MMS

SCIENCE

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

Ocean

Observations:

Keeping the

World Informed

Bowhead Whale

Migration

Monitoring 

Wave Activity

Building the

Integrated Ocean 

Observing

System (IOOS)

Monitoring in

Alaska, Gulf of

Mexico, Flower

Garden Banks

Deepwater

Discoveries

Exploration 

Goes Deeper

Ocean

Observations:

Keeping the

World Informed

Bowhead Whale

Migration

Monitoring 

Wave Activity

Building the

Integrated Ocean 

Observing

System (IOOS)

Monitoring in

Alaska, Gulf of

Mexico, Flower

Garden Banks

Deepwater

Discoveries

Exploration 

Goes Deeper
2 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 Volume 3 Issue 1

3 Ocean Observations 

Keeping the World Informed

4 Watching Marine Life

Bowhead Whale Migration

5 Record-breaking Depth Achieved

Knotty Head Discovery

5 Monitoring Wave Activity in Real-Time

6 Building the Integrated Ocean 

Observing System (IOOS)

9 Deepwater Discoveries

Gulf of Mexico Region

10 Exploration Goes Deeper

Finding More Answers

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

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

MMS

SCIENCE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 

Volume 3 Issue 1

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:

Deborah Epperson

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

deborah.epperson@mms.gov

(504) 736-3257

ABOUT THE COVERS

Top: Aerial view of two bowhead whales.

Photo courtesy NOAA

Bottom: MMS Intertidal Team (MINT) members 

Dr. Ann Bull and Dr. Fred Piltz count motile invertebrates

at White’s Point in Southern California.

Back: Background platform image by Gregory S. Boland

All photos courtesy of 

Minerals Management Service 

unless otherwise noted.

Publication services provided by 

Schatz Publishing Group
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 3

Standing on the shore, the ocean

appears vast and impenetrable, full

of mysteries and beyond our

ability to understand. Advances in

science and technology now allow us to

explore the oceans from above, within,

and below. Satellites are used to observe

and monitor the oceans from space,

radar is used to study the surface,

manned and unmanned submersibles

explore the water depths, and drillships

with a host of sensors bore below the

seafloor. The Minerals Management

Service (MMS) is working with other

Federal and international agencies to

ensure that coastal and marine waters are

being monitored and that the data

collected are distributed to those who

need it to address marine-related issues.

Across the United States, regional and

local stations and observatories are

integrating their services into the

backbone of a national system – the

Integrated Ocean Observing System

(IOOS). This system will, in turn,

integrate with the Global Ocean

Observing System (GOOS), providing

scientists with up-to-date oceanographic

information. The goal is to make this

information as “user-friendly” as

possible and to allow enough flexibility

that end users will be able to customize

the type and frequency of data they

need. The MMS is participating in this

effort through monitoring activities that

also support its mission.

We are seeing oil exploration go

deeper under the ocean than ever before,

and researchers are going deeper to get

answers with a study of the chemosynthetic and hard-bottom biological 

communities in the Gulf of Mexico,

exploring depths up to 10,000 feet.

Ocean currents are monitored by using

radar and acoustics; the information is

being used to design stronger structures

or predict the movement of potential

spills. At the same time, other researchers

are watching for any impacts to whale

populations and subsistence hunters

who use them to survive. 

As the ocean becomes less

mysterious, MMS continues to acquire

knowledge and understanding through

participation in the IOOS and other

monitoring activities. This participation

will ensure that MMS has the best

information available to fulfill its

mission of safely recovering mineral

resources on the Outer Continental Shelf

while protecting the marine

environment.

Left: Scientists collect water samples from below the

ice in the Beaufort Sea.

Below top: A scientific diver measures coral growth

at the Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico.

Photo by Gregory S. Boland.

Below bottom: A chemosynthetic community with

clam shells for the deepwater environment of the

Gulf of Mexico.

