It is also a non-static concept, as estimates of reserves will generally be revised upwards or downwards as additional geologic or engineering data become available, as technology improves, and/or as economic conditions (such as oil prices and production costs) change. In fact, the bulk of recent growth in world reserves is due not to new discoveries, but mainly to reserve growth and improved recovery rates.
石油储量同样也是一个无法统计的概念，它会因为额外的地质或工程数据的采用而在整体上向上或向下调整，也可能随着科技进步，以及/或经济条件（比如原油价格和生产成本）的改变而改变。其实，近年来国际石油储备增长的绝大部分并不依赖新油田的发现，而是主要依靠提高现有油田产量以及开采速度的提高。