Looking
for Info on Deepwater Horizon?
As a result of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill, the government
gathered an unprecedented amount of data and information on
complex topics like seafood safety, the use of chemical dispersants,
and oiled marsh cleanup. As a result, NOAA has a wealth of
resources that are free and available to the public.
To make it easier for you to find the
data you're looking for, NOAA has rounded up some key locations
for these materials on NOAA's
Office of Response and Restoration blog. To specifically
search for research and monitoring activities, visit the Gulf
of Mexico Sea Grant Program database.
For non-NOAA information and updates, check out the official
U.S. government website for the spill, or search
Louisiana's
website for seafood, water and sediment safety
test results.
Two years ago today (April 20, 2012), an
explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil platform killed
11 men and initiated the largest marine oil spill in history,
with roughly five million barrels released from the Macondo
well, with roughly 4.2 million barrels pouring into the waters
of the Gulf of Mexico.To provide factual
information and curricular resources about this disaster,
the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
and our Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD)
have created the Online
Clearinghouse for Education And Networking: Oil Interdisciplinary
Learning (OCEAN-OIL) a free, open-access, peer-reviewed
electronic education resource about the Deepwater Horizon
disaster. here>>
One Year Later: Assessing
Our Progress (NOAA Office of Response & Restoration)
A year ago, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig sank, starting
an oil spill that became the worst man-made environmental
disaster our nation has ever seen. Since then, NOAA has been
hard at work with a team of state and federal partners assessing
the damage to the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Natural Resource
Damage Assessment (NRDA) process. In that time, we have:
• collected nearly 30,000 samples of water, sediment,
and tissue affected by the spill,
• validated more than 18,000 analyses of those samples,
• surveyed thousands of miles of shoreline for oil,
• posted more than 60 work plans and other data on this
site,
• produced videos educating the public about the NRDA
process,
• held public meetings to educate the public about NRDA,
and
• asked for public comments on restoration options at
public meetings and online.
Recently, the federal and state partners have reached an agreement
with BP on four emergency restoration projects, including
an effort to restore submerged aquatic vegetation that was
damaged by response vessels and activities.
"With the spring growing season beginning, we're now
going to have the chance to observe if natural recovery is
occurring in the marshes that were impacted by oil."
said John Iliff, a supervisor for the NOAA Damage Assessment,
Remediation, and Restoration Program. "We'll also be
getting more boots back out in the mud and eyes on the water
to continue our ongoing assessment work."
In the coming months and years, we will continue collecting
data on the short- and long-term impacts from the spill. Restoration
planning is under way, and public input is an important part
of that process. We are soliciting public feedback on restoration
options for the Gulf until May 18. This input will be considered
in a draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, which
will be the focus of our next public comment period, currently
targeted for early 2012.
The unprecedented magnitude of the Deepwater
Horizon/BP oil spill posed many challenges for OR&R scientists.
They had to adapt quickly to the demands of the situation,
developing new ways to gather the type of accurate information
required to inform effective spill response. To do this, OR&R
scientists modified commonly used techniques and protocols
to meet this spill's exacting response needs.
- Special Monitoring of Applied Response
Technologies (SMART)
More>>
- Oil Budget Calculator (helped track
the fate of the released oil) More>>
- Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment
Technique (SCAT) More>>
On April 20th,
2010, the oil exploration platform Deepwater Horizon suffered
an explosion and consequently caught fire approximately 50
miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, causing it to sink.
The circumstances surrounding the explosion are currently
being investigated by the Minerals Management Service (MMS).
The explosion and subsequent sinking of the platform severed
the well head, causing what is known as a blowout. The well
head, located 5,000 ft below the ocean surface on in an area
known as the Mississippi Canyon. As of April 29th, NOAA estimates
approximately 5,000 barrels per day (equivalent to 210,000
gallons per day) are being released through the severed well.
To learn more about the CRRC's involvement
in this environmental incident, please visit the following
links:
|
