Decommissioned offshore structures offer limited long-term ecological benefits if they are simply left in the ocean to serve as artificial reefs, a new study suggests.
The research, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, saw researchers carry out a comprehensive analysis of existing studies into the environmental impacts of marine artificial structures - including oil and gas platforms and offshore wind farms - all over the world.
It highlighted that such installations can offer some ecological benefits - including increasing the diversity and abundance of fish species - in areas where the seafloor was mostly comprised of sand.
However, there was limited conclusive evidence that oil and gas platforms and offshore wind farms could provide additional substantial benefits if they were left in the sea after being decommissioned.
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