Outer Continental Shelf Scientific Committee

1
Outer Continental Shelf Scientific Committee

• Presentation to the MMS Policy Committee
• Robert Diaz, OCS SC Chair

2
OCS SC Mission

• Advise Secretary of the Interior via Director of
  MMS on OCS Environmental Studies Program (ESP)
  feasibility, appropriateness, scientific value
• Review relevance of research and data produced to
  meet MMS scientific information needs

3
Summary of Last Meeting

• Santa Barbara - May 9-11, 2006
• Directors Presentation
• Pacific Region Update
• Impacts from Katrina/Rita
• Energy Policy Act
• Data Management

http//www.countyofsb.org/energy/information/image
s/Holly.JPG
4
ESP Review

• Breakout Groups by Discipline
• Biology/Ecology
• Physical Oceanography
• Socioeconomics
• Information Needs
• Proposed Research Studies
• Post meeting tour of seep areas

http//www.bubblecology.com
5
Gulf of Mexico Region

• Planning and information gathering for Atlantic
  Continental Shelf
• Deep-water coral studies (Lophelia II)

MMS is the leader in supporting science of
hydrocarbon seep communities deepwater corals
6
Alaska Region

• Chukchi Offshore Monitoring in Drilling Area
  (COMIDA)
• North Aleutian Basin Synthesis and Research
  Planning

Northstar Island August 2006
7
Pacific Region

• Oil and gas production continues at stable rates,
  moving decommissioning further into future
• Long-term monitoring
• Role of platforms in
• regional ecology
• Prospects for off-
• shore sand

8
Headquarters

• Ocean model for predicting spilled oil transport
• Marine Minerals Program
• Long-term impacts
• Gulf Coast studies
• Alternative Energy and Alternate Use
• Workshop to Identify Alternative Energy
  Environmental Information Needs

9
Recommendations

• Among alternative uses of the OCS, focus on
  renewable energy activities
• Maintain MMS participation in key ocean related
  committees (e.g. National Oceanographic
  Partnership Program and those outlined in the
• U.S. Ocean Action Plan JSOST, SIMOR, etc.)

10
Recommendations

• Improve accessibility of important ESP data and
  management of active data
• Peer reviewed publication of research
• Deepwater studies
• Marine Minerals Studies

11
Recommendations

• Need for broader knowledge base within regions to
  implement ecosystem-based management
• Wider dissemination of RFPs to insure best ideas
  are applied to resolving MMS scientific issues.

12
Emerging Issues

• Effects of ocean sounds (e.g. seismic
  exploration) on marine mammals
• Implications of climate change for oil and gas
  development in Arctic and Gulf of Mexico

13
SC Subcommittees Deepwater

• Gulf of Mexico ITM, January 2007, New Orleans
• Deepwater Coral Communities
• Effects of Deepwater Oil and Gas Exploration and
  Development on the Continental Slope
• Vessel Resources and Collaboration Initiatives
  for Deepwater Research

14
SC Subcommittees Alaska

• Planning Workshop Chukchi Offshore Monitoring in
  Drilling Area (COMIDA) November 2006, Anchorage,
  Alaska
• North Aleutian Basin (NAB) Planning Meeting
  Nov-Dec 2006, Anchorage, Alaska

15
SC Subcommittees

• Sand and Gravel
• First Marine Minerals ITM, Melbourne, FL
• Alternative Energy
• New Subcommittee , SCARE

16
Next OCS SC Meeting

• Gulf of Mexico Region
• New Orleans
• May 22-24, 2007
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