Lisa C. Symons

Mt Mitchell oceanographic expedition in the Gulf

Abstract Between February and June 1992, the NOAA Ship Mt Mitchell conducted a 100-day multi-disciplinary oceanographic research investigation in the Gulf, involving more than 140 marine scientists from 15 nations. The expedition was sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) and focused on the fate and effects of the 1991 Gulf war oil spills on the regions marine environment. The expedition was unusual, given the limited time in which it was conceived, planned, implemented, and completed. The missions success may be measured not only in the wealth of scientific data collected, but also in the strides made in local, regional, and international environmental awareness and political cooperation in the Gulf.

The Remediation of Underwater Legacy Environmental Threats (RULET) Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Shipwrecks in U.S. Waters

ABSTRACT Although there are approximately 20,000 shipwrecks in U.S. waters, we now know that most of them are unlikely to be substantial pollution threats. Using initial screening factors (age, location, construction material, propulsion type, type, and size), 573 wrecks were identified as potentially containing larger amounts of oil. Secondary screening factors that relied on archival research and original documents for details, such as structural integrity and potential cargo and bunker capacities, reduced the list to 87 wrecks known or suspected to pose a substantial pollution threat. The majority of these are associated with World War II casualties in the Battle of the Atlantic. As of 2013, the average age of each wreck is 83 years old, as many were built or retrofitted for service during WWII. A consequence analysis consisting of oil spill trajectory and fate modeling and an assessment of ecological and socio-economic resources at risk was conducted for the 87 wrecks. Based on vessel pollution potent...

UNDERSEA POLLUTION THREATS AND TRAJECTORY MODELING

This article describes how two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration resources, the Resources and Undersea Threats (RUST) database and the Trajectory Analysis Planner (TAP), can be used together to provide more robust area contingency plans for undersea pollution threats. RUST was developed to inventory and assess potential threats from underwater sources of pollution. Undersea threat information is only the first step of several in determining the potential scope and scale of the spill trajectories that demonstrate potential to impact sensitive resources. Resource managers frequently have to make decisions based on the precautionary approach, using the best available information to weigh alternatives without knowing for certain whether they are making the right choice. In contrast, pollution responders are generally reactionary and response alternatives must be generated with the best available information. TAP was developed as a spill response and planning application, which randomly samples seasonal climatology and runs hundreds of possible trajectories. These trajectories are combined to form several modes that display various types of ocean analysis. Combining TAP modeling with the RUST database could provide seasonal probability pollution threat contours for each significant undersea pollution threat. This would provide marine resource managers with critical information for making planning decisions and for developing preparedness and response operations.

A Means to Streamline Historic and Cultural Resource Consultation and Compliance for Pollution Assessment and Recovery Activities on Shipwrecks

ABSTRACT In May 2013, per Congressional direction and to support a better understanding of pollution sources in the U. S. waters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided...

Emergency response in National Marine Sanctuaries

National Marine Sanctuaries preserve and protect unique national treasures in our coastal environments. They are not immune from threats posed by marine transportation accidents. NOAA has been working with the U.S. Coast Guard and state partners to ensure that emergencies in sanctuaries are met with the most effective and protective response possible. NOAA developed an emergency response exercise called Safe Sanctuaries 2005 (SS2005) to highlight NOAAs ability to deliver data, observations, forecasts, and expertise during emergencies threatening life, commerce, or the environment. SS2005 revolved around an 800-foot cargo vessel carrying 200,000 gallons of fuel grounding near Elbow Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Such grounding would injure coral habitat and historical artifacts and threaten other resources with spilled oil. This scenario provided a setting for integrating people and capabilities across NOAA. The exercise objectives stressed NOAAs internal and external communications, procedures for deploying technical capabilities during emergencies, and the health and safety of NOAA response personnel. The exercise included a tabletop component in March 2005 and field operations in April 2005. The April field operations demonstrated observation, information processing, modeling and forecast capabilities from across NOAA. Real-time metrological and oceanographic observation capabilities were deployed at the grounding site and integrated with weather and pollution forecasts. A navigation response team surveyed the area in support of salvage operations, providing immediate navigation chart updates. NOAA also joined forces with the State of Florida to survey environmental impacts from the grounding and oil. The information from all of these activities was integrated by a NOAA scientific team supporting a unified command comprised of U.S. Coast Guard, State of Florida, and the private sector. A significant component of the exercise focused on providing training in emergency response management, including the use of the Sanctuaries Hazardous Incident Emergency Logistics Database System (SHIELDS) and the Incident Command System. Training included field staff from multiple agencies, providing an opportunity to build the personal relationships necessary for effective emergency response. A post exercise debriefing helped identify gaps in operational capabilities, areas requiring further research, and training that could enhance future operations. The training, tabletop, and field exercises provided an opportunity to both demonstrate NOAAs operational capabilities and to analyze future requirements.

Update and Lessons Learned from RULET Assessments on Potentially Polluting Wrecks in the US

In response to a 2010 mandate from Congress, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) produced a specifically-designed Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U.S. Wat...

For Response Planning: Predicted Environmental Contamination Resulting from Oil Leakage from Sunken Vessels

An evaluation was made of the amounts and types of oil potentially released from sunken vessels in U.S. waters, where oil would be transported, how rapidly it would reach sensitive resources, and m...

NOAA NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES AS RESOURCE TRUSTEES IN THE UNIFIED COMMAND: GOOD OR BAD?

ABSTRACT The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a federal trustee within the National Contingency Plan (NCP) in addition to providing scientific and technical support to the Incident Command System (ICS) during a response. NOAA is also the home of the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), a system of 14 marine protected areas that encompass 150,000 square miles of coastal and oceanic waters. NOAA is increasing its capacity for addressing a significant incident through participating in and leading spill response exercises. One of the most intense aspects of those experiences is often the discussion of the role of NOAA as a trustee and whether they should be part of the Unified Command (UC). While the NCP outlines the expectations of Regional Response Team (RRT) members from the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce (NOAA), it provides the Federal On Scene Coordinator (FOSC) considerable flexibility in determining whether to include trustees within the UC or wo...