OCEAN

OBSERVATIONS

KEEPING THE WORLD

INFORMED
Information from the Hunt

Each fall, near Cross Island in the Beaufort Sea, subsistence hunters from

Nuiqsut hunt bowhead whales as they migrate from the eastern Beaufort

to the Bering Sea. With current and future oil and gas activities occurring

along this migration route, the hunters are concerned that the whales will

migrate farther from shore to avoid these areas. To collect a baseline set of information, a collaborative effort was established between MMS, the subsistence

hunters from Nuiqsut, and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. Together,

they developed a system for collecting information that local hunters themselves

could adopt, adapt, and maintain. The hunters were asked to record observations and use a global positioning system (GPS) unit to collect daily vessel locations during the hunt. Information from this study is being used to determine if noise from a nearby production facility causes the whales to move farther from shore, which would affect the success of whaling expeditions and the livelihood of local

subsistence hunters.

For more information on this project – Website: www.mms.gov/alaska/reports/2005rpts/2005-025/AnRpt2003.pdf

4 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

I

n 1978, the predecessor of

the Minerals Management

Service (MMS), in consultation with the National Marine

Fisheries Services (NMFS),

determined that insufficient

information existed on the

potential effects of gas and oil

exploration on bowhead and

gray whales in the Beaufort

Sea. These agencies proposed

studies to investigate the issue,

as both species of whale were

listed as endangered species

under the Endangered Species

Act. Likewise, Inupiat residents of the North Slope did

not want offshore activity to

interfere with their bowhead whale subsistence hunt. Numerous studies were

initiated to study topics like bowhead

feeding areas, migration patterns, tissue

archiving, local and traditional knowledge, and subsistence. Since 1979, MMS

has conducted an annual survey of

migrating bowhead whales. Each fall, the

Bowhead Whale Aerial Survey Project

(BWASP) takes to the air to provide

MMS and NMFS daily reports on the fall

migration.

The aerial survey study focuses on the

fall bowhead whale migrations in the

Beaufort Sea in an area south of 72 ̊N

latitude between 140 ̊W and 157 ̊W 

WATCHING MARINE LIFE

BOWHEAD WHALE MIGRATION

concern that the migration may be

affected by sounds generated during oiland gas-related activities. Local bowhead

whale subsistence hunters are also

concerned about changes in the

migration, since the location of the

whales are key to their fall hunt. The

industry coordinates its activities

through the Alaska Eskimo Whaling

Commission (AEWC) and will

temporarily halt operations so as not to

interfere with a nearby hunt. Annually,

NMFS, the AEWC, MMS, and industry

meet to review any required industry

bowhead monitoring studies and

upcoming industry activity. The

monitoring of the whale migration by

MMS contributes to our understanding

of the bowhead whale and ways to

minimize possible impacts to the whale

population and the subsistence hunt.

longitude. Surveys are flown

from early September to midOctober. The project attempts

to distribute the survey effort

evenly across the entire study

area. Particular emphasis is

placed on regional surveys to

assess large area shifts in the

migration pathway of bowhead whales and on the coordination of effort and management of the data necessary

to support seasonal offshore

drilling and seismic exploration regulations.

Whale sightings are logged

for latitude, longitude, aircraft

altitude and heading, inclinometer angle, and swim direction of

the observed whales. Additional data

entered into the database include the

number of calves present, behavior at the

time of the sighting, size, etc., plus

weather, sea, and ice conditions at the

time of the sighting. The sightings are

recorded in a database and plotted on

maps to trace the movements of the

whales as they migrate west along the

Alaska coast. Along with the Bowhead

whale observations, sightings of beluga

and gray whales, bearded and ringed

seals, and polar bears are noted.

Bowhead whales can respond to

noise from human activities and there is

FOR OR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION:

Aerial Surveys of Endangered

Whales in the Beaufort Sea, 

Fall 2002-2004

Website: www.mms.gov/alaska/

reports/2005rpts/2005-037.pdf

Bowhead whale cow

and calf.
BHP Billiton. The well is

owned by Chevron/Unocal

and partners Nexen, Inc.,

Anadarko Petroleum

Corporation, and BHP

Billiton. The well was drilled

using the Transocean

drillship Discoverer Spirit.

Logging equipment used

in this operation set a new

benchmark for downhole

operating temperatures and

pressures. The completion

of this job opens up more

opportunities for nontraditional drilling, not just

in the GOM, but around the globe.

