EcosystemBased

Management

Adaptive

Management

Sand,

Gravel &

Coastal

Erosion

MARINe

Network

Ocean

Education

Devils Tower

EcosystemBased

Management

Adaptive

Management

Sand,

Gravel &

Coastal

Erosion

MARINe

Network

Ocean

Education

Devils Tower

MMS

SCIENCE

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3 

MAY/JUNE 2004

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE
2 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

MAY/JUNE 2004 Volume 1 Issue 3

3 Ecosystem-Based

Management – Understanding

Relationships Is The Key

4 A Case Study in 

Adaptive Management

The Flower Garden Banks

6 Sand, Gravel & Coastal Erosion

Creates New Challenges

8 Monitoring Intertidal

Environments

MINT & MARINe Network

10 Educating Responsible Caretakers

of Tomorrow

Ocean Education’s Importance

11 Tidepool Education for 

All Grade Levels

Ocean Education Resources

11 Devils Tower Field Production

OCS Oil & Gas Discovery News

12 New Waves

Late-breaking News & Information

For more information about the Minerals Management Service, 

check out our site on the World Wide Web:

www.mms.gov

Subscribe

To receive MMS OCEAN SCIENCE, sign up on the website

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

column, check the box marked Environmental Studies or e-mail

mary.boatman@mms.gov or call (504) 736-2781

MAY/JUNE 2004 

Volume 1 Issue 3

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE is published 

bi-monthly by the Minerals

Management Service to communicate

recent ocean science and technological

information and issues of interest related

to offshore mineral recovery, ocean

stewardship, and mineral revenues.

Please address all questions,

comments, suggestions, and changes

of address to:

Mary Boatman

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

mary.boatman@mms.gov

(504) 736-2781

ABOUT THE COVER

Top: Green sea anemone and coralline algae in a California

tidal pool. Photo by M. Hill.

Bottom: The coral Montastrea franksi spawning at the

Flower Garden Banks with a brittle star feeding on egg

bundles. Photo courtesy of the Flower Garden Banks

National Marine Sanctuary - Emma Hickerson.

All photos courtesy of Minerals Management Service

unless otherwise noted.

Publication services provided by 

Schatz Publishing Group

MMS

SCIENCE
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE MAY/JUNE 2004 3

Left: Diver under a platform. 

Below left: Fish and coral at Stetson Bank. 

Below right: Diver next to a platform leg. 

Bottom: The corals Diploria strigosa and Madracis

decactus growing on platform. 

Photos by Gregory S. Boland and James J. Kendall.

In a series of marine ecosystem studies

conducted in the 1970’s, the MMS

Environmental Studies Program (ESP)

supported studies with boundaries

defined by habitat changes, rather than

arbitrary lines on a map or chart. These

studies focused on areas of perceived

similar habitat type such as the South

Texas Shelf, the Mississippi-Alabama

Shelf, and the Southwest Florida Shelf.

Today, MMS is working with scientists

from Mexico to expand our understanding of the Gulf of Mexico beyond

the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, a

political boundary. Information is being

gathered about the deepwater ocean

“U.S. ocean and coastal resources should be managed to reflect the

relationships among all ecosystem components, including humans and nonhuman species and the environments in which they live. Application of

ecosystem-based management will require defining geographic management

areas based on ecosystem, rather than political, boundaries.”

— U.S. COMMISSION ON OCEAN POLICY

PRELIMINARY REPORT, APRIL 2004

As scientists learn more and more

about the ocean ecosystems, it

becomes clear that the management of our natural resources must not

be made in terms of a single area or

species, but in terms of a complex

interconnected ecosystem or ecosystems.

One of the main keys to effective management is knowledge of the intricate

interrelationships and interdependent

components of a system. To increase that

knowledge, scientists from across the

Nation join with the Minerals Management Service (MMS) to gather data to

build the body of information necessary

to formulate objective decisions.

ECOSYSTEM-BASED

MANAGEMENT

UNDERSTANDING

RELATIONSHIPS 

IS THE KEY

Photo courtesy of C&C Technologies

currents with instruments placed

throughout the Gulf of Mexico, in a

cooperative effort with physical

oceanographers from Centro de

Investigación Científica y Educación

Superior de Ensenada (CICESE). 

