Monthly Archives June 2018

This is the second blog in a week-long series to highlight the importance of disaster preparedness. Follow us this week as we take a look at how NOAA prepares for natural and human-made disasters, and how you can prepare for the 2018 hurricane season. Share your #DisasterPreparedness strategy by commenting on our blog, or replying to our Twitter and Facebook.

This is the ninth in a monthly series profiling scientists and technicians who provide exemplary contributions to the mission of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R). This month’s profile is on Marine Debris Program Pacific Island Regional Coordinator Mark Manuel.

Mote Marine Laboratory was instrumental in the sea turtle rescue efforts during Deepwater Horizon and in honor of World Sea Turtle Day, June 16, Mote is excited to share some of the other work they do with sea turtles through their Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program. Find out more about Mote’s work to monitor and protect nesting activity in southwest Florida — a hotspot for loggerhead sea turtles — in this day-in-the-life blog by Mote Senior Biologist Melissa Bernhard.

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 eight incidents, including oil discharges, sunken vessels, and hazardous material releases.

Just before midnight on April 22, 2018, the M/V Iver Exporter was removing the sea water taken on the ship — also known as ballast, this water is used for balancing cargo — when the crew spotted a black sheen of heavy fuel oil around the vessel on the Mississippi River near New Orleans. Responders moved into action to stop the spill and protect our natural and man-made resources. But how did they ensure everyone was on the same page, looking at the same map?