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 5

Monitoring Wave Activity in Real-Time

Awealth of data has been collected from the monitoring and assessment of offshore sand resources along the

Louisiana coastline over the past 10 years by the Minerals Management Service (MMS). Over $11 million has been

invested in this research, placing MMS at the cutting edge of adopting new technologies to understand these

offshore resources.

WAVCIS, or Wave-Current Information System,

provides MMS with wave information, such as

water level, surge, wave height, and meteorological

conditions, on a real-time basis around the

Louisiana coast. This monitoring system, and the

information it makes available, helps MMS to

determine how dredging and sand excavation could

alter the local wave patterns.

Two MMS-funded buoys are being used to

monitor and collect this information. The buoys

will collect the data available on deep and shallow

water off the Louisiana coast, and then transmit the

data to a base station at Louisiana State University.

After going through quality control and archiving,

the data will be posted on the Internet and will be

accessible to anyone.

As the demand for sand for shoreline protection

increases, OCS sand and gravel have become an

increasingly important resource. The MMS

continues to work with its partners to observe and

monitor the environmental impact of dredging and

to advance the exploration on the wave activity, as it

learns more about the complexity of the ocean

ecosystem.

For more information – Website: www.wavcis.lsu.edu

RECORD-BREAKING DEPTH ACHIEVED

KNOTTY HEAD DISCOVERY

Asignificant oil discovery

was made on the Knotty

Head prospect in the 

Gulf of Mexico (GOM) 

in December 2005, after

drilling and logging operations were

concluded by Weatherford International

Ltd. The discovery well is located in

approximately 3,500 feet of water, and

the total depth is an astounding 34,189

feet (almost 6.5 miles). It is the deepest

well drilled to date in the GOM and

breaks the previous record of 32,727 feet

set earlier in 2005 by Shell. Nexen is

operator of the Knotty Head prospect.

Partners include Chevron/Unocal,

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, and

Diagram courtesy of Greg Stone, LSU.

The Transocean drillship Discoverer Spirit was used to

drill to a record-setting depth of 34,189 feet below

the seafloor.
6 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Dramatic changes in the

ocean or coastal areas and

their ecosystems – whether

local, regional, or global –

can have a devastating effect

on our economy, environment and

national security, as vividly highlighted

by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. What

was also highlighted was the critical need

for a coordinated effort to monitor,

collect, and disseminate vital marine and

coastal information about such changes

to those whose lives, livelihoods, and

environments will be affected. The

Integrated Ocean Observing System

(IOOS), when fully implemented, will

provide such a data collection and

distribution “warehouse” for local,

regional, and global stakeholders. The

Minerals Management Service (MMS) is

participating as a contributor and user of

this information.

According to The First U.S. Integrated

Ocean Observing System (IOOS)

Development Plan, IOOS is a coordinated

national and international network of

observations and data transmission, data

management and communications, and

data analyses and modeling that

systematically and efficiently acquires

Alaska Monitoring

I

n October 2004, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Sea-Air-Land Modeling

and Observing Network (SALMON) Project and Coastal Ocean Dynamics

Applications Radar (CODAR) Ocean Sensors embarked on a program to

understand patterns of surface currents in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea and Cook Inlet.

The program is studying the spatial and temporal variability of the currents by

using high-frequency Doppler radar. This program is sponsored by the Minerals

Management Service (MMS), the National Ocean and Atmospheric

Administration, and the National Oceanographic Partnership Program and is

conducted in cooperation with the Alaska Ocean Observing System, one of the

regional systems in the nationwide Integrated Ocean Observing System. To

accomplish this task, the team installed two Doppler radar stations onshore of

the central Beaufort Sea; these recorded surface currents during open water and

mixed ice periods in June 2005. The data collected through this study will

contribute to the baseline oceanography of these two locations. Additionally,

the data will be used by MMS in oil-spill risk analyses for offshore oil and gas

operations. The radar equipment will remain in operation through October

2006. The units will then be moved to Cook Inlet to record surface currents for

one full year beginning in October 2006 and ending in November 2007.

