The Early Days and Hours of Deepwater Horizon

Posted Mon, 04/20/2020 - 13:59

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, get a detailed look at the early hours and days of the spill. 

How Thick is the Oil Slick?

Posted Fri, 04/17/2020 - 12:43
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest marine oil spill in U.S history, and responding to the disaster required the use of brand-new satellite technology to detect and map the footprint of oil on the surface of the ocean. A decade later a team of interdisciplinary scientists, many of whom worked on the historic spill, are developing ways to advance satellite technology to do something new — estimating the thickness of oil slicks from outer space. 

How Deepwater Horizon Data Tools are Used to Protect America’s Coastal Resources

Posted Tue, 04/14/2020 - 23:07
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration

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 how data tools used and developed during Deepwater Horizon help to protect coastal resources. 

How Deepwater Horizon Spurred Advances in Oil Toxicity Science
By Megan Ewald, Office of Response and Restoration
alyssa.gray Tue, 04/14/2020 - 12:46

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 advances in oil toxicity science that followed the Deepwater Horizon spill. 

NOAA’s Eyes in the Sky: How Satellite Technology Pioneered During Deepwater Horizon Patrols America’s Oceans for Pollution

Posted Mon, 04/13/2020 - 11:30
By Juan Velasco and Ellen Ramirez, NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

Ten years ago an experimental satellite-based Marine Pollution Surveillance Report program was thrust into the national spotlight during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Since then, this program has grown in scale and accuracy, becoming an indispensable tool for oil spills of all sizes. This guest blog by Juan Velasco and Ellen Ramirez explores the story behind NOAA’s Marine Pollution Surveillance Program.

Advances in Science: How Deepwater Horizon Helped Improve NOAA’s Oil Spill Modeling

Posted Fri, 04/10/2020 - 12:43
By Donna L. Roberts, in collaboration with Amy MacFadyen and Chris Barker, Office of Response and Restoration

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 how Deepwater Horizon helped improve NOAA's oil modeling capabilities. 

From the Deepwater Horizon Incident Command, to the Helm of the Disaster Preparedness Program: A Career Built Around Disaster Coordination

Posted Thu, 04/09/2020 - 13:40

In 2010, before Deepwater Horizon happened, Kate Wheelock was a regional resource coordinator for OR&R’s Assessment and Restoration Division. Based in Rhode Island, she covered the northeast region. On April 21, 2010, Kate had been on her way to an eco-toxicology training in California, watching events unfold on airport televisions.