Oil Spill Response (main)
From The Encyclopedia of Earth
Oil Spill Response
A number of advanced response mechanisms are available for controlling oil spills and minimizing their impacts on human health and the environment. The key to effectively combating spills is careful selection and proper use of the equipment and materials best suited to the type of oil and the conditions at the spill site. Most spill response equipment and materials are greatly affected by such factors as conditions at sea, water currents, and wind. Damage to spill-contaminated shorelines and dangers to other threatened areas can be reduced by timely and proper use of containment and recovery equipment
- Featured Article Response and clean-up technology research and...Editor's Note: This article is excerpted directly from National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, "Response/Clean-Up Technology Research... More »
- Featured Article Stopping the spill: the five-month effort to...Editor's Note: This article is excerpted directly from National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, "Stopping the Spill: The Five-Month... More »
- Featured Article Dispersant use during the BP Deepwater Horizon...Editor's Note: This article is excerpted directly from National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, "The Use of Surface and Subsea... More »
- Featured Article Oil spills in mangrovesEditor's Note: This article is excerpted directly from NOAA, "Oil Spills in Mangroves: Planning and Response Considerations, " July 2010. It has been edited only to... More »
- Featured Article Discharge of Oil regulation overviewUnder the legal authority of the Clean Water Act, the Discharge of Oil regulation, more commonly known as the "sheen... More »
- Featured Article National Oil and Hazardous Substances...The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, more commonly called the National Contingency Plan or... More »
- Featured Article Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the...Editor's Note: This article is excerpted directly from National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, "Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Spill and... More »
- Featured Video What are booms? (1:24)Date of Video: Jun. 21, 2010 Ocean Conservancy director of conservation sciences Stan Senner explains what oil booms are and how they are working in the Gulf of Mexico. More »
- Featured Video Oil spill impacts on coastal wetlands of the...Date of Video: Jun. 3, 2010 LSU professors and wetland ecologists, Dr. Irving Mendelssohn and Dr. Karen McKee, answer questions about possible oil spill effects on wetlands,... More »
Recently Updated
United States Fish and Wildlife Service Last Updated on 2014-06-13 16:14:56 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a federal bureau within the Department of the Interior. FWS implements and enforces numerous federal environmental laws in order to "conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people [1]." FWS serves a variety of functions to fulfill its overall responsibilities. The Service monitors and manages endangered species as well as migratory birds, lists endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, restores wildlife habitats and commercial fisheries, manages the National Wildlife Refuge System, exacts revenue through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Recreation Program [2], oversees the distribution of conservation funds to the states, and participates in international conservation efforts. The current director of FWS is Rowan W. Gould, who... More »
Arctic offshore oil exploration spill response planning Last Updated on 2012-05-11 00:00:00 Worldwide, oil and gas companies are being forced by resource declines to drill in less accessible areas, and the Arctic is their newest frontier. This article, written by Charles W. Schmidt*, appeared first in Environmental Health Perspectives—the peer-reviewed, open access journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The article is a verbatim version of the original and is not available for edits or additions by Encyclopedia of Earth editors or authors. Companion articles on the same topic that are editable may exist within the Encyclopedia of Earth. Offshore Exploration in the Arctic: Can Shell’s Oil-Spill Response Plans Keep Up? All around the world, oil and gas companies are being forced by resource declines to drill in less accessible areas, and the Arctic is their newest frontier. The geology above the Arctic... More »
Olivia's birds and the oil spill Last Updated on 2012-01-03 19:19:57 Taken from Young Voices for the Planet, "Olivia's Birds and the Oil Spill" documents 11-year old Olivia Bouler's deep connection with the natural world, in particular, with the Gulf of Mexico, and how her love of birds drove her to create 500 bird paintings to raise $200,000 for Audubon's efforts to rescue birds after the BP Oil spill. Olivia goes further and visits congressmen and the Secretary of the Interior with her message: no offshore oil drilling, get off fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy. Her message resonates with the media and reaches millions of people around the world. She receives many fan letters including one from Bill Clinton. More »
How to clean up an oil spill Last Updated on 2011-08-24 10:04:33 This clip from PBS experiments with cleaning up an oil spill. More »
BP oil spill cleanup technology ideas video series Last Updated on 2011-06-12 00:00:00 Part 1 The Science & Technology Subcommittee on Energy & Environment starts its 2 panel discussion with scientists and federal officials about new technologies to clean up the BP oil spill. Representitives Baird, Hall, and Gordon, give their opening remarks. Speakers: Rep. Brian Baird, D-Washington, Science & Technology Subcommittee on Energy & Environment- Chairman; Rep. Ralph Hall R-Texas, 4th District; Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tennessee, 6th District, Chairman of the Full Committee. Part 2 Douglas Helton, NOAA Incident Operations Coordinator, discusses the role of NOAA in oil spill response situations and specifically about the NOAA's current needs regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill... More »