THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 2

MMS

APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008

SCIENCE

Water World: 

MMS Stewardship 

and Supervision 

of the Ocean 

Environment

Bringing Up 

the Past: “Mardi 

Gras” Shipwreck 

Excavation 

Reaching Out: 

Establishing 

Limits on the 

Continental Shelf 

Sounds of 

the Sea:

Sperm Whale 

Research in the 

Gulf of Mexico 

New 

Development in 

the Gulf of Mexico 

Pushing 

New Limits

Oil and Gas 

Revenues Fund 

the Future

Ocean Sciences 

Meeting in Orlando 
2 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Volume 5 Issue 2

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 

mineral 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 Water World 

MMS Stewardship and Supervision 

of the Ocean Environment 

 4 Bringing Up the Past

“Mardi Gras” Shipwreck Excavation 

 6 New Frontiers on the Horizon 

 7 Reaching Out 

Establishing Limits on the Continental Shelf 

 8 Sounds of the Sea 

Sperm Whale Research in the Gulf of Mexico 

 10 New Development 

in the Gulf of Mexico 

 11 Pushing New Limits

Ohmsett Tests High-Capacity Skimming Systems 

 12 Oil and Gas Revenues 

Fund the Future

 14 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Orlando 

 16 New Waves

Late-Breaking News & Information ABOUT THE COVER

Top Left: ROV (remotely operated vehicle) 

used in “Mardi Gras” Shipwreck excavations. 

Credit: Florida Public Archaeology.

Top Right: Zigzag coral (Madrepora oculata). 

Credit: NURC/UNCW and NOAA/FGBNMS, 

Voyage to Inner Space; taken in the Gulf of 

Mexico Bright Bank.

Middle Right: One of the skimming systems 

about to be tested at Ohmsett.

Main Photo: Hall Island near St. Matthew 

Island in the Bering Sea. Credit: U.S. Fish & 

Wildlife Service.

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 site on the World Wide Web:

www.mms.gov

Subscribe

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www.gomr.mms.gov, click on e-mail subscriptions on the lefthand column, check the box marked Environmental Studies or 

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

APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008 Volume 5 Issue 2

MMS

SCIENCE

APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008 3

NASA Oceanography 

describes 

Earth as a “water planet”: oceans 

cover over 70 percent of the earth’s 

surface. Clearly, protecting these 

vital resources is no small task.

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) is dedicated to 

doing its part to protect the ocean 

environment against environmental impacts and to support 

responsible development of the 

Nation’s energy resources. This 

includes extensive research to 

preserve the precious marine ecosystems and provide the scientific 

foundation for MMS’s demanding industry standards, noted 

MMS Director Randall Luthi. 

Partnerships are important 

to MMS’s ability to accomplish 

its mission as a steward of the 

ocean environment. Through 

collaboration with corporations, 

educational institutions, 

government agencies, and research 

institutions, MMS has access to 

cutting-edge methodologies and 

techniques, tools, and processes. 

This allows MMS’s teams of 

scientists to lead valuable studies 

for the responsible development of 

energy resources. 

Domestic resources are 

important to the Nation’s economy 

and new technology is expanding 

production possibilities—it is 

estimated that undiscovered fields 

in the Outer Continental Shelf 

may hold 86 billion barrels of 

oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of 

gas (2006, mean estimates). The 

royalty revenue generated by 

energy production on Federal and 

American Indian lands provides 

economic benefits to the Nation: 

in 2007 alone, MMS disbursed 

$11.7 billion to the U.S. Treasury, 

Tribes, states, and individual 

allottees. Since MMS began its 

agency operations in 1982, it has 

disbursed over $175 billion!

Each discovery presents new 

challenges, and MMS is meeting 

them head-on and delving deeper 

into the vast ocean, continuously 

gaining and sharing knowledge 

about how to best protect our 

valuable natural resources.

Elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes). Photo courtesy of NURC/UNCW and NOAA/

FGBNMS, Voyage to Inner Space; taken in the Gulf of Mexico McGrail Bank.

MMS Stewardship and 

Supervision of the 

Ocean Environment
Through the use of x-ray 

technology, a maker’s 

mark was identified, 

which indicated the 

maker, T. Harris 

& Son, the place 

of manufacture, 

London, and the day 

and night uses 

of the spyglass 

or telescope.

Another batch of 

artifacts included a wine bottle 

and a small glass bottle embossed with 

‘LONDON.’ This bottle’s style gives another 

clue to the date of the shipwreck. According 

to the Glass Glossary published by Parks 

Canada (1989:26-27), this type of bottle 

was molded in two pieces and contained 

mustard. The date range for these mustard 

bottles is from 1750 to 1880.

The Mardi Gras shipwreck, for 

example, is a 200-year-old shipwreck 

discovered in 2002 by oil-field 

inspection crews surveying the Mardi 

Gras Transmission Pipeline. The 

ship is about 40 miles off the coast 

of Louisiana in the deepwater of the 

Gulf of Mexico, but its exact identity 

is a mystery yet to be solved.

