Sustainability of Gulf of Mexico Coastal Estuaries and Lagoons: Interactions with Hydrocarbon Production—A Review with a Look to the Future

Here, we review the functioning and importance of deltaic coastal systems in the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico and how petroleum activities have impacted these two important systems. The Mississippi and Usumacinta-Grijalva Deltas are areas of high biological productivity and biodiversity that support the two largest fisheries in the Gulf. The north central Gulf receives inflow from the Mississippi river, the largest discharge in North America. The Mississippi Delta covers about 10,000 km². The Usumacinta-Grijalva River is the second highest freshwater input to the Gulf and discharges to the Usumacinta-Grijalva/Laguna de Terminos deltaic complex. These two areas are the largest petroleum producing regions in the Gulf, involving both inshore and offshore production. Petroleum activities impact coastal ecosystems in two important ways. In inshore areas dominated by coastal wetlands, there has been enormous physical disruption of the natural environment that affected hydrology and system functioning. In both inshore and offshore areas, spilled oil and release of high salinity produced water has led to widespread toxic pollution. Documentation of petroleum activity impacts on coastal marine ecosystems is much more advanced in the Mississippi Delta. Here, we describe how petroleum production impacts coastal ecosystems and discuss how restoration and management can restore the functioning of impacted coastal ecosystems.