Comprehensive Framework for Ecological Assessment of the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Davis, J. Brian; Webb, Elisabeth B.; Kaminski, Richard M.; Barbour, Philip J.; Vilella, Francisco J.

doi:10.1656/058.013.0419

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(49 reference statements)

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“…This potentially means more devastating mollusk mortality events on Lake Pontchartrain when hurricanes do strike, as well as less frequent booms of medium-sized Rangia clams, which may disperse scaup to other places in coastal Louisiana. Knowing full well that millions of waterbirds were headed south toward a contaminated coast, the Natural Resources Conservation Service established~190,000 ha of inshore wetland and agricultural habitats in an attempt to prevent waterbirds from reaching the contaminated coast (Davis et al 2014). The relative costs and benefits of scaup winter habitat selection are beyond the scope of this study, but in recent local memory, scaup would be subject to at least one additional risk in coastal Louisiana.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between 20 April and 15 July 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill released an approximate 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the northern Gulf of Mexico and impacted ecosystems along the Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama coastlines (Reddy et al 2012). Knowing full well that millions of waterbirds were headed south toward a contaminated coast, the Natural Resources Conservation Service established~190,000 ha of inshore wetland and agricultural habitats in an attempt to prevent waterbirds from reaching the contaminated coast (Davis et al 2014). Lesser Scaup largely overflew these areas (Tapp 2013) for the coast, and thankfully, Lake Pontchartrain had healthy Rangia populations that year and attracted large numbers of ducks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bluebills and bayou bivalves: Hurricane‐driven trophic cascades affect wintering abundance of Lesser Scaup in Louisiana

et al. 2019

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The estuaries of coastal Louisiana overwinter a continentally significant proportion of Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis; colloquially, "bluebills"), a migratory bird species of conservation concern since population declines began in the 1980s. Thirty-eight years of aerial waterfowl surveys of Lake Pontchartrainan oligohaline estuarine lagoon in southeast Louisiana-show that scaup abundance fluctuates between 0 and 1,194,907 birds, though the mechanisms driving this variation are unknown. Previous studies have shown that scaup feed primarily on mollusks, and so changes in the benthic prey community have the potential to strongly influence scaup dynamics on the Lake. Benthic communities are in turn shaped by both natural and anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., hurricanes and spillway openings), potentially creating a lagged bottom-up trophic cascade that ultimately affects scaup abundance. Using 22 yr of paired benthic invertebrate and aerial waterfowl survey data, we found scaup populations increased with the abundance of medium-sized Rangia clams (Rangia cuneata) and Dwarf Surf Clams (Mulinia lateralis). Those prey species declined in years when the Lake was hit by a hurricane, but medium-sized Rangia rebounded strongly the year after, likely because storm-surge salinity induces spawning. Using long-term aerial survey data for scaup, we indeed found strong declines on the Lake in years when a hurricane made landfall, but scaup abundance increased the following year, presumably responding to large numbers of medium-sized Rangia. Our three-part analysis makes a strong case for a hurricane-driven bottom-up trophic cascade that affects scaup populations on Lake Pontchartrain. This study adds to a growing literature demonstrating not only that estuaries are tidally and seasonally dynamic, but that punctuated disturbance events can be important for maintaining ecosystem function.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bluebills and bayou bivalves: Hurricane‐driven trophic cascades affect wintering abundance of Lesser Scaup in Louisiana

et al. 2019

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“…Following restoration of WRP wetlands, which usually involves installation of hydrological infrastructure, landowners are not obligated to manage the wetland, despite substantial evidence that management can increase waterbird use and food availability (Kaminski et al ; Kross et al ; Evans‐Peters et al ; Olmstead et al ; Fleming et al ; Tapp & Webb ). Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in spring 2010, NRCS implemented the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI) in summer 2010 to mitigate potential impacts of oil‐impaired Gulf coastal wetlands on resident and migrant fauna (Natural Resources Conservation Service ; Davis et al ). The MBHI provided financial incentives to landowners for inundating WRP easements and croplands inland and away from oil‐impaired coastal wetlands (Natural Resources Conservation Service ; Davis et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A primary goal of MBHI was to increase availability of wetland habitat and waterbird foods in WRP easements through active management (Tapp ; Weegman ; Davis et al ). Waterfowl rely on nutrients from moist‐soil seeds and aquatic invertebrates for completion of life‐cycle processes, such as lipid deposition, molting, migration, and reproduction (Smith & Sheeley ; Dugger et al ; Anderson & Smith ; Nelms ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waterbird communities and seed biomass in managed and reference‐restored wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Tapp

