher CR, Montagna PA, Sutton TT (2016) How did the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact deep-sea ecosystems? Oceanography 29(3):182–195.
  • Joye SB, Bracco A, Ozgokmen T, Chanton JP, Grosell M, MacDonald IR, Cordes EE, Montoya JP, Passow U. (2016) The Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem, six years after the Macondo Oil Well Blowout. Deep-Sea Res II 129: 4-19. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.04.018
  • Main CE, Yool A, Holliday NP, Popova EE, Jones DOB, Ruhl HA (2016) Simulating pathways of subsurface oil in the Faroe–Shetland Channel using an ocean general circulation model. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 114(1):315–326. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.09.041
  • Cordes EE, Berlet SP, Cardman Z, Dannenberg R, Demopoulos AWJ, Georgian SE, King C, McKean DL, Young DM. (2014) Exploring deep-sea coral communities and the effects of oil and gas inputs to the Gulf of Mexico. Oceanography 27: 28-29. doi: 10.5670/oceanog.2014.supplement.01
  • Doughty CL, Quattrini AM, Cordes EE. (2014) Insights into the population dynamics of the deep-sea coral genus Paramuricea in the Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Res II 99: 71-82. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.05.023
  • Fisher CR, Demopoulos AWJ, Cordes EE, Baums IB, White HK, Bourque JR. (2014) Coral communities as indicators of ecosystem-level impacts resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Bioscience. 64: 796-807. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biu129
  • Fisher CR, Hsing P-Y, Kaiser C, Yoerger D, Roberts HH, Shedd W, Cordes EE, Shank TS, Berlet SP, Saunders M, Larcom EA, Brooks J. (2014) Footprint of Deepwater Horizon blowout impact to deep-water coral communities. PNAS. 111: 11744-11749. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1403492111
  • White HK, Hsing PY, Cho W, Shank TM, Cordes EE, Quattrini AM, Nelson RK, Camilli R, Demopoulos A, German CR, Brooks JM, Roberts HH, Shedd W, Reddy CM, Fisher CR. (2012) Impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep-water coral community in the Gulf of Mexico. PNAS. 109: 20303-20308. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1118029109.
  • White HK, Hsing PY, Cho W, Shank TM, Cordes EE, Quattrini AM, Nelson RK, Camilli R, Demopoulos A, German CR, Brooks JM, Roberts HH, Shedd W, Reddy CM, Fisher CR. (2012) Reply to Boehm and Carragher: Multiple lines of evidence link deep-water coral damage to Deepwater Horizon oil spill. PNAS. 109: E2648. doi:10.1073/pnas.1210413109.

  • Collaborate with us to advance deep-sea climate science. Engage in meetings, contribute to policy briefs and publications, and participate in international events.

    WG members are encouraged to actively engage with WG communications and meetings, as these are where further information will be provided on workshops, outputs such as policy briefs and publications, as well as event attendance. Please note: DOSI Ambassadors who are involved key meetings are selected according to our DOSI internal policy and at the discretion of the WG leads. 

    Get Involved

Working Group Leads
Untitled design (17)
Daniel Jones

National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK

Untitled design (16)
Maria Emilia Bravo

Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Untitled design
Craig McClain

University Louisiana, Lafayette, USA

Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube Instagram Bold

AncoraThemes © 2026. All Rights Reserved.

to top