🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 126 (from laksa141)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa126.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study","crawl_time":1773928168,"first_indexed_time":1745657754,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"gov,noaa!restoration,response,\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study s443","src_root_hash":"9603669028047945726","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill | response.restoration.noaa.gov","meta_descriptions":[],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Incident\nOn April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the British Petroleum (BP)\nDeepwater Horizon\nMacondo oil well drilling platform in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). The explosion, which tragically killed 11 workers, caused the rig to sink and started a catastrophic oil leak from the well. Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the Gulf resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The incident resulted in an unprecedented impact to the Gulf’s coastal resources and the people who depend on them.\nResponse\nNOAA mobilized within three hours of the explosion to provide expert scientific support for the response; including trajectories of where the oil was going, what resources would be impacted, and weather and oceanographic predictions to the U.S. Coast Guard. Interagency coordination began immediately among federal partners. NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other federal, state and local representatives immediately began implementing response plans, providing on-scene and remote technical advice and access to resources and equipment, and overseeing BP’s response. After several unsuccessful attempts to plug the well, a “capping stack” was installed that stopped the release of oil on July 15, 2010.\nOR&R Involvement\nScience and Coordination\nOn scene from the earliest moments of the crisis, scientists used data from satellites, aircraft, ships, buoys, and gliders to collect and provide mission-critical information to guide the emergency response to the spill, as well as the long-term assessment and restoration of the Gulf Coast.\nTools in Action\nMaps of Shoreline Sensitivity and Coastal Resources at Risk\n: Responders used\nEnvironmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps\nto quickly identify the most sensitive coastal areas at risk from spreading oil, including biological, ecological, historical, cultural, and human-use resources. The color-coded sensitivity rankings on the maps enabled responders to prioritize cleanup efforts and protection strategies in regions with vulnerable wildlife habitats and human-use resources, such as fisheries and recreational beaches. ESI data was instrumental in identifying sensitive habitats and shorelines, and helped damage assessment teams to develop sampling plans.\nOil Spill Trajectory Modeling:\nThe flagship oil spill trajectory model,\nGNOME\n, was used by experts to generate daily\noil spill trajectories\nfor 107 days of the response. These trajectories estimated where oil from the gushing wellhead would be transported over the next few days. With the possibility of oil being drawn into the northern portion of the\nLoop Current\n, experts developed statistical modeling products\nto examine the probabilities\nof impacts outside the immediate spill area.\nEnvironmental Response Mapping:\nExperts incorporated essential environmental response information into NOAA’s web-based geographic information system tool, ERMA®. A month into the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard selected ERMA as the official common operating picture for all federal, state, and local spill responders to use during the incident. With this special designation, ERMA provided a quick visualization of the sprawling, complicated oil spill situation, and improved communication and coordination among responders, environmental stakeholders, and decision makers. Where ERMA integrates both static and real-time data, including ESI maps, ship locations, weather conditions, shoreline oiling conditions, and ocean currents, it provides a real-time overview of response operations and environmental threats.\nData Visualization and Reporting:\nWithin weeks of the spill, NOAA’s damage assessment team created a centralized data management system, now known as\nDIVER\n. The data management application centralized and standardized the array of environmental data collected from on-site response and damage assessment efforts, as well as results and analyses from laboratory testing. The DIVER platform became the primary data management and data query tool as the incident’s natural resource damage assessment progressed through 2016. DIVER continues to provide public access to\ndata from the\nDeepwater Horizon\nresponse and damage assessment\n, and now serves as a nation-wide application that supports OR&R emergency response efforts, NRDA cases, and research projects. DIVER directly supports NOAA’s ability to collaborate and share data and analyses with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners.\nDamage Assessment and Recovery\nFollowing the spill, OR&R as part of NOAA’s\nDamage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program\n, and partners conducted a\nnatural resources damage assessment (NRDA)\nto evaluate the impacts of the spill and specify the type and amount of restoration required. Leading the NRDA process, OR&R provided mission-critical expertise and used field and laboratory studies, scientific literature, and model-based approaches to evaluate potential impacts on fish, wildlife, surrounding habitats, and public use of those resources.