Weegman

Webb

et al. 2017

Restoration Ecology

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The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) commenced the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI) in summer 2010 after the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The MBHI enrolled in the program 193,000 ha of private wet‐ and cropland inland from potential oil‐impaired wetlands. We evaluated waterfowl and other waterbird use and potential seed/tuber food resources in NRCS Wetland Reserve Program easement wetlands managed via MBHI funding and associated reference wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri. In Louisiana and Mississippi, nearly three times more dabbling ducks and all ducks combined were observed on managed than reference wetlands. Shorebirds and waterbirds other than waterfowl were nearly twice as abundant on managed than referenced wetlands. In Arkansas and Missouri, managed wetlands had over twice more dabbling ducks and nearly twice as many duck species than reference wetlands. Wetlands managed via MBHI in Mississippi and Louisiana contained ≥1.3 times more seed and tuber biomass known to be consumed by waterfowl than reference wetlands. Seed and tuber resources did not differ between wetlands in Arkansas and Missouri. While other studies have documented greater waterbird densities on actively than nonmanaged wetlands, our results highlighted the potential for initiatives focused on managing conservation easements to increase waterbird use and energetic carrying capacity of restored wetlands for waterbirds.

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“…Oil pollution can kill marine mammals, sea grass, coral reefs, and fish, which leads to the imbalance of the food web (Barron 2012; Mendelssohn et al 2012;Whitehead et al 2012). Oil spills can also destroy marine wildlife habitat and breeding grounds (Davis et al 2014). Furthermore, if trapped in bottom sediments, the effects of oil spills on local benthos can last for several years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite-Based Tracking of Oil Pollution in the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman

Zhao¹,

Temimi²,

Azhar³

et al. 2015

Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing

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Two oil spill events were investigated using multisensor satellite images in the Al Khafji and Al Fujairah regions. Oil slicks were characterized with Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and floating algae index (FAI) images. Oil slicks near Al Khafji were detected on April 19, 2014 by Landsat 8 and covered around 29.04 km 2 . Sequential VIIRS and MODIS/Aqua images collected on the same day observed the same slicks, which indicated different appearances in the RGB images. Another event was recorded near Al Fujairah on May 11, 2014 by both Landsat 8 and Aqua. The total area coverage of oil slicks was 114.6 km 2 . The estimated slick trajectories from GNOME driven by ocean circulation data from the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS) and meteorological data were assessed with the movement patterns of satellite-detected oil slicks. The average absolute percentage error of velocity of slick movement between satellite observation and GNOME simulation was 33% for both events. The directions of slick movement showed an agreement between satellite observation and model simulation in 5 out of 7 trajectories' cases. This implies that the integration of multisensor satellite measurements and spill trajectory modeling is very helpful to forecast and predict the fate and transport of oil spills. Résumé. Deux déversements d'hydrocarbures ontétéétudiés en utilisant des images satellitaires multicapteurs dans les régions d'Al Khafji et d'Al Fujairah. Les nappes de pétrole ontété caractérisées avec des images rouge-vert-bleu (RVB) « red-green-blue (RGB) » et avec l'indice d'algues flottantes « floating algae index » (FAI). Les nappes de pétrole près d'Al Khafji ontété détectées le 19 avril 2014 par Landsat 8 et elles couvraient environ 29,04 km 2 . Les images séquentielles VIIRS et MODIS/Aqua acquises le même jour ont observé les mêmes nappes, indiquées par différents aspects dans les images RVB. Un autreévènement aété détecté près d'AlFujairah le 11 mai 2014à la fois par Landsat 8 et Aqua. La superficie totale de ces nappesétait de 114,6 km 2 . Les trajectoires des déversements d'hydrocarbure estiméesà partir de GNOME, en utilisant les données de la circulation océanique du Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS) et les données météorologiques, ontétéévaluées en utilisant les déplacements des nappes de pétrole détectées par satellite. Le pourcentage d'erreur absolue moyenne de la vitesse de mouvement de la nappe entre l'observation par satellite et la simulation de GNOMEétait de 33% pour les 2évènements. Les directions de mouvements des nappes ont montré un accord entre l'observation par satellite et la simulation du modèle dans 5 des 7 cas de trajectoires. Ceci implique que l'intégration de mesures satellitaires multicapteurs et la modélisation des trajectoires des déversements sont très utiles pour prévoir et prédire le devenir et le transport des déversements de pétrole.

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Comprehensive Framework for Ecological Assessment of the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Cited by 6 publications

References 37 publications

Bluebills and bayou bivalves: Hurricane‐driven trophic cascades affect wintering abundance of Lesser Scaup in Louisiana

Bluebills and bayou bivalves: Hurricane‐driven trophic cascades affect wintering abundance of Lesser Scaup in Louisiana

Waterbird communities and seed biomass in managed and reference‐restored wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Satellite-Based Tracking of Oil Pollution in the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman

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