Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico
As the nation’s leading scientific resource for oil spills, NOAA has been on the scene of the BP oil spill from the start, providing coordinated scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state and local organizations. More Updated daily
Situation: May 27, 2010 Response:
NOAA continues to prepare daily trajectories of the floating oil. Winds are forecast to have a light northerly component through Saturday morning. These offshore winds may eventually lead to a reprieve in new shoreline impacts, but the Mississippi Delta west to Timbalier Bay, Breton Sound and the Chandeleur Islands continue to be threatened by shoreline contacts during this forecast period. NOAA continues to track the narrow band of oil to the SE of the main slick. These scattered sheens will continue to be entrained in the counter-clockwise eddy, but it is possible that smaller portion of oil may move into the Loop Current and persist as very widely scattered tarballs not visible from imagery.
The flow rate technical team has completed its initial analysis and has estimated the leak rate at 12,000 barrels to 19,000 barrels per day. A Multi-agency and academic team reported out the results of two studies, one focusing on surface oiling and the other that analyzed the underwater plume. More information on the calculations can be found at http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Flow-Rate-Group-Provides-Preliminary-Best-Estimate-Of-Oil-Flowing-from-BP-Oil-Well.cfm. Assessment:
NOAA’s Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program is conducting aNatural Resource Damage Assessment. 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.
NOAA by the Numbers in the Gulf Region May 27, 2010 - N46RF Twin Otter (DHC-6), Current station: Mobile, Ala., Began flying marine mammal surveys as of 28 Apr. Its mission changed on May 5 to multispectral scanning to study oil density and thickness.
- N56RF Twin Otter (DHC-6), Current Station: Mobile, Ala., Mission: Marine mammal surveys, First Flight: 5 May
- N68RF King Air (BE-350ER), Current Station: New Orleans, La., Mission: Coastal photography and mapping, First Flight: 5 May.
- N42RF Orion (WP-3D), Current Station: Tampa, Fla., Mission: Loop Current study; First Flight: 8 May, flew May 21. During its May 21 mission 62 vertical oceanographic profiles (AXBT, AXCP, and AXCTD) and eight atmospheric profiles (GPS dropwindsondes) were collected. The next flight is planned for Friday, May 28.
NOAA and contract research vessels:
- Gordon Gunter
- A media briefing was held with the NOAA Ship GORDON GUNTER dockside at the Jackson County Port Authority facility in Pascagoula, Miss. CDR. Dave Score, CO of the GUNTER and Russell Brown, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and mission chief scientist provided an overview of the vessel and mission. Mississippi Press, WLOX (Biloxi, Miss. television affiliate) and Biloxi Sun-Herald attended.
- Estimated time of departure 1000 Today.
- Media availability is scheduled for Friday while the ship is underway.
- Thomas Jefferson
- Completed the deployment of 2 Seagliders, 5 profiling floats and 6 current drifters dispersed among 9 drop locations.
- Currently transiting to New Orleans avoiding areas of high surface oil concentrations.
- Testing and refining shipboard 4 different shipboard sonar systems (12, 38, 200, and 400 kHz) for the acoustic detection of submerged oil.
- Media availability is planned for Friday
- NOAA Ships Pisces and Oregon II are alongside in a repair status
- R/V Caretta, R/V Gandy and R/V HST are alongside
- F/V Beau Rivage
- Scheduled to depart Thursday, May 27th for a trawl cruise in western Louisiana waters to collect baseline samples.
SCAT teams:
Two aerial reconnaissance teams flew, all ground/boat teams had surveys canceled by severe weather on May 26. Fishery closure update:
NOAA Fisheries Service revised the fishery closure effective 6:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 25. The closure now encompasses slightly more than 22 percent of the federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico exclusive economic zone. No change was made on May 27. Marine mammals and turtles (effective May 26): Sea Turtles
The total number of sea turtles verified from April 30 to May 26 within the designated spill area is 228. The 228 includes three entirely oiled sea turtles that were captured alive during dedicated on-water surveys last week: two small Kemp's Ridley and a larger sub-adult Loggerhead turtle. They were taken to the Audubon Aquarium where they are undergoing de-oiling and care and are doing well. In addition, 212 dead and 13 live stranded turtles (of which three subsequently died in rehab) have been verified. One of the turtles, a Kemp's ridley turtle, that stranded dead has had visible evidence of external oil. All others that stranded dead and alive have not had visible external oil. Dolphins
From April 30 to May 26, there have been 24 dead dolphins verified within the designated spill area. So far, one of the 24 dolphins had evidence of external oil. It was found on an oiled beach. We are unable at this time to determine whether the animal was externally covered in oil after its death or prior to its death. The other 23 dolphins have had no visible evidence of external oil. NOAA Facilities in the Gulf: - NOAA Fisheries Regional Office in St. Petersburg, F.