In another effort, biologists from

Texas A&M University are working with

Mexican scientists to understand better

the distribution of marine life that resides

in or on the deep-sea sediments. Through

observations and experiments conducted

at sea, these scientists are integrating

information about the physical

environment, including the geology and

chemistry of the seafloor, with the

distribution of the organisms that live in

this environment. The different types of

sea creatures being examined span from

bacteria to shrimp and crabs to fish, in

order to describe the entire ecosystem. 

The MMS continues to gather and use

integrated information about the marine

environment to evaluate the potential

impacts from oil and gas and other

marine mineral recovery activities on

Federal lands. 
4 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Above: Close up of Agaricia coral species. Photo by

Gregory S. Boland.

activities are not known. 

The MMS requires stipulations

in many lease documents to

ensure protection of the

environment. In the Gulf of

Mexico lives a thriving coral reef

community known as the Flower Garden

Banks. The banks are a living example of

MMS’s recognition of the need for

protection of the ocean environment

through continuous monitoring and

adaptive management.

In the early 1970’s, the areas of the

Gulf of Mexico farther offshore became a

focus of industry planning. To protect

the banks, a stipulation was placed on

lease agreements for the area. In doing

so, the MMS goal was “the protection of

this unique and possibly fragile coral

reef environment.” The stipulation for

the Flower Garden Banks placed a no

activity zone around the banks’ reef

communities, and a shunt zone of four

miles was placed on the area

Adaptive management is the

process of using

monitoring to adjust

management and research

decisions to achieve

objectives better. In managing impacts to

complex ecosystems, there is usually not

enough information to determine the

best methods to use. Through the

process of adaptive management, the

consequences of decisions are monitored

and the methods applied may be

changed according to the results. For the

Minerals Management Service (MMS),

research is conducted to collect the

necessary information to make initial

decisions and, where appropriate,

monitoring is used to evaluate the

decisions.

The protection of marine life is

important as offshore oil and gas

development activities increase in an

area. Often the exact results of new

surrounding the reef. The shunt zone

required that all waste matter from the

drilling process must be transported

through a pipe to near the seafloor to

prevent the discharge from reaching the

shallower portions of the banks where

the corals live. The lessees were also

required to monitor the environmental

conditions at production sites and at the

banks by using strict MMS guidelines.

The monitoring included repeated

sampling, observations, and measurements of various components of the reef

system to determine their condition over

time. Sampling of physical and chemical

parameters assisted in the interpretation

of biological results.

A VISIT TO THE FLOWER GARDEN BANKS

Dainty yellow fish dance in and out of the coral; alien creatures float up and down in the blue Gulf water. A colorful

and imaginative world lies beneath the waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The Flower Garden Banks actually

consist of twin banks located 100 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, a seven- or eight-hour trip by sea. There are 12

miles between the two banks, and in some places only 60 feet of water cover the banks. Over 170 species of fish and over

300 species of reef invertebrates inhabit the nearly 400 acres of reef that covers the two banks.

The reef is watched over carefully by many eyes. The MMS oversees the protection of the reef from surrounding oil and

gas activities through co-sponsorship of a monitoring program. The U.S. Coast Guard works with the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration to fly sanctuary staff 150 feet from the ocean surface so that they can observe the reef

conditions. Even when sanctuary staff is not aboard, the pilots in the area keep an “eagle’s eye” watch over the coral reefs.

Oil platform personnel and dive boat operators in the area also keep an eye on the

activities at the reef.

The following activities are prohibited within the Flower Garden Banks National

Marine Sanctuary:

• Anchoring or mooring within the sanctuary a vessel greater than 

100 feet in length.

• Anchoring a vessel in the sanctuary where a mooring buoy is located.

• Oil and gas exploration and development in most of the sanctuary.

• Possessing, injuring, or taking corals or other marine organisms.

• Altering the seabed, building or abandoning structures, discarding or depositing

most substances or materials, using explosives, and releasing electrical charges.

A CASE STUDY IN ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT THE FLOWER GARDEN BANKS
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE MAY/JUNE 2004 5

...a living example of MMS’s recognition of the need for 

protection of the ocean environment ...

Upper left: (1) Brain

coral. Above: (2)

Whaleshark. Far left: (3)

Scientist monitoring coral

at the Flower Garden

Banks. Middle left: (4)

Brittle star feeding on

egg sacs from the

spawning coral. Left: (5)

Conch shell. Photos 2, 3,

and 4 by Gregory S.

Boland.

