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Research about Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas.

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USGS1983

The role of the USFWS geographic information system in coastal decisionmaking

Unprecedented demand on coastal resources in the 1980's has generated a need for valid information and analyses to support wise management of the coastal zone. The National Coastal Ecosystems Team of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently implemented a geographic information system to enhance its ability to analyze and display environmental information about the coastal zone. Outputs from this system have been presented to the State of Louisiana Senate and House Committees on Natural Resources and to the Congressional House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of the Map Overlay Statistical System for addressing selected coastal issues and to discuss its utility for coastal decisionmaking.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗
USGS1982

Gulf of Mexico summary report 3 August 1982: A revision of Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico and their onshore impacts: Gulf of Mexico summary report 2, August 1981

Now, and for the near future, the Gulf of Mexico will remain the most developed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region in the United States and the world. Virtually all production from the U.S. OCS emanates from the Gulf of Mexico. In calendar year 1981, for the two primary categories of hydrocarbons produced from the OCS, oil/condensate and gas, Gulf production accounted for over 94 and 99 percent, respectively. Oil production for 1981 was 0.27 billion barrels, and gas production was 4.84 trillion cubic feet. Although most of the shallow-water areas of the Gulf of Mexico Continental Shelf have been explored, considerable amounts of hydrocarbons may yet be discovered in deepwater locations. Industry has been developing the technology to explore deepwater areas, and interest in these portions of the Gulf is increasing. As of December 1981, the total of all identified oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico OCS increased to 505 from 482 at the end of the previous year; this net increase of 23 fields discovered in 1981 compares to net increases of 50 in 1980, 51 in 1979, and 25 in 1978. The number of active fields increased from 466 in 1981, and fields for which reserve estimates have been made increased from 419 to 445. As of January 1982, 19,736 offshore oil and gas wells had been drilled in the Gulf of Mexico OCS; most of the wells (17,257) are off the coast of Louisiana. Currently, there are 2,027 active oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico; 1,200 of them are producing leases. The Department of the Interior's 5-year OCS oil and gas leasing schedule projects 2 to 3 Gulf of Mexico lease sales per year through 1987, for a total of 12 offerings, and starting in 1983, the Gulf will be divided into three planning areas. Resource estimates issued for the following Gulf of Mexico lease sales are as follows: Lease Sale 67--75.16 million barrels of oil and 1.03 trillion cubic feet of gas; Lease Sale 69--48.24 million barrels of oil and .785 trillion cubic feet of gas; Lease Sale 72--97 million barrels of oil and 1.04 trillion cubic feet of gas; Lease Sale 74--29 million barrels of oil and .525 trillion cubic feet of gas; and Lease Sale 79--123 million barrels of oil and .157 trillion cubic feet of gas. Since 1972, oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has declined each year, and gas production, thought to have reached its peak in 1981, is also expected to begin a noticeable decline. To date, most of the oil and gas discovered in the Gulf has occurred on the Texas-Louisiana Shelf, but in the future, oil and gas exploration is likely to include a number of areas where previous leasing has not been extensive. The West Florida Shelf, especially the area off the coast of southwest Florida and the deepwater areas southeast of the Mississippi River Delta, are potential areas for future exploration. As production begins to decline from mature fields, smaller fields will become economically producible, and implementation of secondary and tertiary recovery techniques will make it possible to extract more oil and gas from reservoirs than was possible previously. Each year, hundreds of miles of pipelines are added to the existing network in the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, there have been a number of proposals for deepwater ports and transshipment terminals as well as projects including the deepening or widening of existing conventional ports. The process of transportation planning in the Gulf of Mexico is done by industry and government through the Intergovernmental Planning Program and its Regional Technical Working Group. The Gulf Coast region is an area of significant onshore oil and gas activity, with many cities and towns offering a wide range of services and supplies to onshore and offshore oil operators and their ancillary industries. While the western and central Gulf oil and gas support infrastructure is quite extensive and complex, the support facilities in the eastern Gulf are still in the early stages of development. In the likely event of a decline in Gulf OCS production, imported oil may be substituted for dwindling domestic stocks at Gulf Coast refineries. Planners must consider impacts generated by changes in oil and gas productivity and focus on finding alternative uses for facilities and alternative employment for workers.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗
USGS1981

Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Information Program: Gulf of Mexico index (January 1978 - November 1980)

The United States is currently engaged in an effort to develop the oil and gas resources of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In the Gulf of Mexico, State jurisdiction extends for 3 leagues (9 nautical miles or 16.68 km) off the coast of Texas and the western coast of Florida and for 3 geographical (nautical) miles (5.56 km) from the coastlines of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The Gulf of Mexico OCS, which comprises the submerged lands of the Continental Shelf seaward of the Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas State boundaries, is under Federal jurisdiction. Activities occurring offshore must be supplied and supported from land, and the onshore activities required may have significant effects on the communities in which they occur. For example, oil and gas production might involve the expansion of existing transportation and processing facilities and the construction of new ones, and it might trigger an influx of workers and change employment patterns. These effects, in turn, could influence regional income, demand on public services, tax revenues, and air and water quality.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗
USGS1981

Single-channel, high-resolution seismic data from six areas of the northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope

During the R/V GYRE cruise 80-G-4 in May-June 1980, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted high-resolution seismic studies over five intraslope basins and over one selected area of special interest in the northern Gulf of Mexico (fig. 1). Data from each area suggest that the intraslope basins are directly related to past and present salt-diapir activities and sea-level changes. The study areas had been selected on the basis of results of previous high-resolution seismic studies in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗
USGS1981

Gulf of Mexico summary report 2, August 1981: A revision of Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico and their onshore impacts: A summary report, September 1980

The Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) continues to be the most intensively developed offshore oil- and gas-producing region in the world. With the development of technology, exploration, development, and production are being extended to include areas off the coast of southwest Florida and deep-water areas near the Mississippi River Delta. Development in both areas requires careful analyses of local considerations. The hydrocarbon potential of the region, while not well established in the frontier portions, generally remains favorable. A total of 482 fields have been discovered to date in the federally regulated part of the Gulf of Mexico. Reserve estimates have been made for the 435 producing fields in the region. Through December 31, 1980, those fields have produced 5.0 billion barrels of oil and condensate, and 48.7 trillion cubic feet of gas. Remaining recoverable reserves are 3.1 billion barrels of oil and 40.2 trillion cubic feet of gas. Estimates of undiscovered recoverable resources for the Gulf of Mexico are 6.6 billion barrels of oil and 71.9 trillion cubic feet of gas. Since enactment of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act in 1953, there have been 42 oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. An average of three lease sales per year are scheduled through 1986. Since 1953, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has leased 3,119 tracts in the Gulf of Mexico; 1,825 leases are currently active. The distribution of leased tracts exhibits a regionwide pattern as shown by Lease Sales A62, 62, A66, and 66. Proposed Lease Sales 67, 69, 72, and 74 will probably continue that pattern. Tracts off the coast of southwest Florida in the Charlotte Harbor, Howell Hook, and Pulley Ridge Areas will be offered in upcoming sales. Operations on tracts in deepwater areas slated for future sales may require additional technology. Exploration, development, and production in the Gulf of Mexico Region are continuing at a rapid pace throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Between January 1, 1980, and April 15, 1981, 197 initial plans of exploration and 165 supplemental plans of exploration were submitted to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). During the same period, 107 initial and 131 supplemental plans of development/production were submitted to the USGS. As of May 1981, there were 121 offshore mobile drilling units operating in the Gulf of Mexico. Pipelines continue to be the preferred mode of transport for Gulf of Mexico OCS oil and gas production. Pipeline additions to the existing network average 69 miles (111 km) per month. At any given time, numerous pipeline projects are under way in the Gulf of Mexico. To supplement OCS oil and gas production several deepwater port projects, designed to handle imported crude oil, are being planned or constructed in the region. The process of transportation planning in the Gulf of Mexico is done by industry and government through BLM's Intergovernmental Planning Program and its Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG). The RTWG has completed the First Edition Gulf of Mexico Regional Transportation Management Plan. The nearshore and onshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico service both the domestic onshore and offshore oil and gas industry as well as the global market. Most of the major centers along the Gulf Coast, including Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Freeport, Texas; New Orleans, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Morgan City, and Houma, Louisiana; Pascagoula, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; and Port Manatee, Florida, have ties to the offshore industry. A wide array of services and support industries, ranging from small independent vendors to major international manufacturing contractors, can be found within the region. Profiles of selected centers reveal typical industries and patterns of activity that are characteristic throughout the Gulf Coast region.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗
USGS1980

Estimated oil and gas reserves, Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf, January 1, 1979

Remaining recoverable reserves of oil* and as in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf area have been estimated to be about 2.76 billion barrels of oil and 37.2 trillion cubic feet of gas, as of January 1, 1979. These reserves are recoverable from 370 studied fields under the Federal submerged lands off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. An additional 31 fields, discovered since September 1, 1977, have not been sufficiently developed to permit a reasonably accurate estimate of reserves. Original recoverable reserves are estimated to have been 7.5 billion barrels of oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of gas from 385 fields in the same geographic area. Included in this number are 15 fields that are depleted and abandoned; not included are the 31 new fields. Estimates were made for individual reservoirs in 289 fields and on a field-wide basis for the other 96 fields. * The term "oil" as used in this report includes crude oil, condensate, and gas-plant liquids.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗
USGS1979

Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas information program; Gulf of Mexico index (January 1977 - June 1979)

The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, as amended in 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.), grants to the Secretary of the Interior the authority to issue leases for minerals on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). It provides the authority and guidelines which the Secretary utilizes fo7 expeditious exploration and development of the OCS while ensuring timely access to information by affected states and local governments in order that appropriate planning will anticipate and ameliorate impacts from such OCS activities.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗
USGS1979

High-resolution seismic profiling data from the upper continental slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico

From July 28 through December 20, 1975, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a high-resolution geophysical survey on the Upper Continental Slope in the Gulf of Mexico north of Latitude 26°N. The survey was limited to water depths between 100 m and 1000 m with seismic lines spaced from 7.5 to 18.5 km apart in a reconnaissance grid pattern. The data were collected by Western Geophysical Company of America under an exclusive contract with the Geological Survey.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