Monitoring assessment of long-term changes in biological communities in the Santa Maria Basin: Phase III.

Abstract

The Phase III study encompassed 13 field surveys conducted form October 1991 to January 1995. The study focused on nine hard-bottom sites near Platform Hidalgo and sediment collections and larval settling experiments near Platforms harves and Hermosa  (all located between Point Conception and Point Arguello, California). All studies were conducted at depths of 90–215 m. Studies include those examining 1) physical processes, 2) chemical processes, and 3) biological processes in the area.

From the Overall Conclusions: “Conclusions from the Phase II and III studies did not indicate severe, large-scale impacts to the hard-bottom communities from platform drilling discharges, although possible effects to larvae could influence some long-term trends in abundance and species composition.”