As more was learned about the banks

through the studies program and

monitoring, the Flower Garden Banks

stipulation was modified to reflect the

best information. After several years of

monitoring, MMS ascertained that no

damage was being done to the banks or

the coral habitat. The MMS then

demonstrated management flexibility

and reduced the stipulation for compliance monitoring at production sites. 

At the same time, MMS recognized

the need to continue monitoring the

condition of the living reefs because it

became clear that the banks were being

damaged from other activities such as

fishing and vessel anchoring. Marine

scientists from the Gulf Reef

Environmental Action Team (GREAT),

an environmental group, conceived of a

way to prevent anchor damage while not

discouraging visitors to the Flower

Garden Banks. The MMS provided

personnel to help GREAT install 12

anchor moorings at the banks so vessels

could tie up easily and not drop anchor.

In 1992, the Flower Garden Banks

were designated a National Marine

Sanctuary. The MMS continues to share

in the protection of the reef, working

with the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Flower Garden Banks National

Marine Sanctuary is responsible for

monitoring programs, research,

education, surveillance, and the uses of

the resources. In 1994, the NOAA

National Marine Sanctuary Program

presented a recognition award to MMS

for over 20 years of protection and

research of the Flower Garden Banks. 

Adaptive management is not

inexpensive; the total cost of the Flower

Garden Banks program from the 1970’s

to date has been over $3 million. In

return for that investment, MMS has

helped to ensure that a reef that is the

home to spectacular marine wildlife will

continue to remain healthy and

protected.

FOROR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION ON

THE THE FLOWER WER GARDEN BANKS ANKS:

Flower Garden Information

Website: http://www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

flow_gar/flowgard.html

Long-Term Monitoring at the East

and West Flower Garden Banks

National Marine Sanctuary, 1998-

2001 (MMS Publication 2003-031)

Website: http://www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

studies/2003-031.pdf

Flower Garden Banks National

Marine Sanctuary

Website: http://www.flowergarden.

nos.noaa.gov/
According to the U.S.

Geological Survey,

approximately 75% of 

our coastal shoreline is

eroding. The States of

Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida,

Louisiana (eroding almost 7 feet per

year), Maine, Maryland, New York, New

Jersey, North Carolina (which averages 

5-10 feet of erosion per year), and Texas

have programs established for the

reclamation of severely eroded beaches

in their States. In each case, offshore

shoals and ridges are seen as a potential

resource for replenishing the shoreline.

But what impact will the

development of the sand and gravel

resources located in Federal waters have

on the region? Studies have shown that

the consequences of operations such as

dredging cannot effectively be measured

in terms of its effect on a single area.

They must be evaluated with respect to

the larger environment – how the

development of a single area affects the

entire seafloor topography of a region,

its biological inhabitants, and the

complex relationship between the two. 

The Minerals Management Service

(MMS) has been at the forefront of

examining the complex relationships

6 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

SAND, GRAVEL & COASTAL EROSION CREATES NEW CHALLENGES

between benthic

organisms, fish

populations and

their bottom

habitats, and

changes in those

populations

should the

bottom

topography of an

area be physically

altered through

dredging. Since

the first field effort

was initiated to

support the MMS

sand and gravel

program, the

concept of a larger

ecosystem has been at the forefront.

Although the environmental field

investigations focus on the collection of

information at discrete sand borrow

sites, particularly an initial benthic ecological characterization of these frontier

areas, all of the efforts have been interdisciplinary in nature, focusing on the

relationship of biological components

with the physical environment. 

To understand those relationships,

studies are now being conducted off the

shores of Maryland and Delaware that

examine the intricate link between the

physical seascape of the ocean floor and

its associated fish populations in the

shoals of the mid-Atlantic. In these

studies, scientists are analyzing whether

the shoals serve as orientation features

for migrations or population

movements, if they serve as a staging

ground for those migrations, whether

they provide much needed physical

habitat in a relatively flat seafloor, and

whether the shoals help maintain the

diversity of the surrounding physical

habitat. The answers to these questions

will help scientists and regulatory

agencies plan ecologically responsible

development.

In addition to raised shoal sand and

gravel deposits, studies are being

conducted on buried channel deposits

and flat sand sheets to ascertain the

effects that dredging might have on the

very different biological communities

that reside in these areas. The process of

dredging creates a substantial dip or

depression in the seafloor that could

potentially affect wave action and sediLeft: Scientists sift through sediments, collecting the

organisms that live in and on the sand shoals. 

Right: A sediment profile image or photo of a hermit

crab and the layers of sand below the surface.

