The environmental impact of human activities on the Mexican coast of the Gulf of Mexico: review of status and trends

AbstractBehavioural plasticity in animals is tested whenever competitive interactions for space and/or food resources occur between wildlife and human activities. This study uses the concepts of operational and non-operational interactions between bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and artisanal fisheries in Alvarado, to search for differences in behaviour, age structure and group size. We conducted 20 surveys between 2015 and 2016, and recorded 64 groups by means of scan sampling from either a research boat or a fixed vantage point. Average dolphin group size was small (${\bar{\rm x}}$ = 3.2, SD = 2.2 individuals) and fewer individuals were commonly present when interaction with fisheries occurred. Operational interactions were defined within the first 30 m and occurred mainly with lone individuals (54% recorded from the lighthouse and 82% during surveys); this benchmark also accounted for higher frequencies in locomotion and feeding (χ2 = 83.10; df = 7; P < 0.001). We found a higher rate of new behavioural events for dolphin groups furthest from human activities, as well as a decrease in behaviours that imply greater body exposure as dolphins approach the fishing spots. Age structure and dolphin group size were not different during and in the absence of interaction with fisheries, but most interactions involved male dolphins. Behavioural variations in the dolphins' repertoire are likely a strategy to reduce the risk of injuries or death when interacting with human activities; these dolphins seem to have habituated to or at least tolerate fishing activities within the study area, possibly constituting a sex-biased pressure.

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METHOD FOR MAKING DISPERSANT-USE DECISIONS BASED ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT CONSIDERATIONS

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1987-1-211 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 1987 (1) ◽

pp. 211-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

B. K. Trudel ◽

S. L. Ross

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Beaufort Sea ◽

Similar System ◽

Decision Making System ◽

The Impact ◽

The U.S

ABSTRACT A method for making dispersant use decisions on the basis of environmental impact considerations has been developed. It involves formulating and then comparing predictions of the impact of a given spill if treated with dispersants or if left untreated in order to determine whether the use of dispersants might reduce the overall effects of the spill. A workbook describing the method has been used in numerous workshops in Canada and the U.S.A. to train environmental managers, and has served as a basis for the development of a quick, map-based, decision-making system for the Canadian Beaufort Sea. A similar system is currently being developed for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

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MODELING DEEPWATER OIL SPILLS WITH NEAR FIELD AND FAR FIELD MODELS

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2005-1-725 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 2005 (1) ◽

pp. 725-730

Author(s):

Zhen-Gang Ji ◽

Walter R. Johnson ◽

Charles F. Marshall ◽

James M. Price

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Deep Water ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Field Model ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Near Field ◽

Far Field ◽

Oil Gas ◽

The U.S

ABSTRACT As a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the Minerals Management Service (MMS) maintains a leasing program for commercial oil and gas development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Oil and gas activities in deep water (areas deeper than 340 meters) have proceeded at an unprecedented rate, and have led to concerns regarding the accidental release of oil near the seafloor. As production increases, the potential for an oil/gas spill increases. In addition to the environmental impacts of the oil spilled, major concerns from a deepwater oil/gas spill include fire, toxic hazard to the people working on the surface installations, and loss of buoyancy by ships and any floating installations. Oil and natural gas releases in deep water behave much differently than in shallow water, primarily due to density stratification, high pressures, and low temperatures. It is important to know whether oil will surface and if so, where, when, and how thick the oil slick will be. To meet these new challenges, spill response plans need to be upgraded. An important component of such a plan would be a model to simulate the behavior of oil and gasses accidentally released in deep water. This has significant implications for environmental impact assessment, oil-spill cleanup, contingency planning, and source tracing. The MMS uses the Clarkson Deepwater Oil and Gas Blowout (CDOG) plume model to simulate the behavior of oil and gas accidentally released in deepwater areas. The CDOG model is a near field model. In addition, MMS uses an adaptation of the Princeton Ocean Model called the Princeton Regional Ocean Forecast and Hindcast System for the Gulf of Mexico (PROFS-GOM). This model is a far field model and is employed to provide three dimensional current, temperature, and salinity data to the CDOG model. The PROFS-GOM model and the CDOG model are used to simulate deepwater oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico. Modeling results indicate that the two models can provide important information on the behavior of oil spills in deepwater and assist MMS in estimating the associated environmental risks. Ultimately, this information will be used in the pertinent environmental impact assessments MMS performs and in the development of deepwater oil-spill response plans.

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Past and Future Earth: Archaeology and Soil Studies on Ambergris Caye, Belize

Archaeology International ◽

10.5334/ai.1916 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth Graham ◽

Richard I. Macphail ◽

John Crowther ◽

Simon Turner ◽

Julia Stegemann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Human Activities ◽

Soil Formation ◽

Formation Processes ◽

Amazonian Dark Earths ◽

Anthropogenic Deposits ◽

Ambergris Caye ◽

Coral Islands

Marco Gonzalez is one of a number of Maya sites on Belize’s coast and cayes (coral islands) that exhibit anomalous vegetation and dark-coloured soils. Like Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs), the soils are sought locally for cultivation and are underlain by anthropogenic deposits. Our research is aimed at assessing the role of the anthropogenic deposits in soil formation processes with a view to developing strategies to quantify the long-term environmental impact of human activities today.

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Environmental Impact of Human Activities on Water Resources and Its Characterization for Management and Planning of Natural Areas “Las Batuecas-Sierra Francia” and “Quilamas” (Salamanca, Spain)

Management of Water Resources in Protected Areas ◽

10.1007/978-3-642-16330-2_5 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 39-45

Author(s):

A. M. Martínez-Graña ◽

J. L. Goy Goy ◽

I. de Bustamante Gutiérrez ◽

C. Zazo Cardeña

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Human Activities ◽

Natural Areas

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Assessment of coastal dune vulnerability to natural and anthropogenic disturbances along the Gulf of Mexico

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892906002876 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 109-117 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

M. LUISA MARTÍNEZ ◽

JUAN B. GALLEGO-FERNÁNDEZ ◽

JOSÉ G. GARCÍA-FRANCO ◽

CORAL MOCTEZUMA ◽

CLAUDIA D. JIMÉNEZ

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Human Activities ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Coastal Zone Management ◽

Vulnerability Index ◽

Sediment Supply ◽

Dynamic State ◽

Zone Management ◽

Natural Dynamics

Human population density is globally three times higher along the coasts than inland, and thus environmental impacts of human activities are greater in magnitude on coastal ecosystems such as beaches and dunes. Vulnerability assessment (the loss of capacity to return to the original dynamic state after system displacement) is thus necessary to evaluate the conservation status and determine the most relevant disturbance events. Twenty-six sites along 902 km of Gulf of Mexico coastline, varying in conservation status and sedimentary dynamics, were sampled. At each site a vulnerability index (VI) was calculated based on variables that described geomorphological condition, marine influence, aeolian influence, vegetation condition and human effects. Vulnerability was very variable along the coast and only 19% of the sampled locations (mostly in the central Gulf of Mexico) displayed low vulnerability. Cluster analyses of the values assigned to the checklists for each location grouped the studied sites into three, according to their VI values. Low vulnerability locations had abundant sediment supply and low human impact. Locations with medium to high VI were mostly affected by their natural geomorphological and marine features and had medium to intense human activities. Management strategies should consider the observed variability in vulnerability, the natural dynamics of these systems and the role of human activities and interests, in order to achieve adequate policies and establish well-informed priorities for integrated coastal zone management.

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