To effectively design and operate the many CO2 storage projects that are being developed in the North Sea, seismicity needs to be accurately characterised. Measuring seismicity can provide insights into the stress state in the region, fault density and faulting style, as well as fracturing in the overburden. Understanding background seismicity rates is also key to discriminating, determining the risk of, and mitigation against induced seismicity that could result from injection. Communicating earthquake risk is a key challenge in this field, and central to that is the reporting of earthquake sizes or magnitudes. These magnitudes are reported to the public, and thus their integrity needs to be ensured and their uncertainties thoroughly characterised. Magnitudes also are key input into seismic hazard analysis, a necessary step in the site characterisation of CO2 storage projects and other offshore infrastructure. This study compares and re-evaluates the magnitude estimates from a large database of North Sea seismicity compiled by the ACT3 project SHARP Storage. Magnitudes and their associated uncertainties are computed in a consistent manner and compared to the recordings reported by the regional agencies. Systematic differences are explored, and key sensitives are identified. These results will aid in the monitoring of seismicity in the North Sea, risk assessment for CO2 storage and other infrastructure, and the communication of seismic hazard.@en

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is essential to European decarbonisation efforts, and several offshore CO₂ storage projects are being developed in the North Sea. Understanding the geomechanical response to CO₂ injection is key to both the pre-characterisation and operation of a storage reservoir. A thorough assessment of seismicity gives critical insights into the stress field and faulting around reservoirs, both key controls on the geomechanical response to injection. Seismicity also illuminates potential hydraulic pathways for leakage, be it directly by revealing the extent of faults, or indirectly through fractures imaged by measurements of seismic anisotropy. High quality seismicity data is critical to underpin all of these methods of analysis. This paper presents the most complete catalogue of seismicity in the North Sea to date. The combined data are enabling revised assessments of seismic hazard and leakage risk in the North Sea, as well as a better understanding of faulting and stress. This study shows the value of unifying disparate seismicity data, allowing for more accurate seismological analyses. These lay the foundation for better management of risks for not only geologic CO₂ storage, but other offshore industries and infrastructure.

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