The Science & Technology Journal of the Minerals Management SErvice

Volume 5 Issue 4

MMS

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

SCIENCE

Sea Otter 

Research 

Expedition to 

Bering Island: 

Northwest to 

Russia

Dynamics of the 

Loop Current in 

the Eastern Gulf 

of Mexico

Feasting on Oil: 

MMS-Funded 

Study Reveals 

Organisms that 

Eat Oil

2008 Hurricane 

Season

Cold-Water 

Corals: 

Deepwater 

Coral Expedition 

in the Gulf of 

Mexico

Alternative 

Energy 

Markets and 

Infrastructure 

Needs
2 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Volume 5 Issue 4

mms OCEAN SCIENCE is published 

quarterly by the Minerals Management 

Service to communicate recent ocean 

science and technological information 

and issues of interest related to offshore 

energy recovery, ocean stewardship, 

and mineral revenues.

Please address all questions, comments, 

suggestions, and changes of address to:

Dr. Deborah Epperson

mms OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard 

New Orleans, LA 70123

deborah.epperson@mms.gov

(504) 736-3257

3 In Good Company

Partnerships Advance MMS Objectives

4 Sea Otter Research Expedition to 

Bering Island

Northwest to Russia

6 Wildlife Biologist Greg Sanders

7 Sea Otter

8 Dynamics of the Loop Current in the 

Eastern Gulf of Mexico

9 2008 Hurricane Season

10 Cold-Water Corals

Deepwater Coral Expedition in the Gulf of Mexico

12 Study of Inspection Methodologies 

for Offshore Wind Turbines 

13 Alternative Energy Markets and 

Infrastructure Needs

14 Feasting on Oil

MMS-Funded Study Reveals Organisms that Eat Oil

15 West Coast Governors Take Action

16 New Waves

Late-Breaking News & Information ABOUT THE COVER

Top left: Sea otter diver ready to capture an 

otter. Photo courtesy of Tom Campbell.

Top right: Brittle stars climbing on an 

antipatharian (black coral).

Middle right: Hurricane Ike. Photo courtesy of 

NASA.

Main photo: A converted offshore oil rig is 

fitted with the Sea-Based X-band Radar for 

the Missile Defense Agency. Photo courtesy 

of the Department of Defense.

Back page: Background platform image by 

Gregory S. Boland.

All photos courtesy of Minerals Management Service 

unless otherwise noted.

Publication services provided by Schatz Publishing Group

 The Science & Technology Journal of the Minerals Management SErvice

For more information about the Minerals Management Service, 

check out our Website:

www.mms.gov 

Subscribe 

To receive mms OCEAN SCIENCE, sign up at

www.gomr.mms.gov, then click on e-mail subscriptions on the 

left-hand column, check the box marked Environmental Studies or 

e-mail deborah.epperson@mms.gov or call (504) 736-3257

October/November/December 2008 Volume 5 Issue 4

MMS

SCIENCE

October/November/December 2008
3

Managing the exploration 

and development of 

energy resources on 

the Federal Outer Continental 

Shelf while protecting the sensitive 

natural environments from which 

those resources come requires 

skillful balance. The Minerals 

Management Service (MMS) meets 

this challenge by calling on the 

knowledge, skills, and experience 

of people from many backgrounds, 

specializations, and entities.

Collaboration and partnerships 

with other Federal agencies, State 

governments, private industry, 

academic and research institutions, 

and governments of other nations 

ensure that the most advanced 

research, methodologies, and 

techniques are brought to bear 

on the energy-related challenges 

that we all face. Sharing new 

data, methods, and research better 

protects the health and safety of the 

environment and of people in the 

energy industries.

To develop alternative energy 

sources, we need a practical 

understanding of what that new 

industry will require, such as energy 

markets and current and necessary 

infrastructure. The development 

and production of wind energy 

must be made as safe as current oil 

and gas energy development. To 

this end, monitoring, inspection, 

and safety techniques and 

methodologies must be researched 

and implemented. Wind turbine 

installations currently operating 

in Europe are useful information 

resources. Understanding more 

about the Gulf of Mexico’s Loop 

Current—in both the American and 

the Mexican sectors—can improve 

ocean circulation models and 

hurricane forecast models, and it 

can contribute to improving design 

standards that will reduce hurricane 

damage to offshore facilities. 

The MMS participates in many 

A school of fish swimming over a reef. Photo courtesy of An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century,

Final Report of the U.S. Commission on the Ocean Policy.

In Good Company

Partnerships Advance

MMS Objectives

multidisciplinary research projects, 

cooperative agreements, and 

joint projects with other agencies, 

governments, and industry. Joining 

two Federal agencies, the Marine 

Mammal Commission, the Alaska 

SeaLife Center, the Russian 

Pacific Institute of Geography, and 

the Komandorsky State Nature 

Reserve to conduct research and 

share technical expertise about sea 

otters on Bering Island, Russia, 

MMS gains important information 

while sharing advanced techniques. 

Cooperative research benefits 

not only the research subjects 

but also the broader research and 

regulatory communities.

The MMS continues to provide 

substantial contributions by funding 

and participating in research 

endeavors for environmental studies 

and offshore operations and safety 

technology—reinforcing MMS’s role 

as an effective steward of the ocean 

environment.

