Congressman Jack Kingston - First District of Georgia

Update on NOAA's Efforts for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico
July 13, 2010 - 9:30am

According to NOAA's latest oil spill trajectories, SW winds are forecast to continue at 10-13 kts through today (Tuesday), then become W at less than 10 kts.  Remote sensing imagery and overflights have indicated only scattered areas of potential oil remaining in northern Chandeleur and Mississippi Sound; any remaining oil in this region will be moved eastward, continuing to threaten the coastlines of MS, AL and the Florida Panhandle east to Pensacola.  Imagery and overflights also indicate little oil remaining offshore west of the Delta, however, with prevailing southwesterly winds, shorelines from Atchafalaya Bay to Southwest pass continue to be threatened by scattered tarball impacts during this 72 hour forecast period.

Deepwater Horizon 72 Hour Trajectory Map.  The 72 hour trajectory map prepared on July 12.

Also available online is an and an updated Deepwater Horizon 24 Hour Trajectory Map and an updated Deepwater Horizon 48 Hour Trajectory Map.

Yesterday, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service extended the northwestern fishery closure boundary to encompass the actual and projected path of oil outside the existing boundary.  The new closure measures 84,101 sq mi (217,821 sq km) and covers about 35% of the Gulf of Mexico Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), compared to the July 4 closure comprising 81,181 sq mi (210,259 sq km) and covering about 34% of the Gulf of Mexico EEZ.   More information can be found here.

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources has updated their website to include more information about marine life and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  The updated site is located here.

NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is supporting the response work in the Gulf with NOAA-owned ships and aircraft. Below is a short summary of current missions in the Gulf.

NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter is currently underway conducting marine mammal surveys in the Gulf and is scheduled to return to Pascagoula, Mississippi, on July 16.

NOAA Ship Delaware II is currently in Pascagoula, Mississippi, for supplies.

NOAA Ship Nancy Foster is currently underway on a mission to better understand the loop current and how it may change over time, as well as to sample planktonic animals potentially affected by the spill.

NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow is scheduled to leave Rhode Island July 11 for transit to the Gulf of Mexico for a mission to look at seafood safety.

OMAO’s P-3 aircraft, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, continues to fly missions over the Loop Current. The last flight was July 9 and the next flight is TBD.

OMAO’s Twin Otter aircraft continues to fly missions out of Mobile, Alabama, to conduct multispectral imaging primarily to identify concentrated areas of recoverable oil or to validate the efficacy of response/mitigation actions. Mission flights started May 1, and are ongoing with a final mission date to be determined.

OMAO has a second Twin Otter aircraft currently based in Mobile, that is being used for synoptic surveillance (observations of marine mammals, whale, turtles) in the area of oil.  The aircraft is also supporting NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Law Enforcement in their efforts to monitor the Fishery Closure Boundary, and NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration’s scientific support coordinator when required.  The mission flights started April 27, and are ongoing with a final mission date to be determined.

Update on NOAA's Efforts for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico
July 9, 2010 - 9:00am

According to NOAA's latest oil spill trajectories, weak and variable winds forecast for Friday are expected to become SW at 10 kts overnight then WSW/W at 10-13 kts over the weekend.  Remote sensing imagery and overflights have indicated scattered areas of potential oil remaining in Chandeleur and Mississippi Sound, which will continue to threaten the coastlines of MS and AL west of Mobile Bay.  Models continue to indicate winds and currents are moving oil from the source region west around the Delta and then to the north, with potential new shoreline oiling in the area between SW Pass and Caillou Bay.

Further to the west, no oil has been observed west of Atchafalaya Bay since Monday.  Models suggest westward currents in this region will begin weakening over the next few days.  However, scattered tarballs may continue to impact Texas shorelines until up-coast (eastward) flow resumes.

Deepwater Horizon 72 Hour Trajectory Map.  The 72 hour trajectory map prepared on July 8.

Also available online is an and an updated Deepwater Horizon 24 Hour Trajectory Map and an updated Deepwater Horizon 48 Hour Trajectory Map.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service made no changes to the fishery closure yesterday.  The July 4 closure which measures 81,181 sq mi and approximately 34% of the Gulf of Mexico EEZ is still in effect.  For more information, click here.

According to NOAA's latest oil spill trajectories, SE winds are forecast to continue decreasing in magnitude to 5-10 kts by today, then become weak (<5 kts) and variable over the next few days.  Conditions for overflight observations remain poor.  Remote sensing imagery and overflights have indicated scattered areas of potential oil remaining in Chandeleur and Mississippi Sound, which will continue to threaten the coastlines of MS and AL west of Mobile Bay.  Models continue to indicate winds and currents are moving oil from the source region west around the Delta and then to the north, with potential new shoreline oiling in the area between Barataria Bay and Caillou Bay.  Further to the west, no oil has been observed west of Caillou Bay since Monday.  However, models indicate that any oil in this region would be subject to rapid westward movement by strong coastal currents which could continue to result in scattered tarball impacts to Texas.

Deepwater Horizon 72 Hour Trajectory Map.  The 72 hour trajectory map prepared on July 7.