Work on the site began in May 

2007 when archaeologists from 

MMS and Texas A&M University 

conducted the deepest noncommercial scientific excavation 

to date. Below 4,000 feet of 

water, artifacts from the ship were 

recovered with the help of off-theshelf industry equipment, such 

as a remote operated vehicle and 

large artifact retrieval tools, able to 

withstanding the extreme deepwater 

pressure. Excavation continued 

through June 2007. Conservation 

of the artifacts is ongoing at the 

Conservation Research Laboratory 

at Texas A&M University. 

Among the discoveries were 

artifacts most likely 

dating from the 

Louisiana Purchase 

and the War of 

1812, including 

4 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

“Mardi Gras” Shipwreck 

Excavation Uncovers 

200-Year-Old Artifacts

BRINGING

THE PAST

Tthe Minerals Management Service (MMS) helps protect 

archaeological sites on the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS), in accordance with the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966. 

Through marine archaeology (the 

study of human interaction with the 

sea) and work with partners, MMS helps conserve, 

protect, and preserve historic OCS sites during environmental studies and oil and 

gas activities. Historic shipwrecks 

and Native American artifacts are 

some examples of the findings of 

marine archaeologists.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

MMS Archaeology

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

archaeological/

introduction.html

Mardi Gras Shipwreck

Website: www.flpublicarchaeology.

org/mardigras/crew/

Website: http://nautarch.tamu.

edu/mardigras/

Society for Historical 

Archaeology

Website: http://sha.org/

Left: New Orleans, Louisiana in 1798. Image courtesy of University of Texas Map Collection.
Archaeology’s 2008 Conference 

on Historical and Underwater 

Archaeology. 

Discovering, excavating, identifying, and conserving or preserving 

materials that can tell us more about 

our past are some of the ways the 

MMS helps protect and conserve 

the history of the U.S. and of the 

Gulf Coast while also managing the 

energy resources of the OCS. 

A single inkwell arrives at the 

Conservation Research Laboratory 

at Texas A&M University. After 

conservation treatment, the final 

product is ready 

for display. The 

inkwell still 

contains traces 

of ink.

Artifacts found at 

the “Mardi Gras” 

Shipwreck

Ceramic

Bottle

Caster 

(a container 

for holding a 

condiment)

Charger 

(larger decorative plate)

Bowl

Jugs

Pitcher

Place settings (three, including 

a plate, tea bowl✱, and saucer)

Platters

Teapot✱

Tureen 

(broken)

Glass

Bottles (for 

wine and beer)✱

Condiment bottle✱

Inkwell with traces of ink✱

Pane of glass

Organic material

Bone scales (from utensils)

Rigging elements

Small brush 

(likely a toothbrush)

Metal

Anchor

Arms and edged weapons

Buttons

Cannon

Coins (Spanish)

Ship’s stove (cast-iron)

Spoons (three, pewter)

Composite (contain more 

than one material category)

Carpenter’s plane

Mill (likely a coffee grinder)

Spyglass or telescope✱

Watch face and 

bezel (enameled iron)

✱ Image shown in this article

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008 5

objects from France, Great Britain, 

Mexico, and possibly the United 

States. The artifacts included items 

made of ceramic, glass, metal, and 

organic and composite materials. 

The ship’s stern encrustation was 

also retrieved, containing artifacts 

within the concretion. Conservators 

are now working to carve out of the 

layers. Once the conservation is complete, the artifacts will be donated 

to the Louisiana 

Department of 

Culture, Recreation, 

and Tourism for exhibition at the Louisiana 

State Museum.

In January of 

2008, MMS archaeologists presented 

initial findings from the excavation at the Society for Historical 

Left: MMS’s exhibit at 

the 2008 Conference on 

Historical and Underwater 

Archaeology held January 

9–13, in Albuquerque, 

NM. Pictured center 

are MMS staff Jack 

Irion, Chris Horrell, and 

Melanie Damour. 

Right sidebar: The majority 

of the ceramic assemblage 

is undecorated creamware, 

but stoneware and pearlware 

were also found. Such 

lighter-colored creamware 

generally dates from 1775 to 

1820, particularly table and 

tea wares.

Four of the bottles collected. A sand clock (hourglass).
Below: Inspecting an offshore energy farm. 

Photo courtesy of GE Energy.

6 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Currently, MMS is 

reviewing plans for the 

Cape Wind Energy Project—

the first proposed offshore 

wind project in the U.S., which 

would place 130 wind turbines 

in Nantucket Sound off of Cape 

Cod, Massachusetts. This project 

may provide up to three-quarters 

of the electricity needed by Cape 

Cod and nearby islands. The 

MMS issued a draft environmental 

impact statement (EIS) for the 

Cape Wind project earlier this 

year. The draft EIS concludes 

that the Cape Wind Project will 

produce clean and renewable 

energy that would reduce regional 

air pollution and carbon 

dioxide greenhouse gas 

emissions, create jobs, 

and provide much-needed 

energy with minimal adverse 

impact to the environment. 

The MMS plans to issue the 

final EIS later this year, to 

be followed by a Record of 

Decision on whether or not to 

authorize this project.