For more information

MMS OEMM Partnerships

www.mms.gov/offshore/Partnerships.htm 

MMS Environmental Studies Program research opportunities

www.mms.gov/eppd/sciences/esp/newstudies08.htm 

MMS Offshore Energy and Minerals Management Partnerships

www.mms.gov/offshore/Partnerships.htm 

MMS International Activities Program

www.mms.gov/international 

MMS and Ohmsett 

www.mms.gov/tarprojectcategories/ohmsett.htm 

Ohmsett 

www.ohmsett.com

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008
4 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

SEA OTTER RESEARCH EXPEDITION TO BERING ISLAND

I

n July 2008, divers from the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS) and the 

Minerals Management Service (MMS) 

joined sea otter trackers and veterinary 

staff from the Monterey Bay Aquarium 

for a sea otter research expedition to Bering Island 

off the east coast of Russia. This year’s work was 

the final stage of a three-year project funded by 

the Alaska SeaLife Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, and the Marine Mammal Commission, 

with logistical support by the Russian Pacific 

Institute of Geography and Komandorsky State 

Nature Reserve.

Russia is a long way from home for the U.S. 

sea otter team. Why travel so far? Sea otters once 

ranged across the entire north Pacific, from the 

northern islands of Japan to the Baja Peninsula in 

Mexico. In the 18th century, harvest of sea otter 

furs led to widespread extirpation of sea otters 

and left only remnant colonies in Russia, Alaska, 

and California. Though sea otters are now fully 

protected by the Marine Mammal Protection 

Act and the Endangered Species Act, they are 

considered vulnerable. The California population 

is small and has a relatively low growth rate. The 

southwest Alaska population, once considered 

fully recovered, has suffered precipitous declines in 

the last decade, while neighboring otters in Russia 

appear to be doing well. Dr. Mike Murray and Bridget Cummings prepare a sea otter for 

surgery. Photo courtesy of Alexander Burdin.

NORTHWEST

TO RUSSIA
5

Comparative studies of sea 

otters’ daily activities in different 

geographic areas help answer 

fundamental questions about 

sea otter ecology and population 

changes. How much time are they 

foraging? How much time do they 

rest? What are they eating? Where 

do they go during the day (and 

night)? How successful are they at 

weaning pups? How healthy are 

individual otters? Similarities and 

differences among areas help us 

understand what may be driving 

population changes and give us 

valuable insight into the otters’ 

environments.

Until now, our Russian 

colleagues have been largely 

limited to counting sea otters and 

examining carcasses of stranded 

animals. Working with the U.S. 

research team on this study, they 

have incorporated techniques 

developed in California and Alaska. 

For the first year of the 

study, sea otters were captured, 

flipper tagged, and surgically 

implanted with radios to track 

their movements and time-depthrecorders (TDRs) to record their 

diving activity in detail. In the 

second year, trackers followed 

the tagged animals, noting their 

locations, activity, and what they 

were eating. The final stage of 

the field work was recapturing 

the tagged animals and surgically 

removing their TDRs. This was the 

primary mission of the 2008 Bering 

Island expedition.

Virtually every aspect of the 

2008 expedition was challenging. 

The logistics of transporting 

gear was daunting. The team 

worked in remote locations with 

limited resources and in primitive 

conditions. Then there were the 

usual limitations imposed by 

weather, tides, and daylight. 

Data from recovered TDRs 

have been downloaded, but it will 

be more than a year before results 

of the study will be fully analyzed. 

There is little doubt, however, that 

this dataset will be useful for many 

years to come. 

It took a highly-skilled team, 

hard work, dedication, and a bit 

of luck to fulfill the objectives of 

this study. More important, this 

collaborative, interdisciplinary 

effort crossed traditional 

government agency, private sector, 

and international boundaries. The 

MMS played a role in the success 

of this study, demonstrating 

that cooperation, coordination, 

and shared use of resources can 

pay great dividends toward our 

understanding and stewardship of 

the marine environment.

Sea otter. Photo courtesy of David Menke, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For more information

Alaska Sea Life Center

www.alaskasealife.org

“Bering Island,” in “Kamtchtka: Siberia’s Forbidden 

Wilderness,” PBS

www.pbs.org/edens/kamchatka/bering.html 

Center for Russian Nature Conservation

www.wild-russia.org/bioregion14/14-komandorsky/14_komandorsky.htm

Similarities 

and differences 

among areas help 

us understand 

what may be 

driving population 

changes and give 

us valuable insight 

into the otters’ 

environments.

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008
6 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Offshore, the wind 

is blowing 25 

knots (about 30 

miles per hour). 

I’m covered with 

dust from head to toe. I have not 

shaved or been able to bathe for 

weeks. I’m tired and hungry. I 

am beginning to question my 

career choice but then my sense of 

adventure returns. Where am I and 

how did I get here?

My name is Greg Sanders and 

I am a marine mammal, seabird, 

and sea turtle biologist with the 

Minerals Management Service 

(MMS). In July 2008, I joined 

a very special team of sea otter 

trackers, divers, and veterinary staff. 