\nOn April 4, 2016, the court approved an\n$8.8 billion settlement with BP\nfor natural resource injuries caused by the\nDeepwater Horizon\noil spill, concluding the largest natural resource damage assessment ever undertaken. The settlement is funding a\nmulti-year effort\nto restore fisheries, protected resources, critical habitats (e.g., wetlands, oysters, corals, etc.) and recreational opportunities across the Gulf. \nAdvances in Science\nThe\nDeepwater Horizon\noil spill challenged the spill response community, driving advancements in science to better prepare for future incidents. In the decades since the tragedy, OR&R has applied the many lessons learned during the spill to enhance its science, technology, communication, and coordination.\nHighlights\nThe\nDeepwater Horizon\noil spill emergency launched a fledgling satellite mapping program into action. That program now\npatrols America’s waterways for accidental or intentional oil spills\n.\nOR&R scientists have worked to advance the satellite technology — pioneered during the historic spill to detect and map the footprint of floating oil —\nto now measure its thickness\n.\nOR&R expanded its oil spill trajectory model GNOME which forecasted where the massive discharge of oil from\nDeepwater Horizon\nwould go into an\nintegrated suite of oil spill transport and fate modeling tools\n.\nThe\ntoxicity testing program\nborn from assessing\nDeepwater Horizon\nimpacts created an unprecedented, large, and coherent dataset to draw conclusions about how natural resources in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) were injured by the disaster. The publicly available body of information expanded the scientific literature available on the ecotoxicity of oil to a wide range of species and continues to facilitate advances in science today.\nRemotely Operated Vehicles examined the impacts of the oil spill on deep-sea corals.\nA 2014 study\ndetermined that observed impacts to life in the deep ocean are closely tied to the\nDeepwater Horizon\noil spill.\nSince 2015, NOAA experts have partnered with scientific leaders specializing in different backgrounds to continue studies to\ndetermine how dolphins and large whales were impacted by the spill\n.\nMarine mammal and sea turtle scientists partnered with oil spill experts to document lessons learned from\nDeepwater Horizon\non the best ways to protect, rescue, assess, and restore\nsea turtles and marine mammals impacted by oil\n, resulting in two technical memos.\nNOAA scientists were among the 4,500 researchers involved in the\nGulf of Mexico Research Initiative\n, which resulted in more than 1,700 scientific publications investigating the impacts of oil, dispersed oil, and dispersants on the ecosystems of the Gulf of America following the\nDeepwater Horizon\noil spill.","attrs_markdown":"[Jump to navigation](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study#main-menu)\n\n![U.S. flag](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/sites\/all\/themes\/orr_2\/images\/flag.png) An official website of the United States government. Here's how you know we're official.\n\n##### **Official websites use .gov**\nA **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.\n\n##### **Secure websites use HTTPS**\nA small lock or **https:\/\/** means you’ve safely connected to a .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.\n\n[![NOAA Logo](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/sites\/all\/themes\/orr_2\/images\/NOAA-logo.gif) Office of Response and Restoration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/ \"Home\")\n\n- [Oil and Chemical Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills \"Oil and Chemical Spills\")\n  - [Oil Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills \"Oil Spills\")\n  - [Chemical Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/chemical-spills \"Chemical Spills\")\n  - [Significant Incidents](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents \"Significant Incidents\")\n  - [Historic Shipwrecks](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/historic-shipwrecks)\n- [Environmental Restoration](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/environmental-restoration \"Environmental Restoration\")\n  - [Assessment Tools](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/environmental-restoration\/environmental-assessment-tools \"Assessment Tools\")\n- [Marine Debris](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/marine-debris \"Marine Debris\")\n- [Disaster Preparedness](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/disaster-preparedness)\n  - [Hurricanes](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/disaster-preparedness\/hurricanes)\n  - [Disaster Response Center](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/disaster-preparedness\/disaster-response-center)\n- [Blog](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about \"About\")\n- [Resources](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources \"Resources\")\n  - [Maps and Data](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/maps-and-spatial-data \"Maps and Data\")\n  - [Education](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/education \"Education\")\n  - [Timelines](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/timelines)\n  - [Podcasts](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/podcasts \"Podcasts\")\n  - [Videos](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/videos \"Videos\")\n  - [Publications](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/publications \"Publications\")\n  - [Images](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/images \"Images\")\n  - [Training](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/training \"Training\")\n  - [Infographics](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/infographics \"Infographics\")\n  - [Story Maps](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/story-maps \"Story Maps\")\n  - [Research](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/orr-research-projects \"Learn about research projects at the Office of Response and Restoration\")\n\n[Menu](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study#off-canvas \"Menu\")\n\n## You are here\n1. [Home](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/) \\|\n2. [Oil and Chemical Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills \"Oil and Chemical Spills\") \\|\n3. [Significant Incidents](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents \"Significant Incidents\") \\|\n4. [Oil and Chemical Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills) \\|\n5. [Significant Incidents](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents) \\|\n\n[Back to top](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study#skip-link)\n\n## You are here\n1. [Home](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/) \\|\n2. [Oil and Chemical Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills \"Oil and Chemical Spills\") \\|\n3. [Significant Incidents](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents \"Significant Incidents\") \\|\n4. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill\n\n## Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill\n## Incident\nOn April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the British Petroleum (BP) *Deepwater Horizon* Macondo oil well drilling platform in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). The explosion, which tragically killed 11 workers, caused the rig to sink and started a catastrophic oil leak from the well. Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the Gulf resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The incident resulted in an unprecedented impact to the Gulf’s coastal resources and the people who depend on them.\n\n## Response\nNOAA mobilized within three hours of the explosion to provide expert scientific support for the response; including trajectories of where the oil was going, what resources would be impacted, and weather and oceanographic predictions to the U.S. Coast Guard. Interagency coordination began immediately among federal partners. NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other federal, state and local representatives immediately began implementing response plans, providing on-scene and remote technical advice and access to resources and equipment, and overseeing BP’s response. After several unsuccessful attempts to plug the well, a “capping stack” was installed that stopped the release of oil on July 15, 2010.\n\n## OR\\&R Involvement\n### Science and Coordination\nOn scene from the earliest moments of the crisis, scientists used data from satellites, aircraft, ships, buoys, and gliders to collect and provide mission-critical information to guide the emergency response to the spill, as well as the long-term assessment and restoration of the Gulf Coast.\n\n### Tools in Action\n**Maps of Shoreline Sensitivity and Coastal Resources at Risk**: Responders used [Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/esi) to quickly identify the most sensitive coastal areas at risk from spreading oil, including biological, ecological, historical, cultural, and human-use resources. The color-coded sensitivity rankings on the maps enabled responders to prioritize cleanup efforts and protection strategies in regions with vulnerable wildlife habitats and human-use resources, such as fisheries and recreational beaches. ESI data was instrumental in identifying sensitive habitats and shorelines, and helped damage assessment teams to develop sampling plans.\n\n**Oil Spill Trajectory Modeling:** The flagship oil spill trajectory model, [GNOME](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/gnome), was used by experts to generate daily [oil spill trajectories](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills\/response-tools\/deepwater-horizon-trajectory-maps-background.html) for 107 days of the response. These trajectories estimated where oil from the gushing wellhead would be transported over the next few days. With the possibility of oil being drawn into the northern portion of the [Loop Current](https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/facts\/loopcurrent.html), experts developed statistical modeling products [to examine the probabilities](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/attempting-answer-one-question-over-and-over-again-where-will-oil-go) of impacts outside the immediate spill area.\n\n**Environmental Response Mapping:** Experts incorporated essential environmental response information into NOAA’s web-based geographic information system tool, ERMA®. A month into the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard selected ERMA as the official common operating picture for all federal, state, and local spill responders to use during the incident. With this special designation, ERMA provided a quick visualization of the sprawling, complicated oil spill situation, and improved communication and coordination among responders, environmental stakeholders, and decision makers. Where ERMA integrates both static and real-time data, including ESI maps, ship locations, weather conditions, shoreline oiling conditions, and ocean currents, it provides a real-time overview of response operations and environmental threats.