Campeche Sound Research Articles

Structural style of the Gulf of Mexico's Cantarell complex

The Cantarell complex, 80 km northwest of Ciudad del Carmen in the Campeche Sound of the Gulf of Mexico, consists of a broad NW-SE trending, faulted anticline. The oil field, categorized as a super giant, has five blocks bounded by faults (Figure 1). Figure 1. Blocks of the Cantarell complex. Note the NS-trending normal faults, on the broad NW-SE anticline, that may resemble wrench tectonics. The stratigraphic column for this area of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) indicates stacking of shelfal Cretaceous and Upper Jurassic carbonates and clastics, overlying an extended salt layer of Jurassic age. Based on reserves, the complex is the eighth largest oil field in the world. Cumulative production exceeds 10 billion barrels of oil. Current production exceeds 2 million b/d. This article describes the results of a 2003 reinterpretation of the 3D OBC seismic cube acquired in 1997. There has been much debate regarding the structural style of this area. An earlier attempt to explain the coexistence of compression and extensional features postulated a strike-slip transpressional model. In accordance with that hypothesis, faults should be very high angle, therefore involving the oceanic basement. We question this view because it doesn't fit the plate tectonic kinematics of the Gulf …

Spatial structure and bathymetric patterns of penaeoid shrimps in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Quantitative surveys of penaeoid shrimps ( Farfantepenaeus duorarum , F. aztecus , Litopenaeus setiferus , Xiphopenaeus kroyeri , Sicyonia brevirostris and Trachypenaeus similis ) were conducted in Campeche Sound, southwestern Gulf of Mexico, in October and November 2002. A total of 20 stations were located along a bathymetric gradient ranging from 8 to 50 m. Spatial patterns in density and individual size were evaluated by geostatistics and linear/nonlinear models, respectively. Variographic analysis revealed that the isotropic spherical model successfully explained the spatial population structure of F. duorarum , F. aztecus , L. setiferus and X. kroyeri . Density maps obtained by punctual kriging clearly showed a species-specific spatial segregation in high-density patches, with a differential bathymetric distribution for these four species. Spatial structure was not evident for both S. brevirostris and T. similis . Clear bathymetric patterns in individual size were observed, increasing linearly ( F. duorarum , F. aztecus and L. setiferus ) and asymptotically ( T. similis ) with depth. These patterns are in agreement with the life cycle characteristics of these species. Geostatistical methods were useful to display the spatial structure of penaeoid shrimps, both for target and incidental species.

Recruitment patterns of the pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus duorarum in the southern Gulf of Mexico

Analysis of monthly recruitment of pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus duorarum (Burkenroad, 1939), to the Campeche Sound in the southern Gulf of Mexico from 1969 to 1994 shows high recruitment from July to November and lower recruitment from December to June. Recruitment has declined since the late 1970s, plummeting since the mid-1980s and reaching particularly low values from 1991 to 1994. From 1970 to 1985, the recruitment pattern showed lower than average values from October to February and higher than average values during April to September. From 1986 to 1994, the opposite pattern was the norm. The results suggest that long-term environmental change is related to seasonal changes in the recruitment pattern of juveniles and to a long-term decline in recruitment and catch.

Major and trace elements in sediments of the Campeche Sound, southeast Gulf of Mexico

Major and trace elements in sediments of the Campeche Sound, southeast Gulf of Mexico

An air quality emission inventory of offshore operations for the exploration and production of petroleum by the Mexican oil industry

