Characterizing the Biological Community before and after Partial Removal of an Offshore Gas Platform in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico.

Autor: Johnston MA; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston, TX, USA. Michelle.A.Johnston@noaa.gov., Nuttall MF; CPC, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston, TX, USA., Hickerson EL; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston, TX, USA., O'Connell K; CPC, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston, TX, USA., Blakeway RD; CPC, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston, TX, USA., Embesi JA; CPC, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston, TX, USA., MacMillan J; CPC, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston, TX, USA., Peter D; Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd., New Orleans, LA, USA., Schmahl GP; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston, TX, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Environmental management [Environ Manage] 2022 Dec; Vol. 70 (6), pp. 1078-1092. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Sep 24.
DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01714-8
Abstrakt: High Island A-389-A (HI-A-389-A) is a gas platform situated in 125 m water within Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, and provides habitat to a diverse array of benthic organisms and fish species. Platform production ceased in 2012, beginning the decommissioning process for structural removal. Rather than complete removal of the structure, the lower portion was left intact as an artificial reef and the upper 21 m was removed. The biological communities (benthic and fish) were characterized during diver and remotely operated vehicle surveys, both before and after removal of the upper structure. The platform's benthic community, primarily categorized as fouling organisms, was mainly composed of sponges, hydroids, macroalgae, bivalves, zoanthids, and stony corals. The dominant stony coral was orange cup coral (Tubastraea sp.), an exotic species, while native coral species were rare. Fish species were predominantly demersal planktivores. Analyses of the benthic and fish communities documented four distinct biological zones strongly associated with depth. Significant differences in the benthic community were observed after partial removal and varied with depth, including the loss of hydroids, increase in macroalgae cover, and sponge and coral community changes. Both demersal and pelagic fish communities exhibited significant differences by depth after removal but no significant changes were observed in federally managed species. Results reflect changes in benthic and fish communities after partial removal of the platform that is likely, in part, influenced by structure removal and temporal variations.
(© 2022. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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