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Oil and Chemical Spills
NOAA provides scientific
expertise, data, tools, training, and assistance to help people
respond to oil and chemical spills.
National
Ocean Service
NOAA brings scientific expertise to the table
Each year, there are thousands of oil and
chemical spills in coastal waters around the nation.
These spills range from small ship collisions
to fuel transfer mishaps to massive spill events like the BP Deepwater Horizon
oil spill.
The release of oil and chemicals into our
coastal waterways can kill wildlife, destroy habitat, and contaminate critical
resources in the food chain.
Spills can also wreak havoc on the economies
of coastal communities by forcing the closure of fisheries, driving away
tourists, or temporarily shutting down navigation routes.
And these environmental and economic damages
can linger for decades.
When dealing with oil and chemical spills,
there are many questions that need to be answered.
What was spilled?
Where is the spill likely to travel in the
water?
How is the local environment affected now —
and how might it be affected down the road?
What's the best way to clean up the spill?
How will balance be restored to the
environment after the damage has been done?
NOAA brings scientific expertise to the table
to help answer these questions.
Response and Restoration
NOAA is charged with responding to oil
spills, hazardous material releases, and marine debris, primarily through the
Ocean Service’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R).
This office’s Emergency Response Division is
often first on the scene, providing scientific expertise to predict where the
spill is going and what impacts it might have, identifying resources at risk,
and recommending clean-up methods.
Regional NOAA scientific support coordinators
organize NOAA resources in support of federal and state response efforts and
work with scientists from other public agencies, academia, and the private
sector to support operations when an oil or chemical spill occurs.
One of the primary services provided by the
Office of Response and Restoration is advanced computer modeling, necessary to
forecast where a given spill might go and its potential effects on the coastal
environment.
To help in planning and responding to spills,
NOS scientists also create environmental sensitivity index maps.
These maps are created to serve as quick
reference guides that describe the characteristics and uses of the shorelines
near spill areas — critical information that helps responders decide how to
deploy limited resources and manpower.
First responders also have access to numerous
other tools and information provided by NOS scientists.
These tools include job aids for use during
oil spills to determine amounts of oil spilled and best response guidelines.
Specialized aids are also available for
sensitive habitats such as coral reefs.
The work isn’t done when the bulk of the
spill clean-up is complete.
Staff from the Office of Response and
Restoration’s Assessment and Restoration Division play a critical role in
NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program — a cross-NOAA
program comprised of scientists, economists, attorneys, and restoration
experts.
These experts work in teams to protect and
restore coastal resources threatened by waste sites, oil and chemical spills,
and ship groundings.
Through a process known as natural resource
damage assessment, NOS scientists determine the nature and extent of injuries
to natural resources from spills, and the restoration actions needed to reverse
these losses.
NOS experts also use scientific and economic
studies to determine the level of restoration necessary to restore the natural
resources and services they provide.
Tracking Contamination
When a disaster like a major oil spill
occurs, one of NOAA’s important jobs is to measure and assess the impact on
coastal and marine ecosystems so that measures can be taken to attempt to
restore them to pre-spill conditions, and to provide information for natural
resource damage assessment.
NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean
Science play a central role in this process by tracking contamination and its
effects on the animals and plants that live in the areas impacted by a spill.
Scientists tracks contamination in several
ways. First, they collect and maintain long-term monitoring data on
contaminants measured in sediments, shellfish, and water for all U.S. coasts
and the Great Lakes.
Shellfish are particularly good indicators of
water quality because they concentrate pollutants from the water in their
tissues as they feed.
When a spill occurs, NCCOS scientists attempt
to collect sediments and shellfish before the spill hits the shore.
If oil reaches the shore, scientists will
collect sediments and shellfish for a second time.
The difference between these two measurements
indicates how much contamination can be attributed to the spill.
Scientists also collect water samples to
“fingerprint” the oil or chemicals from a spill, allowing them to distinguish
that oil from contamination coming from other sources.
NCCOS scientists also try to pinpoint which
areas may have been most affected by a given spill. They do this by looking at
the creatures that live in the sediment and analyzing whether or not the
sediment has become toxic to these organisms.
This kind of “bioeffects” research helps
scientists understand how contamination is affecting the food chain.
Oil along the New Orleans River Walk
following a spill that happened Thursday, April 12, 2018. Image credit: U.S.
Coast Guard.
View from above
For major spills, often the best perspective
is from high above.
NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) deploys
to the scene of major spills to collect aerial images to capture a bird’s eye
view of spill and coastal areas.
NGS uses NOAA aircraft outfitted with mapping
sensors. Data acquisition typically focuses on the land-water interface in
high-priority areas in an effort to protect wildlife and the shoreline.
NGS also provides remotely sensed imagery
from previous mapping projects to help response personnel assess shoreline
features that were present prior to the spill.
