OIL Spill Resource Page from EOL

The Encyclopedia of Life has an oil spill resource page: http://www.eol.org/content/page/oil_spill_2010 with information on species affected by the oil spill, as well as links to more information.

Oil Spill Effect on Salt Marshes

In this 10-min video, Dr Irv Mendelssohn, Louisiana State University School of the Coast and Environment, describes oil impacts on salt marshes.  He describes factors that determine whether the marsh will die and factors to consider when deciding what action, if any, should be taken to decontaminate marshes.  This is a must see for anyone who would like to know how to respond when asked what the oil spill will do to salt  marshes.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFc_PS9dd40

Oil Spill Links Update

The Deep Horizon Oil Spill Information pages have been updated on www.gulfallianceeducation.org.  The document is currently an older version of Word so that people may cut and paste as they choose.
New education materials have been added in addition to the following:
BP Florida Spill Response site:  http://www.floridagulfresponse.com/
Google Calendar for oil spill public meetings: http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=mcapps%40gulfquesteoe.org&ctz=America/Chicago <http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=mcapps%40gulfquesteoe.org&ctz=America/Chicago>
Disaster Assistance.gov Access to Disaster Help and Resources http://www.disasterassistance.gov/disasterinformation/deepwater.html
Gulf Oil Blog – University of Georgia Department of Marine Science team sampling the Gulf waters and tracking the plumes – at sea now – http://gulfblog.uga.edu/

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

NOAA Fisheries Service continues to provide data, plan surveys, and protocols to the effort. For daily updates regarding this effort please see the Unified Command’s Joint Information Center and the NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration. For fishery-specific oil-related regulatory actions (i.e., closures) please see the NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office website.

Deepwater Horizon Incident Website

NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration offers this Deepwater Horizon Incident website with the latest news, trajectory maps and forecasts, links to scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state, and local organizations, and images, much more.  The Information for Students and Teachers hosts background information about spills, activities and lesson plans, and much more.  Check out the Web Portals for links to emergency response programs, restoration planning tools, and more.  On the NOS website, you can learn more about the spill in the April 27 episode of Making Waves, and check out a recent episode of Diving Deeper to learn more oil spills in general and how NOAA responds to these events in an interview with Amy Merten from NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration.

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon/

http://www.incidentnews.gov/incident/8220

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/

Oil Spill Educational Resources and Lesson Plans

As the nation’s leading scientific resource for oil spills, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been on the scene of the BP/Deepwater Horizon spill from the start, providing coordinated scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state, and local organizations.  NOAA has mobilized experts from across the agency to help contain the spreading oil spill and protect the Gulf of Mexico’s many marine mammals, sea turtles, fish, shellfish and other endangered marine life. One of NOAA’s lead offices in this effort is the Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R).

OR&R has up-to-date information on the Deepwater Horizon spill as well as loads of science-based, accurate information on oil spills, spill response, and effects on wildlife as well as a host of photos and fact sheets that are downloadable for your use. OR&R also offers other educational materials for students and teachers.

For those of you looking for lesson plans and educational materials on oil spills, be sure to check out the Bridge’s resources:

http://www2.vims.edu/bridge/search/bridge1output_menu.cfm?q=spill

And, if you have or know of an oil spill resource not already on the Bridge, please take a moment to nominate it:
http://www2.vims.edu/bridge/search/nominate.cfm