Alternative energy sources, 

including wind, wave, solar, 

underwater current, generation 

of hydrogen, and alternate uses 

of existing facilities present 

an exciting new frontier for 

MMS and the Nation. But that 

excitement is tempered with 

environmental and financial 

responsibility. The MMS is 

providing a balanced stewardship 

of the OCS while maintaining 

its search for new ways to 

make our Nation more selfsufficient in the energy arena.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Website: www.mms.gov/offshore/

RenewableEnergy/

RenewableEnergyMain.htm

Website: www.mms.gov/ooc/

press/2008/press0114.htm

Website: www.mms.gov/ooc/

press/2008/press0110.htm

Website: www.mms.gov/

tarprojectcategories/

AlternativeEnergy.htm

Website: www.mms.gov/ooc/

PDFs/AlternateEnergyrelatedUsesontheOCS.pdf

ON THE HORIZON

NEW FRONTIERS

Although the expansion 

 of alternative power

 sources is high on 

 the Nation’s energy 

agenda, progress in developing such 

sources, especially those on the 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), is 

not moving as fast as some might 

hope. The growth of offshore 

alternative energy activities and 

alternate uses of offshore facilities 

has enormous potential, but consideration must be given to potential 

short- and long-term adverse effects 

on sensitive marine ecosystems.

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS), a bureau of the 

U.S. Department of the Interior, 

was granted authority over alternative energy activity and alternate use 

of existing facilities on the OCS by 

the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and 

is currently formulating rules and 

methodologies for the uncharted 

frontiers of emergent energy resource 

development. As part of this undertaking, MMS recently announced the 

adoption of 52 “best management 

practices” to ensure development is 

done in an environmentally appropriate manner. Although the agency 

is adopting these standards, MMS 

will, at its discretion, consider each 

project on a case-by-case basis.

Above: A Gulf crewboat is silhouetted in a 

Gulf of Mexico sunset. Photo courtesy of 

NOAA’s America’s Coastlines Collection, 

taken in Louisiana by Commander 

Grady Tuell, NOAA Corps.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008 7

ESTABLISHING LIMITS ON THE CONTINENTAL SHELF

REACHING OUT

As technology advances the

 ability to move farther

 and deeper into the vast

 ocean, the question 

arises of who has the rights to the 

ocean’s highly valuable natural 

resources. Article 76 of the 1982 

United Nations Convention on the 

Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows 

coastal States to establish their continental shelves within 200 nautical miles (nm) of their shores, and 

the Minerals Management Service 

(MMS) is helping the U.S. establish 

its outer Extended Continental Shelf 

(ECS) limits in compliance with this 

internationally accepted law.

Although the U.S. is not a party 

to UNCLOS, it is seeking to gain 

legal certainty of entitlement to its 

ECS. These efforts include the collection and analysis of scientific data to 

map the U.S. outer limits, including 

depth, shape, and geophysical seabed characteristics. When sovereign 

rights are established, a State has 

control over both living and nonliving resources on its shelf, such as 

oil, gas, hydrates, minerals, and 

sedentary animal life. Additionally, 

the State controls all scientific 

research with regard to its ECS.

According to the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), the U.S. 

would like to extend its continental 

shelf limits to seabed areas beyond 

200 nm, establishing rights to the 

natural resources on the seabed 

and sub-seafloor. To accomplish 

this, an ECS Task Force has been 

created to ensure that the limits 

are created in accordance with 

international law, using data 

collected from MMS, NOAA, and 

other collaborating agencies.

The mission of MMS is to 

create a balance between securing 

economic value and protecting the 

ocean’s natural environment. The 

current U.S. Outer Continental Shelf 

(OCS) is 1.76 billion acres, with the 

potential for undiscovered resources 

exceeding 86 billion barrels of oil 

and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural 

gas. Exploration and discovery of 

OCS domestic oil and gas economically benefits the U.S. It also furthers 

understanding of the marine environments from which those resources 

are found; studies and surveys for 

energy resources have resulted in discovery of chemosynthetic communities, deep-sea corals, and even historical shipwrecks. Providing the right 

balance allows our Nation to reap 

the benefits of its resources while 

protecting them at the same time.

This spectacular “blue marble” image is the most detailed true-color image of the entire 

Earth to date. Using a collection of satellite-based observations, scientists and visualizers 

stitched together months of observations of the land surface, oceans, sea ice, and clouds into a 

seamless, true-color mosaic of every square kilometer (.386 square mile) of our planet. 

Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

The Extended Continental

Shelf (ECS) This diagram

shows the ECS as the yellow/

orange area beyond the 200-nm 

Exclusive Economic Zone. 

Image courtesy of NOAA 

Exploration and Research.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Website: www.mms.gov/

eppd/reports/

OceanExploation.pdf

Website: www.explore.noaa.gov/

special-projects/

ecs-initiative/view

Website: www.publicaffairs.noaa.

gov/releases2007/aug07/

noaa07-043.html

Website: www.ngdc.noaa.gov/

nndc/struts/results?eq_

0=2007/04&op_3=eq&v_

3=N&t=102750&s=3&d=

10,6,11
8 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Sounds of the Sea

Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are an 

endangered species found in the world’s 

oceans. A population resides year-round in 

the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). As the oil 

and gas industry moves into deeper waters, the Minerals 

Management Service (MMS) has undertaken research to 

address potential impacts from these activities.

