Artificial Reefs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Community Ecology Amid the “Ocean Sprawl”

Schulze, Anja; Erdner, Deana L.; Grimes, Candace J.; Holstein, Daniel M.; Miglietta, Maria Pia

doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00447

Cited by 30 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 113 publications

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“…Nuisance species (e.g., those that can grow to unwanted abundance) in the pelagic environment may increase because of oil and gas infrastructure. Oil and gas infrastructure can also contribute to jellyfish and Harmful Algal Blooms (Duarte et al, 2013;Schulze et al, 2020). The surge in numbers of moon jellyfish in Adriatic Sea was positively correlated with propagation of offshore marine constructions including oil and gas platforms (Vodopivec et al, 2017) as artificial substrates are preferred settling surfaces for polyps-the juvenile life stage (Holst and Jarms, 2007).…”

Section: Invasive Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decommissioning Research Needs for Offshore Oil and Gas Infrastructure in Australia

et al. 2021

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When offshore oil and gas infrastructure is no longer needed, it is either removed, partially removed, left in place, or left in place but repurposed. These processes are collectively referred to as decommissioning. Australian legislation requires oil and gas companies to develop acceptable plans for the safe removal of all offshore infrastructure at the end of a project’s life. Over the next 50 years, the liability for this decommissioning in Australia is expected to exceed US$45 billion. Unlike countries such as Norway, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, Australian decommissioning activities are in their infancy, with only three cases (to date) in Commonwealth waters where infrastructure has been left in place or partially removed as part of decommissioning. Differences between the Australian marine environment and that of other regions around the world where decommissioning-related research is better progressed include very low sedimentation rates, both tropical and temperate habitats, different species composition, low primary production, and frequent tropical cyclones, as well as unique sociodemographic and cultural characteristics. Accordingly, the outcomes of the decision support tools used in other regions to identify preferred decommissioning options may not be equally applicable in Australia. Here we describe research to support risk and impact assessment for offshore decommissioning in Australia, where full removal of infrastructure is the “base case” regulatory default, but other options including partial removal and/or repurposing might provide similar or better outcomes when environmental, social, economic and seafood safety aspects are considered. Based on our review we propose an integrated framework for research needs to meet legislative requirements for decommissioning and identify research gaps that need to be addressed to inform decision-making for decommissioning in the Australian context.

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Section: Invasive Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decommissioning Research Needs for Offshore Oil and Gas Infrastructure in Australia

et al. 2021

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“…Increased abundance of finfish may result from redistribution of existing biomass or from increased species production, a topic hotly debated for decades (e.g., Bohnsack, 1989;Lindberg, 1997;Brickhill et al, 2005) that still requires further evidence to be deemed an effect of OWFs (Gill and Wilhelmsson, 2019). The facilitation of non-native species colonization is also possible, as has been documented for some artificial structures (Schulze et al, 2020), and for OWF turbine foundations specifically (De Mesel et al, 2015). Importantly, because the primary purpose of OWFs is not fisheries enhancement, OWFs lack the design features that are incorporated into planning artificial reefs (e.g., consideration of placement, materials; Paxton et al, 2020).…”

Section: Artificial Reef Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Setting the Context for Offshore Wind Development Effects on Fish and Fisheries

Gill

Degraer

Lipsky

et al. 2020

Oceanog

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“…Given their high densities in some regions around the world (Figure 3), these structures could play important roles in maintaining, augmenting, altering or disrupting the resilience of marine species, habitats and ecosystems. Yet despite well-established hypotheses regarding the effects of O&G structures on ecological connectivity (Bishop et al, 2017;Fowler et al, 2018Fowler et al, , 2020Macreadie et al, 2011;Schulze et al, 2020), few dedicated scientific studies have been undertaken at O&G sites to ascertain whether O&G infrastructure influences ecological connectivity (e.g. Coolen, Boon, et al, 2020;Henry et al, 2018;Thorpe, 2012;Tidbury et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of offshore oil and gas structures on seascape ecological connectivity

McLean

Ferreira

Benthuysen

et al. 2022

Global Change Biology

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Offshore platforms, subsea pipelines, wells and related fixed structures supporting the oil and gas (O&G) industry are prevalent in oceans across the globe, with many approaching the end of their operational life and requiring decommissioning. Although structures can possess high ecological diversity and productivity, information on how they interact with broader ecological processes remains unclear. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on the role of O&G infrastructure in maintaining, altering or enhancing ecological connectivity with natural marine habitats. There is a paucity of studies on the subject with only 33 papers specifically targeting connectivity and O&G structures, although other studies provide important related information.Evidence for O&G structures facilitating vertical and horizontal seascape connectivity exists for larvae and mobile adult invertebrates, fish and megafauna; including threatened and commercially important species. The degree to which these structures represent a beneficial or detrimental net impact remains unclear, is complex and ultimately needs more research to determine the extent to which natural connectivity networks are conserved, enhanced or disrupted. We discuss the potential impacts of different decommissioning approaches on seascape connectivity and identify, through expert elicitation, critical knowledge gaps that, if addressed, may further inform decision making for the life cycle of O&G infrastructure, with relevance for other industries (e.g. renewables). The most highly ranked critical knowledge gap was a need to understand how O&G structures modify and influence the movement patterns of mobile species and dispersal stages of sessile marine species. Understanding how different decommissioning options affect species survival and movement was also highly ranked, as was understanding the extent to which O&G structures contribute to extending species distributions by providing rest stops, foraging habitat, and stepping stones. These

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Artificial Reefs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Community Ecology Amid the “Ocean Sprawl”

Cited by 30 publications

References 113 publications

Decommissioning Research Needs for Offshore Oil and Gas Infrastructure in Australia

Decommissioning Research Needs for Offshore Oil and Gas Infrastructure in Australia

Setting the Context for Offshore Wind Development Effects on Fish and Fisheries

Influence of offshore oil and gas structures on seascape ecological connectivity

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