THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

VOLUME 6 ISSUE 3

MMS

JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009

SCIENCE

The Big Picture: 

Mexico-U.S. Loop 

Current Studies

Kemp’s Ridley 

Sea Turtle

First Offshore 

Wind Development 

Exploratory Leases

Gulf State Park Pier:

Alabama’s First CIAP 

Grant Project

Migratory Bird 

Conservation 

and Interagency 

Collaboration

Making Waves:

Renewable Energy 

Testing at Ohmsett

Superstructure Ice

Protection 

Technologies
2 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Volume 6 Issue 3

mms OCEAN SCIENCE is published 

quarterly by the Minerals Management 

Service to communicate recent ocean 

science and technological information 

and issues of interest related to offshore 

energy recovery, ocean stewardship, and 

mineral revenues.

Please address all questions, comments, 

suggestions, and changes of address to:

Dr. Deborah Epperson

mms OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

deborah.epperson@mms.gov

(504) 736-3257

3 Ocean Science Welcomes 

Liz Birnbaum, 10th Director of 

the Minerals Management Service

4 The Big Picture: 

Mexico-U.S. Loop Current Studies

6 Physical Oceanographer

Alexis Lugo-Fernández

7 Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle

8 MMS Issues First Offshore Wind 

Development Exploratory Leases

9 Gulf State Park Pier:

Alabama’s First CIAP Grant Project

10 Migratory Bird Conservation and 

Interagency Collaboration

11 Tracking the Red Knot

12 Making Waves:

Renewable Energy Testing at Ohmsett

14 Superstructure Ice

Protection Technologies

15 Kudos to Dr. Ann Jochens:

2009 MMS Offshore Leadership Award

16 New Waves

ABOUT THE COVER Late-Breaking News & Information

Top left: The Gulf State Pier, Gulf Shores, 

Alabama. Photo courtesy of Alabama 

State Parks.

Top middle: Kemps’ ridley hatchlings 

released by Park Rangers at Padre Island 

National Seashore. Photo courtesy of the

National Park Service.

Top right: Dr. Ann Jochens aboard the 

research vessel Gyre in the Gulf of Mexico.

Main photo: Icing on a drilling rig blowout 

preventor. Stock photo courtesy of Schatz 

Publishing.

Back page: Background platform image by 

Gregory S. Boland.

All photos courtesy of Minerals Management Service 

unless otherwise noted.

Publication services provided by Schatz Publishing Group

 THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

For more information about the Minerals Management Service, 

check out our website:

www.mms.gov

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

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

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

JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009 Volume 6 Issue 3

MMS

SCIENCE

JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009 3

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) has a new 

leader. S. Elizabeth (Liz) 

Birnbaum assumed her 

duties as the 10th Director of MMS 

on July 15, 2009. Appointed by 

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 

on June 25, 2009, Birnbaum is 

responsible for 1,600 employees and 

an annual budget of $323 million. 

As MMS Director, Birnbaum 

administers programs that 

ensure the effective management 

of renewable and traditional 

energy and mineral resources on 

the Nation’s Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS), including the 

environmentally safe exploration, 

development, and production of oil 

and natural gas, and the collection 

and distribution of revenues for 

minerals developed on Federal and 

American Indian lands.

“I’m excited to join Secretary 

Salazar’s team and continue his 

initiative to push our Nation toward a 

new energy frontier,” Birnbaum said.

An attorney with 20 years of 

Federal and private sector experience 

in energy and environmental policy, 

Birnbaum received her J.D. degree 

from Harvard University and her 

A.B. degree, magna cum laude, from 

Brown University. She was Editor in 

Chief of the Harvard Environmental 

Law Review, Vol. 8.

“Her in-depth knowledge of 

energy issues, natural resource 

policy and environmental law as 

well as her managerial expertise 

and work in coalition building will 

be especially important,” Secretary 

Salazar said. 

Before her appointment, 

Birnbaum was staff director of the 

Committee on House Administration. 

As Vice President for Government 

Affairs and General Counsel for 

American Rivers, Birnbaum directed 

advocacy programs for the Nation’s 

leading river conservation 

organization. 

At the Department of the 

Interior, Birnbaum was Associate 

Solicitor for mineral resources, 

and a special assistant to the Interior 

Solicitor. She was also counsel to 

the House Committee on Natural 

Resources. 

Birnbaum takes the helm at an 

exciting time as MMS looks ahead 

into renewable energy activities 

OCEAN SCIENCE WELCOMES 

LIZ BIRNBAUM,

on the OCS and works to learn 

more about new technologies, the 

populations they may affect, and 

how to promote responsible use 

of them.

“Her in-depth 

knowledge of 

energy issues, 

natural resource 

policy and 

environmental 

law as well as 

her managerial 

expertise and 

work in coalition 

building will 

be especially 

important.”

10TH DIRECTOR OF THE 

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE 

MMS Mission

To manage the ocean energy and mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf 

and Federal and Indian mineral revenues to enhance public and trust benefits, 

promote responsible use, and realize fair value.
4 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Although often the basis 

of political boundaries, the planet’s physical features have no 

political loyalties. While nations 

map lines of demarcation to indicate jurisdictions in the world’s 

oceans, nature herself is apolitical.