In 2002, MMS launched a Sperm Whale Seismic 

Study (SWSS) to address the potential effects of offshore seismic surveys on sperm whales in the GOM. 

Conducted as a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary 

research project through the Texas A&M Research 

Foundation, this study included scientists from 

Ecologic, Oregon State University, Scripps Institution 

of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M 

University-Galveston, University of Colorado, University 

of Durham in the United Kingdom, University of Saint 

Andrews in the United Kingdom, University of South 

Florida, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. 

Funding sponsors were MMS, National Science 

Foundation, Office of Naval Research, Industry 

Research Funders Coalition, and the National Fish 

and Wildlife Foundation.

Sperm Whale Research in the 

Gulf of Mexico

The objectives of SWSS were to

(1) establish baseline information on the biology and 

behavior of sperm whales in the northern GOM,

(2) characterize sperm whale habitat use in the 

northern GOM, and

(3) determine possible changes in behavior of sperm 

whales when subjected to human-made noise, particularly from seismic airgun arrays used for offshore 

oil and gas exploration and geological monitoring.

The SWSS study consisted of four summers of 

fieldwork in 2002–2005 and approximately 5 years of 

satellite tag data transmission (2002–2006), followed by 

analysis and synthesis. The study area was the continental 

slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico, with focus on the 

region along the 1000-meter isobath between Mississippi 

Canyon and De Soto Canyon between 86°W and 91°W 

longitude. In field year 4, the satellite-tag (S-tag) work 

was done in the northwest Gulf to provide information 

for comparison with the main study area. During SWSS, 

there were four S-tag cruises (2002–2005), two digitaltag (D-tag) cruises with controlled exposure experiments 

using airguns on seismic vessels provided through the 

International Association of Geophysical Contractors 

(2002) and Industry Research 

Funders Coalition (2003), one 

cruise for a sperm whale survey 

and habitat characterization 

study conducted concurrently 

with the D-tag cruise in 2003, 

and two mesoscale population 

study cruises aboard a 46’ Hunter 

sailboat (2004–2005).

The SWSS collected a 

substantial body of data on sperm 

whales and their environment in 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

MMS

Website: www.mms.gov/swss/

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/ongoing_studies/gm/

GM-05-02-and-GM-01-04C.html

Texas A&M

Website: http://seawater.tamu.edu/SWSS/

Press Releases

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/newsreal/2002/020918.html

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/techann/2006/tech2006-034.pdf

Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). 

Photo courtesy of NOAA’s Ark - Animals Collection.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008 9

MMS uses two types of tagging to track sperm whales

Satellite tags (S-tags) transmit the surfacing location of tagged 

sperm whales to a satellite. Information is then correlated with 

additional satellite remote-sensing oceanographic data and locations of 

active seismic vessels and offshore platforms. S-tags indicate seasonal, 

long-term (months), broad-scale response to industry activities over 

large distances.

Digital tags (D-tags) record received sound levels and underwater 

swimming behavior of sperm whales. The D-tag provides a method to 

determine short-term (hours) sperm whale behavioral responses to test 

sound sources or ongoing seismic surveys, and to determine normal 

sperm whale diving behavior and vocalizations.

Binoculars known as “big eyes” are key 

instruments for marine mammal 

visual surveys.

the northern Gulf of Mexico over 4 years of field work. 

The analysis and interpretation of these data provide 

insights into daily and seasonal movements, abundance, 

group structure, diving and other behaviors, habitat 

characteristics and preferences, and response to airgun 

sounds for sperm whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Principal conclusions from this study include

• SWSS results support conservation of sperm 

whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico as a discrete 

genetic stock.

• Sperm whales are present year-round in the 

Gulf, with females generally having significant 

site fidelity and males and females exhibiting 

significant differences in habitat usage.

• The sperm whale population off the Mississippi River 

Delta likely has a core size of about 140 individuals.

• Gulf sperm whales appear to be physically 

smaller than sperm whales in other oceans.

• Sperm whales in 

the Gulf and in 

other oceans have 

similar diving and 

underwater behaviors.

• Some groups of sperm 

whales in the Gulf 

were mixed-sex groups 

of females/immatures 

and other were groups 

of bachelor males. 

Typical group size 

for mixed groups 

was 10 individuals, 

which is smaller 

than group sizes in 

some other oceans.

• The typical feeding 

and foraging behaviors 

of the Gulf sperm 

whales are similar 

to those of sperm 

whales in other oceans, 

although differences in defecation rates suggest 

possible differences in feeding success.

• In the otherwise oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico, 

the eddy field contributes to development of 

regions of locally high surface productivity 

that, in turn, may create conditions favorable 

for trophic cascade of surface production to the 

depths where Gulf sperm whales dive to forage.

• There appeared to be no horizontal avoidance to 

controlled exposure of seismic airgun sounds by 

sperm whales in the main SWSS study area.

• Data analysis suggests it is more likely than not that 

some decrease in foraging effort may occur during 

exposure to full-array airgun firing compared to the 

post-exposure condition, at least for some individuals.