NGS has been collecting aerial photographs of
our nation’s coast since the early 1900s.
Following an incident such as an oil spill or
a natural disaster such as a hurricane, NGS photos provide emergency and
coastal managers with information needed to develop recovery strategies,
identify hazards, and locate errant vessels.
The images also provide documentation
necessary for damage assessment through the comparison of before and after imagery.
These photos are not just used to support
disaster response. NGS aerial photos are also used to define the national
shoreline, create maps and charts, and monitor environmental change.
More than 500,000 photo negatives, dating
from 1945 to the present year, exist in NOS archives and are maintained by the
National Geodetic Survey.
Ocean observing
The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System
(IOOS®) is a coordinated network of people and technology that compiles and
distributes data on our coastal waters, Great Lakes, and oceans.
It includes partners at all levels of
government, academic institutions, and the private sector.
Following a major spill, responders need
information such as water levels, current speed and direction, wind speed and
direction, and wave heights.
This information is collected by a variety of
organizations (including NOS) using satellites, buoys, tide gauges, radar
stations, and underwater vehicles.
IOOS helps bring this information together,
so that it can be coordinated and made available to those who need it.
As an example, IOOS regional partners from
the Gulf Coast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Southern California, and
the Northwest are working in concert to provide data, tools, models, and other
products to support BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill response efforts.
Part of this support involves the use of
underwater unmanned gliders to assist in the tracking of oil flows at various
levels in the water column.
Glider technology is unique in that it collects
critical data throughout the water column at relatively low cost and at no risk
to human life.
This is the first oil spill response in the
U.S. where this technology has been applied.
IOOS is also using high frequency radar
technology to measure Gulf of Mexico surface current speed and direction in
near real time.
Data collected are incorporated into oil
spill trajectory models.
On Feb. 26, 2018, oil was released into the
Shuyak Strait in Alaska after an abandoned building collapsed.
Delivering data
Determining where oil or chemicals will move
following a spill requires knowing how the water and wind are moving.
The Center for Operational Oceanographic
Products and Services (CO-OPS) operates and maintains an extensive network of
hundreds of coastal measurement systems around the nation that collect and
provide this verified information.
The collected data are important to helping
mariners safely navigate in and out of ports and harbors, so CO-OPS operates
these systems year round, not just following an oil spill.
However, in support of major oil spill
response efforts, CO-OPS may modify existing products to better meet the needs
of responders and communities.
For example, CO-OPS delivers a product called
Storm QuickLook to provide a synopsis of near real-time ocean and weather
observations at locations when a hurricane is threatening an area. In response
to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, CO-OPS reengineered NOAA Storm QuickLook to
include not only water level and weather data in potentially affected areas,
but also a NOAA graphic showing the location of the oil spill.
CO-OPS also developed a specialized display
of Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) data from the Gulfport,
Pascagoula, and Mobile Bay PORTS.
Using MyPORTS, a customizable PORTS®
application, CO-OPS created a display of current speeds and directions, as well
as weather observations in the region of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Operated year round in 21 locations around
the U.S., PORTS® measures and disseminates observations and predictions of
water levels, currents, salinity, and weather information such as winds,
atmospheric pressure, and air and water temperatures needed to support the
safety and efficiency of maritime commerce and coastal resource management.
Charting the way
The oceans are trading routes for the planet.
The U.S. exports over $11 billion worth of wheat, grown from Maryland to
Washington, to 67 countries, with shipments from the East Coast, West Coast,
Gulf Coast, and the Great Lakes.
And that is just one example. All segments of
our economy rely on timely exports and imports. The safe movement of goods in
and out of ports can't stop because of an oil spill.
To help mariners safely navigate following major
spills, the Office of Coast Survey updates nautical chart products that display
spill zone forecasts based on the best-available projections.
The charts depict the 48-hour forecast for
oil location, juxtaposed against the standard safety fairways that lead to port
approaches.
These electronic and raster charts alert ship
captains to the location of the forecasted spill area, so that captains can
take efforts to avoid the spill.
The U.S. Coast Guard also uses the chart
information to develop instructions and alternative anchorages for vessels
transiting U.S. waters.
A nautical chart depicts the nature and shape
of the coast, water depths, and general topography of the ocean floor;
locations of navigational danger and protected marine life; predicted tides;
locations of human-made aids to navigation; and, in port areas, traffic
separation schemes.
Ships transiting U.S. waters are required to
carry nautical charts, which they use to plan their routes for intended
voyages.
For over 200 years, NOAA's Office of Coast
Survey has created and updated the nation's charts, providing mariners with the
accuracy and precision they need to navigate the shortest, safest, and most
economical routes.
