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.

Use of traditional knowledge by the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to support resource management

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Kendall ◽  
Jeffrey J. Brooks ◽  
Chris Campbell ◽  
Kathleen L. Wedemeyer ◽  
Catherine C. Coon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
United States Bureau ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
The North ◽  
Support Resource

Professionals who collect and use traditional knowledge to support resource management decisions often are preoccupied with concerns over how and if traditional knowledge should be integrated with science. To move beyond the integration dilemma, we treat traditional knowledge and science as distinct and complementary knowledge systems. We focus on applying traditional knowledge within the decision-making process. We present succinct examples of how the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has used traditional knowledge in decision making in the North Slope Borough, Alaska: 1) using traditional knowledge in designing, planning, and conducting scientific research; 2) applying information from both knowledge systems at the earliest opportunity in the process; 3) using traditional knowledge in environmental impacts assessment; 4) consulting with indigenous leaders at key decision points; and 5) applying traditional knowledge at a programmatic decision level. Clearly articulating, early in the process, how best to use traditional knowledge and science can allow for more complete and inclusive use of available and pertinent information.

scholarly journals A Boundary Delineation System for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Douglas L. Vandegraft
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
Gis Technology ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Early Computer ◽  
Mapping System ◽  
Oil And Gas Resources

Federal government mapping of the offshore areas of the United States in support of the development of oil and gas resources began in 1954. The first mapping system utilized a network of rectangular blocks defined by State Plane coordinates which was later revised to utilize the Universal Transverse Mercator grid. Creation of offshore boundaries directed by the Submerged Lands Act and Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act were mathematically determined using early computer programs that performed the required computations, but required many steps. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has revised these antiquated methods using GIS technology which provide the required accuracy and produce the mapping products needed for leasing of energy resources, including renewable energy projects, on the outer continental shelf. (Note: this is an updated version of a paper of the same title written and published in 2015).

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.

100 Years of Oil and Gas Development: From the Marshes to Deepwater, Louisiana Has Played a Major Role in Water-Oriented Exploration and Development

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald W. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
100Th Anniversary ◽  
The State ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Entrepreneurial Spirit ◽  
Water Depths ◽  
Exploration And Development

September, 2001 marked the 100th anniversary of the oil and gas business in Louisiana. Consequently, hydrocarbon exploration and development has been a vital part of Louisiana’s economy for over a century. In the latter part of the 1980s, the industry was considered dead or dying. Exploration and development had declined throughout the state. In the 1990s Louisiana’s industry was reborn in the deepwater of the northern Gulf of Mexico—a region that holds enormous potential in water depths that create unique exploration, development and production challenges. As technology changed, or was developed to meet the industry’s needs, new frontiers were explored. There was a pioneering entrepreneurial spirit that pushed the limits. Today, the frontier continues to expand and Louisiana is the beneficiary of this activity. One hundred years after the first discovery well in Louisiana, more than 250,000 oil and/or gas wells have been drilled in the state. In addition, over 4,000 structures are anchored parallel to its coast in water depths approaching two miles (3.2 km). From the uplands, to the swamps and marshes and into the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana has been a leader in helping meet the Nation’s energy demands.

scholarly journals Deep oil. Offshore deposits of the Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21
Author(s):  
K. O. Iskaziev ◽  
P. E. Syngaevsky ◽  
S. F. Khafizov
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Seismic Facies ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Hydrocarbon Deposits