Our mission: to capture sea otters 

in Russia’s Far East.

In grade school, I confidently 

declared that I wanted to be a 

“deep-sea diver” when I grew 

up. A passion for diving has 

been a common thread in my 

career choices ever since. I was 

certified as a diver in high school, 

studied aquatic biology in college, 

worked as a dive instructor, and 

harvested shellfish under offshore 

oil platforms before starting on a 

career of Federal service with the 

Department of the Interior’s MMS.

 My work days, more often 

than not, are dominated by 

reviewing project proposals, 

writing environmental review 

documents, managing contracts 

and agreements, and attending 

meetings, briefings, and training 

sessions. Interspersed with 

more mundane tasks have been 

opportunities for me to contribute 

on a scale far exceeding the dream 

job I first imagined when I was a 

second grader. 

Offshore California’s Channel 

Islands National Park, I’ve captured 

video to share with park visitors 

eager to catch a glimpse of the 

underwater world. At the remote 

South Pacific Fish and Wildlife 

Service Refuge of Rose Atoll, I 

participated in a multi-disciplinary 

natural resource damage assessment 

that inadvertently led to the 

discovery of a new species of 

fish. On the continental shelf, I’ve 

documented phenomenal marine 

ecosystems associated with oil and 

gas platforms. Across the north 

Pacific, I’ve helped capture sea 

otters for studies that shed light 

on the biology and ecology of this 

charismatic marine mammal. 

For all of these projects, my 

greatest reward has been working 

with skilled, talented, and dedicated 

people from all corners of the 

Department of the Interior and 

beyond. The success of every 

project comes down to the people 

involved and their ability to work 

together toward a common goal. 

The MMS plays a significant role in 

ocean science and I am fortunate to 

be a member of this team.

Wildlife Biologist

GREG SANDERS

Far left: Greg Sanders with 

a sea otter pup in the Bering 

Sea.

Top: Work at Rose Atoll 

National Wildlife Refuge 

yielded a new species of fish, 

Ostorhynchus leslie. Photo: 

Jim Maragos, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service.

Left: Sea anemones and 

mussels compete for space on 

offshore oil and gas platforms 

in the Pacific. 
Sea otters are well known for their 

playfulness and agility. In many Native 

American traditions, the otter is a totem 

that represents cleverness, laughter, and 

inquisitiveness. 

A member of the Mustelidae family, the sea otter 

(Enhydra lutris) is the largest mustelid (by weight) and 

the smallest exclusively marine mammal in the world.

Sea otters live in temperate coastal waters where 

they are often found resting or foraging in kelp beds. 

Their average life span is 15-20 years. Females have one 

pup per year. On average, adults are 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) 

long, but some reach up to 6 feet (1.8 m). Adult males 

often weigh 50-90 pounds (22-41 kilograms), females 

40-60 pounds (18-27 kg), roughly the size of a Labrador 

retriever dog. 

Sea otters have the densest fur in the animal 

kingdom. Because they have no subcutaneous fat layer 

(blubber), sea otters depend on their water-resistant fur 

to protect them against cold. If their fur becomes soiled 

or compromised, it loses its insulating ability and the 

animal may die.

An apex predator (species that, as adults, are 

not typically prey), the sea otter eats a range of 

invertebrates, such as clams, crabs, mussels, octopus, sea 

stars, sea urchins, snails, and squid. 

Sea otters are handy with tools. In fact, they are one 

of the few mammals known to use tools. They often 

carry small rocks and other objects to pry shellfish from 

rocks. It’s not unusual to see a sea otter, floating on its 

back, using a rock like an anvil on its chest to pound 

hard-shelled prey into small pieces. 

Originally, sea otters inhabited shore waters from 

Hokkaido, Japan, northward along Kamchatka through 

the Aleutian archipelago and along the Pacific coast 

to Baja, California, Mexico. There may have been as 

many as 300,000 sea otters. Between 1742 and 1911, 

commercial harvest by the Russian 

and American fur trades drastically 

reduced the world population. 

By 1911, when sea otters were 

protected under the International 

Fur Seal Treaty, only 13 small otter 

colonies remained—an estimated 

total of 1,000-2,000 animals. Most 

of these remnant populations 

became extinct. 

Remnant sea otter colonies 

gradually expanded across Alaska 

and Russia. In California, the 

7

population began its recovery from a low of about 

50 animals and sea otters are now common along 

the central coast. Beginning in 1965, Alaskan otters 

from the Aleutian Islands and Prince William Sound 

were translocated to create new colonies in South East 

Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. 

Southern sea otters (California) and the southwest 

stock of sea otters in Alaska are listed as threatened 

under the Endangered Species Act. Throughout the 

U.S., the sea otter is protected by the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act. Human-related threats to sea otters 

include entrapment in fishing gear, human pathogen 

pollution, as well as oil and gas transport and spills. 

Threats vary from area to area. Sharing and comparing 

data about sea otters in different areas can help identify 

why some populations are faring better than others. 

The MMS contributes 

to protecting the ocean 

environment not only by 

funding studies but also 

by sharing technology and 

expertise with a range of 

partners, as with Greg 

Sanders’ participation 

(see opposite page) with 

the 2008 Bering Island 

Expedition.

