Advances in Assessing Sea Turtles and Marine Mammals During Oil Spills

Posted Tue, 06/01/2021 - 12:58
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration
A man holding an oiled sea turtle.

2021 marks 30 years of NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) working to hold polluters accountable for the impacts of oil spills, hazardous waste, and ship groundings in waterways. When oil spills and hazardous waste pollution impact protected species like sea turtles, whales, and dolphins, NOAA experts use leading science to assess the impacts and hold polluters accountable. 

Tags
Deepwater Horizon
Assessment and Restoration Division

Learning From the Pros: Using NOAA's Lessons Learned to Be Safer This Hurricane Season

Posted Fri, 05/28/2021 - 15:11
By William Whitmore
A satellite image of a shoreline.

For the Atlantic ocean basin, June 1 marks the beginning of hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. NOAA’s National Ocean Service has 100 facilities, 14 marine sanctuaries, two national monuments, and more than 1,400 employees to manage and protect from hurricanes and other significant weather events. The National Ocean Service also supports five mission essential functions in support of presidential disaster declarations.

Tags
disaster preparedness
Hurricanes
Incident Responses for April 2021 alyssa.dillon Fri, 05/14/2021 - 17:27
Responders next to a vessel leaning on its side.

Every month our Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard on everything from running oil spill trajectories to model where the spill may spread, to possible effects on wildlife and fisheries and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment. This month OR&R responded to 13 incidents in April, including oil discharges, grounded vessels, and other pollution-related incidents. 

 

Tags
Emergency Response Division (ERD)
Abandoned Vessels
oil spill

Minds Behind OR&R: Meet Natural Resource and Community Recovery Specialist Autumn Lotze

Posted Fri, 05/07/2021 - 14:14
A person posing for a photo with a body of water and mountains in the backgorund.

This feature is part of a monthly series profiling scientists and technicians who provide exemplary contributions to the mission of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R). In our latest "Minds Behind OR&R," we feature Natural Resource and Community Recovery Specialist Autumn Lotze.

Tags
disaster preparedness
Natural Disasters

8 Advances in Oil Spill Science in the Decade Since Deepwater Horizon

Posted Wed, 04/21/2021 - 12:10
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration
Two people holding a stick.

From March 30 to April 20, tune in as we go back in time to the day of our country’s largest marine oil spill, what’s happened since then, and how we’re better prepared for future spills. In our final blog we provide on overview of some of the advances in science we’ve discussed in-depth throughout the last three weeks.

Tags
Deepwater Horizon
science
Floating Bioassays: New Tool Helps Track and Assess Toxicity in Oil Spills
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration
alyssa.dillon Thu, 04/15/2021 - 15:31
A wave with oil in it.

At first glance, the blue surface of the open ocean seems like an empty place. But if you look closely, life teems just beneath the surface. Tiny, transparent fish eggs, larval invertebrates, and other planktonic organisms float and drift at the mercy of wind and ocean currents. 

Tags
Assessment and Restoration Division
oil spill

Dolphin Discoveries in the Decade Since Deepwater Horizon

Posted Wed, 04/14/2021 - 20:30
By Teri Rowles, Lori Schwacke (National Marine Mammal Foundation), and Megan Ewald
A group of people in water holding a dolphin.

From March 30 to April 20, tune in as we go back in time to the day of our country’s largest marine oil spill, what’s happened since then, and how we’re better prepared for future spills. In our latest blog, learn more about the research and discoveries that have been made about dolphins since Deepwater Horizon.

Tags
Deepwater Horizon
marine mammals

Restoration for the Rising Tide

Posted Fri, 04/09/2021 - 13:19
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration
A car driving through a flooded street.

This week, we’re sharing some of the ways NOAA monitors and predicts, responds to, and prepares for the impacts of climate change. In this blog, learn more about the different types of restoration used to help recover from and mitigate the impacts of severe storm events, and coastal pollution. 

Tags
climate change
Restoration
disaster preparedness
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