NOAA tracking spilled Macondo oil and its consequences

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists are working throughout the Gulf of Mexico to assess where spilled Macondo oil has gone, where it might go, and to figure out the extent of any potential damages to the gulf ecosystem.

During a news conference on July 27, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said preliminary findings indicate the light crude has been biodegraded quickly by naturally occurring bacteria that is abundant in the warm-water gulf.

“We do know that over 600 miles of the gulf coast shoreline have already been oiled, and some [oil] remains on the surface although the amount on the surface is less and less,” Lubchenco said. “Recent satellite imagery indicates surface oil is continuing to break up into smaller scattered patches,” that are predominantly light sheens containing little recoverable oil.

NOAA scientists are studying short-term and long-term impacts. Four NOAA vessels, two aircraft, and five sea turtle rescue boats currently are busy with missions ranging from seafood safety to detecting submerged oil.

The NOAA ship Nancy Foster is using a remotely operated vehicle to monitor deep water bottom and coral habitats exposed to the oil dispersant mixture. The NOAA ship Oregon II is collecting samples of fish and shrimp off Louisiana that will be tested for contaminants.

A Twin Otter aircraft is using a multispectral scanner to measure surface oil density and thickness, and a second Twin Otter is providing aerial observations and surveys of dolphins, whales, and sea turtles in the area of the spill.

Fate of oil spilled from Macondo well unclear; reminiscent of Ixtoc

Scientists expect to monitor and measure the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and its possible consequences on the environment and marine life for some time regardless of how soon BP PLC seals the deepwater Macondo well.

Predictably, the American Petroleum Institute and others have studied oil spills for decades. “Fate of spilled oil in marine waters: Where does it go? What does it do? How do dispersants affect it?” is the title of a March 1999 report from API.

The booklet, the first of three in a series, was developed for oil spill response decision-makers. The booklet’s introduction sets out a scenario involving an oil spill from a tanker accident.

Time will tell what kind of information API develops after the Macondo well spill. The closest that the US has come to experiencing a spill from an offshore well was in 1979 when Pemex had a blowout at its 1 Ixtoc discovery well in Campeche Sound (OGJ, June 11, 1979, p. 33).

The Ixtoc well was in 164 ft of water while the deepwater Macondo well is in 5,000 ft of water. Time will tell what consequences, both operational and regulatory, might stem from the deepwater spill for both the oil industry and the environment.

NOAA questions offshore drilling plan

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration questions a plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, according to documents posted online by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

NOAA recommends safeguards for fisheries, marine mammals, and coastal populations that would significantly reduce the number and size of offshore tracts offered for exploration and development leasing.

NOAA filed its 26-page comment on Sept. 21, which was the US Minerals Management Service’s deadline for the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2010-2015.

The 5-year leasing plan, issued in January, reflects the ideas of the former President George Bush administration. The plan would offer 12 lease areas (4 in Alaska, 3 in the Atlantic, 2 in the Pacific and 3 in the Gulf of Mexico) covering much of the OCS. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is considering the plan.

In its comments, NOAA outlined its positions, including:
--Exclusionary zones that would block lease sales in the Northern Aleutians (including Bristol Bay), near shore in the Chukchi Sea, as well as all the proposed Atlantic and Eastern Gulf tracts.
--Buffer zones that would bar drilling “around national marine sanctuaries, habitat areas of particular concern, critical habitat for endangered and threatened species, major fishing grounds, and to provide visual buffers to coastal areas dependent upon tourism.”
--A moratorium on any Arctic Ocean drilling until better oil spill prevention and response capability is in place. NOAA also contends that MMS understates the expected frequency of and risk from spills, especially after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

PEER calls itself a service organization assisting federal and state public employees. “PEER allows public servants to work as ‘anonymous activists’ so that agencies must confront the message, rather than the messenger,” its website said.