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Gulf of Mexico

USGS provides science about ecosystems, natural hazards, water resources, energy, and minerals. Our scientists are conducting research in the Gulf of Mexico that investigates the past, present and future trajectories of coastal ecosystems, the stressors that impact those ecosystems, and restoration and management alternatives that aim to recover and sustain ecosystem functions and services.

Publications

Identifying shared priorities for a bioregional approach to restoration in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Natural resource management is often challenged with a mismatch between the scale of decision-making and the scale of the biological, ecological, and physical processes that control a system. Bioregional approaches to adaptive management have emerged as an approach to inform natural resource management at ecologically relevant scales and across multi-level governance structures. The implementation
Authors
Kelly G. Guilbeau, Ann C Hijuelos, Stephanie Romanach, Gregory Steyer

Interspecific interactions among three species of sea turtle using a common resting area

No abstract available.
Authors
Margaret M. Lamont, Joseph A. Alday, Carson L. Arends

The influence of satellite-derived environmental and oceanographic parameters on marine turtle time at surface in the Gulf of Mexico

The aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill highlighted the lack of baseline spatial, behavioral, and abundance data for many species, including imperiled marine turtles, across the Gulf of Mexico. The ecology of marine turtles is closely tied to their vertical movements within the water column and is therefore critical knowledge for resource management in a changing ocean. A more compre
Authors
Kelsey E. Roberts, Lance P. Garrison, Joel G. Ortega-Ortiz, Chuanmin Hu, Yingjun Zhang, Christopher R. Sasso, Margaret Lamont, Kristen Hart

Science

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Seasonal Surveys of Shorebird and Coastal Waterbird Utilization of Dredged Material Islands in the Baptiste Collette Bayou, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New Orleans District, Louisiana

To assess use of dredge material areas, avian ecologists from USGS WARC are conducting bird surveys across the annual life cycle.
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Biological Objectives for the Gulf Coast: Biological Planning Units & Target Species Population Objectives

The USGS partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its conservation partners to develop 16 Biological Planning Units (BPU) and six Aquatic Extensions and compile population objectives for 166 species that are representative of habitats within each BPU.
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Biological Objectives for the Gulf Coast: Biological Planning Units & Target Species Population Objectives

The USGS partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its conservation partners to develop 16 Biological Planning Units (BPU) and six Aquatic Extensions and compile population objectives for 166 species that are representative of habitats within each BPU.
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Strategic Habitat Conservation for Gulf Sturgeon

WARC researchers partnered with Gulf Sturgeon decision makers and biologists to develop a Bayesian network model that uses habitat characteristics to predict the quantity of juvenile winter foraging habitat under alternative river discharge and timing of juvenile arrival scenarios.
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Strategic Habitat Conservation for Gulf Sturgeon

WARC researchers partnered with Gulf Sturgeon decision makers and biologists to develop a Bayesian network model that uses habitat characteristics to predict the quantity of juvenile winter foraging habitat under alternative river discharge and timing of juvenile arrival scenarios.
Learn More