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Report of the Terra Nova Development Project Environmental Assessment Panel
Appendix H: Glossary
- anthropogenic
- Derived or resulting from human activity.
- adaptive management
- Management that changes in anticipation of, or in response to, new or altered circumstances during the life of a project.
- barrel
- A unit of measure for crude oil and oil products equal to 42 U.S. gallons; 158.98 litres.
- biocide
- A chemical agent that destroys living organisms.
- benefits plan
- A plan that gives full and fair opportunity for Canadian individuals and companies to supply the requirements of the project, to give first consideration to services and goods provided from within the province, and to provide, in particular, employment opportunities for the labour force of the province.
- benthic organisms
- Organisms including animals and plants living on, in, or attached to the sea bottom.
- bergy bit
- A piece of floating glacier having a "sail" (the portion of the iceberg above the water line, exposed to the wind) greater than 1.5 m but less than 5 m and a water plane area greater than 20 m2 but less than 30 m2. Size approximates that of a small house and mass is between 120 and 5,400 tonnes.
- carrying capacity
- The total number of plants and animals that can be supported by a particular ecosystem, without reducing the environment's long-term ability to sustain life.
- cuttings
- Chips and small fragments of rock that are brought to the surface by the flow of drilling mud as it is circulated in the drilling process.
- demersal
- Referring to animals (usually fish) associated with, but not living on, the sea bottom.
- delineation well
- A well drilled in the vicinity of a discovery well to evaluate the extent and importance of a hydrocarbon find.
- drift blocks
- Floating objects released at sea to indicate surface water movements. Also called drifters.
- drilling phase
- The period during which wells are drilled; occurs during both preproduction and operationsphases.
- drilling waste
- Drill cuttings mixed with spent drilling muds and various chemicals added during the drilling process.
- First Oil
- A milestone achieved when the first shuttle tanker has been filled with oil from the Terra Nova production system and the shuttle tanker disconnects from the offloading system. The entire production system is handed to operations personnel at this point.
- flowline
- A line that takes fluids from a single well or a series of wells to a gathering centre; or a seabed line that connects field components such as wells, manifolds and riser bases.
- formation water
- Water that is present in a geological structure.
- glory hole
- A seabed excavation into which equipment is installed.
- greenhouse gases
- Gases emitted into the atmosphere that cause global climate change ("the greenhouse effect"), the most important of which is carbon dioxide.
- growler
- The smallest category of iceberg size, with a sail extending less than 1.5 m above sea level and a water plane of about 20 m2. Comparable in size to a car and having a mass of less than 120 tonnes.
- heavy metals
- Metals, such as lead, mercury and zinc, having a density of more than five times that of water.
- iceberg
- A massive piece of ice greatly varying in shape with a sail greater than 5 m. Larger and greater in mass than abergy bit or a growler.
- injection well
- A well used for injecting water or gas into a formation in a pressure-maintenance operation or in secondary recovery.
- Jeanne d'Arc Basin
- A structure of the Grand Banks subsurface, composed of sedimentary rock, that was once a prehistoric seabed.
- multi-year ice floe
- A great mass or sheet of floating ice that lasts for more than one year.
- oil-based muds
- A mixture of clay, oil and chemical additives pumped down the wellbore through the drill pipe to cool the rapidly rotating bit, to lubricate the drill pipe and to carry rockcuttings to the surface.
- oil in place
- The total amount of crude oil estimated to exist in a field or a reservoir.
- operations phase
- The period from First Oil until cessation of all production from the Terra Nova Field. It includes offshore installation activities that occur after First Oil, production, operations, maintenance, well abandonment, and decommissioning. Part of the drilling phase occurs during this period.
- pelagic
- Refers to marine species living or feeding in the water column.
- peer review
- Process by which work of a person or group is evaluated by other experts in the same field.
- pre-production phase
- The period beginning with regulatory approval of the development application, up to the production and offloading ofFirst Oil. It includes detail engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and installation up to First Oil. Part of the drilling phase occurs during this period.
- produced water
- Water separated from crude oil during the production process, composed of both formation water, and seawater that has been injected into the formation. Contains a complex mixture of organic and inorganic chemicals used in well maintenance over the life a producing field.
- recoverable reserves
- That part of oil in place which can be economically extracted.
- reinjection
- The process by which produced water or gas is injected back into the formation.
- scale
- A coating created on metal by chemical reactions; in this case, a coating in a pipe created by chemical reactions with produced water combined with seawater.
- sea ice
- Any ice floating in the sea.
- significant discovery
- An issue of oil from a geological formation indicated by the first well that demonstrates the existence of hydrocarbons that have the potential for commercial production.
- significant effect
- A specified level at which an effect is considered of importance or concern.
- sweet crude oil
- Unrefined petroleum with very little sulphur and a good odour.
- synergistic effect
- The result of the combination or correlation of two or more changes which produce additional effects.
- topsides
- The oil and gas production and support equipment located on the top of an offshore structure.
- transparency
- A condition that ensures that decisions, and the information on which they are based, are open to public examination and scrutiny.
- turret
- A cylindrical structure capable of revolving horizontally within the hull of a ship and connected to a number of mooring lines and risers. It allows the ship to rotate with the weather while maintaining a fixed geographic position.
- water-based mud
- A mixture of clay, water and chemical additives pumped down the wellbore through the drill pipe to cool the rapidly rotating bit, to lubricate the drill pipe as it turns in the wellbore, and to carry rock cuttings to the surface.
- Executive Summary
- 1.0 Introduction
- 2.0 Fundamental Findings
- 3.0 Socio-Economic Impacts of the Project
- 4.0 The Impact of the Environment on the Project
- 5.0 Environmental Effects of the Project
- 6.0 Monitoring
- 7.0 Recommendations
- Appendix A: Biographies of Panel Members
- Appendix B: Terms of Reference
- Appendix C: Participant Funding Program
- Appendix D: Presenters at Public Hearings
- Appendix E: Key Review Documents
- Appendix F: Acts, Regulations and Guidelines cited in the Report
- Appendix G: Abbreviations
- Appendix H: Glossary
- Appendix I: Acknowledgements
- Figure 1: Location of the Terra Nova Development
- Figure 2: Terra Nova Oil Field and Potential Drill Centre Layout
- Date Modified: