Offshore Petroleum Platforms: Functional Significance for Larval Fish Across Longitudinal and Latitudinal Gradients (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781505527216)

The introduction and proliferation of offshore oil and gas platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) has undoubtedly affected the marine ecosystem. There are approximately 4,000 platforms in the federal waters of the Gulf. Because a mud/silt/sand bottom with little relief or hard-substrate dominates the northern Gulf, especially west of the Mississippi River Delta (Delta), any additional hard-substrate provided by platforms could prove significant.Although platforms provide an estimated 11.7 km2 (or 0.4%) of the total "reef" habitat in the northern Gulf, platform significance may be enhanced by the vertical relief of their substrate, which extends from the bottom through the photic zone to the surface. Because fish populations are usually limited by available energy, recruitment, or habitat, it is important to determine if platforms: 1) serve as new or additional spawning habitat; 2) provide critical habitat for early life history stages; or 3) influence energy flow through the ecosystem by aggregating prey

Author: U. S. Department of the Interior Mineral
ISBN-10: 150552721X
ISBN-13: 9781505527216
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Language: English
Published: 01/03/2015
Pages: 128
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 11.02h x 8.50w x 0.27d