• Knowledge of the acoustic propagation and airgun 

sound characteristics is critical to developing the 

capability for accurate predictions of exposures 

and the modeling of potential resulting effects.

The science party assembles for an all-hands safety briefing and group picture aboard the Research Vessel 

Gyre on June 2, 2005. Pictured are Ann Jochens, Carol Roden, Rhoni Lahn, Deborah Epperson, Dan 

Engelhaupt, Suzanne Yin, Joel Ortega, David Lundquist, Alyson Azzara, Craig Hayslip, Rocio Cooley, 

Aaron Thode, Eddie Webb, Sarah Heimlich, Glenn Gaily, Chris Wingard, Lars Bejder, Charlie Short, 

Andy Szabo, and Ladd Irvine.
10 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE

A sunset in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo courtesy of NOAA’s National Weather 

Service Collection, taken in Sarasota Beach, Florida, by Mary Hennig.

result in a Finding of No Significant 

Impact under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The MMS gave the four States 

potentially affected by the FPSO 

proposal (Alabama, Louisiana, 

Mississippi, and Texas) the opportunity to review the proposal. All four 

States concurred with the proposed 

activities. Petrobras’ plans to use 

an FPSO have already received a 

conceptual approval from MMS; the 

DOCD presented the first actual proposed operations of the project.

Located approximately 165 

miles off the coast of Louisiana in 

8,200 feet of water, the FPSO will be 

the first floating oil and gas facility in 

the GOM with the ability to process, 

store, and offload large volumes of 

crude oil. Natural gas will also be 

processed by the FPSO, but it will be 

transported to shore by pipelines.

Although this type of facility 

will be new to the GOM, FPSO’s 

have been used since the 1970’s 

in Australia and Brazil, in the 

Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea, 

the South China Sea, and also off 

the West Coast of Africa. There are 

over 70 FPSO’s across the world, 

allowing access to remote oil fields 

in the deep water of the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS). If an oil 

or gas discovery is far from existing 

pipeline infrastructure, the FPSO 

can be used to harvest those once 

unobtainable resources. An FPSO 

is typically shaped like a ship and 

has the ability to store oil in its hull. 

The oil is then offloaded to shuttle 

tankers for transportation to shore.

Next for Petrobras will be an 

MMS review for approval of their 

Deepwater Operations Plan. The 

plan, which outlines the specific 

details and capabilities of the 

FPSO facility and associated new 

technologies, must be approved 

before production can commence. 

To prepare for production, MMS has 

teamed with the U.S. Coast Guard to 

clarify their respective responsibilities 

in this unique situation. The MMS 

will be responsible for regulating 

the GOM exploration, drilling, 

well completion, development, 

production, pipeline transportation, 

storage, well servicing, and workover 

activities. Offshore facilities, mobile 

offshore drilling units, tank vessels, 

and offshore supply vessels will be 

under the jurisdiction of the U.S. 

Coast Guard.

With the extensive review and 

oversight of the proposed activities 

before and during operations, MMS 

will be able to protect the ocean 

environment in the GOM while 

advancing deepwater oil and gas 

technology. Maintaining this balance 

enables MMS to secure the Nation’s 

domestic energy supply and generate 

economic value for America.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/offshore/fpso/fpso.html

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/newsreal/2008/080429.pdf

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/newsreal/2002/020102.html

In 2002, after completing

 an in-depth environ-

 mental and safety review, 

the Minerals Management Service 

(MMS) announced that it would 

begin accepting applications for 

the first floating production storage 

offloading (FPSO) facility in the 

Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In April 

2008, the Brazilian oil company 

Petrobras took the vision of this 

new facility in the GOM one step 

further when its development plans 

for the Cascade-Chinook oil and gas 

project were approved by MMS.

Oil and gas operators in the 

Gulf submit their development plans 

in a package called a Development 

Operations Coordination Document 

(DOCD). The document outlines the 

details of the proposed development, 

including activity schedules, geological and geophysical information, 

information needed for environmental analysis, and spill response information. It is reviewed to determine 

if there are any drilling or environmental hazards present that could be 

a problem, as well as to determine 

any potential effects on the environment from the proposed activities. 

During the DOCD review, MMS 

conducts an environmental assessment of the proposal, which may 
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008 11

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Website: www.ohmsett.com

Website: www.mms.gov/tarphome

Website: www.mms.gov/taroilspills

Website: www.mms.gov/

tarprojectcategories/

ohmsett.htm

OHMSETT TESTS HIGH-CAPACITY SKIMMING SYSTEMS

PUSHING NEW LIMITS

Safety is a top priority 

for the Minerals 

Management Service 

(MMS). To achieve 

the safest possible 

operations, continuous advances 

and improvements are necessary 

for up-to-date monitoring of oil 

and gas activities on the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS).

In the 1970’s, the Technology 

Assessment and Research (TAR) 

Program was established to 

provide industry resources for 

the Best Available and Safest 

Technologies. Through the TAR 

program, MMS conducts research 

to improve technology used for 

oil-spill response. This Oil Spill 

Response Research (OSSR) 

Program brings together knowledge 

and funds from partnerships 

with industries, universities, 

other government agencies, and 

the international community.

