scholarly journals A 1.4-Billion-Pixel Map of the Gulf of Mexico Seafloor

Eos ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kramer ◽  
W. Shedd
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
The U.S

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management releases the highest-resolution bathymetry map of the region to date.

scholarly journals An Improved Method to Estimate the Probability of Oil Spill Contact to Environmental Resources in the Gulf of Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Li ◽  
Walter Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Environmental Resources ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Socioeconomic Resources ◽  
The U.S

The oil spill risk analysis (OSRA) model is a tool used by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to evaluate oil spill risks to biological, physical, and socioeconomic resources that could be exposed to oil spill contact from oil and gas leasing, exploration, or development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Using long-term hindcast winds and ocean currents, the OSRA model generates hundreds of thousands of trajectories from hypothetical oil spill locations and derives the probability of contact to these environmental resources in the U.S. OCS. This study generates probability of oil spill contact maps by initiating trajectories from hypothetical oil spill points over the entire planning areas in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) OCS and tabulating the contacts over the entire waters in the GOM. Therefore, a probability of oil spill contact database that stores information of the spill points and contacts can be created for a given set of wind and current data such that the probability of oil spill contact to any environmental resources from future leasing areas can be estimated without a rerun of the OSRA model. The method can be applied to other OCS regions and help improve BOEM’s decision-making process.

scholarly journals Do Oil and Gas Lease Stipulations in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico Need Expansion to Better Protect Vulnerable Coral Communities? How Low Relief Habitats Support High Coral Biodiversity

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa Faye Nuttall ◽  
Emma L. Hickerson ◽  
Raven D. Blakeway ◽  
George P. Schmahl ◽  
Paul W. Sammarco
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Support Resource

The continental shelf of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico harbors extensive reefs and banks that support diverse coral reefs and mesophotic communities. Mesophotic communities range in depth from 40 to 200 m and, in this region, foster some of the densest coral forests [aggregations of mesophotic octocoral, antipatharian, and branching stony coral communities] reported in published literature (10.23 ± 9.31 col/m2). The geologic features underlying the exposed substrates that harbor mesophotic communities are targeted for extensive hydrocarbon exploration and extraction, as they often contain oil and/or natural gas. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management regulates offshore energy development in the United States and is tasked with protecting sensitive biological communities from impacts related to oil and gas activities. This study analyzed alpha and beta diversity of mesophotic coral forests on fourteen topographic banks in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The objective of the study was to examine differences in structure and community in relation to lease stipulations established by the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management. It was determined that dense and diverse mesophotic coral forests and carbonate producers exist in present regulatory zones that prohibit oil and gas activities; however, the coral communities exist in higher densities, diversity, and richness in low relief substrates outside of these regulatory zones. Our findings suggest low relief hard substrates serve as important habitat for mesophotic coral forests; thus, we suggest the expansion of current stipulations should be considered to provide better protection to vulnerable coral communities on low relief features. Furthermore, additional studies to refine the relationship between low relief structures and biodiversity are needed to develop more meaningful habitat definitions to support resource management and improve resource protection in the future.

The Investigation and Excavation of a Deepwater Shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 51-54
Author(s):  
Toby N. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Scientific Study ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicles ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Mississippi Canyon ◽  
Louisiana Coast ◽  
The U.S

The Mica Wreck (so named because it lies in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico) lies in 810 MSW, approximately 50 kilometers south of the Louisiana coast. The shipwreck will be surveyed and partially excavated in July 2002 with the aid of the U.S. Navy's NR-1 nuclear powered research submarine and several remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). The primary goal of the excavation is to recover artifacts that will help determine the identity and origin of the wreck. The excavation is significant because it represents the first scientific study of a deepwater shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico. This paper will discuss the historical background and the innovative methods to be used during the excavation.

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