The Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research, March 29–30, 2017, Houston, Texas
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OCS Study BOEM 2019-045 Proceedings: The Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research, March 29–30, 2017, Houston, Texas U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico OCS Region OCS Study BOEM 2019-045 Proceedings: The Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research, March 29–30, 2017, Houston, Texas Editors Larry McKinney, Mark Besonen, Kim Withers Prepared under BOEM Contract M16AC00026 by Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi 6300 Ocean Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78412 Published by U.S. Department of the Interior New Orleans, LA Bureau of Ocean Energy Management July 2019 Gulf of Mexico OCS Region DISCLAIMER Study collaboration and funding were provided by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC, under Agreement Number M16AC00026. This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM, and it has been approved for publication. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the US Government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. REPORT AVAILABILITY To download a PDF file of this report, go to the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management website at https://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies-EnvData/, click on the link for the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS), and search on 2019-045. CITATION McKinney LD, Besonen M, Withers K (editors) (Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Corpus Christi, Texas). 2019. Proceedings: The Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research, March 29–30, 2017, Houston, Texas. New Orleans (LA): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. OCS Study BOEM 2019-045. Agreement No.: M16AC00026. ABOUT THE COVER The cover image was based on a topo-bathymetric rendering from the 2014 General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans Hillshade Map Service hosted by NOAA/NCEI. The data is copyrighted to the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), and Natural Earth. The image was subsequently manipulated in a bitmap editing program to produce the texturized effect. Produced by M. Besonen. Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................. v List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ..................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................... viii 1 PART I: PLENARY PAPERS AND INVITED CONTRIBUTIONS ............................................... 9 1.1 Preface .............................................................................................................................................. 9 1.1.1 Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research (GOMWIR) Plenary ................................ 9 1.2 Plenary Papers ................................................................................................................................ 12 1.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 12 1.2.2 The Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem: Background and Strategic Action Program Implementation .................................................................................................................. 17 1.2.3 Perspectives of the Mexican Consortium of Marine Research Institutes of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (CIIMAR-GOMC): Opportunities and Challenges for Regional Research Cooperation ...................................................................................................... 27 1.2.4 What is the Most Important Natural Resource Issue that Cuba, Mexico, and the United States, Which Border the Gulf of Mexico, Should Address Together? ......................................... 35 1.2.5 Perspectives on Fates and Effects: Study Needs in the Southern Gulf of Mexico .................. 46 1.2.6 The State of International Science in the Gulf of Mexico: Cuban National Perspectives ........ 53 1.2.7 The Socioeconomic Environment of the Gulf of Mexico .......................................................... 67 1.2.8 Oceanographic Observational Network Generating Scenarios of Possible Contingencies Related to the Exploration and Production of Hydrocarbons in the Mexican EEZ Gulf of Mexico Deep-Water Region .............................................................................................. 75 1.3 Invited Contributions ........................................................................................................................ 78 1.3.1 Studies of a Texas Naturalist in the Southern Gulf of Mexico ................................................. 78 1.3.2 Improving Cooperation in US/Mexican Marine Science to Better Manage Offshore Hydrocarbon Activities in the Gulf of Mexico ..................................................................... 90 1.3.3 Ocean Acidification Studies in the Gulf of Mexico: Current Status and Future Research Needs ........................................................................................................................................... 94 1.3.4 Invertebrate Population and Community Studies for Assessing Coastal Gulf of Mexico Environmental Health in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill .................... 106 1.3.5 Biophysical Interactions Driving Tuna Larvae Presence in Cuban Waters in the Gulf of Mexico: Recent Efforts by NOAA/SEFSC, NOAA/AOML and UM/RSMAS/CIMAS ....... 116 1.3.6 Nonlinear Dynamics Can Shed Light on the Understanding of Transport Processes in the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico .......................................................................................... 130 1.3.7 Data Gaps for the Benthos of the Deep-Sea Gulf of Mexico ................................................. 140 1.3.8 Avian Sentinels of “One Health” for the Gulf of Mexico ......................................................... 146 2 PART II: THE GULF OF MEXICO–WORKSHOP ON INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH INVENTORY and WORKING GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS .................................................................... 154 2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 154 2.2 The GOMWIR Inventory .......................................................................................................... 155 2.2.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................... 155 i 2.2.2 Methods ........................................................................................................................... 156 2.2.3 Results ............................................................................................................................. 157 2.2.4 Discussion and Analysis .................................................................................................. 166 2.2.5 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 170 2.3.2 Using the Inventory .......................................................................................................... 174 2.3.3 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 179 2.3.4 References ...................................................................................................................... 180 2.4 Knowledge Gaps Identification ...................................................................................................... 181 2.4.1 Process ............................................................................................................................ 181 2.4.2 Results ............................................................................................................................. 182 Appendix A: Participant List ................................................................................................................ 189 Appendix B: Proposed Research Questions and Necessary New Data .......................................... 196 B.1. All research questions developed by the Baseline Studies working group, including new data needed to answer the questions, entities that are likely to collect the data, and relevant existing data in the inventory. .................................................................................................. 196 B.1.1 Subject Category: Corals & Hard Bottoms ............................................................................. 196 B.1.2 Subject Category: Infauna/Meiofauna .................................................................................... 198 B.1.3 Subject Category: Demersal Fish .......................................................................................... 199 B.1.4 Subject Category: Pelagic Ecology .......................................................................................