Abstract An air quality screening study was performed to assess the impacts of emissions from the offshore operations of the oil and gas exploration and production by Mexican industry in the Campeche Sound, which includes the states of Tabasco and Campeche in southeast Mexico. The major goal of this study was the compilation of an emission inventory (EI) for elevated, boom and ground level flares, processes, internal combustion engines and fugitive emissions. This inventory is so far the most comprehensive emission register that has ever been developed for the Mexican petroleum industry in this area. The EI considered 174 offshore platforms, the compression station at Atasta, and the Maritime Ports at Dos Bocas and Cayo Arcas. The offshore facilities identified as potential emitters in the area were the following: (1) trans-shipment stations, (2) a maritime floating port terminal, (3) drilling platforms, (4) crude oil recovering platforms, (5) crude oil production platforms, (6) linking platforms, (7) water injection platforms, (8) pumping platforms, (9) shelter platforms, (10) telecommunication platforms, (11) crude oil measurement platforms, and (12) flaring platforms. Crude oil storage tanks, helicopters and marine ship tankers were also considered to have an EI accurate enough for air quality regulations and mesoscale modeling of atmospheric pollutants. Historical ambient data measure at two onshore petroleum facilities were analyzed to measure air quality impacts on nearby inhabited coastal areas, and a source–receptor relationship for flares at the Ixtoc marine complex was performed to investigate health-based standards for offshore workers. A preliminary air quality model simulation was performed to observe the transport and dispersion patterns of SO 2 , which is the main pollutant emitted from the offshore platforms. The meteorological wind and temperature fields were generated with CALMET, a diagnostic meteorological model that used surface observations and upper air soundings from a 4-day field campaign conducted in February of 1999. The CALMET meteorological output and the generated EI drove the transport and dispersion model, CALPUFF. Model results were compared with SO 2 measurements taken from the monitoring network at Dos Bocas.

Distribution and abundance of larvae and adults of Solenocera (Decapoda, Solenoceridae) in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico

The distribution and abundance of larvae of the genus Solenocera and adults of Solenocera vioscai (Burkenroad, 1934) were analysed. Factors affecting their distribution and abundance in Campeche Sound are discussed. We found the occurrence of a period of higher reproductive activity related with the time of maximal primary production during summer, that is, the rainy season when the supply of organic material is greater. A larval dispersion model related to the pattern of predominating water currents in each climatic period is given. During summer, larvae concentrate in front of the Terminos Lagoon, due to the presence of a middle-scale cyclonic gyre. During autumn, larvae are transported to the central region of the study area in front of the Grijalva-Usumacinta system and the Boca de Puerto Real at the outer shelf. Finally, in spring, an anticyclonic current is observed (in southwestern direction), which transports the larvae and tends to concentrate them in front of the coast of Tabasco.

Metals in Fish and Shrimp of the Campeche Sound, Gulf of Mexico

Metals in Fish and Shrimp of the Campeche Sound, Gulf of Mexico

Metals in Fish and Shrimp of the Campeche Sound, Gulf of Mexico

Metals in Fish and Shrimp of the Campeche Sound, Gulf of Mexico

The South American Neritic Copepod Ctenocalanus heronae Vega-Pérez and Bowman (Calanoida) in the Gulf of Mexico, with Comments on the Taxonomy of the Genus

A single adult female specimen of the calanoid copepod Ctenocalanus heronae Vega-Perez and Bowman was collected during a zooplankton survey carried out in February 1997 in Campeche Sound, the central-southeastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. The taxonomy of the genus Ctenocalanus Giesbrecht is still unclear. Characters used to separate the species have been considered rather subtle. In this paper the taxonomic illustrations of the specimen collected are accompanied by a revision of the taxonomic features commonly used to identify the species. New, previously overlooked characters such as the cephalosome/ urosome ratio, the shape of the 5th legs and particularly the structure of legs 1 and 2, are presented and might turn out to be useful to separate some of the species. This record of C. heronae in the Gulf of Mexico also represents the first reported occurrence of the genus in the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic and increases remarkably the known distribution of the species from the 24°S to the 18°N.