\n\n**Data Visualization and Reporting:** Within weeks of the spill, NOAA’s damage assessment team created a centralized data management system, now known as [DIVER](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/environmental-restoration\/environmental-assessment-tools\/diver.html). The data management application centralized and standardized the array of environmental data collected from on-site response and damage assessment efforts, as well as results and analyses from laboratory testing. The DIVER platform became the primary data management and data query tool as the incident’s natural resource damage assessment progressed through 2016. DIVER continues to provide public access to [data from the *Deepwater Horizon* response and damage assessment](https:\/\/www.diver.orr.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-nrda-data), and now serves as a nation-wide application that supports OR\\&R emergency response efforts, NRDA cases, and research projects. DIVER directly supports NOAA’s ability to collaborate and share data and analyses with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners.\n\n### Damage Assessment and Recovery\nFollowing the spill, OR\\&R as part of NOAA’s [Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program](http:\/\/www.darrp.noaa.gov\/), and partners conducted a [natural resources damage assessment (NRDA)](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/environmental-restoration\/natural-resource-damage-assessment.html) to evaluate the impacts of the spill and specify the type and amount of restoration required. Leading the NRDA process, OR\\&R provided mission-critical expertise and used field and laboratory studies, scientific literature, and model-based approaches to evaluate potential impacts on fish, wildlife, surrounding habitats, and public use of those resources.\n\nOn April 4, 2016, the court approved an [\\$8.8 billion settlement with BP](https:\/\/www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov\/2016\/04\/trustees-settle-bp-natural-resource-injuries-gulf-mexico) for natural resource injuries caused by the *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill, concluding the largest natural resource damage assessment ever undertaken. The settlement is funding a [multi-year effort](http:\/\/gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov\/) to restore fisheries, protected resources, critical habitats (e.g., wetlands, oysters, corals, etc.) and recreational opportunities across the Gulf.\n\n### Advances in Science\nThe *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill challenged the spill response community, driving advancements in science to better prepare for future incidents. In the decades since the tragedy, OR\\&R has applied the many lessons learned during the spill to enhance its science, technology, communication, and coordination.\n\n***Highlights***\n\n- The *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill emergency launched a fledgling satellite mapping program into action. That program now [patrols America’s waterways for accidental or intentional oil spills](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/noaas-eyes-sky-how-satellite-technology-pioneered-during-deepwater-horizon-patrols-americas-oceans).\n- OR\\&R scientists have worked to advance the satellite technology — pioneered during the historic spill to detect and map the footprint of floating oil — [to now measure its thickness](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/how-thick-oil-slick).\n- OR\\&R expanded its oil spill trajectory model GNOME which forecasted where the massive discharge of oil from *Deepwater Horizon* would go into an [integrated suite of oil spill transport and fate modeling tools](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/advances-science-how-deepwater-horizon-helped-improve-noaas-oil-spill-modeling).\n- The [toxicity testing program](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/how-deepwater-horizon-spurred-advances-oil-toxicity-science) born from assessing *Deepwater Horizon* impacts created an unprecedented, large, and coherent dataset to draw conclusions about how natural resources in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) were injured by the disaster. The publicly available body of information expanded the scientific literature available on the ecotoxicity of oil to a wide range of species and continues to facilitate advances in science today.\n- Remotely Operated Vehicles examined the impacts of the oil spill on deep-sea corals. [A 2014 study](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about\/media\/bottom-gulf-mexico-corals-and-diversity-suffered-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html) determined that observed impacts to life in the deep ocean are closely tied to the *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill.\n- Since 2015, NOAA experts have partnered with scientific leaders specializing in different backgrounds to continue studies to [determine how dolphins and large whales were impacted by the spill](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/dolphin-discoveries-decade-deepwater-horizon).\n- Marine mammal and sea turtle scientists partnered with oil spill experts to document lessons learned from *Deepwater Horizon* on the best ways to protect, rescue, assess, and restore [sea turtles and marine mammals impacted by oil](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/advances-assessing-sea-turtles-and-marine-mammals-during-oil-spills), resulting in two technical memos.\n- NOAA scientists were among the 4,500 researchers involved in the [Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative](https:\/\/gulfresearchinitiative.org\/), which resulted in more than 1,700 scientific publications investigating the impacts of oil, dispersed oil, and dispersants on the ecosystems of the Gulf of America following the *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill.