Presented by NOAA TAS Elizabeth Eubanks

Applications accepted now- 11-30http://teacheratsea.noaa.gov/

NOAA Teacher at Sea Alumni ‘07 Elizabeth Eubanks St. Mark Catholic School

Science That Informs

Keeping Seafood Safe

Protecting Wildlife and Habitat

Assessing Ecosystem Damage

Restoring Habitat

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NOAA: Recovery and Restoration

People – who live and work in and love the Gulf

Quality of life and livelihoods at stake

NOAA also lives and works in the Gulf –

Weather and river forecast officesOcean and fisheries servicesResearch labs and data centersCooperative Institutes

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Why does NOAA care?

Where is the oil?

When will fisheries be reopened?

Is my seafood safe?

What are the impacts on sea turtles and marine mammals?

How will clean-up efforts proceed?

How would a hurricane impact the oil spill?

What is Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)?

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Questions NOAA Has Heard Related To Mission

Where is the oil?6

Sub-surface oilInter-Agency Joint Analysis Group (JAG)

Federal Oil Budget Report (report on all events since 4-20-10)

Continued subsurface monitoring and shoreline assessments

Register for Southeast Fishery Bulletins: SERO.Communications.Comments@noaa.gov

1-800-627-NOAA (6622) for current coordinates

NOAA Weather Radio for closure updates

Text fishing@gulf to 84469

www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/558107

Twitter: usnoaagov

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Where & When Can I Fish?

Protocols agreed to by NOAA, the FDA and EPA and the Gulf States:

Area free of oil sheen for 30 daysArea not likely to become oiled in the futureTesting (sensory and chemical) confirms fish harvested from the area are not contaminated

When will fisheries be reopened?

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NOAA, FDA, and EPA: Comprehensive, coordinated, multiagency program ensuring seafood safety

Coast Guard and NOAA are monitoring and enforcing closed Federal areas

Collaborated and strict reopening protocols by state and federal agencies

Central to economy of Gulf

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Seafood Safety

Our experts are part of the federal team rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing sea turtles.

NOAA conducts necropsies of sea turtles and marine mammals to determine causes of death.

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Protecting Wildlife and Habitat

Much effort goes to even one small weak turtle….

It gets personal… I Monitor Sea Turtles/Nests on Lake Worth Beach

NOAA research ships study impact of the oil on marine mammals and fisheries.

Implemented region-wide protocols caring for turtles in distress

Partnered with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to address sea turtle nesting beaches issues

Released 23 Kemp’s Ridley in Aug 2010 near Cedar Key, FL

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Protecting Wildlife and Habitat

Shoreline Assessment teams

Surveying beaches, marshes, coastsDeveloping response strategies – boom deployment and clean-up crews

Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)

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Assessing Ecosystem Damage

Determines:Injuries/lost use of public’s natural resources & servicesAmount & type of restoration needed to offset losses

3 Phases: Pre-assessment Injury Assessment and Restoration Planning Restoration

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What is Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)?

My Personal Experience with Collaborative Efforts

I am a New Orleans Native

My family lives in coastal Alabama

I spend at least 4 weeks a year in the Gulf Coast area

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Video taken in late July- early August

Restoring Habitat

Advise all federal, state and local partners on sensitive marine resources at riskMonitor

Decreased habitat use in affected areas Signs of altered migration patterns and disrupted life cycles

Design and execute projects to repair or sustain valuable habitat

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Scientists on the Scene17

OceansResponseRestoration

Fisheries

Weather

Satellites

ResearchScientistsVessels

Services across NOAA18

NOAA Tracks the Oil

Important for:Unified Command Response effortsCommercial, recreational and charter fishermenSmall businessesTourismHomeowners

NOAA provided daily oil spill trajectory maps and twice-daily weather forecasts

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July 30th - Updated shoreline threat predictions for Southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the East Coast based on the assumption that there will be no further release of oil from the BP wellhead. Based on two factors:

Current amount of oil on the surface of the water Present configuration of the loop current.

Analysis:No clear way for oil to be transported to Southern Florida, the Florida Keys or along the East Coast of the U.S. unless the Loop Current fully reforms with Eddy Franklin, or moves northward – which is unlikely As of July 25, 2010, Eddy Franklin was more than 100 miles from the nearest surface oil associated with the Deepwater Horizon/BP source

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Shoreline Impact Analysis

What about us?

NOAA’s geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites help produce accurate, daily weather forecasts

NOAA aircraft conducted multi-spectral scan surveys of marsh/coastline survey flights

NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft Tracked Loop CurrentAssisted EPA w/air quality monitoring

Satellites & Planes21

Nearly 4000 spot forecasts in support of response

National Hurricane Center issues watches, warnings forecasts and analyses of tropical weather

Have a Plan – Be Prepared!

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Weather Services

Assessment of air quality risks of workers at sea and the public ashore are importantNOAA is supporting the Environmental Protection Agency

enhanced observations and modelsData from the NOAA flights are providing an important detailed and independent set of air quality dataOn July 21, NOAA Released Data Report on Air Quality Measurements Near the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill Area:

http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/csd/tropchem/2010gulf/GulfReport.pdf

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What about air quality?

Collecting & surveying impacts to varieties of fish/mammals and seafood safety sampling

Performing sub-surface testing to determine presence of oil and monitor water quality

Vessels24

THOMAS JEFFERSON GORDON GUNTER

PISCES DELAWARE II

Numerous Partnerships

NOAA Information Resources

deepwaterhorizon.noaa.gov/

ResponseTrajectoriesClosuresSea Turtles & Marine MammalsAssessmentsImportant ContactsFactsheets and Publications

Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant:http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm

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NOAA Responds to Students

http://www.jason.org/public/jlnoaa.aspx

Data Resources

“One-stop shop" for spill response informationWeb-based GIS platform that provides you with near-real time information about the response effort.

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www.geoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse

Federal Web Portal

www.restorethegulf.gov

Clear and accessible information and resources for the public“One-stop” repository for news, data and operational updates related to administration-wide efforts

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Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)Scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard and Unified Command

National Weather ServiceIncident weather forecasts including marine and aviation

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)

Experimental imagery for spill trajectory forecasts

NOAA Line Office Contributions

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National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)Issues related to marine mammals, sea turtles, and fishery resourcesManagement of Fishery Closures

Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO)

USCG Liaison to the DCO Incident Support Team USCG HeadquartersProvide ships and aircraft in support of NOAA environmental assessment

NOAA Line Office Contributions

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Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)Oceanographic and atmospheric modeling and data supportGulf of Mexico Sea Grant programs providing technical advice on impacts to living resources and coastal communities

National Ocean ServiceOceanographic modeling supportProduction of nautical charts that display the spill zone forecast - Data to support trajectory forecastsCollection of aerial imageryOperation and maintenance of systems to measure water levels, weather, and near-shore current metersSupport for National Estuarine Research Reserves and Gulf coastal managersCollection of data to monitor contaminants in the areaAssessment of socioeconomic impacts

NOAA Line Office Contributions

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Contact me at hoocaca@yahoo.com 561-313-2465

Elizabeth Eubanks