Each nation has special rights 

over the marine resources within its 

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), 

which usually extends into the 

sea about 200 nautical miles from 

its coast. In the Gulf of Mexico, 

jurisdiction is divided into the 

Cuban, Mexican, and U.S. EEZ's. 

But Gulf activities—storms, 

hurricanes, ocean circulation, and 

water temperature changes that 

can have regional as well as global 

effects—do not honor EEZ's.

Understanding the Gulf—

particularly the Loop Current—is 

vital to hurricane forecasting, 

fisheries management, offshore 

energy operations and facility 

design, international transportation, 

the study of climate change, 

recreation, and other activities.

Although Mexico, the U.S., 

and Cuba share the effects of Gulf 

activity, and the same waters 

of the Gulf move through these 

nations’ EEZ's, we typically 

conduct research separately, each 

in our own EEZ. This makes it 

difficult to have a unified picture 

of the Loop Current’s dynamics.

Recently, however, the Minerals 

Management Service's (MMS) 

physical oceanographer Alexis 

Lugo-Fernández has bridged the 

EEZ gap by working directly with 

colleagues at Mexico’s Centro 

de Investigación Científica y de 

Educación Superior de Ensenada 

(CICESE) on a subject of great 

mutual interest: the dynamics of the 

Loop Current as it enters the Gulf 

through the Yucatan Channel. 

The MMS has contracted 

with CICESE to conduct a 4-year 

study in the Mexican EEZ. The 

study, “Current Measurements in 

the Yucatan-Campeche Area in 

Support of Loop Current Dynamics 

Study,” will provide data about 

the upstream conditions in the 

Loop Current and help improve 

forecasting of Loop Current 

eddy shedding and intrusions.

Working as partners with the 

Mexican colleagues is more fruitful 

for all parties than contracting 

with a U.S. group, who would 

then hire the Mexican group as 

subcontractors, because it enhances 

relations between the two nations 

and also leads to better science. 

The collaboration also leverages 

ongoing measurements by Mexican 

scientists of the Yucatan-Loop 

Current in the Mexican EEZ. For 

example, CICESE’s Canek project, 

initiated in 1996, maintains an 

array of buoys across the Yucatan 

Channel from Yucatan to Cuba.

The Yucatan-Campeche study 

is the companion to “Dynamics 

of the Loop Current in U.S. 

Waters,” being conducted by 

Science Applications International 

Corporation (SAIC) and also 

funded by MMS. Together the 

two studies—one in the U.S. 

EEZ and the other in Mexico’s 

EEZ—will fill data gaps about 

the Loop Current’s dynamics. 

Specifically, the study teams 

will gather data and measurements 

to analyze the Loop Current’s 

detachment processes, vertical 

coupling, and the effects of the 

Loop Current’s frontal eddies 

in eddy shedding. Data will 

be collected using moorings, 

Plotted tracks of drifter buoys used to measure currents over a 12-month period in the 

northern Gulf of Mexico (U.S. EEZ). These drifters are located below 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) 

in the water column.

THE BIG PICTURE:

MEXICO-U.S. LOOP CURRENT STUDIES
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009 5

pressure-inverted echo sounders (PIES, 

instruments that measure the water 

column’s temperature and salinity), 

hydrographic surveys, and satellite data. 

The two teams will also collaborate on 

data analyses and preparing manuscripts 

for peer-reviewed journals. 

The two teams discussed information 

gaps and research needs, then agreed 

on and coordinated locations for the 

moorings. Next year the Mexican team 

will deploy moorings in Cuban waters.

The CICESE team has deployed 

eight moorings in Mexican waters east 

of the Yucatan Peninsula, where the 

Yucatan Current is found. The moorings 

will gather measurements and data for 

two years. One was deployed in the 

Yucatan Channel at depths of about 

1,000 meters (3,281 ft); six along a 

transect that ranges from 200 m (656 ft) 

to over 3,000 m (9,843 ft); and one 

deeper than 3,000 m (9,843 ft). 

The companion studies will give 

a more integrated picture of the Loop 

Current’s dynamics, and, in turn, 

improve forecasting to help MMS and 

industry better prepare for high currents 

and material fatigue while increasing 

safety and reducing downtime. 

3000 m

3500 m

2000 m

m 0051

m 0001

200 m

m 002

100 m

m 001

Mexican

MMS Proposed

CANEK

Deployed

SAIC LC Tall

Moorings

SAIC LC Short

Moorings

SAIC LC PIES

Moorings deployed in the Mexican 

EEZ (CICESE, Canek) and in the 

U.S. EEZ (SAIC).

The Loop Current is the main driving force in the 

Gulf. It is the main source of water into the Gulf, 

transporting warm salty water from the Caribbean 

Sea through the Yucatan Channel (the Yucatan Current). 

Once in the Gulf, it moves northward, then eastward, and 

exits (as the Florida Current) through the Straits of Florida. 

This is the beginning of the Gulf Stream Current, which is 

part of the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean. 