Above: A sediment profile imager or camera that is used

to penetrate the seafloor and take pictures of the upper

layer of sediment with a resulting profile image

illustrated below.
understand better its interaction with the

marine environment to develop

strategies to mitigate or reduce dredging

impacts.

Effective management of our Nation’s

coastal sand and gravel resources is

dependent on a thorough understanding

of the effects of reclamation on the

complex ecosystems of which they are a

part. The determination of MMS and its

governmental, industry, and academic

partners to supplement that

understanding will help ensure the

development of a prudent response to

the crisis of coastal erosion.

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE MAY/JUNE 2004 7

ment transport in the area. Some buried

channel deposits are overlain by fine silts

and muds. In these cases, the technique

used for dredging results in the sidecasting or overspill of excess materials.

The long-term consequences of dredging,

such as potential recolonization rates

and successes, have yet to be determined

but are being studied. 

Studies in coastal State waters suggest

that the dredging operations conducted

close to shore might in fact be

increasing, rather than decreasing, the

rates of coastal erosion. Computer

models have shown that changes in

shoals and ridges, in some areas, may

negatively affect the patterns of sediment

transport, wave motion, and beach

erosion. The biological composition of

the area could also be affected. Other

scientists, however, point out that the

reclamation projects mean the

protection of fragile wetland habitat,

including Louisiana’s wetlands which,

according to the U.S. Geological Survey,

are disappearing at a rate of almost 25

square miles a year. In addition to their

value as storm protection for coasts and

wetlands, the projects protect historic

archaeological sites and economically

valuable coastline. 

The sand and gravel studies will

continue to examine the

interrelationship between the regional

physical environment and the benthic

environments in new sand borrow areas

identified through the MMS/State

geological cooperative efforts. This

concept has been widely endorsed by the

National Research

Council, which

advocates an

ecosystem-based

approach to

reduce potential

dredging impacts

below critical

thresholds. The

MMS is also

studying available

dredging

technologies and

methodologies to

Above left: Distributing dredged sand along the beach

at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. Above right: Aerial

view of beach nourishment at Patrick Air Force Base,

Florida. Bottom: Sand entering a hopper dredge.

FOR OR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION ON

SAND, GRARAVEL VEL, AND ERROSION

ISSUES ISSUES, VISIT VISIT:

Sand and Gravel Program

Website: http://www.mms.gov/

sandandgravel/

Conducting

Sand and Gravel Research

Website: http://www.mms.gov/

sandandgravel/

EnvironmentalStudies.htm

Hurricane Impacts on the Coastal

Environment

Website: http://marine.usgs.gov/

fact-sheets/hurricane/

hurricane-txt.html
8 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

T

he rocky intertidal habitats of

the California coast are

teaming with life. Mussels,

barnacles, seastars, and

anemones are just a few of the

diverse forms of life that can be found.

Minerals Management Service (MMS)

research seeking to identify the species

that inhabit the intertidal sites, their

numbers, and their habitat has been

ongoing. The MMS is currently involved

in rocky intertidal research through the

efforts of two organizations: MARINe,

the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal

Network, and MMS’ Intertidal Team

(known as MINT). 

MARINe is a network of 55

monitoring sites along the Pacific Coast

stretching from central to southern

California on the mainland and the

offshore islands. An additional 15 sites

being monitored in northern California

will be added to MARINe next year.

Twenty-three partners participate in

MARINe, including local, State, and

Federal government agencies,

universities, and private groups. This

special partnership meets regularly to

compare data, develop new scientific

approaches, and communicate the

information to the public through joint

publications. MARINe believes that longterm monitoring of the rocky intertidal

habitat is essential to the continued

management of these important coastal

resources.

Information about 13 target species,

including the California mussel, ochre

seastar, black abalone, acorn barnacle,

rockweed, turf algae and surfgrass, is

collected by nine teams of biologists

spread throughout the State during low

MINT • MMS’ INTERTIDAL TEAM and 

MARINe • MULTI-AGENCY ROCKY INTERTIDAL NETWORK 

MONITORING

INTERTIDAL ENVIRONMENTS

Top: Photo of MARINe monitoring site near Malibu,

California, during test of a remote-controlled modelhelicopter photoshoot. Photo by M. Hill. Above: Refining

its monitoring approaches, MMS is now utilizing a

blimp to take vertical pictures of intertidal sites.
disease’s progress from its first appearance in the mid 1980’s. This led to State

and Federal protection of the species.

