Monthly Archives December 2021

A Look Back on the Year in Emergency Response

Posted Thu, 12/30/2021 - 15:38
By Doug Helton and Shane O'Neal, Office of Response and Restoration Emergency Response Division

It’s almost the end of the year and time to reflect on events. What a year, from the pandemic and teleworking, to wildfires and a record hurricane season. The “normal” emergency response activities that NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration deals with on a regular basis still took place, but under the unrelenting pressure of a challenging year for all. Despite the feelings of deja vu, emergencies continued to happen this year. Here is an updated summary of OR&R's Emergency Response Division responses for 2021 when, just as in previous years, the division provided scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard in a wide range of scenarios—remotely when possible, and on-scene when needed.

Support for International Oil Spills from Afar

Posted Fri, 12/17/2021 - 15:00
By Doug Helton, Office of Response and Restoration

Over the past year, NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration provided scientific support for six international spill responses. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NOAA scientists were not able to go on scene; however, our improved capabilities to provide support ensured that our remote service continued to be effective. Among the products OR&R provided were oil fate and trajectory analyses, oil and debris cleanup recommendations, advice on marine mammal and sea turtle impacts, and satellite imagery.

Researching, Preventing, and Reducing Marine Debris on our Shores in FY21

Posted Wed, 12/15/2021 - 14:52
By the Office of Response and Restoration Marine Debris Program

This past year has certainly been a busy one for OR&R's Marine Debris Program as it moved forward under the guidance of a new 2021-2025 Strategic Plan and six program pillars—prevention, removal, research, monitoring and detection, response, and coordination. Here’s a closer look at a few of the major accomplishments from the Marine Debris Program and our partners this past fiscal year.

Over $130 Million to Restore 10 Polluted Waterways Across the Country

Posted Mon, 12/13/2021 - 13:42
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration

When pollution harms American waterways, it’s not enough to simply clean up the contamination. Restoring the environment means implementing projects that help habitats, wildlife, and coastal communities recover quickly and completely. In fiscal year 2021, NOAA helped to recover over $130 million to restore 10 polluted waterways after oil spills and industrial pollution. NOAA and partners worked to evaluate the impacts of pollution and reach legal agreements with those responsible for pollution to fund restoration.

The First Cross-NOAA Disaster Recovery Support Workshop

Posted Fri, 12/10/2021 - 14:51
By Autumn Lotze, Office of Response and Restoration

The Office of Response and Restoration’s Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) and the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) recently hosted the first cross-NOAA workshop on Disaster Recovery Support. Find out how this workshop supports our disaster recovery efforts in this blog.

A Mission to Mālama Through Marine Debris Removal

Posted Thu, 12/09/2021 - 13:07
Office of Response and Restoration Marine Debris Program

On Wednesday, September 22, the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center’s Marine Debris Project team, joined by the non-profit Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, marked the completion of their marine debris removal mission in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (monument). The team arrived at Pearl Harbor aboard the charter vessel IMUA along with the nearly 124,000 pounds of marine debris removed during the 30-day mission.

A Dozen Ways NOAA Advanced Marine Pollution Science in 2021

Posted Tue, 12/07/2021 - 13:55
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration

To answer the question “How does pollution impact the ocean and what can we do about it?” NOAA experts often need to conduct research that advances our knowledge of marine pollution science. This blog highlights 12 scientific articles about research advancing pollution response and assessment published in Fiscal Year 2021.

Incident Responses for November 2021

Posted Fri, 12/03/2021 - 14:20

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 12 incidents in November, including oil discharges, grounded vessels, and other pollution-related incidents.

Tsunamis: Know the Signs, Hear the Stories, and Get Prepared!

Posted Thu, 12/02/2021 - 18:26
By Kim Albins, Office of Response and Restoration Disaster Preparedness Program

Imagine this: you are sitting on a beautiful beach enjoying a lovely day, when out of the blue an alarm blasts from your phone and reads “Tsunami warning.” Do you know where you would go and what to do? What if you aren’t in the U.S. and there are no alarms, would you know the signs of an approaching tsunami?