A study of naturally occurring hydrOcarbons in the gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean

The Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University has been engaged, for the last 4 years, in a project to study hydrocarbon seepage on the bottom and beaches, and in the water column in the Gulf of Mexico and contiguous areas (Figure 1), as well as at the surface in the Caribbean and the Gulf (Figure 2). This project has been funded during this period, by as many as 14 major oil companies and the National Sea Grant program of NOAA. Major results are presented of the research conducted in all major branches of oceanography with emphasis on the chemical, geological and biological aspects, as well as a discussion of the methods and techniques used. The U. S. Geological Survey and U. S. Coast Guard have cooperated in the study of currents in coastal waters.