During its north-south incursion cycle, the Loop 

Current sheds large warm or anticyclonic eddies, or 

rings, with diameters of 200-400 kilometers 

(124-249 miles), that then propagate to the western 

Gulf at speeds of 3-4 knots (3.4-4.6 miles per hour), 

4-8 kilometers (2-5 miles) per day. These eddies drift 

to the west, driving deep circulation almost everywhere 

in the Gulf. 

This powerful current dominates the oceanographic 

variability of the Gulf, especially in deep waters 

where it may influence the current field through frontal 

eddies. The Loop Current is also thought to be the 

source of topographic Rossby waves and near-bottom 

trapped eddies.

CICESE

Canek

Deployed

SAIC LC Tall

Moorings

SAIC LC Short

Moorings

SAIC LC PIES

For more information

“Dynamics of the Loop Current in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico,” 

Ocean Science, 2008, Volume 5 Issue 4 

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/ocean_science/2008_archive.html
6 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) is proud of 

the people whose work 

helps protect our Nation's resources. 

This quarter, Ocean Science talked 

with Dr. Alexis Lugo-Fernández, 

Physical Oceanographer in MMS's 

Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental 

Shelf Region. 

OS: Tell us about your 

background and how you came 

to work for MMS.

AL-F: I did my B.S. in Physics and 

my M.S. in Marine Sciences at the 

University of Puerto Rico, then 

went to Louisiana State University 

for my Ph.D. in Marine Sciences. 

Near the end of my Ph.D., my 

major professor ran out of funding 

for my assistantship. The MMS 

was looking for an oceanographer, 

and I needed a job. A lucky 

confluence of needs brought me to 

MMS 20 years ago.

OS: To you, what makes 

your work meaningful and 

interesting?

AL-F: Being at MMS puts me 

in contact with the most recent 

observations and ideas about 

the circulation of the Gulf of 

Mexico, and that’s exciting. 

Specifically: interacting with 

oceanographers across agencies 

and scientific disciplines; working 

on cutting edge projects in physical 

oceanography of the Gulf; and 

I’m encouraged to pursue my own 

scientific ideas and publish in peerreviewed journals. Here I can let 

my curiosity fly .... An example 

is our analysis of the routes of 

Spanish galleons in the Gulf; I 

never dreamed that they navigated 

the way they did back then! 

OS: What do you do, 

specifically?

AL-F: I identify information 

needs and data gaps in physical 

PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHER: 

oceanography and propose studies 

to meet those needs. The last thing 

I want to know is that an accident 

occurred because we did not know 

something or didn’t have some 

oceanographic data. Because I 

interact with other groups I also 

have to be an administrator, a 

kind of “politician,” and promote 

a coherent vision of where the 

research must go. So far ... so good.

OS: What project or projects are 

most exciting to you?

AL-F: I have three pet projects. 

First, I recently co-edited 

a monograph that updated 

our knowledge of physical 

oceanography of the Gulf of 

Mexico. Second, unraveling the 

dynamics of the Loop Current 

inrushing into the Gulf and 

its associated eddy shedding, 

and, third, understanding the 

implications of Gulf circulation on 

the health of the Flower Garden 

Banks coral reefs.

Right now I’m focused on 

two studies in cooperation with 

our Mexican colleagues. The first, 

a study of the Loop Current in 

both U.S. and Mexican EEZ's, 

will help us understand this large 

current and will help hurricane 

forecasting. The second is a study 

of the Gulf’s circulation using 

submerged drifters. 

OS: You probably work with 

some interesting people.

AL-F: I work with some of 

the leading oceanographers in 

the country, MMS coral reef 

biologists, a group of German 

oceanographers working in the 

Dr. Alexis Lugo-Fernández

For more information

Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models. 

2005. Geophysical Monograph Series 161.

www.agu.org/cgi-bin/agubooks?topic=OS&book=OSGM1614262&search

Gulf, air quality scientists, and 

oceanographic engineers from 

private industry. Each gives me a 

new perspective on my job and the 

science of oceanography. But my 

most cherished acquaintances are 

the Mexican oceanographers; as 

a Spanish speaker, I learned the 

technical jargon quickly and we 

are all learning about our cultural 

idiosyncrasies.

OS: What’s coming up next? 

AL-F: My ultimate vision is to 

have ocean current measurements 

over almost the entire Gulf and 

at several depths, and a muchimproved understanding of its 3-D 

circulation. With the programs 

undertaken by Mexico and MMS, 

and help from other groups, this 

should be nearly achieved by the 

time I retire. I’d like to leave the 

next generation of oceanographers 

a series of observed mean current 

maps and better knowledge of the 

Gulf’s circulation.

ALEXIS LUGO-FERNÁNDEZ
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009 7

KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLE

Since the time of the 

dinosaurs, 150 million 

years ago, sea turtles 

have lived in the Earth’s oceans. 

All five Gulf of Mexico species 

are listed as either threatened or 

endangered under the Endangered Species Act. 

The Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is the smallest and 

the most endangered marine turtle in the world. In the U.S., Federal jurisdiction over the Kemp’s 

ridley is shared by the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service (beaches) 

and by the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration’s 

(NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (waters).