MINT and MARINe are testing a new

photographic technique—taking aerial

photos using a blimp. A camera is

attached to the underside of the blimp

to take vertical pictures of the site at

different heights. It is hoped that this

new technology will enhance mapping

of MARINe sites and enable extrapolation of MARINe data to the site. It may

also become a useful approach to monitoring unstudied sections of habitat. 

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE MAY/JUNE 2004 9

MONITORING RESOURCES

T

he MMS Intertidal Team (MINT) has actively studied rocky intertidal communities since 1992. MINT continued

the long-term study of four rocky intertidal communities in Northern and Central California through the 1990’s

to determine the recovery time needed for mussel beds following a major disturbance. In addition to participation

in Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) field data collection at MMS-funded rocky intertidal sites,

MINT continues to conduct special projects in support of MARINe. These include development of new MARINe

photography protocols and development of oil-spill response protocols for rocky intertidal habitats. MINT also sponsors

Annual Taxonomic Workshops for MARINe biologists. MINT is funded directly by MMS as an inhouse study.

The MMS goal of monitoring resources that neighbor ongoing oil and gas activities blends well with the objectives of the

other Federal, State, and local agency partners who participate with MINT in MARINe. This goal supports the MMS mandate

to monitor the environment where there are ongoing operations as required by the OCS Lands Act.

Above left: Photo of Maurice Hill, MINT Team member, (left), and contractor testing a remote-controlled model-helicopter’s ability to photograph a MARINe site. Above

center: Rectangular photoquadrats placed over Endocladia muricata, a turf alga, at a Southern California MARINe site near Los Angeles. Above right: Dr. Mark Pierson,

MINT team member, counts small motile invertebrates as part of a MINT study at a site in Northern California.

FOROR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION, VISIT VISIT:

Multi-Agency Rocky 

Intertidal Network

Website: http://www.MARINe.gov

tide periods in the fall and spring. One

of these teams is MINT, a group of MMS

biologists who have been involved in

rocky intertidal studies since 1992.

Procedures for collecting information

about these species have been standardized so that data can be shared by the

partners through a common database. 

Because MARINe includes

information over broad areas and

includes data from many years, trends in

the species as a result of large changes

can be identified. Monitoring of the sites

serves as an early warning of possible

abnormal conditions, increasing the

possibility of reducing or eliminating

environmental damage. Monitoring has

already yielded important findings, such

as the decline of the black abalone

caused by a disease known as withering

foot syndrome. MARINe scientists have

been able to track and record the Right: Photo of the rockweed Silvetia compressa.

Photo by M. Hill.
10 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

“The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.” 

– Herbert Spenser

OCEAN EDUCATION’S IMPORTANCE

EDUCATING RESPONSIBLE CARETAKERS OF TOMORROW

And one action is the goal of

teaching children about the

Nation’s natural resources. If we

expect future generations to handle the

legacy of physical and biological riches

we will pass on to them, we must teach

them how to act responsibly and why

those actions are so important.

So why is the Minerals Management

Service (MMS), a regulatory agency,

interested in ocean education? The

agency serves as the trustee of America’s

offshore energy resources, archaeological

treasures, and marine environment and

plays a vital role in the Nation’s financial

stability, environmental health, and

energy future. To carry out this job, MMS

needs an ocean-literate public able to

make choices and influence decisionmaking based on information and

knowledge. The MMS also needs oceanliterate employees to carry out this

mission – not just current employees but

future ones. As a result, MMS has an

As a part of current education efforts,

the MMS has developed excellent

teaching aids, posters, lesson plans, and

other educational materials to help

schools teach ocean science, science, and

math principles in ways that involve and

inspire young minds. In fact, MMS

biologists Mary Elaine Dunaway and

Fred Piltz were recognized by the

Secretary of the Interior with a 4 Cs for

Excellence Award for their development

of Tidepool Math, which teaches basic

math and science principles as students

explore a tidepool. They recently

presented the award-winning curriculum

at the 2004 National Science Teacher

Association Conference in Atlanta, GA.

Examples of programs available free

from the MMS website include Ocean

Energy, Whales and Dolphins,

Chemosynthetic Communities, Historic

Shipwrecks of the Gulf of Mexico, and

Ocean’s Sand – a Natural Resource.

These programs include games, puzzles,

and lab experiments to introduce

technology such as semisubmersible

platforms. Colorful posters are available

for each program. In addition to the

programs, there are stories such as “Stacy

visits an oil rig,” and “What is crude

oil?” along with a fascinating

explanation of how to build an ice

island!

