1 / 17

Science in Oil Spill Response: Leveraging Knowledge for Effective Mitigation

Learn how NOAA's GOM Disaster Response Center uses science to address oil spills, including understanding spill characteristics, forecasting oil movement, assessing risks, evaluating impacts, and implementing alternative response technologies. Explore the use of in-situ burning and dispersants, and the potential of sub-surface dispersant applications. Discover the importance of monitoring effectiveness and adaptive management strategies in oil spill response.

mmarlin
Download Presentation

Science in Oil Spill Response: Leveraging Knowledge for Effective Mitigation

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Panel 1 - Role of Science Charlie HenryDirector, NOAA’s GOM Disaster Response Center

  2. Disclaimer: The information presented reflects only the views of the presenter, and does not necessarily reflect the official positions or policies of NOAA or the Department of Commerce.

  3. 1976 Argo Merchant oil spill, Nantucket, MA (Spilled Oil Research Team) 1975 Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP) NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) “We have been part of the science of oil and chemical spills for a very long time.” Who are we?Origins of NOAA “HAZMAT” Program…

  4. “Leverage science to help solve problems during all hazard emergency events… including oil spills.”

  5. Five Emergency Response Questions? • What was spilled? (Oil Chemistry) • Where is it going? (Oil Forecasts) • What’s at risk? (RAR/ESI) • How will it hurt? (Potential Impacts) • What can be done to mitigate the hurt? (Alternative Response Technologies) How did it hurt? (Natural Resource Damage Assessment or NRDA Process)

  6. NOAA OR&R “War Room”- “Science Room”

  7. In-Situ Burning and Dispersants Use at the Two Spills • In-Situ Burn • Exxon Valdez - Test Burn Only • Deepwater Horizon – >400 Individual In-Situ Burns • Dispersants • Exxon Valdez – Test Application Only • Deepwater Horizon – Roughly 400 Individual Aerial Sorties • Deepwater Horizon – Subsurface Application of Dispersants (something new)

  8. Sub-Surface (Sea Floor) Dispersant Application • Operational Issues and Authorization • Would it even work? (mixing and resonance times) • Dispersed Plume Transport (Where would it go?) • Receptors - Resources at Risk (What’s at risk and how will it hurt?) • Overall Spill Trade-offs (What would hurt less?) • Monitoring for Effectiveness (Efficacy) and Effects • Adaptive Management Strategy

  9. Hypothesis -Adaptive Management Minimum Regret Prospective Hypoxia

  10. Deep water monitoring Adaptive Mission Guidance

  11. Final Comment “…one objective of science in oil spill response is to learn from past spills and apply this knowledge to the next spill.”

  12. Shigenaka, G. 2014. Twenty-Five Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: NOAA’s Scientific Support, Monitoring, and Research. Seattle: NOAA Office of Response and Restoration. 78 pp. http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/exxon-valdez-oil-spill

More Related