\n\n[![An image of barataria monitoring.](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/barataria-320.jpg)](https:\/\/www.fisheries.noaa.gov\/feature-story\/restoring-gulf-15-years-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill)\n\n### [Restoring the Gulf: 15 Years After the *Deepwater Horizon* Oil Spill](https:\/\/www.fisheries.noaa.gov\/feature-story\/restoring-gulf-15-years-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill)\n\n[![Screenshot of video of NOAA scientist talking to camera, with a background display of oil spilled in water.](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/750x500-lisa-dipinto.png)](https:\/\/videos.fisheries.noaa.gov\/detail\/videos\/southeast-region\/video\/6149129342001\/deepwater-horizon:-a-first-hand-account-of-the-spill)\n\n### [Video: *Deepwater Horizon*: A First Hand Account of the Spill](https:\/\/videos.fisheries.noaa.gov\/detail\/videos\/southeast-region\/video\/6149129342001\/deepwater-horizon:-a-first-hand-account-of-the-spill)\n\n[![An image of the deepwater horizon oil spill.](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/deepwater-horizon-explosion-320.jpg)](https:\/\/uat.oceanservice.noaa.gov\/podcast\/apr25\/nop80-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html)\n\n### [Podcast: *Deepwater Horizon* Oil Spill: 15 Years of Advancing Science](https:\/\/uat.oceanservice.noaa.gov\/podcast\/apr25\/nop80-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html)\n\n[![Screenshot of video of NOAA scientist talking to camera, with a background display of oil spilled in water.](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/dwh%20repos.png)](https:\/\/repository.library.noaa.gov\/cbrowse?pid=noaa%3A44280&parentId=noaa%3A44280)\n\n### [*Deepwater Horizon* Collection of NOAA Science Literature](https:\/\/repository.library.noaa.gov\/cbrowse?pid=noaa%3A44280&parentId=noaa%3A44280)\n\n### News and Features\n- [Restoring Deep Habitats In and Around Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary](https:\/\/sanctuaries.noaa.gov\/news\/2025\/restoring-deep-habitats.html)\n- [A Fantastic Journey: From the Seafloor to the Museum Collection](https:\/\/coastalscience.noaa.gov\/news\/a-fantastic-journey-from-the-seafloor-to-the-museum-collection\/)\n- [The Early Days and Hours of Deepwater Horizon](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/early-days-and-hours-deepwater-horizon)\n- [Attempting to Answer One Question Over and Over Again: Where Will the Oil Go?](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/attempting-answer-one-question-over-and-over-again-where-will-oil-go)\n- [Deepwater Horizon: Response in the Midst of an Historic Crisis](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-response-midst-historic-crisis)\n- [In Mapping the Fallout from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Developing One Tool to Bring Unity to the Response](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/mapping-fallout-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-developing-one-tool-bring-unity-response)\n- [Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Coastal Salt Marsh Habitat](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/effects-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-coastal-salt-marsh-habitat)\n- [Assessing the Impacts from Deepwater Horizon](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/assessing-impacts-deepwater-horizon)\n- [Recalling the Early Hours—and Challenges—of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/recalling-early-hours-and-challenges-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill)\n- [Advances in Science: How Deepwater Horizon Helped Improve NOAA’s Oil Spill Modeling](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/advances-science-how-deepwater-horizon-helped-improve-noaas-oil-spill-modeling)\n- [10 Things a Non-Scientist Has Learned in the Decade Since Deepwater Horizon](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/10-things-non-scientist-has-learned-decade-deepwater-horizon)\n- [From the Deepwater Horizon Incident Command, to the Helm of the Disaster Preparedness Program: A Career Built Around Disaster Coordination](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-incident-command-helm-disaster-preparedness-program-career-built-around-disaster)\n- [NOAA’s Eyes in the Sky: How Satellite Technology Pioneered During Deepwater Horizon Patrols America’s Oceans for Pollution](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/noaas-eyes-sky-how-satellite-technology-pioneered-during-deepwater-horizon-patrols-americas-oceans)\n- [How Deepwater Horizon Spurred Advances in Oil Toxicity Science](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/how-deepwater-horizon-spurred-advances-oil-toxicity-science)\n- [How Deepwater Horizon Data Tools are Used to Protect America’s Coastal Resources](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/how-deepwater-horizon-data-tools-are-used-protect-americas-coastal-resources)\n- [Dolphin Discoveries in the Decade Since Deepwater Horizon](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/dolphin-discoveries-decade-deepwater-horizon)\n- [How Many People are on that Beach? NOAA Economists Release Guide to Counting Coastal Recreators](https:\/\/darrp.noaa.gov\/oil-spills\/how-many-people-are-beach-noaa-economists-release-guide-counting-coastal-recreators)\n\n### Multimedia\n- **Timeline:** [The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/timelines\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill)\n- **Photo Album:** [OR\\&R Photos on Flickr](https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/search\/?user_id=114578387%40N08&view_all=1&text=)\n- **Photos from [Incident News](https:\/\/incidentnews.noaa.gov\/incident\/8220)**: *Deepwater Horizon* aerial imagery accompanying daily situation report updates from OR\\&R while advising the U.S. Coast Guard.