For more information

“Threatened Pinnipeds and Sea Otters in the Southern 

California Planning Area,” MMS Pacific OCS Region

www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/enviro/pin-and-seaotter.htm

“Possible Effects of OCS Oil and Gas Activities on the California 

Sea Otter,” MMS Pacific OCS Region

www.mms.gov/omm/Pacific/enviro/calseaotter.htm 

“Precipice of Survival: The Southern Sea Otter,” U.S. Geological 

Survey video (watch the streaming video or order DVD)

http://online.wr.usgs.gov/outreach/otter/GIP3video.html

Marine Mammal Commission

www.mmc.gov/species/seaotter.html 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Mustelidae

Subfamily: Lutrinae

Genus: Enhydra

Species: lutris

Sea otter with a sea urchin. Courtesy of Gena Bentall.

Sea otter

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008
offloading vessels, which extract oil and gas, often require 

precise docking activities.

The study will describe oceanographic conditions 

leading to and during the shedding and reattachment 

of eddies, gather statistics from in situ observations, 

carry out numerical modeling that describes the general 

circulation patterns inferred from remote sensing and 

geostrophic calculations, and analyze the data and model 

output to test several hypotheses.

Because the Loop Current crosses international 

boundaries, the study will be divided into U.S. and 

Mexican territories. This study will concentrate on the 

U.S. sector, while Mexican oceanographers from Centro 

de Investigación Cientifica y de Educación Superior de 

Ensenada (CICESE) will cover the Mexican territory. 

The coordination and cooperation of a number of 

entities include scientists from the University of Miami, 

the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab, the 

National Hurricane Center, the U.S. Navy, CICESE, and 

members of the oil and gas industry. 

8 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Dynamics of the Loop Current

in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

To many people who live or work in 

the Gulf of Mexico coastal region, 

“the Loop Current” is a familiar term, 

frequently heard during hurricane season. But the 

term’s meaning is perhaps less well known. 

The Loop Current forms the upstream 

portion of the Gulf Stream; it transports energy, 

heat, mass, momentum, and salt from the eastern 

half of the Gulf to the western. Because the Loop 

Current is the principal ocean current in the Gulf 

of Mexico, its dynamics can affect all activities 

in the Gulf and along the Gulf Coast. It spawns 

clockwise eddies that carry warm water westward 

across the Gulf. Its seasonal circulation patterns 

contribute to physical and biological processes.

The warm Loop Current enters into the 

eastern Gulf of Mexico as the “Yucatan 

Current,” then extends northward, where it turns 

eastward and then exits through the Straits of 

Florida. During its movement, at an average 

interval of about every 9 months, it sheds warm eddies 

or rings; this shedding has important effects on the 

entire water column of the Gulf’s circulation. The Loop 

Current is hypothesized to be a source of bottom-trapped 

waves that predominate in the deep Gulf circulation. 

To learn more about this powerful current, the 

Minerals Management Service (MMS) has awarded 

a $5.5 million contract to Science Applications 

International Corporation for a 5-year study. 

Understanding more about the evolution of the 

current near the surface and its deepwater impacts will 

have important implications for hurricane forecasting 

and for the Gulf ’s oil and gas industry. Data from the 

study should improve ocean circulation models that 

characterize the flow of Gulf waters and so contribute 

to improving forecast models that use ocean-atmosphere 

interactions.

Eddies are vortices carrying mass and energy and 

can interrupt or interfere with oil production, especially 

in deep waters where floating production, storage, and 

For more information

Graphic and definition, Coastal Services Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/definitions/loop_current.html 

“The Loop Current,” University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science

http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/loop-current.html 

MMS press release

www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/press1008a.htm 

Illustration of Loop Current movement.
9

The 2008 hurricane 

season had a significant 

impact on oil and 

gas production in the 

Gulf of Mexico, but despite the 

destruction, all offshore personnel 

were evacuated safely. There 

were no significant oil spills and 

no evidence that oil from Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS) facilities 

reached shore or adversely impacted 

birds or mammals. 

In preparation for a hurricane, 

OCS operators follow procedures 

established by the Minerals 

Management Service (MMS) to 

reduce the potential damage to key 

infrastructure as well as platforms, 

rigs, and equipment. Personnel not 

only tie down and secure equipment; 

they also activate a shut-in procedure 

that closes off safety valves below the 

seabed to prevent the release of oil 

or gas. Safety is a priority for both 

MMS staff and for the operations 

under MMS supervision. Before 

production can be resumed, standard 

safety and environmental checks 

must be performed both above and 

below the waterline. Results of these 

damage inspections are reported 

to MMS and are used to make 

decisions about repair plans.

The MMS Continuity of 

Operations Plan team is currently 

monitoring restoration activities 

from damage caused by Hurricanes 

Gustav and Ike. In September alone, 

an estimated 1,450 of the 3,800 

offshore oil and gas production 

platforms in the Gulf of Mexico 

were exposed to hurricane winds. In 

spite of the hurricanes’ devastation, 

offshore oil and gas operators 

have reoccupied platforms and are 

restoring production. 

