钻探开采碳氢化合物影响水生生物

The degradation ¹ of drilling sumps（池） associated with hydrocarbon ² extraction can negatively affect aquatic ³ ecosystems ⁴, according to new research published November 6th in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Joshua Thienpont and colleagues at Queen's University and other institutions. Hydrocarbons ⁵ are a primary source of energy as combustible⁶（易燃的） fuel. Although hydrocarbon exploration and extraction are profitable enterprises, hydrocarbons contribute to the formation of greenhouse gases and are therefore a major stressor to the environment., ,During the process of exploring for hydrocarbons, drilling sumps are used to permanently ⁷ store the waste associated with drilling. In the Mackenzie Delta ⁸ region of Canada's western Arctic, more than 150 drilling sumps were constructed for this purpose. Although the areas surrounding the sumps were believed to be frozen by the surrounding permafrost（永久冻土）, recent findings suggest that these areas may actually be thawing¹⁰（融化）. In this study, the authors examine the environmental effects of this type of drilling sump containment ¹¹ loss in the Mackenzie Delta., ,Because drilling fluids are saline, they tested whether leakage ¹² to surface waters was occurring by measuring changes in conductivity, as saline is more conductive than pure water. They also hypothesized that if saline-rich wastes from drilling sumps were impacting lakes, there should be changes in the types of life forms present. Zooplankton, for example, are a key component ¹³ of aquatic ecosystems and various species survive differently in saline（盐的） versus ¹⁴ fresh water., ,Through an analysis of lake sediments ¹⁵, they found changes in the community composition of zooplankton due to sump degradation. These results suggest that climate change and permafrost thaw ⁹ can have deleterious consequences to aquatic life through the degradation and leaking of drilling sumps., ,Thienpont elaborates, "The leaching ¹⁶ of wastes from drilling sumps represents a newly identified example of one of the cumulative ¹⁷ impacts of recent climate change impacting the sensitive freshwater ecosystems of the Arctic."