The Sea Grant Oil Spill Outreach Team released a publication that provides helpful information about storms and oil spills. Oil and chemicals from damaged rigs and vessels can form slicks that can pollute marine and shoreline ecosystems. If there is an existing oil slick offshore during a storm, high winds and rough seas can help to break up the slick before it comes ashore. If there is already oiling along coastlines, storm surges can push the oil further inland.
Read Storms and Spills to learn what to do and who to contact if a storm causes a spill near you. You can also read about oil spills from past storms in 1989 (Hugo), 2005 (Katrina and Rita), 2012 (Isaac and Sandy), and 2017 (Maria).
Read more about research related to storms and spills:
- Study Investigates Influence of Hurricanes on Ocean Surface Currents
- Study Describes How Hurricane Isaac Stirred Up a Marine Snow Storm
- Deep-C Surveys the Gulf Before, During, and After Hurricane Isaac
- Using Complementary Simulations to Improve Oil Tracking under Hurricane Conditions
- Drifters in Path of Hurricane Isaac Provide New Insights on Ocean Currents
The Sea Grant Oil Spill Outreach Team synthesizes peer-reviewed science for a broad range of general audiences, particularly those who live and work across the Gulf Coast. Sea Grant offers oil-spill related public seminars across the United States.
Information about upcoming Sea Grant science seminars and recently-held events is available here. To receive email updates about seminars, publications, and the outreach team, click here.
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GoMRI and the Sea Grant programs of the Gulf of Mexico (Florida, Mississippi-Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas) have partnered to create an oil spill science outreach program.
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is a 10-year independent research program established to study the effect, and the potential associated impact, of hydrocarbon releases on the environment and public health, as well as to develop improved spill mitigation, oil detection, characterization and remediation technologies. An independent and academic 20-member Research Board makes the funding and research direction decisions to ensure the intellectual quality, effectiveness and academic independence of the GoMRI research. All research data, findings and publications will be made publicly available. The program was established through a $500 million financial commitment from BP. For more information, visit https://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
© Copyright 2010- 2018 Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) – All Rights Reserved. Redistribution is encouraged with acknowledgement to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). Please credit images and/or videos as done in each article. Questions? Contact web-content editor Nilde “Maggie” Dannreuther, Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University (maggied@ngi.msstate.edu).