Helping people
NOAA's Office for Coastal Management (OCM)
helps communities prepare for and adapt to the impacts of major spills.
NOAA experts in OCM not only provide data,
but also the tools, training, and assistance needed to turn these data into
useful information.
Satellite imagery and socioeconomic findings
represent the most requested data sets, and services provided include skilled
facilitators who help affected parties come together to determine how to best
address current and future oil-related impacts.
OCM also helps states prepare for the
potential impacts of significant oil and chemical spills.
OCM administers the National Coastal Zone
Management Program, a voluntary federal-state partnership that protects,
restores, and responsibly develops our nation's diverse coastal communities and
resources.
Through this program, experts provide
technical and financial assistance and deliver federal updates, information,
and contacts to to state coastal management programs.
OCM staff also help coastal managers prepare
for the possibility of oil reaching their coastal waters and shores.
In addition, OCM administers the National
Estuarine Research Reserve System, a network of estuarine areas established
across the nation for long-term stewardship, research, and education.
Estuaries are crucial spawning areas for many
commercial and recreational fish and shellfish, and they buffer upland areas
from flooding and shoreline erosion.
Since the effects of oil in estuaries can be
especially damaging, OCM maintains close contact with the regional reserves
affected by spills to help them prepare for the possible landfall of oil or chemicals.
Their assistance includes serving as a
clearinghouse to match existing expertise with specific needs at the affected
reserves.
In addition, the reserve system provides a
wealth of long-term environmental data that is used to support planning and modeling
related to spills.
Pollution and People
The
release of oil and chemicals into our coastal waterways is a major problem —
for our environment in particular, but also for the people and communities that depend on the
environment for survival, commerce, recreation, and culture.
Marine pollution can affect the availability
of food, particularly in the fishing industry. An oil or chemical spill also
has the potential to shut down beaches or other recreational areas.
Closures
such as this can put a damper on your vacation if you're a tourist or simply
someone who enjoys taking advantage of natural recreational resources.
On an
even larger scale, if you live in an area that depends on tourism for commerce,
your entire local economy could be put at risk.
About
the National Ocean Service
America's
Coastal & Ocean Agency
Our
Priorities
The
National Ocean Service provides data, tools, and services that support coastal
economies and their contribution to the national economy. NOS is dedicated to
advancing the following priorities:
Safe
and efficient transportation and commerce
Ships
move $1.5 trillion worth of products in and out of U.S. ports every year. Every
ship moving in and out of U.S. ports relies on navigation charts and water
level information that NOS alone provides. All mapping, charting, and
transportation activities and infrastructure are founded on a reliable,
accurate national coordinate system. NOS is solely responsible for maintaining
that system, which provides more than $2.4 billion in potential annual benefits
to the U.S. economy. Businesses in the maritime community rely on NOS for a
range of decisions, from how much cargo to load to choosing the safest and most
efficient route between two points. They use NOS data, tools, and services to
plan seasonally for ship schedules to service global trade more safely and
efficiently as significantly larger vessels transit through U.S. ports as a
result of the Panama Canal expansion.
Preparedness
and risk reduction
Coastal
communities represent a major economic engine for the United States. Immediate
and potentially life-threatening events such as hurricanes, as well as
long-term issues like high tide flooding, are real challenges to coastal
communities. NOS brings a unique range of information and capabilities to help
communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from these events. For
example, NOS maintains the nation's network of coastal tide and water level
sensors to provide real-time data that supports accurate weather forecasts,
coastal storm and flood predictions, and tsunami warnings. NOS provides data
and tools that enable businesses and coastal communities to better plan for and
mitigate risk from changing conditions. The agency provides information and
data to protect human health and coastal economies with early warnings of harmful
algal blooms and other threats. Every year, NOS responds to natural disasters
and more than 150 oil and chemical spills in U.S. and state waters, which
damage environments and disrupt economies. As the authoritative resource for
science related to marine debris, oil, and chemical spills, NOS provides
responders with the information they need to understand the severity of a spill
and where it will travel.
Stewardship,
recreation, and tourism
The
United States boasts some of the most important natural, cultural, and
historical resources in the world—not just on land but under the water as well.
The value of the U.S. coastal tourism and recreation industry in 2009 was $62
billion. NOS plays a critical role in protecting and promoting access to these
special coastal and marine places. NOS is entrusted with the responsibility to
manage a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 600,000 square
miles of coastal, marine, and Great Lakes waters. Across all national marine
sanctuaries, about $8 billion annually is generated in local economies from
activities like commercial fishing, tourism, and recreation. NOS also partners
with states to manage national estuarine research reserves, a network of 29
coastal sites designated to protect and study estuarine systems. The reserves
reflect the rich diversity of environments along our coasts and Great Lakes,
and provide places for education, recreation, and boosting local economies.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/spills/
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