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NOV. 12, 2024 — Over the past year, the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) and the Coastal Response Research Center at the University of New Hampshire partnered with Louisiana Sea Grant to launch a series of resources to assist communities following natural disasters.
OR&R Weekly Report
The Office of Response and Restoration publishes this weekly round-up of news and information of interest to our partners, stakeholders, and team members. Click to subscribe
NOV. 12, 2024 — Staff from the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Assessment and Restoration Division and Emergency Response Division attended the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas from October 20–24, 2024. Attended by more than 1,500 scientists, the conference included 1,088 presentations—21 of which were co-authored by NOAA scientists—across 184 scientific sessions.
NOV. 12, 2024 — The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) welcomed four interns from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES): Jalynn Aaron and Kayla Brown, both majoring in psychology, and Mikaela Blackwood and Amari Dupree, both majoring in biology. From this November 2024 through April 2025, interns will remotely support OR&R’s Assessment and Restoration Division with work on natural resource damage assessment and restoration.
October 2024
NOV. 4, 2024 — A new marine debris exhibit, made possible with funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, debuted this summer at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.The exhibit, open to the public in the Rock Harbor Auditorium, is curated with locally-sourced marine debris from Lake Superior, provided in part from cleanups conducted by Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy.
OCT. 28, 2024 — During the week of October 7, OR&R shared spill response knowledge and resources in a highly productive intellectual exchange with two spill scientists from London-based ITOPF (formerly the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited). ITOPF is a nonprofit organization established on behalf of ship owners worldwide to promote effective response to oil, chemical, and other hazardous substance spills in the marine environment.
OCT. 21, 2024 — The Emergency Response Division of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), in collaboration with NOAA’s International Marine Protected Area (MPA) Capacity Building Team and the Philippine Coast Guard, conducted an oil spill response training in Siargao, Philippines from October 3-11.
OCT. 21, 2024 — On October 15, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the opening of this year's art contest. Students in grades K-8 from the United States and U.S. territories can submit their artwork now through December 13.
OCT. 15, 2024 — On October 9, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the launch of the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey with funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In partnership with 1stMission LLC, this one-year survey will establish a scientifically valid assessment of marine debris found on U.S. shorelines, including the continental U.S., Caribbean, Alaska, Pacific Islands, and Great Lakes.
OCT. 15, 2024 — In September, OR&R completed its final response training event of fiscal year 2024, providing training to over 1,100 emergency responders and planners over the course of the year.
OCT. 15, 2024 — In September, OR&R Regional Operations Supervisor Doug Helton participated in a workshop in Helsinki, Finland on the remediation and assessment of potentially polluting wrecks.
OCT. 7, 2024 — On September 30, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, announced a Request for Proposals for the Ocean Odyssey Marine Debris Prevention Awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA).
OCT. 7, 2024 — In late September, OR&R and other oil spill modeling experts from around the world gathered at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan to discuss needed areas of advancements in spill model uncertainty, shoreline and coastal environments, countermeasures, and standardizations.
OCT. 7, 2024 — During the week of September 21, the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP)’s Chief Scientist, Amy V. Uhrin and Research Coordinator, Carlie Herring, attended and presented at the international conference MICRO 2024. Held biennially in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, MICRO aims to celebrate the growing community of researchers and policy-makers concerned about the challenge of plastic pollution from macro- to nanoplastics, with a core focus on microplastics.
OCT. 7, 2024 — On September 18, OR&R Regional Resource Coordinator and Environmental Scientist Bryand Duke, Ph.D. introduced marine life from the deep ocean near American Samoa to approximately fifty 6th-grade science students and faculty at Academy Prep Middle School in St Petersburg, Florida. American Samoa is one of the islands in the South Pacific, located about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southwest of Hawaii.
September 2024
SEPT. 30, 2024 — During the week of September 16, 50 spill responders and planners gathered at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a Science of Oil Spills (SOS) class hosted by NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R).
SEPT. 30, 2024 – This month, NOAA's Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) sponsored a workshop on Remote Sensing/Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) at the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) in Durham, New Hampshire.
SEPT. 30, 2024 – The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to release the Guam Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide (Guide). This Guide aims to improve preparedness for responding to marine debris after typhoons and other disasters in the territory. A recent example is Typhoon Mawar, which impacted the island in May of 2023 and caused severe damage and impacts.
