& Outlook for Recovery in the

Transcription

1 Oil Spill Response & Outlook for Recovery in the Gulf of Mexico Nancy E. Kinner University of New Hampshire Dover, NH Rotary December 21, 2011

2 (CRRC) NOAA s Office of Response and Restoration (ORR)/UNH Spill Partnership in 2004 THERE WILL BE ANOTHER MAJOR SPILL IN U.S. Many Research Needs Exist Regarding Spill Response, Recovery and Restoration Why New Hampshire? Marine Science & Environmental Engineering Strengths No Oil Politics Senator Gregg 2

3 CRRC Mission Conduct and Oversee Basic and Applied Research and Outreach on Spill Response and Restoration Transform Research Results into Practice Serve as Hub for Oil Spill R&D Educate/Train Students Who will Pursue Careers in Spill Response and Restoration 3

4 Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill 4

5 DWH 5

6 Overview of DWH Spill DWH Rig Had Finished Drilling Well ~50 miles Off Mississippi River Delta 5,000 ft of water 13,000 ft of sediment/rock Total rig to oil reservoir = 18,000 ft (3.5 mi) April 20 Explosion on Rig/Fire/11 Killed July 15 Well Killed from Top Ending Release Total Oil Release (est.) = 200 Million Gallons Biggest Accidental Oil Spill in Recorded History! 6

7 Crude Oil Properties Oil Usually Floats on Water May sink if associated with sediment particles Composition Varies with Source Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil Some Solubility Soluble is most toxic fraction 250+ Hydrocarbons Mostly carbon and hydrogen nydailynews.com Quinn / AP 7

8 Priority #1 = Stop Fire, Rescue People 8

9 Priority it #2 - Stop Source of Leak Start Relief Well Install Cap to Stop Flow High ambient water pressure, cold and dark 2200 psi High exit pressure of oil, hot (212 o F) 6500 psi Well W Head ~ 7 inches diameter; 1 mile below water s surface 9

10 Relief Wells 10

11 Capping Well 11

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13 Priority #3 Identify Natural Resources at Risk Crabs, Shrimp, Oysters, Blue Fin Tuna, Charismatic Marine Mammals Recreational Beaches Commercial Fishing Subsistence Fishing Shorelines on ESI maps are color-coded by sensitivity to oil. Symbols mark localized areas for biological and human-use resources. 13

14 Priority #4 Minimize Damage to Natural Resources Purpose of Response Technology Key Is Select Most Appropriate Response Techniques Unique to Each Spill 14

15 REALITY CHECK!!!!!!! 200 MILLION GALLON SPILL WILL CAUSE DAMAGE (Exxon Valdez Spill = 11 Million gallons) RESPONSE MINIMIZES DAMAGE, BUT THERE WILL BE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE!!!!! 15

16 Satellite Image of Oil Slick 16 16

17 Response: Sorbents 17

18 Oily Waste Collected Landfills and Burned 18

19 Booms Capture and Concentrate Oil, Deflect Oil from Critical Area 19

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24 Response: InSitu Burning 24

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26 Response: Chemical Dispersants Surface Application 26

27 Response: Dispersants Sub-Surface Application 27

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29 Why Use Chemical Dispersants? Wind and Waves Often Too High to Allow Mechanical Removal (Booms & Skimmers) or Burning Kept Oil Out of Nearshore Waters and Marshes Where organisms were breeding and juveniles Marshes hard to clean if repeatedly fouled with oil 29

30 Dispersant Controversy Exposure/Toxicity of Dispersants to Marine Life, Humans, Seafood Exposure of Marine Organisms Below Surface to Dispersed Oil Proprietary Mixture Where Did Oil Go? 30

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32 Nature s Response Function of Environmental Conditions Temperature (H 2 O, Air) Wind Oil Type Currents, Tides 32

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34 Response: Biodegradation Every Year, ~ 20 Million Gallons of Oil Enter GOM from Natural Seeps Naturally Occurring Bacteria Live in GOM Use Oil as Food Source DWH Oil is More Food Takes <10 days to Degrade Oil Mass by Half 10 g 5 g 34

35 Gulf of Mexico Oil Degrading Microbes T. Hazen, LBL,

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37 Biological Impacts of Spill 37

38 Key Biota in DWH Spill Coral Oysters Shrimp Crabs Blue Fin Tuna Intertidal/Marsh Vegetation (Marsh as Nursery Grounds) Biota That Cannot Swim Away Are Most Impacted 38

39 Biological Impacts of Spill What Are the Biological Impacts of this Spill? GOM: 100 s of spills per year Lethal (acute) vs. Sublethal (chronic) effects When Has Complete Recovery Occurred (if ever)? Is Recovery to Organisms and Community Before Spill? How Clean is Clean Enough? All Compared to Natural Variation 39

40 Impact of Deepwater Horizon on Gulf of Mexico Short Term, Acute Toxicity (Immediately Lethal) = Lower Than Expected (>4,000 birds DWH 200M gal vs. >100,000 birds in Exxon Valdez 11M gal) Long Term, Chronic Toxicity =???? Only Time Will Tell Months to years of data needed 40

41 Other Spill-Related Issues Need R&D on Response/Restoration More Oversight of Off-Shore Drilling Better Offshore Drilling Methods and Development of Containment Technology Risk Communication with Public Human Social and Economic Impacts Arctic Response 41

42 CRRC Website: 42