1.0 INTRODUCTION 



1.1 Background 



In response to the high level of oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico and an important shift in Minerals 

 Management Service (MMS) emphasis to high activity areas and post leasing activity, it is anticipated that the 

 Northern Gulf of Mexico will be the site of unprecedented studies beginning in fiscal year 1990. In order to meet 

 evolving environmental management concerns in the region, three new studies are now in the planning phase. 



Texas-Louisiana Marine Ecosystem Study (TEXLA) - This study marks the transition to a greater emphasis 

 upon process studies. It is to be designed to gain a useful level of understanding of the relationships between 

 the inherently changing environment and the ecosystem of the region. Such a regional understanding of 

 natural function will allow for better informed decisions as to the potential undesirable impacts resulting 

 from oil and gas activities. 



Long-Term Monitoring at Selected Sites in the Northern Gulf of Mexico - Due to the Gulf of Mexico's 

 continuing potential for future oil and gas development, it is the ideal region to undertake studies of natural 

 spatial and temporal variation. The study is to be designed so that a quantitative assessment of variation and 

 relationship among varying parameters will be determined. This information will allow for improved 

 sampling design in future studies and greatly aid interpretation of any studies in which the high level of 

 natural variation is potentially confounding. 



Detection of Impacts associated with Long-Term Oil and Gas Activity Sites -Due to the length of oil and 

 gas development in the Gulf of Mexico, this region is ideally suited to examine the lingering national question 

 of chronic low-level stresses. The study is to be designed to make it possible to test for previously 

 undetectable levels or types of impacts in the proximity of structures beyond the small zone of well 

 demonstrated acute near-field effects. 



1.2 Purposes 



While it was the purpose of the workshop to provide technical input to each of the three separate projects, there 

 were three common information needs to be addressed. These can be summarized as follows. 



What is effective long-term monitoring? What are the appropriate impact related questions to be asked in 

 long-term studies, and in what way is long-term substantially different from short-term characterization? 



How are low-level stresses to be recognized? Is a chronic low-level stress of the same nature but just of less 

 intensity as acute stresses, or are they a distinct category of impact requiring new ways of looking for effects? 



How is the transition made from descriptive to more meaningful process studies? Exactly what is the 

 management potential of process studies, and how can MMS maximize the application to management needs. 



1.3 Symposium and Workshop Structure 



The workshop was designed for each of the three separate studies to take advantage of a single pool of expertise 

 drawn primarily from the scientific community. The task of employing this talent was assigned to working group 

 chairs and cochairs selected from MMS and the scientific community. These groups were: 



Texas-Louisiana Marine Ecosystem Study 



Dr. R. Eugene Turner, Chairman, Dept. Marine Sciences, 



Louisiana State University 

 Dr. Gilbert Rowe, Chairman, Dept. Oceanography, Texas A&M University 

 Dr. Robert Avent, MMS Gulf of Mexico OCS Region 



