Disasters and Disruptions Virtual Oral Abstracts
Dec 02, 2020 10:00 AM - Dec 31, 2020 11:30 AM(America/Chicago)
20201202T1000 20201202T1130 America/Chicago Disasters and Disruptions - Oil Spill (Oral)

The Gulf Coast has experienced - and is experiencing - a variety of disasters and disruptions from the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster (this year being the 10th anniversary), major hurricanes, freshwater inflow events, such as the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway and the ongoing COVID-19 health pandemic. For some of these disasters and disruptions, we have a better understanding of human and ecological recovery, with restoration efforts underway or planned to advance recovery. For others, our knowledge of the impacts and the recovery process is more limited. Topics in this track may include new research, perspectives and/or updates on human and ecological impacts, restoration, extension and education and outreach-related discoveries related to these and other major disruptions and disasters affecting the Gulf Coast.

Virtual 2020 Bays and Bayous Symposium melissa.schneider@usm.edu
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration logoMobile Bay National Estuary Program logoMississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium logoThe University of Southern Mississippi  logoDauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation logoAlabama State Port Authority logoMississippi Commercial Fisheries United logoGulf of Mexico Alliance logoHydro, LLC logoGeosyntec  logoNorthern Gulf Institute logoGoodwyn Mills & Cawood, Inc. logoNeel-Schaffer, inc. logoHeadwaters LLC logoStantec Consulting Services Inc. logoDog River Clearwater Revival logoEnvironmental Science Associates (ESA) logoThompson Engineering logo

The Gulf Coast has experienced - and is experiencing - a variety of disasters and disruptions from the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster (this year being the 10th anniversary), major hurricanes, freshwater inflow events, such as the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway and the ongoing COVID-19 health pandemic. For some of these disasters and disruptions, we have a better understanding of human and ecological recovery, with restoration efforts underway or planned to advance recovery. For others, our knowledge of the impacts and the recovery process is more limited. Topics in this track may include new research, perspectives and/or updates on human and ecological impacts, restoration, extension and education and outreach-related discoveries related to these and other major disruptions and disasters affecting the Gulf Coast.