For more information – Website: http://halibut.ims.uaf.edu/SALMON/

CIBS-MAP/index.htm

and disseminates data and information

IOOS

on past, present, and future states of the

oceans, including U.S. coastal waters.

“Coastal” includes the U.S. Exclusive

Economic Zone and territorial sea, the

Great Lakes, and semi-enclosed bodies of

water and tidal wetlands connected to

the coastal ocean.

Outlined in the plan is a statement of

IOOS’ seven goals to gather and

distribute data, both observational and

modeled, which enables the Nation to

BUILDING THE 

INTEGRATED OCEAN 

OBSERVING SYSTEM

Image courtesy of University of Alaska - GINA www.gina.alaska.edu from NOAA-17 satellite.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 7

1. Improve predictions of weather

and climate change and their

effects on coastal communities

and the Nation;

2. Improve the efficiency and safety

of marine operations;

3. More effectively mitigate the

effects of natural hazards;

4. Improve national and homeland

security;

5. Reduce public health risks;

6. More effectively protect and

restore healthy coastal

ecosystems; and

7. Enable the use of ocean and

coastal resources.

To achieve these goals, a network

must be established that routinely,

reliably, and continuously provides data

and information on oceans and coasts.

More importantly, data that are observed

and monitored must be made available

to all who rely on it, in the form they

need, and at the time and place they

need it. This requires an efficient twoway flow of information from the

MINT – the MMS 

Intertidal Team

The MMS Intertidal Team, or

MINT, is one of nine

monitoring teams that

collect data for MARINe, the

Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal

Network. The MINT biologists

team up with biologists from five

university campuses (UC Santa

Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA,

UC Davis, and California State

University Fullerton) to monitor mussels, sea stars, algae, and other intertidal

plants and animals along the coast.

Initially, in 1991, nine shoreline inventory sites were established along the

California Coast. Today, MMS funds 24 sites from San Luis Obispo County to

Orange County. MINT, along with university biologists, monitors turf algae,

rockweed, acorn and goose barnacles, mussels, surf grass, sea stars, black

abalone, limpets, and motile invertebrates like crabs and snails. In addition to

providing field support twice a year at MMS-funded sites, MINT leads special

projects for MARINe, including reviews of protocols, development of new

techniques, equipment development, and sponsoring an annual Taxonomic

Workshop for MARINe field teams.

For more information – Website: www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/enviro/mint.htm

Mary Elaine Dunaway holds quadrat for photo of

goose barnacle plot at Paradise Cove, Malibu,

California. Inset: Closeup of goose barnacle/mussel

plot at Paradise Cove.

Current Monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico Region

I

n response to recent reports of high offshore currents,

both on the surface and at depth in the Gulf of

Mexico, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) has

requested the cooperation of operators to help monitor

currents from mobile offshore drilling units (MODU’s)

and floating production platforms. The MMS regulations

require a thorough assessment of all design and

operating environmental conditions expected to occur at

the platform site over the life of the platform, as well as

the use of the best available and safest technology during

all exploration, development, and production operations

to avoid equipment failure that would have a significant

effect on safety, health, or the environment.

Current data collected by the operators are sent to the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA) National Buoy Data Center, where they are

stored and posted on a website and may be viewed in

almost real-time mode. The ocean current information

will be used by the oil and gas industry in improving the

design, operation, and function of MODU’s and

production platforms.

For more information on monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico Region – 

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/ocean_current_monitor.html

Western Gulf of Mexico MMS ADCP recent marine data. This program was

recognized by the President in his U.S. Ocean Action Plan as an example of a

government-industry partnership helping to ensure safe offshore operations.

Map courtesy NOAA.
Monitoring in the 

Flower Garden

Banks

The East and West Flower Garden

Banks lie beneath the waters of

the northern Gulf of Mexico,

approximately 100 miles south of the

Texas-Louisiana border. These Banks

are the northernmost coral reefs on

the continental shelf of North

America. The salt domes under these

banks have furnished the framework

for coral reef development and

provide a reservoir for oil and gas

resources.

