Incident

On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil well drilling platform in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). The explosion, which tragically killed 11 workers, caused the rig to sink and started a catastrophic oil leak from the well. Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the Gulf resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The incident resulted in an unprecedented impact to the Gulf’s coastal resources and the people who depend on them.

Response

NOAA mobilized within three hours of the explosion to provide expert scientific support for the response; including trajectories of where the oil was going, what resources would be impacted, and weather and oceanographic predictions to the U.S. Coast Guard. Interagency coordination began immediately among federal partners. NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other federal, state and local representatives immediately began implementing response plans, providing on-scene and remote technical advice and access to resources and equipment, and overseeing BP’s response. After several unsuccessful attempts to plug the well, a “capping stack” was installed that stopped the release of oil on July 15, 2010.

OR&R Involvement

Science and Coordination

On scene from the earliest moments of the crisis, scientists used data from satellites, aircraft, ships, buoys, and gliders to collect and provide mission-critical information to guide the emergency response to the spill, as well as the long-term assessment and restoration of the Gulf Coast.

Tools in Action

Maps of Shoreline Sensitivity and Coastal Resources at Risk: Responders used Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps to quickly identify the most sensitive coastal areas at risk from spreading oil, including biological, ecological, historical, cultural, and human-use resources. The color-coded sensitivity rankings on the maps enabled responders to prioritize cleanup efforts and protection strategies in regions with vulnerable wildlife habitats and human-use resources, such as fisheries and recreational beaches. ESI data was instrumental in identifying sensitive habitats and shorelines, and helped damage assessment teams to develop sampling plans.

Oil Spill Trajectory Modeling: The flagship oil spill trajectory model, GNOME, was used by experts to generate daily oil spill trajectories for 107 days of the response. These trajectories estimated where oil from the gushing wellhead would be transported over the next few days. With the possibility of oil being drawn into the northern portion of the Loop Current, experts developed statistical modeling products to examine the probabilities of impacts outside the immediate spill area.

Environmental Response Mapping: Experts incorporated essential environmental response information into NOAA’s web-based geographic information system tool, ERMA®. A month into the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard selected ERMA as the official common operating picture for all federal, state, and local spill responders to use during the incident. With this special designation, ERMA provided a quick visualization of the sprawling, complicated oil spill situation, and improved communication and coordination among responders, environmental stakeholders, and decision makers. Where ERMA integrates both static and real-time data, including ESI maps, ship locations, weather conditions, shoreline oiling conditions, and ocean currents, it provides a real-time overview of response operations and environmental threats.

Data Visualization and Reporting: Within weeks of the spill, NOAA’s damage assessment team created a centralized data management system, now known as DIVER. The data management application centralized and standardized the array of environmental data collected from on-site response and damage assessment efforts, as well as results and analyses from laboratory testing. The DIVER platform became the primary data management and data query tool as the incident’s natural resource damage assessment progressed through 2016. DIVER continues to provide public access to data from the Deepwater Horizon response and damage assessment, and now serves as a nation-wide application that supports OR&R emergency response efforts, NRDA cases, and research projects. DIVER directly supports NOAA’s ability to collaborate and share data and analyses with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners.

Damage Assessment and Recovery

Following the spill, OR&R as part of NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program, and partners conducted a natural resources damage assessment (NRDA) to evaluate the impacts of the spill and specify the type and amount of restoration required. Leading the NRDA process, OR&R provided mission-critical expertise and used field and laboratory studies, scientific literature, and model-based approaches to evaluate potential impacts on fish, wildlife, surrounding habitats, and public use of those resources.

On April 4, 2016, the court approved an $8.8 billion settlement with BP for natural resource injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, concluding the largest natural resource damage assessment ever undertaken. The settlement is funding a multi-year effort to restore fisheries, protected resources, critical habitats (e.g., wetlands, oysters, corals, etc.) and recreational opportunities across the Gulf. 

Advances in Science

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill challenged the spill response community, driving advancements in science to better prepare for future incidents. In the decades since the tragedy, OR&R has applied the many lessons learned during the spill to enhance its science, technology, communication, and coordination.