The OSSR testing, research, and 

training is conducted at Ohmsett, a 

full-scale, oil-spill response facility 

operated and maintained by MMS. 

Located in Leonardo, New Jersey, 

this facility provides a controlled 

marine environment where oil-spill 

cleanup methods and equipment can 

be safely tested without incurring 

environmental impacts. The tests 

are performed under realistic ocean 

conditions and using real oil to 

provide accurate results of a device’s 

cleanup capabilities.

In March, Ohmsett tested 

replacement skimmer heads for 

the FRAMO Transrec 350 system, 

sponsored by Tesoro Maritime 

Company (an oil-spill response 

organization). The device is a 

high-capacity skimming system 

for large, open-ocean oil spills and 

is capable of recovering over 400 

gallons of oil per minute (gpm) 

from the ocean’s surface—double 

the rate of Ohmsett’s previously 

tested oil distribution system. The 

purpose of the test was to identify 

a more efficient skimmer head 

compatible with the Transrec 350. 

To accomplish this task, Tesoro 

evaluated four different skimming 

heads in crude oil. The Ohmsett oil 

distribution system and recovery 

tank manifolds were modified for 

each test to safely accommodate the 

expected recovery rate of 400 gpm. 

Ohmsett staff and engineers designed 

and built a new higher capacity 

system, and the facility can now 

safely transfer oil for testing large 

open-ocean skimming systems.

The testing was observed by 

oil-spill response organizations, 

consultants, manufacturers, State 

and Federal regulatory agencies, 

nongovernmental organizations, 

and more than 30 representatives 

from the funding oil and shipping 

companies. These partnerships and 

the valuable training gained from 

Ohmsett’s testing and research 

provide MMS with information 

necessary to make regulatory 

decisions for industry operation on 

the OCS. These regulations ensure 

the protection of the ocean against 

environmental impacts during the 

procurement of our Nation’s oil and 

gas resources.

Above: The manifold 

and oil distribution 

system above the 

collection tanks 

on the bridge. The 

photo also shows one 

of the skimming heads 

being lifted out of 

the tank with the 

new crane system.

Left: Skimmer heads 

being tested.
12 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

OIL AND GAS REVENUES

FUND THE FUTURE

Offshore oil and gas 

revenue is an important 

source of income for the 

U.S. Government. The Gulf of 

Mexico Energy Security Act of 

2006 provides for the sharing of oil 

and gas revenues with those states 

whose coasts border offshore energy 

development in Federal waters. 

The Act is intended to help fund 

coastal conservation, restoration, 

hurricane protection, and mitigation 

of effects from OCS activities.

Oil- and gas-producing states 

bordering the Gulf of Mexico 

(GOM), as well as the coastal 

political subdivisions mandated by 

the Act, will share 37.5 percent of 

oil and gas leasing revenue received 

from Fiscal Year 2007 to Fiscal 

Year 2016, from the “181 East” and 

“181 South” leases. Each State will 

receive a minimum of 10 percent, 

and there is a $500 million cap 

on funds beyond 2016. Sharing 

of revenues from all Gulf leases 

issued after December 20, 2006, will 

take place from Fiscal Year 2017 

and beyond. The Gulf States with 

revenue-sharing provisions include 

Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, 

and Texas. Distribution to the Gulf 

States will be inversely proportional 

to the distance between points on 

the coastline of each producing State 

and the geographical center of the 

leased block.

On March 19, 2008, the 

Minerals Management Service’s 

(MMS) GOM Lease Sale 224, 

located in the Eastern Planning 

Area, became the first oil and gas 

sale to initiate immediate revenue 

sharing. Bonus bids, rental payments, 

royalties, and all future revenue from 

Lease Sale 224 will be included in 

the percentage allotted to the Gulf 

producing States. Furthermore, 

the Land and Water Conservation 

Fund will receive 12.5 percent of the 

revenue, benefiting State conservation projects. State revenue shared 

is capped at $500 million per year 

above receipts in the newly-opened 

lease areas.

According to the Report to the 

OCS Policy Committee from the 

Coastal Impact Assistance Working 

Group, the revenue sharing program 

serves two fundamental purposes: 

(1) to fund projects that will mitigate 

the environmental and economic 

impact of OCS energy development, 

including the need for infrastructure 

and public services; and (2) to help 

sustain development of nonrenewable energy sources.

The MMS estimates that revenue shared between the States will 

total $3.1 billion through 2022 and 

could reach $59.6 billion through 

2067. These funds will enable 

States to meet many educational, 

environmental, and infrastructure 

needs in their communities.

