Rigs-to-Reefs in Mexico: Where to reef oil rigs in the southern Gulf of Mexico?

Rigs-to-Reefs in Mexico: Where to reef oil rigs in the southern Gulf of Mexico? | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Rigs-to-Reefs in Mexico: Where to reef oil rigs in the southern Gulf of Mexico? Gerardo Peña-Mis, Alejandro Espinoza-Tenorio, Abigail Uribe-Martínez, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7403177/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Offshore oil platform substructures often transform into reef habitats by providing attachment surfaces for corals and algae, and shelter for commercially valuable fish. While few formal studies exist for these unintended artificial habitats in the oil exploration areas in the Southern Gulf of Mexico (SGOM), and abandonment plans for these structures remain unclear, evidence suggests their importance for various fishing and diving activities. This research aims to identify potential areas along the coasts of Veracruz, Tabasco, and Campeche for establishing artificial reefs using oil platform substructures. A three-step approach was applied: 1) modeling potential distributions of reef-associated organisms to locate areas with high co-occurrence; 2) designing an exclusion map to identify incompatible areas with artificial reef deployment due to conflicts with existing human activities or habitats; and 3) integration of the previous steps to generate a potential reefing map. We found more than 11,000 Km2 have high and medium affinity as potential reefing areas. Three areas stand out because they could be used to deploy this type of artificial reef; one adjacent to Tamiahua’s Lagoon, the other in front of Tabaco’s shoreline, and the largest along Campeche’s shoals. The methodological framework developed for this research is low-cost, easily replicable, and flexible enough to adapt to other contexts. artificial reefs fisheries oil rigs decommissioning Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7403177","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":530181760,"identity":"72e8d809-ebf6-4917-96e5-90060a6e11d1","order_by":0,"name":"Gerardo Peña-Mis","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"El Colegio de la Frontera Sur-Unidad Campeche","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gerardo","middleName":"","lastName":"Peña-Mis","suffix":""},{"id":530181761,"identity":"cb88e0bc-7cf7-4df5-8b54-b3b2953c113d","order_by":1,"name":"Alejandro Espinoza-Tenorio","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"El Colegio de la Frontera 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