The influence of oil and gas exploration activities on the macrobenthic community of an offshore oil and gas drilling site was investigated along the Krishna-Godavari basin (KG), Western Bay of Bengal. In the oil well sites, the enrichment factor of most of the metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr) showed relatively higher values (EF > 10), indicating their anthropogenic origin. The macrobenthic community exhibited a conspicuous reduction in biomass (av. 33.5%), density (av. 20.9%) and diversity (av. 6.7%) in and around the oil well platforms. Polychaetes abundance increased towards the oil well platforms and decreased away from the wells, whereas cumaceans dominated at the coastal stations. The lower density of Ampelisca sp. in the oil well platforms and higher density at the locations away from the oil wells indicates the adverse effects of exploration activities. Along with the environmental variables such as depth, sediment texture and composition, trace metal concentration also had a prominent influence on the macrobenthic fauna. The biotic indices (H’ index and AMBI) exhibiting slightly disturbed condition at the oil well sites; and M-AMBI exhibiting moderate-good–high condition, reveals the distinct distribution pattern of benthic communities in the region. Slightly disturbed conditions at a distance of 1–1.5 km from the oil wells compared to the undisturbed conditions at regions 3–4 km away from the platforms reveals the impacts of oil and gas exploration activities on the benthic habitat quality.

沿着孟加拉西部湾的克里希纳-戈达瓦里盆地 (KG) 调查了油气勘探活动对海上油气钻井场大型底栖生物群落的影响。在油井现场，大部分金属（Cu、Zn、Pb、Cr）的富集因子均表现出相对较高的值（EF > 10），表明其为人为来源。大型底栖动物群落在油井平台内部和周围表现出生物量（平均 33.5%）、密度（平均 20.9%）和多样性（平均 6.7%）的显着减少。多毛纲的丰度向油井平台增加，远离油井减少，而在沿海站则占主导地位。的较低的密度Ampeliscasp. 在油井平台和远离油井的位置较高的密度表明勘探活动的不利影响。除了深度、沉积物质地和成分等环境变量外，痕量金属浓度也对大型底栖动物群产生显着影响。生物指数（H'指数和AMBI）在油井现场表现出轻微的扰动状态；和 M-AMBI 表现出中-好-高条件，揭示了该地区底栖群落的独特分布格局。与距平台 3-4 公里区域的未受干扰条件相比，距油井 1-1.5 公里处的轻微扰动条件揭示了油气勘探活动对底栖栖息地质量的影响。