Funding Cycle
- Overview
- Research Groups 6
- Datasets 0
- People 6
- Publications 0
- Information Products 0
Healthy Ecosystems 1
National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine: Gulf Research Program
Linking Ecosystem Services Related to and Influenced by Oil and Gas Production to Human Health and Well-being
Advancing Optimization of Ecosystem Services to Inform Management and Restoration of the Gulf of Mexico
This project team will work to advance the use of science in strategic management and planning in the Gulf of Mexico. Team members plan to develop a science-based framework to prioritize restoration projects that provide the greatest returns for people and nature. By accounting for external factors like a changing climate and its effects on ecosystems and the benefits they provide to people, this project intends to identify the best places to enhance resilience in a region affected by oil and gas activity.
National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine: Gulf Research Program
Assessing Long-Term Linkages Between Development of Oil and Gas Industry Related Coastal Infrastructure, Societal Well-Being and Ecosystem Function in Coastal Louisiana
Researchers will examine the costs and benefits of expanding oil and gas activity in coastal Louisiana by looking at how human well-being and ecosystems changed as onshore oil and gas infrastructure developed from 1950 to 2015. By mapping trends in these relationships at different levels (by parish, by community, and coast-wide), this work intends to help future land managers make informed decisions about coastal planning and restoration in Louisiana’s rapidly-changing coastal areas. The decision-making framework this research produces could also be relevant to other Gulf coast areas with developing oil and gas infrastructure.
National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine: Gulf Research Program
Developing a Decision Support Tool to Evaluate Ecosystem Services and Associated Uncertainties Using a Bayesian Belief Network
This project proposes to develop a tool which integrates knowledge from both natural and social sciences and quantifies uncertainties to help resource managers in the Gulf of Mexico understand how ecosystems—and the benefits they provide to people—may change as a result of different management decisions (such as developing offshore oil and gas or restoring coastal wetlands). This tool could allow decision makers to evaluate the potential risks and trade-offs that these types of decisions entail in a dynamic system like the Gulf of Mexico. This tool may also be used by policymakers in other regions who want to maximize the benefits that ecosystems provide to people.
National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine: Gulf Research Program
Expanding Ecosystem Service Provisioning from Coastal Restoration to Minimize Environmental and Energy Constraints
Researchers intend to show how healthy ecosystems support healthy and resilient Gulf communities through benefits like improved water quality, sustainable fisheries and recreation, and better storm protection. The team plans to address how these benefits change over time, both with and without restoration activities that respond to climate change, sea-level rise, and future energy costs. This work could help decision makers prioritize and sequence restoration projects by showing them how project timing affects project costs.
National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine: Gulf Research Program
Modeling Stress-Associated Health Effects of Multiple Impacted Ecosystem Services in the Gulf of Mexico
Researchers will examine how human health and well-being are affected when people in the affected area derive fewer benefits from ecosystems following a natural or technological disaster. They will test their hypothesis that healthy coastal environments and marine biodiversity support improved human health. This work could provide a framework for improving resilience and recovery planning for future disasters. It could also help researchers better understand and anticipate the health effects of future disasters.
National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine: Gulf Research Program
The Effect of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Human Well-Being in the Gulf of Mexico
Researchers propose to develop a better understanding of how offshore oil and gas production affects the links between human well-being and offshore ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. By developing a model with data from before and after the 2010 oil spill, researchers intend to determine how the benefits that ecosystems provide to people have changed during this period. They also intend to test the resilience of offshore environments and assess their potential for recovery. This work will produce a model that could predict how oil and gas production may influence human well-being in other regions.
National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine: Gulf Research Program
Tim J.B. Carruthers
Director of Coastal Ecology
The Water Institute of The Gulf
tcarruthers@thewaterinstitute.org
Paul A. Montagna
Professor
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi / The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies
paul.montagna@tamucc.edu