Abstract:
The development of oil and gas fields typically results in environmental degradation in surrounding areas. Ecological risks originate from diverse sources and propagate through complex pathways, making it difficult for any single risk indicator to capture the full spectrum of potential ecological impacts. Consequently, there is an urgent need to establish a multidimensional and integrated risk assessment system. An evaluation indicator system was developed based on the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. Indicators were derived by integrating remote sensing (RS) interpretation with geographic information system (GIS) tools. The combined subjective and objective weights were determined by integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Entropy Weight Method (EWM)
via the Lagrange multiplier method, and the ecological risk assessment model for oil and gas fields was constructed based on the DPSIR framework. An empirical ecological risk assessment was conducted in the central area of the Jizhong Oil Production Zone within the Huabei Oilfield, a region characterized by intensive oil and gas exploitation. The evaluation indicators, weight distribution, and risk classification results were systematically analyzed. The findings indicated that: 1) The ecological risk assessment system for onshore oil and gas fields, comprising five dimensions and 15 core indicators based on the DPSIR model, effectively captured the ecological risks associated with oil and gas development. 2) Approximately 84.041% of the study area fell into low, medium-low, and medium-risk categories, while high-risk areas accounted for only 0.959% and exhibited a patchy distribution. High-risk zones were found in Hejian, Renqiu, Wen'an, and Xiongxian. 3) The influence of individual indicators on ecological risk varied considerably. The primary drivers of ecological risk were development activities themselves, including the extraction-to-land-use ratio, density of production facilities, landscape fragmentation, and pollution from petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The pressure of oilfield development on ecosystems significantly outweighed that from other socio-economic and natural factors. 4) Key drivers of ecological risk differed across regions. In Xiongxian County, high landscape fragmentation and low vegetation cover were the main contributors to high-risk areas. In Hejian City, high landscape fragmentation and a high extraction-to-land-use ratio dominated. In Renqiu City, soil salinization and a high extraction-to-land-use ratio were the primary causes. In Wen'an County, high landscape fragmentation and low green space coverage were the predominant factors. The ecological risk assessment method based on the DPSIR model can effectively identify the main risk sources of the oilfield ecosystem, providing a reference for the ecological risk assessment of onshore oil and gas fields