SEPT. 30, 2024 – NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) is responsible for evaluating, restoring, and protecting our nation’s coastal and estuarine habitats harmed by hazardous waste releases, oil spills, and vessel groundings. NOAA and co-trustees work with those responsible to secure funding for restoration to compensate the public. Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) pollution settlements are used to restore robust fisheries, endangered species, coastal habitats, and outdoor recreation.
SEPT. 23, 2024 – This month, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration participated in a National Oil Spill Response Planning Workshop held in Koror, Republic of Palau which helped Palau responders develop a national response plan for oil and chemical spills.
SEPT. 16, 2024 — U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Northern New England recently completed a salvage operation of a historic sardine fishing vessel that sank in Maine during a January 2024 nor'easter. William Whitmore, the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator for Sector Northern New England provided guidance to the USCG during the response and salvage efforts.
SEPT. 16, 2024 — On September 6, over 300 people gathered at the William S. Cahill Pier in Oswego, New York to witness and celebrate the designation of Southeastern Lake Ontario as the nation’s 16th national marine sanctuary.
SEPT. 16, 2024 — On September 4, NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator for the Pacific Islands, Ruth Yender, participated in the 2024 U.S.-Taiwan Coast Guard Marine Environmental Response Group Online Symposium Program. The objective of the symposium was to deepen the cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. in marine environmental response by providing an opportunity for dialogue and enhancing understanding of each other.
SEPT. 9, 2024 — The 2024 annual meeting of the Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART) took place in Key West, Florida on August 27-29. Participants included representatives from nearly all NOAA Line Offices, including National Ocean Service representatives from the Office of Coast Survey, Office for Coastal Management and Office of Response and Restoration. Discussions had during this meeting included:
SEPT. 9, 2024 — On September 5, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the 13 projects recommended for its NOAA Marine Debris Removal and Interception Technologies grant awards for Fiscal Year 2024, totaling over $23 million in federal funding for marine debris removal. Funding for these opportunities was provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
SEPT. 9, 2024 — On September 3, the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Alaska Sea Grant announced $1.2 million in federal funding for seven marine debris removal projects funded under the 2024 Community Marine Debris Removal Grant Program.
SEPT. 9, 2024 — On September 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a proposed $152 million settlement in connection to the release of hazardous substances into Margaret’s Creek Marsh, Old Bridge Waterfront Park and Raritan Bay from the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site in Old Bridge and Sayreville, New Jersey.
SEPT. 9, 2024 — The team behind the CAMEO® Software Suite is the 2024 recipient of the Howard Fawcett Chemical Health and Safety Award. Awarded annually since 1983 by the American Chemical Society, the award recognizes outstanding contributions to the science, technology, education, and communication of chemical health and safety.
SEPT. 9, 2024 — Two scientists from NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration’s Emergency Response Division gave presentations at the fall 2024 meeting of the American Chemical Society, which took place August 18–22 in Denver, Colorado. They were among the hundreds of chemistry professionals who gathered at the biennial event to share ideas, advance scientific and technical knowledge, and connect with the scientific society.
SEPT. 9, 2024 — On August 29, the NOAA Marine Debris Program within the Office of Response and Restoration, in coordination with the University of Rhode Island, hosted the first in-person progress update workshop for participants of the Southern New England Marine Debris Action Plan.
SEPT. 3, 2024 — In August, staff from the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), within NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, visited and supported Oregon Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) partners in public engagement events.
SEPT. 3, 2024 — On August 29, OR&R presented on its oil and chemical spill response expertise and experience in the Great Lakes region and nationwide, as part of the Hazardous Materials Transport Outreach Network (HazMaTON) Summer Webinar Series hosted by the National Sea Grant Program (Sea Grant). Lieutenant Commander Chris Duffy, who serves as OR&R’s Great Lakes Scientific Support Coordinator, provided the presentation virtually from the NOAA Research Vessel Oscar Dyson in the Bering Sea, Alaska.
August 2024
AUGUST 19, 2024 — In July, staff from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, within the Office of Response and Restoration, traveled to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam to visit project partners and sites. Concurrently, they hosted educator workshops for formal and informal educators to learn about marine debris in the classroom.
AUGUST 15, 2024 — NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) is supporting an oil spill from the tanker Terranova, which capsized and sank in Manila Bay, Philippines on July 25, 2024. A Philippine-flagged oil tanker carrying 396,000 gallons of industrial fuel oil, the Terranova rests in approximately 130 feet of water off the coast of Bataan.