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Successful in situ decommissioning of subsea oil and gas infrastructure requires operators and license holders to demonstrate that minimal harm to marine organisms (and human seafood consumers) will occur from exposure to any associated contaminants. Scale residues may accumulate on the interior surfaces of production pipelines and are likely to be present years beyond cessation of operations leading to potential ecological risk. Scale can consist of a range of metal contaminants (including mercury), as well as naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). The persistent nature of ‘NORM scale’ can result in a radiological dose to the organisms living on or near intact pipelines. Marine organisms inhabiting the exteriors or interiors of impacted pipes may interact with the scale and may be subject to subsequent radiological effects. The use of the ERICA tool can help inform petroleum operators and stakeholders in assessing the potential radiological risks to marine biota. However, few dose assessments for subsea oil and gas infrastructure have been published because of sparse data, as well as the challenging exposure considerations involved (e.g. shielding, cylindrical pipe). This case study used the ERICA Tool (v2.0) to estimate the likely radiological doses and effects from NORM contaminated scale to marine biota from a decommissioned offshore oil and gas pipeline. Radiological exposures from both external sources (accounting for attenuation of photons by a cylindrical carbon steel pipe) and internal sources over various scenarios of in-situ pipeline decommissioning are provided using real-world concentrations of NORMs from subsea pipelines as examples. Dose rates from three exposure scenarios and the impact of different model arameterizations to the overall assessment outcomes of ERICA were investigated. We discuss the results of the ERICA Tool in comparison to the available literature on the known effects of radiological exposure to marine biota and highlight

The ALLIANCE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for radioecology is a living document that defines a long-term vision (20 years) of the needs for, and implementation of, research in radioecology in Europe. The initial SRA, published in 2012, included consultation with a wide range of stakeholders (Hinton et al., 2013). This revised version is an update of the research strategy for identified research challenges, and includes a strategy to maintain and develop the associated required capacities for workforce (education and training) and research infrastructures and capabilities. Beyond radioecology, this SRA update constitutes a contribution to the implementation of a Joint Roadmap for radiation protection research in Europe (CONCERT, 2019a). This roadmap, established under the H2020 European Joint Programme CONCERT, provides a common and shared vision for radiation protection research, priority areas and strategic objectives for collaboration within a European radiation protection research programme to 2030 and beyond. Considering the advances made since the first SRA, this updated version presents research challenges and priorities including identified scientific issues that, when successfully resolved, have the potential to impact substantially and strengthen the system and/or practice of the overall radiation protection (game changers) in radioecology with regard to their integration into the global vision of European research in radiation protection. An additional aim of this paper is to encourage contribution from research communities, end users, decision makers and other stakeholders in the evaluation, further advancement and accomplishment of the identified priorities.