- National Marine Sanctuaries: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Galveston, TX; Florida Keys National Marine Sancturary, Key West, FL
- National Estuarine Research Reserves: Mission-Aransas Reserve, TX; Grand Bay, MS.; Weeks Bay, AL.; Rookery Bay, FL
- Field offices of the Science Center in Galveston, Texas and Pascagoula, MS
- Seafood Laboratory in Pascagoula
- Science Center in Panama City, FL
- Texas - 13 Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) and the southern regional office in Fort Worth
- Louisiana - 4 WFOs
- Mississippi - 4 WFOs
- Alabama - 4 WFOs
- Florida (West Coast to Key West) - 4 WFOs (additional 3 WFOs in East coast FL and National Hurricane Center in Miami)
- National Coastal Data Development Center, National Data Buoy Center - Stennis, MS
Miscellaneous: - Two NOAA communications personnel are detailed to the federal Joint Information Center in Robert, La., one communications staffer at the JIC in Mobile, Ala.
- NOAA and its interagency response partners are working with the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), a partnership between NOAA and the University of New Hampshire to bring leading scientists, practitioners, and representatives from federal and state governmental agencies, as well as NGOs, together to address key questions arising from the unprecedented use of chemical dispersants in response to the Deepwater Horizon spill. This interagency workshop will take place May 26-27 at Louisiana State University, and will be closed to the public.
- For NOAA media inquiries, please contact John Ewald or 301.713.3066.
- To offer suggestions to clean, contain, recover or stop the flow of oil visitDeepwater Horizon Response Suggestions. This website also provides procedures and forms for Alternative Response Tool Evaluation System (ARTES) proposals.
- For response-related inquiries, please phone the Joint Information Center (JIC) at 985.902.5231 or 985.902.5240.
- To report oil on land, or for general community information, please phone 866.448.5816.
- To report oiled or injured wildlife, please phone 866.557.1401.
- To learn about volunteer opportunities in all areas and what training is required, please phone 866.448.5816.
- To discuss spill related damage claims, please phone 800.440.0858.
- BP is asking fishermen for their assistance in cleaning up the oil spill. BP is calling this the Vessel of Opportunities Program and through it, BP is looking to contract shrimp boats, oyster boats and other vessels for hire to deploy boom in the Gulf of Mexico. To learn more about the Vessel of Opportunity Program,fishermen should phone 281.366.5511.
| More Information about this Incident • top |
- IncidentNews View the most up-to-date information on OR&R's IncidentNews site.[leaves OR&R site]
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- Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center This site is providing information regarding the April 20 incident in the US Gulf of Mexico involving a Transocean drilling Rig Deep Water Horizon. The Horizon was engaged in drilling activity on behalf of BP at Mississippi Canyon Block 252, about 52 miles southeast of Venice, La. Leaves NOAA for a non-government site [leaves OR&R site]
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- Deepwater Horizon Response on Facebook This site is providing information regarding the April 20 incident in the US Gulf of Mexico involving a Transocean drilling Rig Deepwater Horizon. Leaves NOAA for a non-government site [leaves OR&R site]
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- Deepwater Horizon Response on Twitter This site is providing information regarding the April 20 incident in the US Gulf of Mexico involving a Transocean drilling Rig Deepwater Horizon. Leaves NOAA for a non-government site [leaves OR&R site]
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Current Trajectory Maps • top
24, 48 and 72 hour trajectory forecast maps and offshore trajectory forecasts are produced once daily. |
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