environmental monitoring of the gulf of mexico 2010 2017 ... · 780 million liters of oil 1,525 m...
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780 million liters of oil
1,525 m deep
Used near
7 million liters
of dispersant (COREXIT)
4.9 million barrels
April August
2010
São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Ocean Interdisciplinary Research and Governance
Environmental Monitoring of the Gulf of Mexico 2010 – 2017 Due the Potential Effects of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Caso, M.; Martí-Flores, E.*; Peters, E.; Esquer, E.** *National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change - Secretariat of Environment and Natural
Resources, ** CIGOM
Background
On April 22nd 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) rig exploded and
sank in the northern portion of the Gulf of Mexico (GoMex) while
drilling the Macondo well for the multinational British Petroleum
company (BP), provoking the largest spill in the oil industry in a marine
environment.
In the wake of the DWH incident, the Mexican Federal Government
through the Environmental Sector developed an Action Plan to assess,
address and prevent environmental impacts in the Mexican Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) and its coasts.
The INECC coordinated the efforts of several environmental agencies
and academic institutions to perform a Long-Term Environmental
Monitoring, whose main objective was to develop a marine and
coastal characterization of the Gulf of Mexico in order evaluate the
possible effects of the oil spill in the Mexican portion of the Gulf.
11 Oceanographic Cruises in three regions and 180 monitoring stations (2010-2014): Deep waters, Yucatán continental shelf and Tamaulipas continental shelf and Northern Veracruz
Numerical reconstruction of surface (A) and subsurface (B) oil concentration and transportation from the spill.
Coastal water quality monitoring throug 53 stations to detect changes in physicochemical parameters.
Main studies carried out:
Ecotoxicological effects of water and sediments polluted with hydrocarbons in coastal organisms.
Sea grass distribution as a health indicator of coastal ecosistema. (First Sea-grass distribution Atlas)
Conclusions • The Environmental Monitoring project has generated a large amount of systematized
data. This represents a step forward towards understanding GoMex environmental
conditions and regional interdependence of ecological processes.
• Abnormal values of hydrocarbons and heavy metals were found in water and sediments,
especially vanadium and nickel.
• The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle may have been seriously affected, however, other factors
may have contributed to the decrease in populations, such as the presence of
hydrometeorological events while the spill occurred. The full extent of the damage will
be determined in the long term since it is a species with a long life cycle.
• The Gulf of Mexico is a highly interconnected ecosystem; due to the magnitude of the
catastrophe and the physical connectivity, it is very likely that the effects will last for a
very long time.
• The Gulf of Mexico’s complexity and the potential long-term effects of pollutants require
additional monitoring efforts.
Evaluation of the health condition of scleractinian corals, using disease-related prevalence signs and presence of other organisms as indicators.
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Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) nests observed in Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
datos considerados oficiales (solo Rancho Nuevo)
Sampling during the nesting season of the sea turtle Lepidochelys kempii, Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata in Mexican beaches (2010-2014)