The GOM provides 25 percent 

of the domestically-produced oil 

in the U.S. and 15 percent of the 

natural gas. Moreover, this industry 

creates over 30,000 jobs associated 

with exploration and production of 

Source: MMS, Minerals Revenue Management, 2006 and 2007

Distribution Recipient 2006

(millions $)

2007

(millions $)

 American Indian Tribes & Allottees $641.40 $464.99 

 Historic Preservation Fund $- $150.00 

 Land & Water Conservation Fund $898.30 $899.00 

 Reclamation Fund $1,639.10 $1,469.92 

 State Share: Offshore 8(g) $82.40 $67.65 

 State Share: Onshore $2,127.90 $1,904.67 

 U.S. Treasury $7,432.30 $6,715.09 

ANNUAL TOTAL $12,821.40 $11,671.32 

Independence Hub
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008 13

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Website: www.mms.gov/mmab/PDF/

WebPageOCSPCMeetingHerndonVAMarch2008/

Oynes%20GOMESA%20030608.pdf

Website: www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/press0319.htm

Website: www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/FactSheetMMSGOMSecurityActMARCH202008.htm

Website: http://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/07Dec/RL33493.pdf

energy resources. The States’ economic gains from the revenue sharing will help MMS ensure that the 

Nation benefits from the domestic oil 

and gas activities on the OCS.

MMS Incorporates Revenue 

Sharing Rules

Establishes Rules 

for Providing Funds to 

Coastal States

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) proposes 

to issue regulations for 

distribution of qualified Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues 

from certain Federal Gulf of 

Mexico leases in accordance 

with the provisions of the Gulf 

of Mexico Energy Security 

Act of 2006 (GOMESA). The 

regulations document the formula and methodology for calculating 

and allocating revenues to the Gulf producing States of Alabama, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas and their eligible coastal political 

subdivisions based on detailed parameters set by Congress.

“MMS is pleased to issue this regulation to implement the revenue 

sharing provisions of GOMESA for these coastal states,” said MMS 

Director, Randall Luthi. “Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas 

will all benefit from MMS lease sales.”

The first lease sale with immediate revenue sharing leases was Sale 

224, held on March 19, 2008. GOMESA authorizes that 37.5 percent of 

all revenue, including bonus bids, rentals, and production royalty, will be 

shared among the four States and their subdivisions. From that percentage and based on the actual location of the blocks bid on in that sale, 

the Fiscal Year 2008 allocation of bonuses and first-year rentals under 

this program would be as follows: Alabama – 30 percent; Mississippi – 

27 percent; Louisiana – 32 percent; and Texas – 11 percent.

Qualified OCS revenues are allocated among the Gulf producing 

States based on a formula that incorporates the State’s proximity to 

certain tracts in the Gulf of Mexico Eastern Planning Area and a small 

section in the Central Planning Area.

John Rodi, Deputy Region Director for 

GOMR, gives a tour of the bid processing 

room for Lease Sale 204 to MMS Director 

Randall Luthi and his Chief of Staff, 

Holly Hopkins.

1 Bid

2 Bids

3 Bids

Eastern Gulf of Mexico

Planning Area

Lease Sale 224

March 19, 2008

LEASE SALE 224
14 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

MEETING IN ORLANDO

OCEAN SCIENCES

The 2008 Ocean 

Sciences Meeting 

was held from 

March 3–7, 2008, 

in Orlando, Florida. 

This year marked the 14th Ocean 

Sciences Meeting and was cosponsored by four nonprofit 

organizations: the American Society 

of Limnology and Oceanography; 

the American Geophysical Union; 

The Oceanography Society; and the 

Estuarine Research Federation.

The meeting’s theme, “From 

the Watershed to the Global Ocean,” 

expanded the standard ocean topics 

to include the oceanic land-margin, 

acknowledging the connections 

between the land and sea. Over 

3,500 oral and poster presentations, 

plenary lectures, and panel 

discussions were conducted over the 

course of the conference.

Many presenters working on 

Minerals Management Service 

(MMS)-funded studies attended 

the meeting, exhibiting multiple 

posters and delivering presentations. 

Sessions led by MMS highlighted the 

Beaufort Sea studies and activities 

related to the Continuation of Arctic 

Nearshore Impact Monitoring in 

Development Area (cANIMIDA). 

Another key topic was Gulf of 

Mexico deepwater studies, such 

as “Interrelations Among the 

Chemistry, Geology and Biology of 

Hydrocarbon Seep Communities in 

the Deep Gulf of Mexico.” These 

presentations included

Variability in Cross Island (Arctic 

Alaska) Subsistence Whaling: 

An Examination of Natural 

and Anthropogenic Factors

Circulation in the Landfast Ice 

Zone of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea

Modeling Circulation in 

the Landfast Ice Zone

From Local to Extreme 

Environments—Bringing the 

Deep-Sea to the GLOBE Network

Measuring Bioavailable 

Hydrocarbons in the 

Nearshore Beaufort Sea: 

Comparison of Caged 

Mussels and Semipermeable 

Membrane Devices

Under-Ice Interaction and 

Mixing of Spring Floodwaters 

with Continental Shelf Water 

in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea

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Defining Natural River-Shelf 

Interactions for Trace Metals 

in the Coastal Beaufort Sea

Hydrocarbons and Metals 

in Tissues of Benthic 

Crustaceans and Molluscs 

from the Near-Shore Beaufort 

Sea: Possible Effects of Oil 

and Gas Development

Physical and Biological 

Research Efforts to Evaluate 

the Use of Offshore Sand 

for Louisiana Coastal and 

Barrier Island Restoration

The Ecology of Arctic Lagoons 

in a Changing Climate: 

Are Terrestrial Inputs of 

Organic Matter Important?

