APPROACHES FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO AFTER THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL
INTERIM REPORT
Committee on the Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Mississippi Canyon-252 Oil Spill on Ecosystem Services in the Gulf of Mexico
Ocean Studies Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under contract number DG133R08CQ0062. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-21179-6
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number-10: 0-309-21179-4
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Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering and Medicine
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COMMITTEE ON THE EFFECTS OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON MISSISSIPPI CANYON-252 OIL SPILL ON ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
LARRY A. MAYER (Chair), University of New Hampshire, Durham
MICHEL C. BOUFADEL, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
JORGE BRENNER, The Nature Conservancy, Corpus Christi, Texas
ROBERT S. CARNEY, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
CORTIS K. COOPER, Chevron Energy Technology Company, San Ramon, California
JODY W. DEMING, University of Washington, Seattle
DAVID J. DIE, University of Miami, Florida
JOSH EAGLE, University of South Carolina, Columbia
JOSEPH R. GERACI, University of Maryland, Baltimore
BARBARA A. KNUTH, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
KENNETH LEE, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
JAMES T. MORRIS, University of South Carolina, Columbia
STEPHEN POLASKY, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
NANCY N. RABALAIS, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin
CHRISTOPHER REDDY*, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
RALPH G. STAHL, JR., DuPont Company, Wilmington, Delaware
DAVID W. YOSKOWITZ, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi
Staff
KIM WADDELL, Study Director
SHERRIE FORREST, Associate Program Officer
JEREMY JUSTICE, Senior Program Assistant (until July 15, 2011)
LAUREN HARDING, Program Assistant
PETER THOMPSON, Mirzayan Fellow (until May 13, 2011)
CHRISTOPHER PROSSER, Mirzayan Fellow
*Resigned from the committee
OCEAN STUDIES BOARD
DONALD F. BOESCH (Chair), University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge
EDWARD A. BOYLE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
JORGE E. CORREDOR, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
KEITH R. CRIDDLE, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau
JODY W. DEMING, University of Washington, Seattle
MARY (MISSY) H. FEELEY, ExxonMobil Exploration Company, Houston, Texas
ROBERT HALLBERG, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Princeton University, New Jersey
DEBRA HERNANDEZ, Hernandez and Company, Isle of Palms, South Carolina
ROBERT A. HOLMAN, Oregon State University, Corvallis
KIHO KIM, American University, Washington, DC
BARBARA A. KNUTH, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
ROBERT A. LAWSON, Science Applications International Corporation, San Diego, California
GEORGE I. MATSUMOTO, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, California
JAY S. PEARLMAN, The Boeing Company (retired), Port Angeles, Washington
ANDREW A. ROSENBERG, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia
DANIEL L. RUDNICK, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
ROBERT J. SERAFIN, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
ANNE M. TREHU, Oregon State University, Corvallis
PETER L. TYACK, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
DAWN J. WRIGHT, Oregon State University, Corvallis
JAMES A. YODER, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
OSB Staff
SUSAN ROBERTS, Director
DEBORAH GLICKSON, Senior Program Officer
CLAUDIA MENGELT, Senior Program Officer
KIM WADDELL, Senior Program Officer
SHERRIE FORREST, Associate Program Officer
GRAIG MANSFIELD, Financial Associate
PAMELA LEWIS, Administrative Coordinator
LAUREN HARDING, Program Assistant
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Acknowledgments
This report was greatly enhanced by the participants of the meetings held as part of this study. The committee would like to acknowledge the efforts of those who gave presentations at the committee meetings: Donald F. Boesch (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science), Garret Graves (State of Louisiana), John Hankinson (Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force), Captain James Hanzalik (U.S. Coast Guard), Kathy Kling (Iowa State University), Jacqueline Michel (Research Planning, Inc.), Paul Montagna (Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M Corpus Christi), and Steve Picou (University of South Alabama).
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in their review of this report:
Peter Auster (University of Connecticut)
Bruce Bayne (URS Corporation)
Trudy Ann Cameron (University of Oregon)
Dan Doty (Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Thomas Leschine (University of Washington)
Daniel Magraw (Center for International Environmental Law)
Jacqueline Michel (Reserarch Planning, Inc.)
James Sanchirico (University of California, Davis)
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Kathleen Segerson, University of Connecticut, appointed by the Divison on Earth and Life Studies, and Simon Levin, Princeton University, appointed by the Report Review Committee, who were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Contents
1 Physiographic, Oceanographic, and Ecological Context of the Gulf of Mexico
2 Approaches to Damage Assessment and Valuation of Ecosystem Services
3 Methods to Establish Baselines for Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Services
4 An Ecosystem Services Approach to Damage Assessment
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