Also available online is an updated Deepwater Horizon 24 Hour Trajectory Map and an updated Deepwater Horizon 48 Hour Trajectory Map.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service made no changes to the fishery closure yesterday.  The July 4 closure which measures 81,181 sq mi and approximately 34% of the Gulf of Mexico EEZ is still in effect.  For more information, click here.

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen yesterday announced the launch of a new federal web portal - RestoreTheGulf.gov - dedicated to providing the American people with clear and accessible information and resources related to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and recovery.  RestoreTheGulf.gov is designed to serve as a one-stop repository for news, data and operational updates related to administration-wide efforts to stop the BP oil leak and mitigate its impact on the environment, the economy and public health - unifying web resources across the administration and increasing public access to the latest information.  Please note that the web portal maintained by the Unified Area Command’s Joint Information Center as a short term incident communication site will be phased out over the coming weeks as information there is moved to RestoreTheGulf.gov.

Update on NOAA's Efforts for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico
July 7, 2010 -  9:30am

According to NOAA's latest oil spill trajectories, strong (20+ kts) southeasterly winds are expected to diminish to 11-14 kts by Wednesday PM, then remain between 7-13 kts from the SE and S for the remainder of this current 72-hour forecast period.  Conditions for overflight observations remain poor.  The coastlines of MS, AL, and the FL panhandle west of Pensacola continue to be threatened by shoreline contacts.  For Louisiana, models continue to show winds and currents moving oil from the source region west around the Delta and then to the north, with potential new shoreline oiling in the area between Barataria Bay and Caillou Bay.  Further west, satellite-based observations from Monday indicate possible small patches of oil south of Vermillion Bay.  Models indicate that oil in this region is rapidly moving westward by strong coastal currents and winds which will result in continued scattered tarball impacts to Texas.

Deepwater Horizon 72 Hour Trajectory Map.  The 72 hour trajectory map prepared on June 6.

Also available online is an updated Deepwater Horizon 24 Hour Trajectory Map and an updated Deepwater Horizon 48 Hour Trajectory Map.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service made no changes to the fishery closure yesterday.  The July 4 closure which measures 81,181 sq mi and approximately 34% of the Gulf of Mexico EEZ is still in effect.  For more information, please click here.

NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is supporting the response work in the Gulf with NOAA-owned ships and aircraft. Below is a short summary of current missions in the Gulf. NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter is currently underway conducting marine mammal surveys in the Gulf.
NOAA Ship Delaware II is currently underway to collect tunas, swordfish and sharks, to gather data about the conditions these highly migratory species are experiencing in waters around the Gulf of Mexico spill site.
NOAA Ship Nancy Foster is currently underway on a mission to better understand the loop current and how it may change over time, as well as to sample planktonic animals potentially affected by the spill. OMAO’s P-3 aircraft, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, continues to fly missions over the Loop Current, next scheduled flight is July 7.

NOAA continues to generate daily 24, 48, and 72 hour trajectory forecasts for the nearshore surface oil. According to NOAA's latest oil spill trajectories, moderate to strong (15-22 kts) winds, predominantly from the SE, are forecast throughout this current 72-hour forecast period. The coastlines of MS, AL, and the FL panhandle west of Pensacola continue to be threatened by shoreline contacts. Overflights from Sunday and Monday have observed little floating oil outside the source region; however this may be due in part to poor observing conditions. For Louisiana, models continue to show winds and currents moving oil from the source region west around the Delta and then to the north, with potential new shoreline oiling in the area between Barataria Bay and Caillou Bay. Further west, only scattered sheens have been observed on recent overflights, but satellite-based observations from yesterday (Monday) indicate possible small patches of oil south of Vermillion Bay. Models indicate that oil in this region will be subject to rapid westward movement by strong coastal currents which could result in scattered tarball impacts to Texas.

Available here is the Deepwater Horizon 72 Hour Trajectory Map.

Also available online is an updated Deepwater Horizon 24 Hour Trajectory Map and an updated Deepwater Horizon 48 Hour Trajectory Map.

On July 4, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service modified the fishery closure in the Gulf of Mexico. The closure now measures 81,181 sq mi which is approximately 34% of the Gulf of Mexico EEZ compared to the June 28th closure which measured 80,228 sq mi and covered about 33% of the Gulf of Mexico EEZ. For more information please visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm.

NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is supporting the response work in the Gulf with NOAA-owned ships and aircraft. Below is a short summary of current missions in the Gulf.

NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter is currently underway conducting marine mammal surveys in the Gulf.

NOAA Ship Delaware II is currently underway to collect tunas, swordfish and sharks, to gather data about the conditions these highly migratory species are experiencing in waters around the Gulf of Mexico spill site.

NOAA Ship Nancy Foster is currently underway on a mission to better understand the loop current and how it may change over time, as well as to sample planktonic animals potentially affected by the spill.

OMAO’s P-3 aircraft, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, continues to fly missions over the Loop Current, next scheduled flight is July 7.

