Posts tagged with

oil spill

Advances in Pollution Response and Assessment Science

Posted Tue, 08/22/2023 - 15:57

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.

Looking Back to a Major Spill in Tampa Bay—30 Years Ago this Month

Posted Wed, 08/09/2023 - 13:51
By Doug Helton, Office of Response and Restoration

Doug Helton, Regional Operations Supervisor in OR&R's Emergency Response Division, recalls a significant incident that happened 30 years ago in Tampa Bay, involving multiple vessels, a fire, and spilled heavy fuel oil, jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline. Despite decades passing by, he continues to use photos from that incident to illustrate the challenges and trade-offs of shoreline cleanup.

Incident Responses for February 2023

Posted Thu, 03/23/2023 - 20:52

Every month, OR&R’s 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 identifying possible effects on wildlife and fisheries and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment. We also get requests to track and model other floating objects.

In February 2023, ERD responded to 13 new incidents in nine different states, one territory (Guam) and one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands (Johnston Atoll, located 750 nautical miles (1,390 km; 860 mi) southwest of the island of Hawaiʻi).

A Look Back on the Year in Emergency Response

Posted Thu, 01/12/2023 - 14:21
By Doug Helton, Office of Response and Restoration

At the end of each year, we reflect on the response events and activities we supported. In 2022, we provided scientific support to the Coast Guard and other federal responders for a wide range of scenarios — remotely when possible, and on-scene when needed. 

Our first call of 2022 came on Jan. 9. The Coast Guard Sector New York notified the NOAA scientific support coordinator that a 45-foot sport fishing vessel, the Time Out, broke loose from its mooring and grounded on Sandy Hook National Seashore in New Jersey.