Dustan,-P.; Lidz,-B.H.; Shinn,-E.A.  Impact of exploratory 
	wells, offshore Florida: A biological assessment.  
	BULL.-MAR.-SCI. 1991. vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 94-124.

Seven offshore exploratory oil well sites were examined in an 
effort to determine the ecological impact of exploratory 
drilling on the subtropical marine ecosystems of southern 
Florida, including seagrass beds and coral reefs. The time 
since drilling ranged from 2 to 29 years; water depths varied 
between 5 and 70 m. The major long-term ecological impact 
observed at these sites ranged from the creation of 
"artificial-reef" conditions to the physical destruction of 
hardbottom habitat that had not recovered in 29 years. Long-
term ecological perturbation appeared to be limited to 
physical destruction and the deposition of drilling debris, 
which provided substratum for settling organisms. Significant 
deposits of drill muds or cuttings were not encountered at 
any of the sites, and there was no evidence of ecological 
damage from cuttings or drill muds. The results of this study 
pertain only to exploratory drilling that, unlike production 
wells that remain in place for tens of years, is a one-time 
perturbation to the habitat.