Adults average 24-28 inches 

(60-70 centimeters) long and 

weigh about 100 pounds (45 

kilograms). Adults reach sexual maturity when they are 

between 10 and 15 years old. Hatchlings and juveniles are 

dark gray, but, as they mature, their carapace (top shell) 

becomes dark olive green and their plastron (bottom shell) 

becomes a pale yellow or cream. 

Kemp’s ridleys are found throughout the Gulf and 

along the U.S. Atlantic coast, but they nest only on particular coastal beaches in Mexico and Texas. Juveniles are 

probably carried by currents up along the Atlantic coast. 

Adults favor the near and inshore waters of the northern 

Gulf and are often found in neritic (sandy or muddy bottom) habitats where they feed mainly on crabs but also 

eat fish, jellyfish, and mollusks. 

Synchronized nesting, seen only in the Kemp’s ridley 

and the olive ridley, is one of the most unique behaviors 

in the natural world. Large groups of Kemp’s ridleys 

gather off the main nesting beach near Rancho Nuevo, in 

Tamaulipas, Mexico. From May to June, aggregations of 

females come ashore and nest, an event called an arribada

(Spanish for “arrival”). Some also nest on the coastal 

beach of the Mexican state of Veracruz and at Padre 

Island National Seashore, Texas. Females typically nest 

twice a year, returning each year to the same beach. 

The Kemp’s ridley population dropped precipitously 

from the late 1940's to the mid-1980's because of 

intensive egg collection, killing of nesting females, 

and incidental capture and drowning in shrimp trawls. 

In 1947, one arribada had an estimated 40,000 nesting 

females; 40 years later, one entire nesting season saw 

fewer than 250 nesting females. 

Last year marked the 30th anniversary of MexicoU.S. cooperative conservation to prevent the extinction 

of Kemp’s ridleys. Since the 1960’s the Kemp’s ridley has 

been legally protected in Mexico; conservation efforts 

there are ongoing. Since 1977, the Rancho Nuevo nesting 

beach has been part of a reserves system for sea turtles; in 

2002 it was designated a Natural Protected Area. At Padre Island National Seashore, the National Park Service 

and the U.S. Geological Survey work with volunteers in 

a “head start” program to locate and collect nests before 

predators can reach them. Eggs are incubated, then hatchlings are released on the beach. 

Today the primary 

threat to Kemp’s ridleys 

is incidental capture 

and drowning in 

fishing gear, especially 

shrimp trawls and gill 

nets. But the Kemp’s 

ridley—like all sea 

turtles worldwide—

faces many threats.

For more information

Kemp’s Ridley Turtle, Office of Protected 

Resources, NOAA Fisheries

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/kempsridley.htm 

Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, Padre Island 

National Seashore, National Park Service

www.nps.gov/pais/naturescience/kridley.htm 

Nesting female Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Photo courtesy of National Park Service.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Testudines

Family: Cheloniidae

Genus: Lepidochelys

Species: kempii
8 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

MMS ISSUES FIRST OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT

For more information

Fact Sheet: Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Renewable 

Energy Limited Leases Off the Shores of Delaware and New 

Jersey, MMS

www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2009/FactSheet.htm

MMS Renewable Energy Program

www.mms.gov/offshore/renewableenergy/regulatoryinformation.htm 

EXPLORATORY LEASES

 Meteorlogical tower with a lattice-type mast 

on a steel jacket foundation. Photo courtesy 

of Deepwater Wind.

Meteorlogical tower, lattice-type mast on 

a monopile foundation. Photo courtesy of 

Fishermen's Energy of New Jersey.

Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore 

Delaware and New Jersey. These 

are the first Federal leases in 

support of offshore wind power.

The leases, developed under 

an Interim Policy, authorize data 

gathering activities and allow 

for the construction of 

meteorological towers on the 

OCS from 6 to 18 miles (9.65 to 

29 kilometers) offshore to collect 

site-specific data on wind speed, 

intensity, and direction. 

Leases were issued to Bluewater 

Wind Delaware, Bluewater Wind 

New Jersey, Deepwater Wind, and 

Fisherman’s Energy of New Jersey.

New Jersey actively pursues 

offshore wind development through 

State incentive programs such as 

grant solicitations, reimbursement 

programs, and renewable energy 

portfolio standards. To expedite the 

progress of offshore wind energy 

development, the New Jersey Board 

of Public Utilities established a 

meteorological tower reimbursement 

program that provides $4 million for 

each company. 

Delaware ratified a power 

purchase agreement in 2008 

between Delmarva Power Company 

and Bluewater Wind Delaware for 

up to 200 megawatts (enough to 

power 1.2-1.5 million homes).

Currently, most data comes 

from sea-level buoys, but what is 

needed is data about wind speed 

throughout the course of a year, 

measured at the height of a wind 

turbine’s hub, which may be as high 

as 100 meters (328 feet) in some 

cases. Data will be shared with 

MMS to support future renewable 

energy projects and to help coastal 

States meet renewable energy 

portfolio standards.

“The summer wind came blowin’ in 

from across the sea...” 

When Frank Sinatra sang those 

lyrics in 1965, he probably wasn’t 

thinking of wind turbines off the 

coasts of New Jersey and Delaware.

