TREPN: Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill Updates

Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico

As the nation’s experts on oceanic and atmospheric science, the lead science agency for oil spills — and the nation's steward for our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes — NOAA has been on the scene from day one, providing coordinated scientific, weather and biological information and products when and where they are needed most.

More Information

Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill: 100 Days — A Snapshot of NOAA's Response Here's a brief snapshot of some of NOAA's efforts and achievements in the first hours — and the first 100 days — of this aggressive and sustained federal response. [leaves OR&R site]
ERMA Gulf of Mexico at GeoPlatform.gov A new online tool that employs the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) a web-based GIS platform that provides you with near-real time information about the response effort. The site offers you a "one-stop shop" for spill response information.

The site integrates the latest data the federal responders have about the oil spill’s trajectory with fishery area closures, wildlife data and place-based Gulf Coast resources — such as pinpointed locations of oiled shoreline and current positions of deployed research ships — into one customizable interactive map. [leaves OR&R site]

Response

Fact Sheet: What to Expect in South Florida from the Deepwater Horizon/ BP Oil Spill
(Document format: PDF, size: 438.6 K)

NOAA provides coordinated scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state and local organizations. Experts from across the agency have mobilized to help contain the spreading oil spill and protect the Gulf of Mexico’s many marine mammals, sea turtles, fish, shellfish, and other endangered marine life. NOAA spill specialists are advising the U.S. Coast Guard on cleanup options as well as advising all affected federal, state and local partners on sensitive marine resources at risk in this area of the Gulf of Mexico. Overflights are conducted on a daily basis (weather permitting) to provide field verification of model trajectories. NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is supporting the response work in the Gulf with NOAA-owned ships and aircraft.

Please see GeoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse [leaves OR&R site] for further information on the federal response to the Deepwater Horizon Incident.

Trajectories:

OR&R’s modeling team continues to generate daily trajectories for the nearshore surface oil. The offshore trajectory maps (previously displayed on this page, showing oil interacting with the Loop Current) have been temporarily suspended because the northern end of the Loop Current has been pinched off into a large eddy (Eddy Franklin) so there is no clear path for oil to enter the Loop Current from the source. Also, there have been no reports of recoverable oil in the Loop Current or Eddy Franklin and the oil has moved to the North and away from the Eddy Franklin. We will continue to monitor the area with overflights, vessel observations, and satellite analysis. When the threat of shoreline impacts to the Florida Keys increases, we will resume producing the offshore trajectory maps.

The Loop Current is an area of warm water that comes up from the Caribbean, flowing past the Yucatan Peninsula and into the Gulf of Mexico. It generally curves east across the Gulf and then flows south parallel to the west Florida coast. An eddy is water that rotates.

Closures:

For the latest closure information, see Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill: Federal Fisheries Closure and Other Information [leaves OR&R site].

Modeling and mapping the actual and projected spill area is not an exact science. NOAA Fisheries Service strongly advises fishermen not to fish in areas where oil or oil sheens (very thin layers of floating oil) are present, even if those areas are not currently closed to fishing. Any changes to the closure are announced daily at 12 p.m. Eastern at sero.nmfs.noaa.gov [leaves OR&R site] and take effect at 6 p.m. Eastern the same day.

Assessment:

To help determine the type and amount of restoration needed to compensate the public for harm to natural resources as a result of the spill, a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (Document format: PDF, size: 90.8 K) will be conducted by NOAA and our co-trustee agencies. Although many agencies are involved in this process, NOAA is a lead federal trustee for coastal and marine natural resources, including marine and migratory fish, endangered species, marine mammals and their habitats. The focus currently is to assemble existing data on resources and their habitats and collect baseline (pre-spill impact) data. Data on oiled resources and habitats are also being collected. For additional information, see the DARRP Deepwater Horizon Web page.