Synthesizing oil spill science syntheses: A collaborative effort between the Gulf Sea Grant Programs and the Gulf of Mexico Research InitiativeView Abstract Watch Recording 0
Oral PresentationDisasters and Disruptions 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM (America/Chicago) 2020/12/02 16:00:00 UTC - 2020/12/31 16:15:00 UTC
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was founded in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) with a commitment of $500 million in non-penalty funds by BP to conduct science to understand the impacts of oil spills on the environment and to public health. Now in its tenth and final year, GoMRI leadership and investigators are wrapping up ongoing projects and synthesizing the enormous amount of research collected over the past decade. Specifically, the goal of GoMRI’s synthesis effort has been to answer five key questions: What was the state of the science before Deepwater Horizon? What have we learned? What major gaps in knowledge still exist? How can we best apply what we have learned? Where do we go from here? To that end, GoMRI developed eight Core Areas of scientific focus aligned with GoMRI research themes. Leads for these Core Areas held a series of workshops designed to be working sessions to aggregate all research results in the Core Area, eventually leading to published reports and research articles. In 2014, GoMRI partnered with the four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs to create the Oil Spill Science Outreach Team. The team’s mission has been to conduct extension and outreach activities within the Gulf of Mexico and beyond to bring the science of oil spills to people whose livelihoods depend on a healthy Gulf. As the synthesis activities have progressed, members of the team have worked closely with the Core Area leaders to begin developing outreach publications that consolidate, summarize, and improve public access to 10 years of synthesized science and discovery. Audience members will learn about the results of GoMRI’s synthesis efforts that have helped society better understand oil spills and impacts of DWH to the Gulf of Mexico.
Presenters Melissa Partyka
AUMERC/MASGC
Co-Authors
DB
Danielle Bailey
Texas Sea Grant
EM
Emily Maung-Douglass
Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
Stephen Sempier
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium
Tara Skelton
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium
MW
Monica Wilson
UF/IFAS Extension & Florida Sea Grant
Preparing for oil spills: Results of a workshop series focused on regional social, economic, and human health needsView Abstract Watch Recording 0
Oral PresentationResilient Communities and Economies 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM (America/Chicago) 2020/12/02 16:15:00 UTC - 2020/12/31 16:30:00 UTC
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program’s (GRP) Thriving Communities Initiative seeks to improve the quality, accessibility, and use of information about how to protect communities from the impacts of oil spills. During a 2017 workshop, the GRP identified the need to collect input at a regional level to determine ways to support preparedness around the country. Since 2014, the Gulf Sea Grant Oil Spill Science Outreach Team (Team) has conducted outreach activities within the Gulf of Mexico and beyond, bringing the science of oil spills to communities, making the Team well-positioned to assist the GRP in these efforts. In 2018, the Team partnered with the GRP and Sea Grant programs around the country to co-host a series of regional workshops. These workshops– held in partnership with Alaska Sea Grant College Program, Virginia Sea Grant College Program, and University of Southern California Sea Grant Program – addressed three topical areas related to oil spills: social disruption, economic impacts, and public health. Each workshop was organized with the express goal of identifying region-specific outreach and research needs, potential pilot programs, and possible modifications to existing response protocols that would improve oil spill preparation in those communities. The discussions generated during the workshops were summarized into individual reports, which were synthesized into a document to be utilized by the GRP to inform future funding decisions. Session attendees can expect to hear some of the universal needs and concerns raised by workshop participants, needs unique to communities in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, and results of an evaluation of the workshop series.
Presenters Melissa Partyka
AUMERC/MASGC
Co-Authors
DB
Danielle Bailey
Texas Sea Grant
EM
Emily Maung-Douglass
Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
Stephen Sempier
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium
Tara Skelton
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium
MW
Monica Wilson
UF/IFAS Extension & Florida Sea Grant
Deepwater Horizon – Teaching About a Disaster During a DisruptionView Abstract Watch Recording 0
Oral PresentationDisasters and Disruptions 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM (America/Chicago) 2020/12/02 16:30:00 UTC - 2020/12/31 16:45:00 UTC
On April 20, 2005, The Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, claiming 11 human lives, and initiating an 87-day-long oil spill, a cross-habitat ecological event, and an unparalleled research effort that continues today. Alongside cross-disciplinary scientists addressing environmental questions raised by the spill, educators have engaged diverse groups of interested people in learning about the Gulf of Mexico and the impacts of the oil spill. The University of Southern Mississippi Marine Education Center undertook a variety of efforts to communicate oil spill science: collaborating with researchers to share their work and collaborating with other educators to facilitate teaching research results. Several of these activities addressed teachers. The 2019 dedicated issue of Current, The Journal of Marine Education featuring ‘GoMRI Research Resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill’ was created collaboratively by GoMRI outreach coordinators. It offers research literature reviews that address several topics of interest to the public at a level accessible to teachers. The issue was featured in teacher professional development held virtually April 24-25. The teacher workshop, ‘Oil Spill Science: 10-year Review,’ was scheduled as a face-to-face experience including outdoor learning. The workshop took place completely online five weeks after the MEC began working remotely. Although some teachers cancelled participation because of their own remote working challenges, others requested MEC assistance in meeting their virtual instruction challenges. Through presentations by three speakers, participants gained insight into ecological impacts of the oil spill and explored the process of science using current oil spill research as an illustration. They worked in online teams to complete a project to explain how a specific topic illustrates process of science. Lessons learned through this program continue to inform MEC development of virtual education programs.
Presenters Jessie Kastler
University Of Southern Mississippi
Co-Authors Laura Blackmon
USM Marine Education Center
Post-Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration in AlabamaView Abstract Watch Recording 0
Oral PresentationDisasters and Disruptions 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM (America/Chicago) 2020/12/02 16:45:00 UTC - 2020/12/31 17:00:00 UTC
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, in partnership with the other Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (AL TIG) members, has been implementing Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) restoration projects since 2016 with fines paid under the Oil Pollution Act. The other AL TIG members are the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. To date, implementation has begun on 39 NRDA funded restoration projects in Coastal Alabama. NRDA early restoration funded 8 projects prior to the April 2016 Consent Decree with BPXP. Post-settlement, the AL TIG has approved 3 Restoration Plans containing a total of 35 projects. These restoration projects aim to address injuries to sea turtles; marine mammals; birds; oysters; wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats; non-point source nutrient reduction; and recreational use. This presentation will provide a history of the NRDA process in Alabama, including the project screening and selection process, and will highlight several active projects that demonstrate the role of science in restoration decision making. Projects included in the discussion will include the Coastal Alabama Sea Turtle (CAST) Habitat Usage and Population Dynamics, Coastal Alabama Sea Turtle (CAST) Triage Center, Bayfront Park Restoration and Improvements, Assessment of Alabama Estuarine Bottlenose Dolphin Populations and Health, Colonial Nesting Wading Bird Tracking and Habitat Use Assessment—Two Species, and Oyster Hatchery at Claude Peteet Mariculture Center—High Spat Production With Study.
Presenters
KS
Kelly Swindle
Alabama Department Of COnservation And Natural Resources
Alabama Department of COnservation and Natural Resources
University of Southern Mississippi
AUMERC/MASGC
No moderator for this session!
NOAA OCM
Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Mrs. JoAnn Moody
Dauphin Island Sea Lab: Discovery Hall Programs
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
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