The Minerals Management Service

(MMS) began monitoring the banks

in the early 1980’s and was joined by

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration in 1996, after the

banks became a National Marine

Sanctuary in 1992. The monitoring

effort was designed to assess the health of the coral reefs, evaluate changes in coral population levels, measure coral and

algae cover and growth rates, and investigate other community characteristics. The MMS maintains a no activity zone for the

oil and gas industry around the Banks to protect the delicate reefs. The monitoring is used to verify that these protective

measures are working as the industry activities continue just outside the zone. Results to date indicate that the coral reefs

continue to be healthy and vibrant.

For more information on the Flower Garden Banks – Website: 

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/flow_gar/flowgard.html

8 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

observational site – remote and in situ –

through data management and

communication, to data analysis and

modeling, and back again.

One of the first steps taken in the

establishment of IOOS is to institute,

enhance, and integrate data management

and communications. Once

communications and management

systems are established and operational,

a national network of observational and

analytical systems, augmented by

regional coastal ocean observing systems

(RCOOS) can be further developed to

meet the common requirements of the

regional associations (RA) or groups that

will gather, develop, and use the

information in their own locality, while

achieving the national goals as well. This

component of IOOS is a collaborative

project between Federal agencies,

including MMS, and these local

components such as the Gulf of Mexico

Coastal Ocean Observing System

(GCOOS) and the Alaska Ocean

Observing System (AOOS), two RA’s

already coordinating with MMS.

Data and information gathering are

conducted not only locally and

regionally, but nationally and globally as

well. This aspect of the IOOS is being

developed by Federal agencies.

Education, training, and public

outreach are important components of

the IOOS development. Ocean science is

an exciting frontier of study that can

attract the minds of the young and old.

Informing educators of the wealth of

data available, teaching them how to

access that data and enabling them to

produce a more scientifically literate

populace and a more skilled workforce

are of utmost importance to the future

well-being of ocean environments.

Education initiatives for young scientists

are outlined in the President’s 2004

Ocean Action Plan.

As IOOS builds its “national

backbone,” it will continue to document

systems and assets that are already in

place, engage regional stakeholders to

discuss and define what needs to be

developed or improved, and to integrate

past, present, and future data research

capacities into a viable, flexible, and

above all, useful data management and

distribution system. As a developer,

contributor, and user of the system,

MMS is in a unique position to provide

insight into the usability of the system

and to assist with the goals of the IOOS.

Tube sponges and very healthy cover of more than 50 percent live coral at the Flower Garden Banks,

considered by many the healthiest reefs in the western hemisphere! Photo by Gregory S. Boland.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 9

Nine deepwater (greater than

1,000 feet) oil and gas

discoveries were announced

by operators and lessees in

the Gulf of Mexico during

2005. “The deepwater discoveries to date

represent a strong continuing success

story in the Gulf of Mexico,” stated Chris

Oynes, Minerals Management Service

(MMS) Regional Director for the Gulf of

Mexico. “Discoveries like BP’s Stones

represent a continuing favorable

development in the new Paleogene play

in the Walker Ridge area.”

Compared with the seven drilling rigs

in the same period one year ago, there

are nine rigs drilling in 5,000 feet of

water or greater – the ultra deepwater

GULF OF MEXICO REGION

DEEPWATER DISCOVERIES

The Holstein oil and gas development is located

approximately 150 miles south of New Orleans. 

The field is being developed using a Production

Drilling and Quarters (PDQ) truss spar,

permanently moored in 4,350 feet of water. 

Photo courtesy of BP Exploration & Production.

zone. In addition, a new drilling record

in the Gulf of Mexico – 34,189 feet – was

reached at the Knotty Head prospect.

The announced deepwater discoveries

in 2005 demonstrate that active

exploration in the deepwater Gulf of

Mexico will continue to help America

meet its energy needs.

2005 Announced Deepwater Discoveries, 

Gulf of Mexico

Water Prospect Operator Area/Block Number Depth (ft)

Stones BP Walker Ridge 508 9,576

Jubilee Extension Anadarko Lloyd Ridge 309 8,774

Mondo NW Extension Anadarko Lloyd Ridge 1 8,340

Q Spinnaker Mississippi Canyon 961 7,925

Big Foot Chevron Walker Ridge 29 5,286

Genghis Khan Anadarko Green Canyon 652 4,300

Wrigley Newfield Mississippi Canyon 506 3,700

Knotty Head Chevron/Unocal Green Canyon 512 3,557

Clipper Pioneer Green Canyon 299 3,452

Anduin Nexen Mississippi Canyon 755 2,400
10 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

E

xploration in the Gulf of

Mexico (GOM) doesn’t

always involve oil and gas. 