But on June 23, 2009, the first 

steps were taken in developing 

offshore wind turbine projects 

when the Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) issued five 

exploratory leases for renewable 

energy production on the Outer 
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009 9

After wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, Hurricane 

Ivan, a Category 3 hurricane, struck near Gulf 

Shores, Alabama, on September 7, 2004. Ivan 

washed away as much as 164 feet (50 meters) of beach, 

and the average shoreline erosion was 42 feet (13 meters). 

The Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores was virtually 

destroyed. It had served almost 200,000 visitors annually.

 But 5 years later, a new, more resilient public pier 

has been constructed a few hundred feet from the site of 

the original pier. The former pier is being relocated to 

create artificial marine reefs.

The reconstruction is the first of Alabama’s 

Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) projects 

to receive CIAP funding. In June 2009, the Minerals 

Management Service awarded Alabama's Department 

of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) an 

$8 million CIAP grant. 

 Like its predecessor, the new pier provides formal 

and interactive education programs focusing on coastal 

conservation, dune protection and ecology, and threats 

to the marine fishery and endangered species. It also 

provides public fishing and managed access to the beach 

and dunes. The pier is also a data collection point for the 

ALABAMA’S 

FIRST CIAP 

GRANT

PROJECT

National Marine Fisheries Service's fishery survey and 

an attachment point for a saltwater intake pipeline for the 

nearby Claude Peteet Mariculture Center, which supports 

ADCNR research on the declining red snapper fishery.

Gulf State Park is habitat for the endangered 

Alabama beach mouse and for three endangered sea 

turtles: the green, Kemp’s ridley, and the loggerhead.

At 1,512 feet (461 meters), the new pier is the longest 

in the Gulf. Fishing along the railings is also wheelchair 

accessible.

The new pier opened July 23, 2009. The total cost 

of the project is over $16 million; the CIAP funds are 

allocated to certain construction elements: pilings, 

stringers, restrooms, and the wooden boardwalk. Other 

project costs will be covered by the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, insurance, and a State park bond 

issue.

For more information

Coastal Impact Assistance Program, MMS

www.mms.gov/offshore/CIAPmain.htm 

Gulf State Park Pier, Alabama State Parks

www.alapark.com/parks/park.cfm?parkid=22 

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

www.outdooralabama.com/public-lands/stateLands/landsCoastal/CIAP/ 

Fishing from the new Gulf State Park Pier, Gulf Shores, Alabama. Photo courtesy of Alabama State Parks.

Constructing the new Gulf State Park Pier, Gulf 

Shores, Alabama. Photo courtesy of Alabama 

State Parks.

GULF

STATE 

PARK

PIER:
10 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

As we diversify our 

Nation’s energy portfolio 

with new technologies, 

such as wind turbines, 

we need the best available science 

to guide our understanding of 

potential effects. Federal agencies’ 

responsibilities apply to those new 

ventures, as well. 

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) regulates the 

development and production of oil 

and gas and other mineral resources 

on the Outer Continental Shelf 

(OCS). It also administers renewable 

energy development on the OCS. 

This includes ensuring the safety and 

protection of the coastal, marine, 

cultural, and human environments.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (FWS) is to work with 

others to conserve, protect, manage, 

and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and 

their habitats for the continuing benefit 

of the American people.

Both agencies are responsible 

for ensuring that the Nation’s 

development of resources on the 

OCS is carried out in a way that 

protects the natural environment.

On June 4, 2009, to strengthen 

migratory bird conservation through 

interagency collaboration, FWS and 

MMS signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) that outlines 

actions that will further implement 

the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Hundreds of species of 

migratory birds make regular, 

seasonal journeys for nesting, 

breeding, and wintering, typically 

flying north to breeding areas 

in the temperate or Arctic 

summer and returning to 

winter in the southern U.S. or 

Central or South America. 

Collisions with wind 

turbines, communication 

towers, oil platforms, and 

power lines can cause 

mortality, especially among migratory 

birds. Habitat destruction is also a 

major threat. Wetlands and coastal 

areas, which are stopover, feeding, 

and wintering sites, are particularly 

threatened by human use.

Under the MOU, FWS and 

MMS will promote and share 

research and information about 

migratory bird conservation, such 

as data, inventorying, monitoring, 

studies, and management practices 

that may impact migratory birds. 

The two agencies will work together 

and with other partners to identify, 

protect, restore, enhance, monitor, 

and manage migratory bird areas 

that may be affected by agency 

actions and projects. The agencies 

will also collaborate on research 

MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION 

AND INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

protocols for better methods of 

evaluating impacts.

The MMS will integrate 

migratory bird conservation 

principles and measures into 

MMS approvals, procedures, and 

practices consistent with Council of 

Environmental Quality regulations. 

Before issuing authorizations, 

MMS will consider guidelines and 

relevant conservation measures for 

proposed projects. 

Collaboration among Federal 

agencies and other partners provides 

the best available science to help 

better understand any potential 

environmental impacts.

North American flyways. Photo courtesy of 

www.birdnature.com.