Last week was the 49th Annual Congressional Baseball Game. It’s when members of Congress, Republicans vs. Democrats, play each other. Mr. Kingston sported a Valdosta jersey to take on the Democrats. It was a really fun experience. Interns and staffers came out to support their respective parties. It was a close game until the 6th inning when the Democrats made nine runs to win the game 13-5. Even though we lost, it was still fun to be able to support Mr. Kingston, and spend time with staffers outside of the office. The GOP may not have won, but there’s always next year!

NOAA Models Long-Term Oil Threat to Gulf and East Coast Shoreline.

NOAA has used modeling of historical wind and ocean currents to project the likelihood that surface oil from the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill will impact additional U.S. coastline. This modeling, part of NOAA’s comprehensive response to the unprecedented Gulf oil disaster, can help guide the ongoing preparedness, response and cleanup efforts.

“This NOAA model shows where oil may be likely to travel, thereby giving coastal states and communities information about potential threats of shoreline impacts. This kind of information should assist in the preparation of adequate preparedness measures,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “NOAA is strongly committed to providing reliable information to the public and to responders at all levels.”

In the technical report, the model’s results aggregate information from 500 distinct scenarios (model outcomes). Each assumes a 90-day oil flow rate of 33,000 barrels per day – the net amount from the flow rate ceiling of 60,000 barrels per day (the lower bound is 35,000 barrels/day) minus the daily estimated amount being skimmed, burned, and/or collected by the Top Hat mechanism. The model also accounts for the natural process of oil “weathering” or breaking down, and considers oil a threat to the shoreline if there is enough to cause a dull sheen within 20 miles of the coast. If, for example, 250 of the 500 scenarios indicated a shoreline threat for a particular area, the overall threat for that area would be a 50 percent probability.

• The coastlines with the highest probability for impact (81 to 100 percent) extend from the Mississippi River Delta to the western panhandle of Florida where there has been and will likely continue to be oil impacts.
• Along U.S. Gulf of Mexico shorelines, the oil is more likely to move east than west, with much of the coast of Texas showing a relatively low probability of oiling (ranging from less than one percent in southern Texas to up to 40 percent near the Louisiana border).
• Much of the west coast of Florida has a low probability (20 percent down to less than one percent) of oiling, but the Florida Keys, Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas have a greater probability (61 to 80 percent) due to the potential influence of the Loop Current. Any oil reaching this area would have spent considerable time degrading and dispersing and would be in the form of scattered tar balls and not a large surface slick of oil.
• There is a low probability of shoreline impacts from eastern central Florida up the Eastern Seaboard (20 percent diminishing to less than one percent). Potential impacts become increasingly unlikely north of North Carolina as the Gulf Stream moves away from the continental U.S. at Cape Hatteras. If oil does reach these areas, it will be in the form of tar balls or highly weathered oil.

The threat outlined in the model does not necessarily indicate that oil will come ashore. Whether or not oil comes ashore will depend upon wind and ocean currents at the time. In addition to these and other natural factors, booms and other countermeasures could be used to mitigate the actual coastal contact.

To review the report click here.

According to the latest oil spill trajectories, winds are forecast to continue to have an onshore component (predominantly SE) through next week, with speeds from 5 to 15 kts. These onshore winds will continue to move the northern edge of the slick northwest threatening the barrier islands of Mississippi/Alabama and the Florida Panhandle west of Freeport, FL. The Chandeleur Islands, Breton Sound and the Mississippi Delta also continue to be threatened by shoreline contacts during this current 72-hour forecast period. To the west of the Delta, these winds may bring oil ashore between Barataria Bay and Caillou Bay – any remaining floating oil may be moved quickly to the west due to the development of a strong westward coastal current in this region.

Available here is the Deepwater Horizon 72 Hour Trajectory Map.

Also available online is an updated Deepwater Horizon 24 Hour Trajectory Map and an updated Deepwater Horizon 48 Hour Trajectory Map.

Yesterday, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service did not modify the fishery closure area. The June 28 closure area is still in effect. For more information, please visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm.

NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations is supporting the response work in the Gulf with NOAA-owned ships and aircraft.

Update on NOAA's Efforts for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico
July 1, 2010 -  9:30am

According to NOAA's latest oil spill trajectories, winds are forecast to continue to have an onshore (SE/S) component through next week, with speeds decreasing from approximately 20 kts Wednesday to 11–14 kts by Saturday.  These strong onshore winds will continue to move the northern edge of the slick northwest threatening the barrier islands of Mississippi/Alabama and the Florida Panhandle west of Freeport, FL.  The Chandeleur Islands, Breton Sound and the Mississippi Delta also continue to be threatened by shoreline contacts during this 72-hour forecast period.  To the west of the Delta, these winds may bring oil ashore between Barataria Bay and Caillou Bay – any remaining floating oil may be moved quickly to the west due to the development of a strong westward coastal current in this region.

Deepwater Horizon 72 Hour Trajectory Map. The 72 hour trajectory map prepared June 30.

Also available online is an updated Deepwater Horizon 24 Hour Trajectory Map and an updated Deepwater Horizon 48 Hour Trajectory Map.

Yesterday, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service did not modify the fishery closure area.  The June 28 closure area is still in effect.  For more information, please visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm.

NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is supporting the response work in the Gulf with NOAA-owned ships and aircraft.