Dr Caitlin Gionfriddo from La Trobe’s Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems and Department of Environment and Genetics has received a $446,000 Australian Research Council Industry Early Career Fellowship.
Her project, in collaboration with Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, will examine the risk of mercury contamination from decommissioned offshore oil and gas infrastructure.
“Mercury is a by-product of oil and gas refinery production processes, and it remains in the infrastructure long after it has been decommissioned,” Dr Gionfriddo explains.
As offshore oil and gas rigs are being shut down around Australia, industry and regulators are faced with the problem of what to do with the infrastructure – do they dismantle them completely or leave some of the infrastructure behind? And what are the risks to the marine environment?
Dr Gionfriddo’s research will help answer these questions.
“I will be examining how marine microorganisms interact with mercury in offshore oil and gas pipelines. We are interested in how microbes influence mercury release to the environment and how mercury impacts the marine food web and the potential risks to wildlife and food safety.”
“Unfortunately, we first learned about the toxic impacts of mercury from big public health events. Fortunately, we now have a global commitment – the U.N. Minamata Convention on Mercury, adopted by Australia in 2021 – to reduce mercury pollution and protect human health and the environment from mercury.
This research will help us better understand the risks ahead of time. We will also be developing a predictive tool to help guide decision-making around dismantling offshore oil and gas infrastructure,” she says.
The ARC Industry Early Career Fellowship program aims to develop the industry collaboration skills of early career researchers and support them to achieve translatable outcomes.
“I am looking forward to collaborating with researchers at Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and the Australian Institute of Marine Science,” Dr Gionfriddo says.
“It is exciting to work on a project with global significance, because we aren’t just grappling with this issue in Australia, there are offshore oil and gas refineries being decommissioned all over the world.”
“This research has the potential to influence policy and public health for many generations to come.”