For more information:

Memorandum of Understanding

www.mms.gov/offshore/RenewableEnergy/PDFs/MMS-FWS_MBTA_MOU_6-4-09.pdf 

Migratory Bird Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/AboutUS.html 

The State of the Birds 2009

www.stateofthebirds.org/

Atlantic Flyway

Mississippi Flyway

Central Flyway

Pacific Flyway

KEY
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009 11

TRACKING THE RED KNOT

One of the most promising areas for wind 

farms is the Atlantic 

Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS). But, some of these 

areas have long been necessary 

stopovers for several species of migratory birds, including the red knot 

(Calidris canutus).

A recent Department of the 

Interior report, The State of the Birds 

2009, states that at least 39 percent of 

migratory bird species are declining 

and are in need of immediate conservation measures. 

“... shorebirds that rely on coastal habitats for breeding and refueling 

on migration are besieged by human 

disturbance and dwindling food supplies. ... Half of all coastally migrating shorebirds have declined; for example, red knots have declined by an 

alarming 82 percent. Because of their 

relatively small and highly threatened 

global populations, shorebirds are of 

high conservation concern” (The State 

of the Birds, 2009; 5).

To better protect migratory bird 

species that depend on coastal environments, the Minerals Management Service is funding studies of 

species most at risk from wind farm 

development. 

One such study, being carried out 

by Pandion Systems, includes gathering data about red knots’ use of the 

Atlantic OCS. This will ascertain 

their locations and the timing of the 

migratory routes of both long- and 

short-distance migrant populations.

In May 2009, near Delaware 

Bay, 50 red knots were captured 

and tagged with light-sensitive data 

loggers. This is the first time that 

these birds have been tagged with 

A red knot shows off its data logger. Photo 

courtesy of Dr. Joanna Burger. 

devices that collect information 

about their movements. In the fall, 

red knots along coastal Massachusetts and Quebec will be tagged.

Retrieving the data requires 

resighting and re-trapping the birds, 

a task eased by the extensive volunteer-based programs at stopover 

locations along the 

Atlantic Coast; 

Florida’s Gulf 

Coast; Tierra del 

Fuego, Chile; and 

Canada. 

The data loggers, which weigh 

only 1.5 grams 

(0.05 ounces), will 

yield light and 

time data to calculate latitude and 

longitude from 

For more information

Red Knot, All About Birds, The Cornell Lab of 

Ornithology

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red_Knot/id

The State of the Birds 2009

www.stateofthebirds.org/

sunrise to sundown and to characterize knots’ spatial and temporal use of 

the Atlantic OCS. 

The tracked birds’ migratory 

paths will be mapped using GISbased geospatial statistical methods 

to help researchers model exposure 

and potential risk.

Dr. Joanna Burger (Rutgers University) and 

Dr. Larry Niles (Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey) tagging red knots. Photo 

courtesy of Dr. Joanna Burger.

THE RED KNOT

The red knot (Calidris canutus) makes one of 

the longest annual migrations of any bird. Most 

travel 9,300 miles (14,967 kilometers) from their 

Arctic breeding grounds to Tierra del Fuego in South 

America. Short-distance migrants go only as far south 

as Florida. Outside of breeding season, they are found 

mainly in intertidal marine habitats, near coastal inlets, 

estuaries, and bays.

Delaware Bay is an important red knot staging 

area, where huge flocks gather during their spring 

migration. Knots feed on the eggs of spawning 

horseshoe crabs, which provide the nutrients the knots 

need to survive their journey.

Red knot numbers are declining. From the mid1980's to 2003, the populations that winter in South 

America dropped 50 percent. One factor in their 

decline is a reduction in horseshoe crab eggs, a result 

of overharvesting of horseshoe crabs for fishing bait.
12 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

as a wave attenuator. As it undulates 

in passing waves, it captures energy. 

Also of interest were devices that 

extract energy from water currents, 

usually by a turbine or paddle wheel. 

Ideally, the dynamic reaction of these 

devices could be modeled by towing.

Four groups were selected from 

among the respondents.

In March 2009, Ohmsett conducted its first tests of a marine 

renewable energy conversion device. 

Three more devices will be tested in 

November 2009, after an upgrade of 

Ohmsett’s wave generator system.

In March, engineers from the 

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de 

México (UNAM) tested the performance and sea-keeping characteristics of two devices that convert 

marine current energy into electricity. 

 The tow tests assessed the capability of the two hydraulic generators to produce power under varying 

RENEWABLE 

ENERGY TESTING 

AT OHMSETT

Making Waves:

conditions, such as water current 

velocity, applied torque, trim and 

ballast conditions, and calm surface 

versus waves.

The two UNAM prototype 

hydraulic generators featured an 

improved turbine system design 

to capture the kinetic energy of 

tidal current flow and convert it to 

electrical energy. The generators 

were vertical axis, floating devices 

with conducted flow. However, 

they differed in scale and internal 

baffle design. The smaller one was 

designed to a nominal output of 100 

watts and was fitted with straight 

turbines; the larger was designed to 

a nominal output of 500 watts and 

was fitted with helical turbines. 

With the 100-watt generator, 

the straight turbine would not rotate 

unless it was given a kick-start in the 

right direction, so it was eliminated 

from further testing. The 500-watt 

generator was tested for sea-keeping 

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) maintains 

and operates Ohmsett, the 

Nation’s only facility equipped for 

full-scale, oil-spill-response equipment testing, research, and training 

in a marine environment with oil 

under controlled environmental 

conditions (waves, temperature, 

oil types). 