Hydrocarbon Distribution 

in Sediments of the 

Nearshore Beaufort Sea

Fluid-Gas Expulsion on the Deep 

Gulf of Mexico Continental 

Slope: Geologic Framework for 

Chemosynthetic Community Sites

Nested Classification of Gulf 

of Mexico Seep Communities 

from Benthic Photography

Biogeographic and Bathymetric 

Trends in the Seep Communities 

Below 1,000 m in the 

Northern Gulf of Mexico

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

2008 Ocean Sciences

Website: www.aslo.org/orlando2008

Book of Abstracts

Website: http://aslo.org/

orlando2008/files/

2008osm-abstracts-wrk.pdf

Environmental Studies 

Program

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/espis/

espisfront.asp

Sponsored by

March 3-7, 2008
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2008 15

Phylogenies of Key Taxa from 

Deep-Sea Chemosynthetic 

Communities in the Gulf of 

Mexico and Relationships 

with Other Taxa from 

Around the World

Stable Isotope-Determined 

Trophic Position of 

Benthic Invertebrates in the 

Vicinity of Gulf of Mexico 

Hydrocarbon Seeps

Microbial Activity and 

Community Composition in 

Sediments Associated with Brine 

Seeps on the Lower Continental 

Shelf, Gulf of Mexico.

The MMS-funded research 

allows for these projects and 

numerous others to explore 

the ocean environment. Since 

the establishment of the MMS 

Environmental Studies Program 

(ESP) in 1973 (part of the Bureau 

of Land Management until MMS 

became a Federal agency in 1982), 

MMS has sponsored over 700 

environmental research projects 

as well as provided over 2,000 

research reports. These reports, 

which are available to the 

scientific community and the 

public, can be accessed from 

the MMS website through the 

Environmental Studies Program 

Information System (ESPIS).

Through studies and 

collaborations with educational 

institutions, industry professionals, 

and other Federal agencies, advanced 

research will provide information 

on long-term and short-term 

environmental effects associated with 

oil and gas production. Current ESP 

themes are

Accelerated Deepwater Activities

Monitoring Marine Environments

Seismic and Acoustic Impacts

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Oceanography Student Wins 

Outstanding Presentation Award 

Xiaoqian (Michael) Zhang, a Ph.D. student in Oceanography in the Texas A&M College of Geosciences, won the “Outstanding 

Student Presentation” award at the 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting.

Zhang’s presentation, “Sea Breeze Driven Ocean Response on 

a Stratified Continental Shelf at the Critical Latitude,” described 

the spatial structure and temporal evolution of sea breeze and the 

associated coastal ocean response to sea breeze on the Texas–Louisiana 

shelf. His research showed that the ocean response depends significantly 

on a number of factors, including the characteristics of sea breeze, river 

associated stratification, latitude, and coastal and bathymetric curvature.

Xiaoqian (Michael) Zhang standing in front of his poster at the 2008 Ocean Sciences 

Meeting. The blue ribbon he received is at the top right-hand corner of the poster. 

Photo courtesy of Steven DiMarco.

Social and Economic Impacts

Oil-Spill Research Techniques

Air Quality Impact Assessment

Platform Decommissioning

Information Management

Marine Minerals Activities

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As a result of the valuable 

research contributions from these 

skilled professionals and dedicated 

partners, MMS continues to be 

equipped with the best information 

available to make decisions 

regarding the environmentally 

sound development of the 

Nation’s natural resources.
MMS

A steward 

of the ocean 

environment

NEW WAVES Late-Breaking News & Information

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

At a ceremony in the Nation’s capital, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne recognized 

the partnership of the University of Alaska Coastal 

Marine Institute (CMI) and the Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) as one of 21 recipients nationwide 

of the Department of the Interior’s Cooperative 

Conservation Award.

The 21 awards recognize the work of more than 

700 groups and individuals who achieved excellence in 

conservation through collaboration and partnerships.

“These outstanding partnerships and cooperative 

efforts represent a fundamental way in which our 

Department provides stewardship for America with 

integrity and excellence,” Secretary Kempthorne said.

The award to the University of Alaska CMI and 

MMS recognizes the partnership’s outstanding contributions to collecting and disseminating environmental 

Secretary of the Interior Kempthorne 

Presents Cooperative Conservation Award

Sea ice in the Beaufort Sea, with the Brooks Range 

mountains in the background to the south. Photo 

courtesy of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

information for use in key decisions in oil and gas 

exploration and development within the Alaska Outer 

Continental Shelf. 

“In its first 14 years of operation, 49 organizations 

have made matching contributions, leveraging $13 million of MMS funds into $26 million worth of relevant 

marine-based research,” the award noted. “This partnership strengthens research in the areas of fisheries 

protection, biomonitoring, physical oceanography, and 

the fate of oil in the marine environment.”

The award recognizes conservation achieve -

ments resulting from the cooperation and participation 

of individual landowners, citizen groups, private sector, 

nongovernmental organizations, and Federal, State, 

local, and tribal governments.