The loss of four drilling rigs 

from Hurricane Ike has been 

reported. As of October 8, MMS 

has confirmation that 54 of the 

smaller production platforms were 

destroyed. Initial estimates indicate 

a loss of production of 13,300 

barrels of oil per day and 90 million 

cubic feet of gas per day from these 

destroyed facilities. In addition, 

35 production platforms report 

extensive damage that will require 

3-6 months to repair; 60 sustained 

moderate damage, which will take 

For more information

MMS press releases

www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/press0930a.htm

www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/press1007c.htm 

www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/press1016.htm 

MMS Gulf of Mexico Region Hurricane Information

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/hurricane/index.html 

Houston Chronicle

www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6039282.html 

Hurricane Ike. Photo courtesy of NASA.

1-3 months to repair. It is possible 

that some of the platforms initially 

assessed as having extensive damage 

may later be considered destroyed. 

Damage inspections have 

confirmed that one oil pipeline 

system and eight gas transmission 

pipeline systems have been 

damaged. The scope of the 

impacted area is quite large so it 

will take some time to evaluate 

the full extent of any damage, and 

visual inspection of the remaining 

pipeline systems continues. In the 

meantime, tools are available to 

help oil and gas operators resume 

production. However, these 

options—barging, temporary flaring, 

and re-routing of product through 

other pipelines—require that 

offshore operators submit requests 

to MMS for approval.

The facilities destroyed by these 

two hurricanes account for only 

a small fraction of the oil and gas 

resources produced in the Gulf of 

Mexico, but their loss is of great 

concern to MMS. The MMS will 

continue to collaborate with the 

American Petroleum Institute and 

members of the offshore oil and 

gas industry to be as prepared as 

possible and reduce the risk of future 

interruption to the production of the 

Nation’s energy resources. 

Production from the Gulf 

of Mexico accounts for 25 

percent of the oil produced 

domestically and 15 percent 

of the natural gas produced 

domestically. As of June 2008, 

daily production estimates for 

the Gulf of Mexico were 1.3 

million barrels of oil and 7.0 

billion cubic feet of gas. Since 

then, gas production from the 

Independence Hub facility 

increased and in August 2008 

gas production from the Gulf 

was estimated at 7.4 billion 

cubic feet of gas per day.

2008

Hurricane Season

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008
10 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

The search for domestic 

energy sources is 

progressing to great 

depths in the Gulf of Mexico. As 

economic interests move oil and 

gas operations into these previously 

unexplored areas, the Minerals 

Management Service (MMS) 

works to increase understanding 

of the organisms residing at these 

depths. By examining distribution, 

relative abundance, and population 

structure, MMS is better equipped 

to protect their habitat from 

potential future impacts. 

In September 2007, MMS 

announced the release of a new 

report, Characterization of Northern 

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater HardBottom Communities with Emphasis on 

Lophelia Coral (MMS 2007-044). This 

is the first dedicated Gulf study of 

deepwater corals designed to gain a 

better understanding of their biology 

and distribution. The resulting 

publication indicates that “Lophelia 

pertusa plays a significant role in the 

ecology of hard bottom habitats on 

the upper slope of the northern Gulf 

of Mexico.” The report suggests 

the need for additional research to 

address questions arising from the 

study and makes recommendations 

for further exploration and 

investigations at greater depths. 

Now, a new MMS study is 

underway, exploring Gulf deepwater 

coral habitats from 300 to 3,000 

meters (984 to 9,842 feet) deep. 

The new project, “Lophelia II,” 

or “Exploration and Research of 

Northern Gulf of Mexico Deepwater 

Natural and Artificial Hard Bottom 

Habitats with Emphasis on Coral 

Communities: Reefs, Rigs, and 

Wrecks,” is an exciting 4-year 

study, teaming MMS with the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration’s Office of Ocean 

Exploration and Research (NOAA’s 

OER). Funded by a $3.7 million 

MMS contract, researchers will 

use NOAA research vessels and 

remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) 

to explore both natural and humanmade (including shipwrecks and 

platforms) sites to better understand 

the deepwater coral communities. 

Little is known about deepwater 

corals. In this first year of the 

Lophelia II project, the goal is to 

locate and explore new coral sites 

and discover more about the habitat 

characteristics, biology, ecology, 

and population connectivity of 

deepwater corals. 

The first leg began on 

September 5, 2008, aboard NOAA’s 

Nancy Foster and focused on eight 

shipwreck sites: three previously 

explored and five new wreck sites. 

The main goals of the cruise were 

to determine the archaeological and 

biological potential of each site and 

to choose which might be included 

for future work during cruises. Of 

the previously explored sites, two 

were 19th-century sailing vessels; 

the third was Gulfpenn, a World 

War II tanker sunk by a German 

U-boat. By re-visiting these sites, the 

scientists can compare information 

with previous observations to 

conduct experiments and help 

determine deterioration rates. 

Exploration of the first newlyfound site resulted in an exciting 

discovery of an approximately 

200-year-old sailing vessel off the 

coast of Galveston, Texas, in the 

Ewing Bank Area. Although no 

Deepwater Coral

Expedition in the

Gulf of Mexico

Lophelia pertusa with Munida sp. (galatheid crab).