Future MMS programs will

emphasize even greater student and

teacher involvement. Increased hands-on

activities and new topics such as gas

hydrates and deep-sea oil leasing will

help students understand the decisions

that must be made today and the

consequences they must live with

tomorrow.

active and growing marine education

program for the general public,

educators, and students to

• Ensure wise offshore minerals

decision making through an

informed public

• Enhance ocean literacy, and

• Introduce students to the

professions that study and

protect ocean life and resources.

Our marine education program

draws largely from research results of our

Environmental Studies Program (ESP).

The ESP was established in 1973 to

provide scientific and technical

information needed to predict, assess,

and manage impacts in the human,

marine, and coastal environments from

the offshore oil and gas program.

FOR OR ADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL

INFORMA INFORMATION ON

RESOUR ESOURCES CES FOR FOR KIDS IDS OF OF ALLLL

AGES GES, VISIT VISIT:

MMS Kids’ Pages

Website: http://www.mms.gov/mmskids/

MMS Kids – Alaska Region

Website: http://www.mms.gov/

alaska/kids/index.htm

Educational Resources

Website: http://www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/lagniapp/

lagniapp.html

MMS Pacific Region

Website: http://www.mms.gov/

omm/pacific/kids/educate.htm
11

OCS OIL & GAS DISCOVERY NEWS

DEVILS TOWER FIELD PRODUCTION

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE MAY/JUNE 2004

Dominion Exploration & Production,

Inc., a subsidiary of Dominion

Resources, announced the start of

production from the Devils Tower field, located

about 140 miles southeast of New Orleans on

Mississippi Canyon Block 773 in the deepwater

Gulf of Mexico. Dominion expects Devils

Tower will produce 60 billion cubic feet of

natural gas equivalent net to Dominion over

the first 12 months of production. Oil and gas

production from Devils Tower flows through a

spar floating production facility owned by a

unit of The Williams Companies, Inc. 

“The startup of Devils Tower is a significant

milestone for Dominion,” said Duane Radtke,

president and chief executive officer of

Dominion E&P. The Devils Tower project also

adds to our record of outstanding exploration,

production, and safety success offshore.”

The spar (pictured to the left, photo

courtesy of Dominion Exploration &

Production, Inc.) is designed to handle 60

thousand barrels of oil and 110 million cubic

feet of gas per day. Located in 5,610 feet of

water, the facility is the world’s deepest dry-tree

spar. In addition to the Devils Tower wells, a

three-well subsea development is currently

under evaluation to connect the adjacent Triton

and Goldfinger discoveries to the host

platform.

OCEAN EDUCATION RESOURCES

Tidepool Education for All Grade Levels

Lesson Plans &

Flash Cards are

Among the

Resources

Enhancing the

Education

Experience
MMS OCEAN SCIENCE

Minerals Management Service

Mail Stop 5431

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

FIRST CLASS

POSTAGE 

PAID

PERMIT NO. 298

LOMBARD, IL

Securing Ocean Energy

and Economic Value

for America

NEW WAVES Late-breaking News & Information

Spar platform for the Holstein

development being towed to location. 

Photo courtesy of 

BP Exploration & Production.

Minerals Management Service to Host International Workshop

IMEMS 2004 7th International Marine Environmental Modeling Seminar

Washington Plaza Hotel, Washington, D.C. • October 19-21, 2004

Impact Assessment, Resource Management, and Mitigation Modeling Applications and Modeling Development

Papers Accepted Worldwide with Focus on North American Coastal Waters

Papers are sought describing development or application of numerical models that could be useful in 

North American waters. Application areas may therefore range from tropical to Arctic.

Guest Speakers: Professor Emeritus Don MacKay, Trent University; Professor Eileen Hofmann, Old Dominion University;

Professor Kisaburo Nakata, Tokai University; Dr. Hans Dahlin, Director, EuroGOOS; Professor Antonio Baptista, 

Oregon Health & Science University; and Mr. Robert LaBelle, Deputy Associate Director, Offshore Minerals Management, MMS

See the website for more detailed information: http://www.sintef.no/imems2004/

Abstract Deadline June 30, 2004

E-mail abstracts of 300 words or fewer to may.ditlevsen@sintef.no or telefax to +47-73597051

This year’s sponsors: MMS and TOTAL Hosted by MMS Initiated by SINTEF