ABSTRACT: Origin of Petroleum in the Mexican Gulf Coast Basin

Abstract Several generation models for petroleum generation have been proposed for the Mexican Gulf Coast Basin. Various oil/oil and source rock/oil correlations have been postulated relying on bulk oil features as well as isotopic and biomarker compositions. The tectonic evolution of this area has been a main control of the source rocks and the physico-chemical variations of their related oils. The best Mexican source rocks are related to the rift tectonic stage. Individual structural blocks developed during this stage had different suites of sedimentary facies because of variations in subsidence rates. In the grabens, deposition occurred in organic-rich anoxic marine carbonate environments from Oxfordian until Tithonian times. Variations in salinity, oxygen depletion levels, and clay and carbonate content can be identified by the molecular features of their related oils. Tithonian oils have a widespread distribution throughout the Mexican Gulf Coast Basin from the Tampico-Misantla Basin to Campeche Sound. Marine carbonate platforms were developed during the sag stage from Neocomian until Middle Cretaceous times. During this stage, thick carbonate sequences were deposited in the Tampico-Misantla, Veracruz, Campeche Sound, Chiapas-Tabasco, Sierra de Chiapas, and Yucatan areas. Cretaceous carbonate rocks may contain fine stringers of oil-prone organic matter, probably the remains of bacterial mats, and as a result they could be source rocks for produced oils. The oils related to these environments are present in the Veracruz, the Chiapas-Tabasco, and the Sierra de Chiapas areas. As elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico Basin, the Tertiary in the Mexican Gulf Coast was a time of deltaic sedimentation. Tertiary source rocks were capable of sourcing gas and condensate, and perhaps some light oils. Tertiary oils are mainly produced in the Burgos and Macuspana basins. Their molecular features suggest a source from reworked terrestrial higher plants deposited in siliciclastic anaerobic depositional environments. This diversity of generative subsystems in the Mexican Gulf Coast Basin can explain the huge petroleum potential of this area. End_of_Record - Last_Page 661-------

Distribución, Abundancia y Reproducción de Harengula jaguana Goode y Bean, 1879, en la Plataforma Continental del Sur del Golfo de México (Pisces: Clupeidae)1

ABSTRACT Harengula jaguana is a dominant species in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It is a demersal, estuarine‐dependent species, distributed throughout the Campeche Sound area (12‐54 m). It is found in areas influenced by coastal discharges. The size at first maturity of females is 117 mm total length. Reproduction occurs from February to October in depths 18‐36 m. The juveniles are found on the shelf (<20 m) and inside the Terminos Lagoon. Recruitment is in two distinct periods, March–June and August–November, when adults and juveniles migrate to the outer shelf. Greatest abundance is observed in depths of 12‐36 m. The biology and ecology of H. jaguana was analyzed in the Campeche Sound to better understand the structure and function of the demersal fish communities. It is a very important species in the trophic dynamics of the ecosystem because it transports matter and energy. A model of the biological pattern for this species in the area is proposed.

Geochemical Features of Oils from Western and Southern Gulf of Mexico: Reconstruction of the Depositional Environment of Their Source Rocks: ABSTRACT

Three main source rock depositional environments can be interpreted from the western and southern Gulf of Mexico oils: marine deltaic, marine carbonate and marine carbonate evaporitic. Marine deltaic oils are geographically limited to the Burgos and Macuspana basins. Their molecular features suggest a source from reworked, bacterially degraded terrestrial higher plants deposited in siliciclastic dysaerobic depositional environments. They can be recognized by their {delta}{sup 13}C values (between 23.6 to -21.7 {per_thousand}), low sulphur content (0.06 to 0.12 wt % S), high pristane/phytane ratios (1.95 to 3.43), high concentrations of oleanane, and very low sterane/hopane mbbs (<0.05). Marine carbonate oils have a widespread distribution throughout the western and southern Gulf of Mexico. They are present from Tampico Basin to Campeche Sound. Isotopic values of these oils range from -24 to -28.1 {per_thousand}. They are characterized by medium to high sulphur content, pristane/phytane <1, abundant extended hopanes C{sub 35} hopanes greater than or in similar abundance to their C{sub 34} counterparts, and presence of hexahydrobenzohopanes. Subtle internal differences in biomarker composition of this oil set can be interpreted in terms of salinity, clay content and oxygen depletion variations. Marine carbonate evaporitic oils are present in the Veracruz Basin and the Chiapas-Tabasco area.more » The oils are recognized by their heavy {delta}{sup 13}C values (between -23 to -24 {per_thousand}), very low sterane/hopane ratios, high C24-tetracyclics/C26-tricyclics terpanes ratios, and C{sub 33} hopanes greater than their C{sub 34} counterparts. In this oil set the organic matter is dominated by a strongly prevailing bacterial input. The diversity of oil families from the western and southern Gulf of Mexico explains the enormous petroleum potential of this region.« less