Now MMS and Ohmsett are 

moving to the forefront of marine 

renewable energy testing. 

In 2008, MMS issued a broad 

agency announcement soliciting proposals on specific topics of interest, 

including Ohmsett testing and evaluation of new and innovative technologies for wave energy systems.

These systems include pointsource buoys that capture energy 

from wave movement. Another type 

of device is a tethered or moored 

segmented serpentine system, known 

Preparing UNAM's Model 1 hydrodraulic generator for testing in the Ohmsett test tank.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009 13

ability and angle of attack. Ballast, 

tow angle, and scope were adjusted 

accordingly. 

Data is being analyzed, and both 

models require further design; however, 

early observations suggest that they are 

amenable to external ballasting, as well 

as various towing angles and scopes. 

Wave Generator System Upgrade 

Expands Renewable Energy 

Testing

Ohmsett’s wave generator 

system is being upgraded to more 

closely mimic ocean waves. After the 

improvements, Ohmsett will have 

the unique capability of generating 

infinitely different wave conditions 

and also continuing to produce 

previously-used wave types.

The existing wave generator 

system uses two wave flaps that are 

hinged at the bottom of the test basin, 

moved by a speed of a hydraulicallypowered flywheel. The flywheel’s rate 

of change is computer-controlled. 

Wave amplitude is varied manually by 

adjusting the flywheel’s eccentricity. 

Wave reflection is controlled using a 

system of “beaches” at the opposite 

end of the wave tank. The system 

can create two types of wave forms: 

a Harbor Chop (random) wave, and a 

Sinusoidal wave.

This system is quite sufficient for 

testing oil-spill-response equipment. 

However, testing wave energy conversion devices calls for more specifically simulating ocean waves.

Ohmsett engineers and wave 

spectra experts who reviewed the 

wave generator and design drawings 

determined that the present generator 

can be enhanced.

The improvements include 

replacing the drive mechanism with 

dual action hydraulic actuators to 

drive the wave flaps, reprogramming 

the computer to create wave spectra, 

and improving the effectiveness of 

the “beach” system. 

The hydraulic actuators, which 

will be custom designed and fabricated, will make it possible to control 

and vary the wave spectra (amplitude 

and frequency) in a programmable 

operational environment through 

the computer-based controller and 

hydraulic actuator drive system.

The upgraded system will be 

able to produce wave spectra (frequency and amplitude) by varying 

the stroke acceleration and speed 

instantaneously.

Three groups’ wave energy 

conversion devices are scheduled 

for November testing in the newlyupgraded tank.

Resolute Marine Energy’s onedegree-of-freedom heaving buoy 

converts wave energy into compressed air via a direct-drive dualstage air compressor. The device is 

intended for eventual deployment as 

a power source for offshore aquaculture operations.

The "Rho-Cee" wave energy 

converter of Float Inc. is based on 

the principle of input impedance 

matching to that characteristic of the 

incident waves. Power is taken off 

pneumatically or hydraulically above 

the sea surface.

The EGWaP (Electricity Generating Wave Pipe) developed by 

Able Technologies is a point-source, 

bottom-standing vertical tube that 

uses tuned fill-and-vent movement 

of water to capture the hydrokinetic 

energy of passing waves via a vertical 

float system. It is intended for eventual deployment in arrays.

Ohmsett’s expanded testing capabilities encourage innovative ideas 

for renewable energy products and 

offer exciting new opportunities for 

responsibly developing our Nation’s 

offshore renewable energy sources.

For more information

Renewable Energy Testing Capabilities at Ohmsett

www.ohmsett.com/Summary_of_Activities/Ohmsett%20Renewable%20Energy%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf 

Ohmsett Gazette

www.ohmsett.com/Publications/Ohmsett%20Gazette%20Spring-Summer%202009.pdf

Ohmsett’s testing facility.
14 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

I

ce and icicles may be lovely 

when viewed from the safety 

of a warm living room or 

ski lodge, but these natural 

beauties can be extremely 

dangerous on bridges, roads, power 

lines, and other infrastructure. 

Equally dangerous is ice on 

offshore platforms, marine vessels, 

helicopters, and other equipment 

used in icy marine environments 

like the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

In fact, managing ice is one 

of the most unique challenges of 

operating in an arctic offshore 

environment. To improve the safety 

of operators and the effectiveness 

of equipment in arctic waters, the 

Minerals Management Service’s 

(MMS) Technology Assessment 

and Research (TA&R) program 

contracted with the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions 

Research and Engineering 

Laboratory, to evaluate the types 

of superstructure ice protection 

technologies that are commonly 

used in nonmarine environments.

TA&R Project 597, “Assessment 

of Superstructure Ice Protection as 

Applied to Offshore Oil Operations 

Safety,” evaluated ice protection 

technologies currently in use on 

marine structures and those either 

in use or under development in 

other industries, such as highway, 

aviation, and electric power 

transmission. 

One aim of the project was to 

compile a resource for offshore oil 

and production operators who have 

ice-related safety requirements. 

The project assesses possible ways 

of improving safety on drilling and 

production platforms and vessels 

that operate in the Beaufort and 

Chukchi Seas and other Alaskan 

locations and that undergo 

superstructure icing.

