Research and analysis

Onshore oil and gas monitoring: assessing the statistical significance of changes

This project aimed to identify appropriate mathematical methods for analysing environmental data near onshore oil and gas sites.

Documents

Onshore Oil and Gas monitoring: assessing the statistical significance of changes: report

Onshore Oil and Gas monitoring: assessing the statistical significance of changes: Annex A

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Details

This project aimed to identify appropriate mathematical methods for analysing environmental data near onshore oil and gas (OOG) sites. These methods could help us to define and describe pre-operational “baseline” data and show how statistically significant changes from baseline levels may be detected.

The potential development of the OOG industry in England has raised a number of controversies and much has been made of the need to understand “baseline” environmental conditions. Although monitoring techniques are well understood, procedures for data analysis, baseline-setting and source attribution are less well established. This study reviews what has been done in other air-quality and groundwater contexts, including existing OOG sites, and recommends procedures for use with OOG activities.

This report can help operators and others to appreciate the factors that should be considered when designing an environmental monitoring programme for the baseline and operational stages of an OOG facility.

Updates to this page

Published 22 October 2019

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