HISTORY IN BELIZE

geology
BELIZE HISTORY OF OIL GEOLOGY EXPLORATION
Belize Seismic Surveys & Wells Map
GEOLOGY OF BELIZE 
Prepared by Dr. S. J. Mazzullo, Department of Geology, Wichita State University
Holocene Sediments of the Belize Shelf
Dr. Cliff Jordan, 2002

IMPACTS ON DIVERS
Safe Diving Distance from Seismic Surveying Operations
DMAC 12 Rev. 1 – July 2011 www.dmac-diving.org

INDUSTRY ARTICLES
Seismic Surveys Successfully Coexist with Tourism and Fisheries Despite Erroneous Claims
IACG Release on Belize Halting Seismic Testing
Nature vs industry: should oil & gas exploration offshore Belize go ahead?
31 August 2015 Heidi Vella IN Offshore Technology.com

gulf oil spill

Ocean Portal Find Your Blue by Smithsonian Institute
For Educators Lesson Plans & Activties  - Oil Spill Containment Kit

Rarely Seen Pictures Of The Devastating Consequences Of The BP Disaster

Tracking the Oil Spill in the Gulf by New York Times

IMPACTS ON MARINE LIFE
SONIC SEA 2016 from the DISCOVERY CHANNEL available on YOU TUBE
Hearing in the Juvenile Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas): A Comparison of Underwater and Aerial Hearing Using Auditory Evoked Potentials. 2016.  Authors: Wendy E. D. Piniak, David A. Mann, Craig A. Harms, T. Todd Jones, Scott A. Eckert
Citation: Piniak WED, Mann DA, Harms CA, Jones TT, Eckert SA (2016) Hearing in the Juvenile Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas): A Comparison of Underwater and Aerial Hearing Using Auditory Evoked Potentials. PLoS ONE 11(10): e0159711. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.015971
The Impact of Multibeam on Cetaceans: A Review of Best Practice. 2005
Compiled by Joanne O’Brien, Simon Berrow and Dave Wall on behalf of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group
​Innovative Measures for Mitigating Potential Impacts on Sea Turtles During Seismic Surveys. 2016
Authors: S. van der Wal, Turtugaruba Foundation; S. A. Eckert, WIDECAST - Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network; J. O. Lopez-Plana, Repsol E&P; W. Hernandez, Repsol Aruba BV; K. L. Eckert, WIDECAST
Mass Stranding of Beaked Whales in the Galapagos Islands, April 2000 by Roger L. Gentry, November 4, 2002
Mass Stranding of Steno bredanensis in Belize 1981
Author(s): Judith S. Perkins and G. Winston Miller. Source: Biotropica, Vol. 15, No. 3 (Sep., 1983), pp. 235-236
Marine Mammal Monitoring During a Low-Energy Seismic Survey by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Vessel R/V Roger Revelle in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, March - April 2006
MARINE SEISMIC SURVEYS—A STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS 
APPEA JOURNAL 2000  - R.D. McCauley, J. Fewtrell, A.J. Duncan, C. Jenner, M-N. Jenner, J.D. Penrose, R.I.T. Prince, A. Adhitya, J. Murdoch6 and K. McCabe
Underwater hearing sensitivity of the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea): Assessing the potential effect of anthropogenic noise. 2012.
Authors: Wendy E. Dow Piniak, Scott A. Eckert, Craig A. Harms, Elizabeth M. Stringer
U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. 25 pp

marine life in the survey area

seismic survey grid
Dr Gordon Kirkwood, oil industry expert, prepared this map showing seismic survey lines, threshold sound and distance to popular dive sites 

Threshold sound levels and their impact on marine mammals and people in the water are presented on the left.  If marine mammals are within 2km of the source damage can occur, and within 4km disturbance.  If humans are within 5km of the source their can be disturbance or behavior change in humans, i.e. divers or fishermen.  Some of the proposed (and conducted) seismic surveys lines fall within the safe zone for humans.

Marine mammals migrate between Turneffe, Lighthouse, and Glovers Atolls.  Would they be safe from harm? 
  • Were marine mammal observers on board the Northern Explorer and Fugro Gauss while they conducted seismic and multibeam surveys in Belize in Oct 2016? 
  • Was a report prepared of their observations and vessel reactions to marine mammals that were encountered?

vessel tracking
Good websites to track ships, but not 100% accurate.  Some ships show no movement, and some have stopped tracking.
Marinetraffic.com
vesselfinder.com