HISTORICAL INCORPORATION OF BARIUM IN THE REEF BUILDING CORAL MONTASTREA-ANNULARIS AT THE FLOWER GARDEN BANKS, NORTH-WEST GULF-OF-MEXICO

Annual growth bands of Flower Garden Banks' Montastrea annularis skele tal material were analysed for barium (Ba), a principal drilling mud c omponent, to evaluate its potential as an indicator of water quality c hanges caused by oil and gas exploration and production in the norther n Gulf of Mexico. The data did not indicate a Ba trend related to docu mented hydrocarbon exploration activities. Increased concentration var iability after 1960 may, however, attest to environmental change. This variability does not correlate with a 23% decrease in average annual growth rates observed between 1957 and 1979 at the Flower Gardens.