Ecological strategies and recruitment of Syacium gunteri (pisces: bothidae) in the southern gulf of Mexico shelf

Syacium gunteri has a wide distribution in the Campeche Sound, with highest density and abundance in shallow waters (18–36 m). The spatial and temporal distribution are associated with estuarine influenced zones, type of food and soft bottoms with high organic matter contents. Its food spectrum is broad, but it feeds mainly on peneid shrimps. There is one extended reproduction period from May to September. The life cycle is short and the recruitment pattern presents a continuous activity with one principal peak (November). S. gunteri is a non-estuarine dependent flatfish species, but seasonal movements to shallow waters are observed in relation to primary productivity changes in the coastal zone, a strategy which supports the ecological dominance of this species in the region.

Biología y ecología de Cynoscion nothus (Holbrook), en las comunidades demersales de la plataforma continental del sur del Golfo de México (Pisces: Sciaenidae)

Cynoscion nothus is a non-estuarine dependent marine species, nevertheless, influenced by estuarine processes. It was found distributed in Campeche Sound west of Terminos Lagoon with a preference for depths of less than 40 m. Females mature between 124 and 144 mm TL. Reproduction takes place from May to June and October to December and spawning occurs in the coastal zone influenced by estuarine processes and at depths of less than 15 m. Juveniles do not have obvious migrations. Recruitment takes place in June and November and is correlated with high density and low biomass. High biomass is represented by the presence of many adult individuals. It is a third order carnivorous consumer that feeds mainly on fish and secondly on crustaceans as an adult, while as a juvenile it feeds mainly on crustaceans and secondly on fish. The condition of the population varies with changes in its reproductive dynamics and recruitment of juveniles. There are no significant differences in mortality per size between males and females: both reach similar sizes. This species is most efficiently captured at 160 mm TL.

Los quetognatos (Chaetognatha) del banco de Campeche en abril-mayo de 1986

Al analizar la distribución, frecuencia, abundancia y Valor de Importancia de 12 especies de quetognatos encontradas en 24 estaciones de muestreo durante abril-mayo de 1986 en el banco de Campeche, se observa que la mayor riqueza específica ocurrió en estaciones oceánicas cerca del talud, en tanto que los sitios con mayor densidad de quetognatos (más de 5 000 org./ 100 m3) se ubicaron en la parte oeste del área de estudio. Las especies que formaron el elenco taxonómico son principalmente oceánicas, de aguas tropicales y subtropicales, de éstas las que obtuvieron los mayores Valores de Importancia fueron: Flaccisagitta enflata, Sagitta tenuis, Ferosagitta hispida, Krohnitta subtilis y Serratosagitta serratodentata. La similitud de Morisita entre estaciones y la dominancia de Simpson permiten definir dos regiones: una de ellas formada por las estaciones norteñas costeras y las de la sonda de Campeche donde domina F. enflata y los valores de dominancia de Simpson fueron altos y la otra que comprende las estaciones oceánicas norteñas del Banco de Campeche donde no hubo una especie claramente dominante y por tanto los valores del índice de Simpson fueron bajos.