USGS Responds to Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

USGS Responds to Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Note: We will be continually updating this page as more information is made available.

The USGS continues to mobilize equipment and personnel to gather scientific data and information on the environmental impacts of the oil spill to affected coastal habitats.

USGS scientists will be:

* Collecting satellite imagery to assess the impact on wetlands and coasts
* Developing maps showing NOAA projections of spill trajectory with respect to DOI Lands
* Collecting samples to ascertain source and levels of toxicity to soils and water systems
* Conducting tests to determine cause of mortality of wildlife
* Developing models that depict how local tidal and current conditions will interact with seafloor bathymetry to carry oil over barrier islands
* Providing decision support tools to help DOI land managers mitigate the effects of the oil spill and assist in restoration efforts

Coastal Impacts
Thumbnail of map showing areas of expected tide

* Barrier-Island Inundation and Overwash

Satellite Imagery and other Geospatial Data
Landsat image of oil spill in the Gulf

* Northern Gulf of Mexico Map Products
Lidar topography, bathymetry, aerial imagery
* Hazards Data Distribution System (HDDS)
Full-resolution GeoTIFF and JPEG images.
* Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill 2010 gallery (continually updated)

Sampling Efforts
Google Earth thumb of response areas

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is responding to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill by establishing baseline conditions in water chemistry, bottom sediments, and aquatic invertebrates prior to landfall of the oil spill. Over the past several weeks teams of scientists have been collecting samples in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida at over 60 locations unaffected as yet by the oil spill. These locations include barrier islands and coastal wetlands. These areas are critical to fish and wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico and could suffer severe environmental damage if oil from this spill comes ashore.

* Sampling sites (6/4/2010) (Google Earth KMZ) | ZIP file | JPG

Wildlife Issues
Wildlife Issues

In the past 30 years, there has been considerable research on the impacts of oil on birds and their habitats. In particular, the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has undertaken a wide range of experimental studies on the effects of oil on birds. Much of that information is relevant to the current situation in the Gulf of Mexico.

* Oil Pollution Impacts on Birds

News Releases and Congressional Testimonies
News Releases

* Admiral Allen, Dr. McNutt Provide Updates on Progress of Scientific Teams Analyzing Flow Rates from BP's Well (June 10, 2010)
* Salazar Continues Oversight of BP Response Efforts and Activities at Houston Command Center
* Flow Rate Group Provides Preliminary Best Estimate Of Oil Flowing from BP Oil Well
o Press conference tweet chat (May 27, 2010)
* Statement of Marcia McNutt, Director, U.S. Geological Survey, May 27, 2010 Word
before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, May 27, 2010, on USGS Science in Response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Publications
Publications

* Estimated Minimum Discharge Rates of the Deepwater Horizon Spill-Interim Report to the Flow Rate Technical Group from the Mass Balance Team
* Effects of Building a Sand Barrier Berm to Mitigate the Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Louisiana Marshes
* A Method for Qualitative Mapping of Thick Oil Spills Using Imaging Spectroscopy