This article continues a series of reviews of the worlds oil and gas basins, where active exploration and development of hydrocarbon deposits in superdeep (6 km +) horizons are taking place, as probable analogues of projects in the Caspian megabasin, primarily the Eurasia project. In this regard the Gulf of Mexico is of great interest, since this region is very well studies over such a long history of its development and thus makes it possible to analyze a huge amount of data collected during this time. The Gulf of Mexico includes the deep-water, offshore and coastal parts of three countries the United States, Mexico and Cuba, and is one of the most important oil and gas provinces in the world. Its deposits are represented by various complexes from the Middle Jurassic to modern sediments, with a total thickness of 14,000 m and more. Exploration for hydrocarbons has been going on here for almost 100 years. During this time, various new technologies have been developed and successfully applied, such as forecasting abnormally high reservoir pressure, cyclostratigraphy and seismic facies analysis, characterization of low-resistivity productive reservoirs and the search for ultra-deep hydrocarbon deposits. Of all the variety of objects developed in the Gulf, in the context of the study of deep deposits, the main interest and possible associations with the Caspian megabasin are the deposits of the Norflet Formation of the Upper Jurassic, which are discussed in the main part of this article. Of course, we are not talking about a direct comparison; in particular, the aeolian origin of part of the section makes this object significantly different. Nevertheless, according to the authors, studying it, as well as understanding how a successful project for its development is being implemented right before our eyes, can provide a lot of important information for working in the deep horizons of the Caspian region. The article is divided into two parts. The first examines the geological history of the formation of the Gulf of Mexico Basin, the features of the deep-lying productive complex of the Norflet Formation. The second part provides information about the history of exploration of the Norflet productive complex, characteristics of the main discoveries, as well as the prospects for discoveries of new superdeep deposits in the Norflet Formation within the Gulf of Mexico (sectors of the United States and Mexico). Analysis of the history of the development of this complex by the global player Shell, is very important, as one of the scenarios for the development of deep horizons in other oil and gas basins, incl. Caspian. International Oil Companies are able to mobilize the necessary resources and technology to effectively address this challenge.

Quantifying the potential impacts of oil and gas infrastructures on cold-water corals and sponges in the northern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danny Khor ◽  
Julia Tiplea ◽  
Amy Oxton ◽  
Vincent Lecours
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Northern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Bathymetric Data ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Conservation And Management

<p>The northern Gulf of Mexico is home to structure-forming cold-water corals and sponges (CWCS) that provide a wide range of ecosystem services to other organisms. Oil and gas infrastructure, such as platforms and pipelines, form an extensive network throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico. Since the construction of the first structures in the early 1930s, detrimental impacts of oil and gas exploration and extraction have been recorded at depths where corals and sponges are found. Given the vulnerability of CWCS to long-term impacts, it is necessary to implement conservation and management measures to protect these fragile ecosystems. This work aimed to identify areas of CWCS habitat that are the most vulnerable to impacts from oil and gas infrastructure, and in parallel, to identify areas that would be suitable for the establishment of conservation sites.</p><p>Techniques from geomorphometry were used to derive quantitative seafloor characteristics from bathymetric data provided by the United States Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management. This bathymetric data, which cover about 233,000 km<sup>2</sup>, represents the current highest-resolution bathymetric grid for the northern Gulf of Mexico, with a cell size of about 12 m. Slope, the orientation of the slope, rugosity, and general, planar, and profile curvatures were derived from the bathymetry in a GIS. These environmental variables were combined with CWCS occurrence data retrieved from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Deep-Sea Coral Data Portal to produce eleven species distribution models (SDMs) based on principles of maximum entropy (MaxEnt). The SDMs were combined with data on the location of active and proposed oil and gas infrastructures to identify potential hotspots of CWCS and analyze their distribution relative to oil and gas infrastructures.</p><p>In general, depth and slope were the two primary abiotic drivers of CWCS distribution. However, specific orders of CWCS had different environmental preferences. For example, the curvature of the seafloor was found to contribute to explaining the distribution of the Gorgonacea and Lyssacinosida orders. A summary SDM produced using all available data identified 7,355 km<sup>2</sup> (3.5% of the entire study area) as suitable habitat to sustain CWCS ecosystems. Assuming that oil and gas infrastructures can impact ecologically or biologically significant areas within 2 km of distance, active oil and gas infrastructure could impact up to 69,896.6 km<sup>2</sup> of seafloor across the entire Gulf of Mexico. The construction of proposed pipelines would add impacts on an additional 279 km<sup>2</sup>. Within the sole extent of our SDM, 1,496 km<sup>2</sup> of suitable CWCS habitat would be impacted by oil and gas infrastructure, which corresponds to 20.34% of all predicted suitable habitat. By comparing predicted CWCS hotspots to the distribution oil and gas infrastructure, we identified nine areas greater than 100 km<sup>2</sup> that hold potential for successful conservation and could help create a network of connected protected areas in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Our maps can inform discussions among stakeholders to reach the best conservation and management planning outcomes while considering other ecological, social, economic, and governance factors.</p>

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