Biofouling of an offshore oil platform: faunal composition and biomass

Abstract

From the Abstract: “Studies using test panel exposure technique for biofouling of offshore oil platform indicated that a total of about 100 species were involved in fouling. Though initial rates of fouling were low due to soft bodied primary colonizers, with increase of exposure time, biomass buildup could become significant as calcareous organisms increasingly became abundant. Conspicuous zonation was observed in the region 0 to 62 m. Severity of fouling is restricted to the upper 22 m.”