Last month, OR&R emergency response scientists provided support for 25 marine pollution incidents, including a fire on a cargo vessel transporting lithium-ion batteries in Alaska, a gasoline pipeline spill in northwest Washington, and a chemical explosion and fire in Connecticut.

So far this year, OR&R has supported 150 incident responses. In November 2023 alone, we provided response support for 28 incidents, including a crude oil spill off Louisiana's coast, a downed U.S. Navy aircraft in Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay, and reports of mysterious tar balls along New Jersey beaches.

So far this year, OR&R has provided support for 111 incidents. During August 2023, OR&R provided response support for 21 incidents, including 16 new incidents in nine different states and one U.S. Territory (a vessel grounded in Puerto Rico).

As new and more intense forms of marine pollution threaten coastal ecosystems, economies, and communities, scientists from NOAA OR&R collaborate with leading experts on topics like marine debris, environmental economics, endangered species, environmental chemistry, and many other subjects that intersect with pollution science. This blog highlights some recently published scientific advances supporting pollution response and assessment.