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The NewsRoom
Release: #3635
Date: May 17, 2007
MMS Receives Awards for Study of Shipwrecks as
Artificial Reefs
Study Confirms Potential of Deep Water
Oil and Gas Structures to Increase Marine Life Habitats
NEW ORLEANS – Deep sea wrecks act as
artificial reefs, attracting far more species of plants and animals
than expected, marine scientists report in a new award-winning study
just released by Minerals Management Service (MMS). The finding
indicates that oil and gas production platforms in deep water are
likely to serve as hard surface, supporting hundreds of life forms.
The MMS and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of
Ocean Exploration funded this study. This project represents the
first time that these two agencies have partnered through the
National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP). This resourceful
partnership earned the study two awards: the Department of the
Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award received in 2006 and more
recently, NOPP’s Excellence in Partnering Award.
The scientists at
C&C Technologies of Lafayette, Louisiana, the contractor for the
study, investigated seven shipwrecks, including a German U-2
submarine and some of its targets. The ships lie in water ranging
from 400 to 6,500 feet deep.
“The biological
analyses conducted during this investigation concluded that as
petroleum exploration and production expands into deeper Gulf
waters, platforms potentially could provide a habitat for marine
life,” said Lars Herbst, acting Regional Director of the MMS Gulf of
Mexico OCS Region. “By studying the artificial reef effect of World
War II shipwrecks, this research may help us determine the potential
effects of deep-sea drilling structures on biological communities,”
he added.
Wrecks in moderate
depths gave researchers clear evidence of many rare and uncommon
invertebrate species in close proximity to the wrecks and on the
wrecks themselves. The number of species and individuals declined
rapidly in proportion to distance away from the wrecks, showing that
these wrecks form an attractive habitat for many kinds of marine
life. Wrecks at these intermediate depths had 50 percent more
species than those in shallower water or deeper water. Shallower
water wrecks, likely because of turbidity, and deeper water wrecks
because of the extreme conditions of cold, darkness, and pressure,
hosted a smaller number of species.
The scientists
reported, among other findings, that the diversity of fish species
generally decreases with depth. At the shallower water wrecks, where
corals were growing, reef fishes were present. At the deepest water
wrecks, no corals were found, nor were community structure and fish
density significantly different over the wrecks as opposed to away
from them. Therefore, scientists conclude that, in the deepest
water, the upper levels of offshore platforms will attract
considerable marine life, but the platforms are not likely to
attract fish at their deepest levels.
The marine
archaeology part of the study positively confirmed the identity of
three wrecks, and found a relationship among water depth, ship size,
and the size of the debris field. The state of preservation of the
wrecks was correlated with water depth. No wreck was found to be
contaminating or adversely affecting the area around them.
The report,
Archaeological and Biological Analysis of World War II Shipwrecks in
the Gulf of Mexico: Artificial Reef Effect in Deep Water (MMS
2007-015), is available from the MMS Gulf of Mexico OCS Region,
1-800-200-GULF on compact disc only.
NOTE TO BROADCAST
MEDIA: DVDs with highlight footage of each wreck site are available.
To receive one, please contact Caryl Fagot at (504) 736-2590 or
Eileen Angelico at (504) 736-2595.
Relevant Web Site:
MMS Main Website
Media Contact:
Caryl Fagot
(504) 736-2590
Eileen
Angelico (504) 736-2595
Nicolette Nye
(703) 787-1011
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for
America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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