USGS Oil Spill Response

• Barrier-Island Inundation and Overwash

• 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)

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 (8/12/2010) (Google Earth KMZ) | ZIP file | JPG

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.

• Biological Impacts
• Oil Pollution Impacts on Birds

• 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
  • Press conference tweet chat (May 27, 2010)
• Statement of Marcia McNutt, Director, U.S. Geological Survey, May 27, 2010
  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

• DOI Strategic Sciences Working Group, Mississippi Canyon 252/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Progress Report, June 9, 2010 (August 24, 2010) (4.6 MB PDF)
  • "Scenario-Building for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill" -- Science Magazine
    Summary   Full Text   Reprint
• A Method for Quantitative Mapping of Thick Oil Spills Using Imaging Spectroscopy (August 13, 2010)
• A Rapid Method for Creating Qualitative Images Indicative of Thick Oil Emulsion on the Ocean's Surface from Imaging Spectrometer Data (July 21, 2010)
• A Role for Analytical Chemistry in Advancing our Understanding of the Occurrence, Fate, and Effects of Corexit Oil Dispersants (July 27, 2010)
• Estimated Minimum Discharge Rates of the Deepwater Horizon Spill-Interim Report to the Flow Rate Technical Group from the Mass Balance Team (June 21, 2010)
• Effects of Building a Sand Barrier Berm to Mitigate the Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Louisiana Marshes (June 2, 2010)
• A Method for Qualitative Mapping of Thick Oil Spills Using Imaging Spectroscopy (May 14, 2010)