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.
When oil or chemicals spill into coastal U.S. waters, the U.S. Coast Guard is the primary federal government agency charged with overseeing the response. To assist them, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration is mandated to provide science-based expertise to help them make informed decisions during these emergency operations.
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.
So far this year, OR&R has provided support to 140 incidents. In November 2022, OR&R provided response support to 22 incidents, including 12 new incidents in seven different states.
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.
So far this year, OR&R has provided support to 121 incidents. In October 2022, OR&R provided response support to 19 incidents, including seven new incidents in seven different states.
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. So far this year, OR&R has provided support to 121 incidents. In September 2022, OR&R provided response support to 19 incidents, including 10 new incidents in nine different states
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.
So far this year, OR&R has provided support to 98 incidents. In July, OR&R provided response support to 21 incidents, including 11 new incidents in seven states and one territory (the U.S. Virgin Islands). Staff prepared 147 new incident reports and documents, including nine fate and trajectory analyses. Cumulatively, these incidents posed an approximate risk of over 66,000 gallons of oils and 77,000 metric tons of chemicals.
So far this year, OR&R has provided support to 87 incidents. In June, OR&R provided response support to 30 incidents, including 22 new incidents in seven states and two foreign countries (Canada and Aruba). The new incidents included 19 actual or potential oil spills, one mystery spill, one grounded deep-sea semi-submersible oil rig with contaminated ballast water, and one whale carcass. Staff prepared 182 new incident reports and documents, including 13 fate and trajectory analyses.
In May 2022, OR&R provided response support to 35 incidents, including 17 new incidents in 11 states. The new incidents included 13 actual or potential oil spills, two chemical spills, one barge fire, and one whale carcass. The division prepared 98 new incident reports and documents, including eight fate and trajectory analyses. Cumulatively, these incidents posed the risk of over 69,000 gallons of oils and chemicals.
Hi! My name is Abisola Ajayi, and I’m a senior at the prestigious University of Maryland Eastern Shore. I’m currently majoring in biology. Growing up I learned at a very young age that education is a major aspect of life in today's world. Post-graduation, I’m planning to further my education and get into medical school.
In this Q&A series, I interviewed three scientists in NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration. In this last interview, I talk with Ensign Kyle Vincent, a regional response officer in OR&R’s Emergency Response Division.
