oil spill response outlook for recovery in the gulf of mexico · 12/21/2011  · on gulf of mexico...

Oil Spill ResponseOil Spill Response&

Outlook for Recovery in the Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico

Nancy E. KinnerCoastal Response Research Center

University of New Hampshire

Dover, NH RotaryD b 21 2011

Coastal Response Research Center

December 21, 2011

Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC)

• NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration 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

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CRRC MissionCRRC Mission

Conduct and Oversee Basic and Applied • Conduct and Oversee Basic and Applied Research and Outreach on Spill Response and RestorationRestoration

• Transform Research Results into Practice• Serve as Hub for Oil Spill R&D• Serve as Hub for Oil Spill R&D• Educate/Train Students Who will Pursue

Careers in Spill Response and RestorationCareers in Spill Response and Restoration

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Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil SpillDeepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill

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DWH

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Overview of DWH SpillOverview of DWH Spill• DWH Rig Had Finished Drilling Well ~50 miles Off

Mississippi River Delta• 5,000 ft of water

13 000 f f di / k• 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• April 20 – Explosion on Rig/Fire/11 Killed• July 15 – Well Killed from Top Ending Release

T t l Oil R l ( t ) 200 Milli G ll• Total Oil Release (est.) = 200 Million Gallons• Biggest Accidental Oil Spill in Recorded History!

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Crude Oil PropertiesCrude Oil Properties• Oil Usually Floats on Water

May sink if associated with • May sink if associated with sediment particles

• Composition Varies with Source• Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil

• Some Solubility• Some Solubility• Soluble is most toxic fraction

• 250+ Hydrocarbons• Mostly carbon and hydrogen

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nydailynews.com Quinn / AP

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Priority #1 = Stop Fire, Rescue People

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P i it #2 St S f L kPriority #2 - Stop Source of Leak

•Start Relief Well•Install “Cap” to Stop FlowInstall Cap to Stop Flow

•High ambient water pressure, cold and dark•2200 psi

•High exit pressure of oil, hot (212oF)•6500 psi

W ll H d 7 i h di t 1 il b l •Well Head ~ 7 inches diameter; 1 mile below water’s surface

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Relief WellsRelief Wells

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Capping Well

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Priority #3 – Identify Natural

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Priority #3 Identify Natural Resources at Risk

• Crabs, Shrimp, Oysters, Blue Fin Tuna Charismatic Tuna, Charismatic Marine Mammals

• Recreational • Recreational Beaches

• Commercial FishingCommercial Fishing• Subsistence Fishing Shorelines on ESI maps are color-coded by sensitivity

to oil. Symbols mark localized areas for biological and human-use resources.

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Priority #4 – Minimize Damage to Priority #4 Minimize Damage to Natural Resources

• Purpose of Response Technology

• Key Is Select Most Appropriate Response TechniquesTechniques

• Unique to Each Spill

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REALITY CHECK!!!!!!!REALITY CHECK!!!!!!!

200 MILLION GALLON SPILL WILL 200 MILLION GALLON SPILL WILL CAUSE DAMAGE

(Exxon Valdez Spill = 11 Million gallons)

RESPONSE MINIMIZES DAMAGE, BUT THERE WILL BE BUT THERE WILL BE

SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE!!!!!

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Satellite Image of Oil SlickSatellite Image of Oil Slick

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Response: SorbentsResponse: Sorbents

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Oily Waste CollectedLandfills and Burned

O y C

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BoomsCapture and Concentrate Oil, Deflect Oil from Critical Area

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Response: InSitu Burning

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Response: Chemical DispersantsResponse: Chemical DispersantsSurface Application

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Response: DispersantsSub-Surface Application

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Why Use Chemical Dispersants?Why Use Chemical Dispersants?

• Wind and Waves Often Too High to Wind and Waves Often Too High to Allow Mechanical Removal (Booms & Skimmers) or BurningSkimmers) or Burning

• Kept Oil Out of Nearshore Waters and MarshesMarshes• Where organisms were breeding and juveniles• Marshes hard to clean if repeatedly fouled with • Marshes hard to clean if repeatedly fouled with

oil

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Di t C tDispersant Controversy

• Exposure/Toxicity of Dispersants • Exposure/Toxicity of Dispersants to Marine Life, Humans, Seafood

• Exposure of Marine Organisms Below Surface to Dispersed OilBelow Surface to Dispersed Oil

• Proprietary Mixture• Where Did Oil Go?

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Nature’s Responsep

• Function of Environmental Conditions

T t • Temperature • (H2O, Air)

• WindWind• Oil Type• Currents, Tides

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Response: BiodegradationResponse: Biodegradation

• Every Year ~ 20 Million Gallons of Oil Enter • Every Year, ~ 20 Million Gallons of Oil Enter GOM from Natural Seeps

• Naturally Occurring Bacteria Live in GOM Use Naturally Occurring Bacteria Live in GOM Use Oil as Food Source

• DWH Oil is More FoodDWH Oil is More Food• Takes <10 days to Degrade Oil Mass by Half

• 10 g 5 g10 g 5 g

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Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico Oil Degrading Mi bMicrobes

T Hazen LBL 2010

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T. Hazen, LBL, 2010

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Biological Impacts of Spill Biological Impacts of Spill

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K Bi t i DWH S illKey Biota in DWH Spill• Coral• Coral• Oysters• Shrimp• Shrimp• Crabs

Bl Fi T• Blue Fin Tuna• Intertidal/Marsh Vegetation (Marsh as

Nursery Grounds)Nursery Grounds)• Biota That Cannot Swim Away Are Most

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Impacted

Biological Impacts of Spillg p Sp

• What Are the Biological Impacts of this Spill?• GOM: 100’s of spills per year• Lethal (acute) vs. Sublethal (chronic) effectsWh H C l t R O d (if • When Has Complete Recovery Occurred (if ever)?

• Is Recovery to Organisms and Community • Is Recovery to Organisms and Community Before Spill?

• How Clean is Clean Enough?

All Compared to Natural Variation

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Impact of Deepwater Horizonon Gulf of Mexico

• Short Term, Acute Toxicity (Immediately Lethal) = Lower Than Expected ) p• (>4,000 birds DWH 200M gal vs. >100,000 birds in

Exxon Valdez 11M gal)

• Long Term, Chronic Toxicity = ???? • Only Time Will Telly

• Months to years of data needed

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Other Spill-Related IssuesOther Spill-Related Issues

• Need R&D on Response/Restorationp• More Oversight of Off-Shore Drilling• Better Offshore Drilling Methods and Better Offshore Drilling Methods and

Development of Containment Technology• Risk Communication with Public • Human Social and Economic Impacts• Arctic ResponseArctic Response

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CRRC Website:CRRC Website:www.crrc.unh.edu

nancy.kinner@unh.edu

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