As more becomes known

about the Gulf from the Outer

Continental Shelf down to depths of

3,280 feet, scientists are beginning to

explore and study even deeper areas. Of

special interest in the deepest part of the

Gulf are rare hard-bottom areas of the

seafloor and the possibility of additional

dense chemosynthetic communities or

deep coral habitats.

Most of the Gulf deepwater sea

bottom studied to date is soft sediment,

which is a mixture of mostly silt and clay.

But less is known about the rare hardbottom areas, especially in ultradeepwater. A few chemosynthetic

communities have already been

discovered at depths close to 10,000 feet.

Even though they look similar in many

ways to communities in shallower water,

we already know there are very few of the

animals that are the same in both

habitats. Questions about how the

differences in salt structures, water

temperature, pressure, and hydrate

stability might affect chemosynthetic

communities at deeper depths have yet to

be answered. Will they be more – or less

– abundant? Do they develop in the

same way and at the same rate? What

EXPLORATION GOES DEEPER

FINDING MORE ANSWERS

Remarkable Seabed Life at 9,000 feet 

Chemosynthetic Communities as seen by a Remotely Operated Vehicle operated by Chevron.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 11

about other hard-bottom fauna, such as

deepwater corals?

To answer these questions, the

National Oceanic Partnership Program

(NOPP) is sponsoring a four-year study

of the hard-bottom chemosynthetic and

other biological communities below

3,280 feet in the Central and Western

GOM. This ground-breaking new study

will be funded by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Exploration

(NOAA OE). The NOPP is a collaboration of 15 Federal agencies, including

MMS and NOAA, along with academic

and industry partners seeking to bring

ocean issues to the forefront and encourage a greater synergy among those concerned with such issues.

As this study goes forward, researchers hope to gain a greater insight into the

differences between these deeper communities and those in more shallow locations. A significant part of this project

will involve the exploration of new and

unknown places in the deep Gulf, where

no one has ever looked before. It is likely

there will be some remarkable discoveries. The exploration and understanding

of these new areas will enable MMS to

protect and manage the Nation’s

resources in the deepwater Gulf better.

Above: University of Delaware artist David Barczak’s rendition of the submersible Alvin working on the

seafloor at a hydrothermal vent site. The Alvin will be coming to the Gulf of Mexico for over two weeks

to explore new sites for MMS and NOAA in May 2006. Photo courtesy University of Delaware College of

Marine Studies.
Sidebar Head

FOR OR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION:

Subject:

Website: www.

Caption

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE

Minerals Management Service

Mail Stop 5431

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

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POSTAGE

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PERMIT NO. 1

ADDISON, IL

MMS – A Leader in 

Securing the Nation’s

Domestic Energy

Supply

NEW WAVES Late-breaking News & Information

MMS Sponsors Compendium on the Gulf of Mexico 

Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models

Wilton Sturges and Alexis Lugo-Fernandez, Editors 

The Gulf of Mexico is a jewel among the natural resources of the western hemisphere. Its

wetlands are the source of an important seafood and shellfish industry. Offshore waters

support rich commercial and sport fisheries. Its oil and gas resources are prime incentives for

commercial development. Its coastal beaches provide recreation to millions and are the

economic backbone of numerous coastal communities. If we are to understand how to use

and manage such resources, it is crucial that we understand the waters that flow in and

through the Gulf. – from the Introduction

The Minerals Management Service funded the publication of this collection of scientific papers

that summarizes the current state of knowledge of the circulation in the Gulf of Mexico. The

book offers new information as well as a synthesis of past work. Dr. Wilton Sturges of Florida

State University and Dr. Alexis Lugo-Fernandez of the MMS Gulf of Mexico Region are coeditors. The compendium was published by the American Geophysical Union and is available

on their website.

Platform in Cook Inlet, Alaska.