Cold-Water

Corals
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 11

visible artifacts remained, biologists 

were pleased to find Lophelia pertusa, 

the expedition’s most anticipated 

deepwater coral community, on the 

ship. In addition, another new site 

visited was identified as the Gulfoil, 

a World War II casualty sunk by a 

German U-boat in 1942. It, too, was 

found to be a habitat for Lophelia. 

Hurricane Ike forced the research 

crew to dock in Pensacola, Florida; 

fortunately, the crew and ship were 

unharmed and able to return to sea. 

The second leg focused on the 

natural, hard-bottom areas and 

deepwater coral communities, which 

were explored through photographic 

surveys and specimen collection. 

The 2-week cruise included 13 site 

visits, with 10 ROV dives at 8 of the 

sites. During the site visits, a variety 

of technologies 

was used, including 

ocean floor mapping 

using multibeam 

bathymetry (echo 

sounding), physical 

data collection using 

a conductivitytemperature-depth 

logger, and highresolution video 

and still cameras 

attached to the ROV. 

and more in-depth physical and 

photographic sampling of the corals 

and associated communities will 

be completed. The data collected 

over the 3 years of field work 

will be carefully analyzed, and 

questions will be formulated for 

future explorations and studies of 

the newly discovered sites. The 

knowledge gained will help MMS 

regulate oil and gas exploration 

and operations in sensitive 

areas, protecting the associated 

communities through the creation or 

modification of existing policies.

As part of the Lophelia II 

project, the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) is conducting a companion 

study of the Gulf ’s deepwater 

corals. Called the “USGS 

DISCOVRE Expedition,” this 

separately-funded 4-year study uses 

NOAA’s Nancy Foster during its first 

field year to examine the deepwater 

coral environments, combining 

resources, data, and samples to 

add to the understanding of these 

unfamiliar habitats.

The cruise also provided important 

information about little-known 

species connected to coral reef 

habitats, such as catsharks, squat 

lobsters, and many deep reef fish. 

Even in deep water with no sunlight, 

corals can create new complex 

habitat where numerous other 

animals can live, and their survival 

is important for maintaining marine 

diversity. Ocean dynamics, such as 

effects of climate change, currents, 

and recruitment and survival of 

corals, were also elements of the 

research cruise.

 This year’s Lophelia II cruises 

are just the beginning of the project. 

During cruises over the next 2 years, 

coral colonies on oil platforms 

will also be explored, additional 

mapping surveys will be conducted, 

For more information

Characterization of Northern Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Hard-Bottom 

Communities with Emphasis on Lophelia Coral (OCS Study MMS 2007-044)

www.gomr.mms.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/4/4264.pdf

Lophelia II 2008: Deepwater Coral Expedition: Reefs, Rigs, and Wrecks, 

NOAA Ocean Explorer

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/08lophelia/welcome.html 

U.S. Geological Survey DISCOVRE Expedition

http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/DISCOVRE/index.html 

The Deep Wreck Science of the Gulfpenn, NOAA Ocean Explorer

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/08lophelia/background/archeology/archeology.html

 Diversity of the bottom habitat includes black corals, anemones, crinoids, and brittle stars.

Squat lobster with gooseneck barnacles on an 

antipatharian.
12 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Study of Inspection

Methodologies

for Offshore

Wind Turbines

Ensuring that our Nation benefits from resources 

available on Federal offshore lands today and 

in the future is a prime concern of the Minerals 

Management Service (MMS). For that reason, the 

development of a renewable energy resource like offshore 

wind to generate electricity on the Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS) waters is exciting. As with the development 

of any energy supply, safety and environmental concerns 

must be addressed. The potential introduction of wind 

turbine facilities necessitates the establishment of Integrity 

Management activities, particularly inspections, to ensure 

the safe and long-term operation of these facilities. 

This 6-month study, “Inspection Methodologies 

for Offshore Wind Turbine Facilities,” is funded by 

MMS and led by Frank Puskar, president of Energo 

Engineering, Inc., an engineering firm specializing in 

advanced offshore structural engineering. The project has 

brought together an impressive group of experts from 

the scientific and energy production fields to develop 

Integrity Management methodology, including inspection 

and monitoring, for offshore wind turbine facilities 

operating on the OCS. Data gathered and reviewed 

includes information about specific offshore wind 

turbine installations in Europe, various configurations 

of components, and technical data about equipment 

and systems. The MMS compiled information about 

accidents occurring throughout the wind power industry. 

Combined with other information, this will help identify 

high-risk components in various systems and enable a 

risk-based approach to developing inspection priorities.

Final recommendations from the study are expected 

to be presented by the end of 2008 and will cover offshore 

wind turbine components, expected field development 

configurations, degradation mechanisms and other 

inspection preventable hazards, inspection techniques, and 

regional variations. Recommended guidelines will address 

critical items for inspection, inspection frequencies and 

techniques, and sample checklists. 

The prospects afforded by development of this 

renewable energy resource are promising, and MMS will 

continue to safely develop these assets for the Nation’s 

energy supply. 

For more information

MMS Technology, Assessment & Research 

Program

www.mms.gov/tarphome

TAR Project 627 description

www.mms.gov/tarprojects/627.htm 

Turbine blades. Photo courtesy of RePower Systems.

