Environmental Effects of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Program on Louisiana Continental Shelf Communities
Open Access
- 1 February 1990
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in American Zoologist
- Vol. 30 (1) , 37-43
- https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/30.1.37
Abstract
In order to create solution cavities in coastal salt domes to store the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserves, it has been necessary to dispose of up to a million barrels of concentrated brine daily in coastal waters for several years. The natural system receiving this effluent is characterized by a variable hydrographic regime and high but variable standing crops of plankton, benthos and nekton. In the summer months the system is periodically stressed by stratification of the water column and bottom hypoxia. The brine effluent was found to remain near the bottom, achieve very rapid dilution, and impinge upon no more than 40 km2 of bottom. No demonstrable effects were noted on the sediments or phytoplankton populations, but effects were observed on the zooplankton, benthos, and nekton. The benthos displayed long-term cumulative impacts. Results of this study are examined to provide a basis for designing future impact studies in coastal waters.Keywords
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