USGS Response to Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

USGS/NWS/COE Tri-Agency Coordination MeetingOctober 5-6, 2010

Brainerd, MN

George Arcement, Jr.Louisiana Water Science Center

Picture of oil rig

Explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig occurred at 9:45 pm

April 20.

•Well located about 50 miles southeast of mouth of Mississippi River

•Well at depth of about 5,000 feet below water surface

•Oil reserve being tapped was more than 3 miles below water surface

•At 9:45pm gas, oil, and concrete from the Deepwater Horizon well explode onto the deck and then catches fire.

•115 platform workers survive , 17 with serious injuries

•The day after the explosion it is estimated that 8,000 barrels of crude oil are leaking per day?

•How many gallons are in 1 barrel of crude oil?

•It has recently been estimated that the oil well was leaking about 56,000 to 68,000 barrels per day

•It is estimated that approximately 4.4 million barrels of oil leaked from the well, about 185 million gallons

•About 800,000 barrels were recoveredThe explosion kills 11 platform workers

•Well blowout occurs April 20, 2010

•Well cap installed July 15, 2010

•“Static Kill” completed August 4, 2010

•Relief well intersects well on September 16, 2010

•Well is officially declared “Dead” September 20, 2010

The USGS Response•USGS Director Dr. Marcia McNutt served as chairperson of the National Incident Command’s Flow Rate Technical Group

•Collecting satellite imagery to assess the impact on wetlands and coasts

•Developing maps showing NOAA projections of spill trajectory with respect to DOI Lands

•Collecting samples to ascertain source and levels of toxicity to soils and water systems

•Conducting tests to determine cause of mortality of wildlife

•Providing decision support tools to help DOI land managers mitigate the effects of the oil spill and assist in restoration efforts

•Sampling efforts:

•The USGS established baseline conditions in water chemistry, bottom sediments, and aquatic invertebrates prior to landfall of the oil spill.

•Teams collected samples in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida at over 60 locations

•These locations included barrier islands and coastal wetlands

•These areas are critical to fish and wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico and could suffer severe environmental damage from oil coming ashore.

Map of sampling sites

•Semi-Volatiles•PAH Whole Water/Bottom Material

•Oil & Grease Whole Water/Bottom Material

•Volatiles•BTEX/VOC’s Whole Water

•DOC Whole Water

•Toxicity Whole Water

•Surfactant Whole Water

•Trace Metals Whole Water/Bottom Material

•Nutrients Whole Water

•Bacteria Whole Water

•Oil finger printing Bottom Material

•Isomeric fingerprinting Whole Water/Bottom Material

•InSitu Measurements

•pH•Dissolved Oxygen•Salinity•Temperature•Specific Conductance•Turbidity

LWSC response

•Help develop protocol for sampling

•Sample 15 sites prior to landfall of oil

•Prepared proposals for U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for monitoring of oil

Map of sampling sites

•Establishing Exclusion Establishing Exclusion Zone & Contaminant Zone & Contaminant Reduction ZoneReduction Zone

Sampling 9/01/10Sampling 9/01/10

Boer & Chaffee, spectrometer at BAT6Boer & Chaffee, spectrometer at BAT6

Hand coring to about 8 inches, Grand Isle Hand coring to about 8 inches, Grand Isle State ParkState Park

Hand core from Grand Hand core from Grand Isle State ParkIsle State Park

Preparing for post-landfall sampling

“Mousse”

Grand Isle, July 29

•So what is happening next?

•A second round of sampling began October 4

•Sample collection will be repeated at 50 sites from Texas to Florida

•In the Future?

Pelican Rookery, SE Barataria Bay