Lillgrund Sweden. Photo courtesy of DNV. B. Vestergaard 

photographer.

NASA’s QuikSCAT, 

launched in 1999, 

tracks the speed, direction, 

and power of winds near 

the ocean surface. If 

ocean areas with high 

winds were tapped for 

wind energy, they could 

potentially generate 500 

to 800 watts of energy 

per square meter.

Source: www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/

news/quikscat-20080709.html
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 13

Recently the Minerals 

Management Service 

(MMS) awarded a 

2-year, $443,000 contract 

to Eastern Research Group, Inc. 

(ERG) to study energy markets 

and the infrastructure needs of 

alternative energy development. 

To expand progress on these new 

energy initiatives, the most current 

information for alternative energy 

will help MMS make the most 

informed decisions.

The MMS is responsible for 

developing energy resources on the 

Federal Outer Continental Shelf 

(OCS). The Energy Policy Act of 

2005 gave MMS the authority to 

include alternative energy in this 

mission, and so made possible the 

ability to grant alternative energyrelated leases, easements, or rightsof way (detailed in Section 388 of 

the Act). Under this new authority, 

MMS is developing proposed 

regulations intended to encourage 

orderly, safe, and environmentally 

responsible development of 

alternative energy resources and 

alternate uses of facilities on the 

OCS. Examples of potential 

alternative energy include, but are 

not limited to, wind energy, wave 

energy, ocean current energy, solar 

energy, and hydrogen production.

In November 2007, MMS 

announced its interim policy to begin 

gathering basic information about the 

development of alternative energy 

resources on the OCS. Projects 

approved under the interim policy 

could include activities involving 

the installation of meteorological or 

marine data collection facilities to 

assess alternative energy resources or 

to test alternative energy technology. 

The interim policy is in effect until 

the final rule is promulgated.

The study awarded to ERG 

will support MMS’s efforts in 

implementing the offshore alternative 

energy program. The first part of 

the study will focus on possible 

markets for alternative energy, 

including regional, emission, and 

trading markets. The overview will 

include information on market 

trends and Federal and State 

policies that could be involved. 

The second part of the study will 

examine energy infrastructure. 

Working with State Coastal Zone 

Management programs, ERG will 

define the coastal areas. They will 

also identify economic connections 

to alternative energy use, such as 

seaports, transport facilities, and 

manufacturers of blades and towers 

for wind energy. Finally, the study 

will ascertain the infrastructure 

needed to develop alternative 

energy on the OCS. This could 

include energy grid operations, 

substations, transmission lines, ports, 

manufacturing capabilities, shipyards, 

shipbuilding, and transportation.

The final report is expected 

to be complete in late 2010. In 

the meantime, MMS continues to 

advance in developing proposed 

regulations to encourage the orderly, 

safe, and environmentally responsible 

development of alternative energy 

resources and alternate uses of the 

facilities on the OCS. 

For more information

MMS Offshore Alternative Energy 

www.mms.gov/offshore/alternativeenergy

Press release

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/newsreal/2008/081008a.pdf Offshore commercial wind-powered 

electricity generator.

Wind turbines near Copenhagen, Denmark. 

Stock photo courtesy of Schatz Publishing.

Alternative Energy Markets

and Infrastructure Needs
14 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

MMS-Funded Study Reveals Organisms That Eat Oil

Oil-eating organisms living thousands of 

feet beneath the ocean floor could one day 

become an integral part of the Mineral 

Management Service’s (MMS) efforts to protect the 

marine environment.

New research partially funded by MMS and led 

by David Valentine of the University of California 

at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Chris Reddy of 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in 

Massachusetts has shown that single-cell microbes are 

feasting on the thousands of compounds found in oil 

that seeps from the seafloor. 

The study is one of more than 700 environmental 

research projects funded by MMS as part of the 

Environmental Studies Program (ESP), which was 

initiated in 1973. The ESP’s mission is to gather 

environmental, social, and economic science 

information. As a steward of the ocean environment, 

MMS uses the findings to make informed decisions 

as it balances the development of resources, including 

offshore oil and gas, and potential impacts on the 

environment. Data gathered is also used to develop 

solutions for industry activities that could adversely 

affect the environment. 

Much of the research for the study of the oildevouring microbes took place about 2 miles (3.2 

kilometers) offshore of Santa Barbara, California, in 

an area where close to 100 barrels of oil per day seep 

from the seafloor. 

Reddy, a marine chemist who has undertaken 

a number of long-term studies on the impacts of 

oil spills on the environment, was awed by the 

naturally-occurring oil slick and excited by the 

potential it provides. “I knew right away this site 

provided an important window into the fate of oil 

in the environment by providing the opportunity to 

simultaneously sample oil from its sub-seafloor source 

to the seafloor and up to the surface,” he said. 

The research team was surprised to find that 

microbes living without oxygen were able to eat so 

many of the compounds that make up crude oil. Until 

now, it was thought that only a small number of the 

compounds could be degraded anaerobically. “This 

is a major leap forward in understanding petroleum 

geochemistry and microbiology,” said Reddy.