SUPERSTRUCTURE

A variety of deicing and 

anti-icing technologies have been 

tested on offshore platforms and 

boats, but with little overall success. 

New technologies and modern 

versions of old technologies, now 

used successfully in aviation, the 

electric power industry, and on 

transportation systems in general, 

may be transferable to the offshore 

environment.

The final report explains how 

each type of icing event affects 

offshore structures. It includes 

information about the applicability, 

readiness, and safety impacts of 

available ice technologies that 

are used mainly in nonmarine 

applications. It also suggests 

how these technologies may be 

transferred to use in offshore marine 

environments.

The report concludes that, in 

nearly all cases, a technology that is 

A view of Alaska's Bering Sea and the ice-coated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) vessel Miller Freeman. Photo 

courtesy of NOAA.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009 15

KUDOS TO DR. ANN JOCHENS: 

2009 MMS OFFSHORE LEADERSHIP AWARD

On May 7, 2009, Dr. Ann Jochens was 

honored with a Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) Offshore Leadership 

Award. The award recognizes individuals 

whose work has improved environmental protection, 

resource conservation, inspired innovation and 

outstanding performance, and whose exemplary 

service helps MMS meet its mission. 

Dr. Jochens is a research scientist in the Department 

of Oceanography at Texas A&M University and is 

Regional Coordinator for the Gulf of Mexico Coastal 

Ocean Observing System Regional Association. She 

holds a B.S. in mathematics and statistics, a J.D. 

with a specialization in ocean law, and an M.S. and 

Ph.D. in oceanography.

As program manager and a principal investigator 

on the 6-year, MMS-funded Sperm Whale Seismic 

Study (SWSS), Dr. Jochens demonstrated exceptional 

leadership and professional integrity in a collaboration 

of scientists from over 15 Federal and State agencies, 

universities, and organizations. The SWSS collected 

and synthesized valuable data about Gulf of Mexico 

sperm whale biology and behavior, their habitat, and 

changes in their behavior when they are exposed to 

noise from industry-related activity.

Dr. Jochens has made significant contributions to 

MMS’s scientific objectives for almost 20 years. She 

has been principal investigator or program manager on 

several physical and chemical oceanography studies in 

the Gulf of Mexico, motivating others to apply 

their expertise in MMS-sponsored studies.

In addition to being a scientific 

ambassador for MMS, Dr. Jochens volunteers 

as a judge/moderator for the National Ocean 

Science Bowl, sponsored by MMS and the 

National Ocean Partnership Program.

chosen for use on an offshore platform or 

vessel must be tested and, most important, 

such testing should take place in an 

actual offshore marine environment by 

teaming up operational and ice protection 

expertise to consider optimal solutions 

for icing safety threats specific to offshore 

operations.

For more information

TAR Project 597: Assessment of 

Superstructure Ice Protection As 

Applied to Offshore Oil Operations 

Safety

www.mms.gov/tarprojects/597.htm

For more information

2009 MMS Industry Awards Program and Luncheon

www.mms.gov/awards/2009/OLAWinnerAnnJochens.htm

Sperm Whale Seismic Study (SWSS)

www.gomr.mms.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/4/4444.pdf

A close up of ice on the semisubmersible Ocean Bounty in Cook Inlet, Alaska.

Dr. Ann Jochens and students review maps during a research cruise.
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

MMS: A steward of 

the ocean environment

NEW WAVES Late-Breaking News & Information

Discerning the interrelated issues that bear on 

decisions about ocean activities has become 

more efficient. The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS), with Federal partners such as the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park 

Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, and others, has created the 

Multipurpose Marine Cadastre (MMC). 

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 directed the 

Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the 

Secretary of Commerce, the Commandant of the 

Coast Guard, and the Secretary of Defense, to 

establish an Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

Mapping Initiative to help in decisionmaking related 

to alternative energy uses on the OCS. The goal is to 

identify OCS locations of federally-permitted 

activities; obstructions to navigation; undersea 

cables; and areas designated for the purpose 

of safety, national security, environmental 

protection, or conservation and management 

of living marine resources.

The MMC is a web-based geospatial data 

viewer. Users can view and query information 

about offshore and nearshore areas and their 

spatial extents. Integrated data layers include 

maritime and legislative boundaries, OCS blocks, 

leases, pipelines, marine and coastal protected 

areas, obstructions to navigation, military use 

areas, geologic, oceanographic, ecological and 

physical data layers, and more. 

The MMC helps users answer many questions, 

such as: What rights exist in a marine context? 

What laws define those rights? How do these rights 

interact? What impediments are there or where is 

the best location for a renewable energy site?

The MMC is regularly updated. Input among 

MMS, its partners, and MMC users help improve 

and expand the usability of the MMC, increasing 

its value to all stakeholders.

For more information

MMS Mapping and Cadastral Data

www.mms.gov/offshore/mapping/Viewer.htm

Federal Geographic Data Committee Marine 

Boundary Working Group Data Portal

www.csc.noaa.gov/mbwg/htm/boundary_summary2.htm

New Geospatial Data Viewer: The Multipurpose Marine Cadastre