Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2011
Lessons Learned from the Gulf of
Mexico Oil Spill
BP Lessons Learned Workshop
Dr. Phil McGillivary,
US Coast Guard PACAREA & Icebreaker Science
Liaison
• THANKS to:
US Arctic Research Commission
North Pacific Research Board
NOAA
Workshop Goals: Discussion relating to….
• What were the ‘lessons learned’ by scientists
asked to respond to the spill in their various fields
• How could those lessons be applied in case of
future spills in Alaska
• What information came forward about research
methods, equipment & logistics
• What new research techniques were developed
• What data gaps that were most apparent
Fields of Particular Interest
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DWH Commission Overview: Fran Ulmer, UA
Logistics Overview, ERMA: Kurt Schwehr, UNH
3D Oil Movement models: Debbie Payton, NOAA ORR
Seabird studies: Chris Haney, US FWS
Chemical detection: Michelle Wood, NOAA AOML OCD
Benthic Studies: Sandra Brookes, Mar. Cons. Biol. Inst.
Marine mammal studies: John Hildebrand, Scripps
Microbial studies: Samantha Joye, UGA
Technology applications/developments
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on
March 24, 1989, when the oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California,
hit Bligh Reef and spilled a widely reported estimate of 10.8 million US
gallons (40.9 million liters, or 250,000 barrels) of crude oil.
Most of the spilled oil
remained in the relatively
sheltered, enclosed waters
of Prince William Sound.
However, currents
transported some oil past
Kodiak Island to the
Alaskan Peninsula, a
distance of 500 miles.
Ixtoc I was an exploratory oil well being drilled in the Bay of
Campeche, Mexico, in Gulf of Mexico waters 50 m (160 ft) deep. On 3
June 1979, the well suffered a blowout resulting in this hemisphere’s
largest-ever accidental spill.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a massive ongoing oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico that is now considered the largest offshore spill
in U.S. history.
Oil sheen
Heavy pooled oil
Oil mousse
Tar balls
Depending on weathering and other environmental
factors, spilled oil takes on different consistencies
Fate and transport of oil spilled
in open ocean environments
Marine Policy Relating to Arctic
• July 19, 2010: Pres. Obama accepts Ocean
Policy Task Force recommendations to create
a National Ocean Council
• July 22, 2010: Pres. Obama issues Presidential
Memo assigning responsibility for arctic
research to the White House National Science
& Technology Council (NSTC) to Coordinate
activities of the Interagency Arctic Research &
Policy Commission (IARPC)
Oil Spills Studies Relating to Arctic
• Sept. 2008: Spill Modeling WG - Evaluation of
Modeling Approaches & Information Needs for
Developing the Next-Generation Oil Spill Model. UNH
Coastal Response Research Ctr.
• Jan. 2009: Opening the Arctic Seas: Envisioning
Disasters & Framing Solutions, UNH CRRC
• April 20-22, 2010: Natural Resource Damage
Assessment in Arctic Waters, UNH CRRC. Oct. 2010
• Apr. 23, 2010: US Coast Guard Arctic Response
Workshop, UNH CRCC
• Dec. 13, 2010: AGU BP Lessons Learned Town Hall
Upcoming Oil Spill Related
Meetings
• Feb. 9-11, 2011, Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: A
Conference on Lessons Learned, Charting Our
Future, St. Pete., FL.
http://oilspill.usf.edu
• May 21-27, 2011: 21st Intl. Oil Spill Conf.,
Portland, Ore. , http://www.iosc.org
BP Lessons Learned Overview:
Commission Report quote
• “The stakes for drilling in the U.S. Arctic are raised by
the richness of its ecosystems…but…scientific research
on the ecosystems of the Arctic is difficult and
expensive. Good information exists only for a few
species, and even for those, just for certain times of
year or in certain areas. As a result, the Commission
recommends an immediate, comprehensive federal
research effort to provide a foundation of scientific
information on the Arctic (with periodic review by the
National Academy of Sciences), and stock assessments
for marine mammals, fish, and birds that use the
Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.”
Fields of Particular Interest
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
DWH Commission Overview: Fran Ulmer, UA
Logistics Overview, ERMA: Kurt Schwehr, UNH
3D Oil Movement models: Debbie Payton, NOAA ORR
Seabird studies: Chris Haney, US FWS
Chemical detection: Michelle Wood, NOAA AOML OCD
Benthic Studies: Sandra Brookes, Mar. Cons. Biol. Inst.
Marine mammal studies: John Hildebrand, Scripps
Microbial studies: Samantha Joye, UGA
Technology applications/developments