The study showed that as organisms eat away at the 

oil, they might be producing natural gas as a byproduct. 

The 7-year-long research study’s methods, findings, 

and implications are included in “Disentangling 

Oil Weathering at a Marine Seep Using GCXGC: 

Broad Metabolic Specificity Accompanies Subsurface 

Petroleum Biodegradation,” in Environmental Science & 

Technology, Volume 42, Issue 19.

According to Valentine, 

the next steps in the research 

are already under way. The 

team is following the oil diet in 

controlled laboratory conditions 

and is tracking the fate of the 

oil once it forms a slick at the 

sea surface. The goal is to gather 

more information 

about what the 

microbes will eat 

to gain a better 

understanding of 

the link between 

bacterial activity 

and oil.

For more information

UCSB press release

www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1857

Environmental Studies Program

www.mms.gov/eppd/sciences/esp/index.htm

Environmental Science & Technology abstract 

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/2008/42/i19/abs/es8013908.html 

Oil on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Photo courtesy of University 

of California, Santa Barbara.

MMS-Sponsored Research Available Online

The Environmental Studies Program makes all completed research available to the public 

through the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS), a Web-based, 

searchable, full-text retrieval system. Users can download documents or view them online.

The database includes the full text of over 2,000 MMS-sponsored research reports and 

the technical summaries of over 700 research projects.

ESPIS: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/espis/espisfront.asp

Feasting on Oil
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 15

West Coast

Governors

Take Action

Recognizing that 

ocean and coastal 

communities are 

interconnected economically and 

environmentally and that any action 

toward positive health must address 

ocean and coastal ecosystems 

as a whole, Governors Arnold 

Schwarzenegger (California), Ted 

Kulongoski (Oregon), and Chris 

Gregoire (Washington), along with 

concerned Federal agencies have 

announced a plan of collaborative 

action to address these issues. 

Released on July 29, 2008, the 

West Coast Ocean Action Plan 

is an outcome of the West Coast 

Governors’ Agreement on Ocean 

Health, which was signed in 2006. 

It calls for Federal agencies, such 

as the Department of the Interior, 

the Department of Commerce, the 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

and the White House Council 

on Environmental Quality to 

support joint action by the western 

states with scientific research and 

management expertise. 

The West Coast Ocean 

Action Plan focuses on seven 

points or goals to maintain 

healthy ocean ecosystems. The 

goals include clean coastal waters 

and beaches; healthy ocean and 

coastal habitats; ecosystem-based 

management of ocean and coastal 

resources; reducing impacts of 

offshore development; increasing 

ocean awareness and literacy; 

improving ocean and coastal 

scientific information, research, 

and monitoring; and promoting 

sustainable economic development in 

coastal communities. These goals are 

based on recommendations from the 

U.S. Commission of Ocean Policy 

and the Pew Oceans Committee. 

The Plan has identified 26 actions to 

meet these 7 goals.

Any environmental plan must 

address the energy, environmental, 

and economic needs of the whole 

ecosystem—including humans—to 

be a long-term success. The 

West Coast Ocean Action Plan’s 

constructive regional approach 

ensures that all concerned users 

will collaborate on shared goals, 

actions, and challenges, including 

recreational users, energy 

development, academic institutions, 

the public, and State and Federal 

entities. This approach increases the 

likelihood of positive, sustainable 

long-term change for the ocean and 

coastal environment.

For more information

West Coast Governor’s Agreement on Ocean Health and

West Coast Governor’s Agreement on Ocean Health Action Plan

http://westcoastoceans.gov/documents/

MMS press release

www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/public/News-Releases/NR-2008-WestCoastOceanActionPlan.pdf

The Pacific Ocean from Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington. Photo courtesy 

of U.S. National Park Service.
MMS: A steward of 

the ocean environment

mms OCEAN SCIENCE

Minerals Management Service

Mail Stop 5431

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

Prstd Std

US Postage

PAID

Nia. Falls, NY

Permit No. 28

NEW WAVES Late-Breaking News & Information

In a clear affirmation of the continued viability 

of the metro New Orleans area and the importance 

of the Gulf of Mexico region to the Nation’s energy 

future, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) 

announced the signing of a 15-year lease for its Gulf 

of Mexico regional offices. The MMS offices in New 

Orleans, opened in 1982, sustained severe damage 

during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005; MMS 

employees were forced to evacuate and the agency’s 

staff and day-to-day operations were moved to 

Houston. Full operations, staffed by more than 600 

employees, returned to New Orleans in 2006.

The lease for the offices, known as the Elmwood 

Tower Building, provides for updated scientific 

capabilities, including a state-of-the-art visualization 

room with 3-D capacity. The data interpretation 

capabilities of MMS geoscientists and engineers 

will be greatly enhanced by this new facility. 

Renovations included in the lease agreement also 

provide increased security and easier access to the 

public information offices. The offices will be totally 

renovated and updated. 

The updated office facilities, scientific 

capabilities, and the stability of a long-term 

lease reinforce MMS’s commitment to the Gulf 

of Mexico region, southeast Louisiana, and its 

economic, energy, and environmental growth.

A Commitment to New Orleans

Main office building for the Minerals Management 

Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region. Photo taken 

September 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.