\n- **Videos:** [Restoring the Gulf: 10 Years After *Deepwater Horizon*](https:\/\/www.fisheries.noaa.gov\/feature-story\/restoring-gulf-10-years-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill)\n- **Podcast:** [*Deepwater Horizon* Response and Restoration](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/multimedia\/podcasts\/deepwater-horizon-response-and-restoration-episode-57.html-0) (*Making Waves*, Episode 57)\n- **Podcast:** [*Deepwater Horizon*, one year later](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/multimedia\/podcasts\/deepwater-horizon-one-year-later-episode-73.html) (*Making Waves*, Episode 73)\n- **Storymap:** [Gulf Spill Restoration Projects](https:\/\/www.habitat.noaa.gov\/storymap\/dwh\/index.html)\n- **Infographics:** Browse [OR\\&R’s library](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/infographics) for *Deepwater Horizon*\\-related infographics.\n\n### Data and Technical Reports\n- [NOAA Studies Documenting the Impacts of the *Deepwater Horizon* Oil Spill](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill\/noaa-studies-documenting-impacts-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html)\n- [Trajectory Maps](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills\/response-tools\/deepwater-horizon-trajectory-maps-background.html): *Deepwater Horizon* spill trajectories, generated by OR\\&R from April 21 through August 23, 2010. Trajectory maps predict how an oil spill will spread and move within a local area.\n- *Deepwater Horizon* oceanographic data collected by [NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information](https:\/\/www.nodc.noaa.gov\/deepwaterhorizon\/). The archive provides access to physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic datasets.\n- [Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Data](https:\/\/www.diver.orr.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-nrda-data)\n- [Guidelines for Oil Spill Response and Natural Resource Damage Assessment: Sea Turtles](https:\/\/www.fisheries.noaa.gov\/resource\/document\/guidelines-oil-spill-response-and-natural-resource-damage-assessment-sea-turtles)\n- [Guidelines for Assessing Exposure and Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine Mammals](https:\/\/repository.library.noaa.gov\/view\/noaa\/22425)\n- [Best Practices for Collecting Onsite Data to Assess Recreational Use Impacts from an Oil Spill](https:\/\/darrp.noaa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/node-attachments\/TM_NOS-ORR_54%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Collecting%20Onsite%20Data%20to%20Assess%20Recreational%20Use%20Impacts%20from%20an%20Oil%20Spill%20508%20compliant.pdf)\n\n### Other Links\n- **Website:** [Gulf Spill Restoration](https:\/\/www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov\/)\n- **Webpage:** [Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program Deepwater Horizon Case Page](https:\/\/darrp.noaa.gov\/oil-spills\/deepwater-horizon)\n- **Webpage:** [Deepwater Horizon: A Moment in Time, Decades of Restoration](https:\/\/www.fisheries.noaa.gov\/habitat-conservation\/deepwater-horizon-moment-time-decades-restoration)\n\n[Back to top](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study#skip-link)\n\n### Sign up for news and announcements\nStay informed of the latest news around OR\\&R.\n\n#### General Information\n- [Accomplishments](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about\/accomplishments)\n- [Contact OR\\&R](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about\/contact)\n\n#### For Practitioners\n- [Response Tools](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills\/response-tools\/response-tools-oil-spills.html)\n- [Training Opportunities](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/training)\n- [Job Aids](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills\/resources\/job-aids-spill-response.html)\n\n#### Research\n- [Publications](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/publications\/)\n- [Projects](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/orr-research-projects)\n\n## Stay Connected\n[Facebook](http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/noaaresponserestoration \"Follow us on Facebook\") [YouTube](http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/usoceangov \"Follow us on YouTube\") [Flickr](http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/noaa_response_restoration\/ \"Follow us on Flickr\") [Twitter](http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/noaacleancoasts \"Follow us on Twitter\")\n\n- [Response Tools](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills\/response-tools)\n- [Incident News](https:\/\/incidentnews.noaa.gov\/)\n- [Blog](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/)\n- [News archive](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/news-archive)\n- [About](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about)\n\nRevised: Mar 18, 2026 7:38am \\| [Site Map](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/sitemap) \\| [Contact Us](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about\/contact) \\| [Accessibility](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about\/accessibility-website.html) \\| [Disclaimer](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/disclaimer.html)  \n [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/privacy-policy.html) \\| [Stay connected with OR\\&R](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about\/office-response-and-restoration-social-media.html) \\| [Website Survey](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/website-survey)  \n Website owner: [Office of Response and Restoration](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/) \\| [NOAA's Ocean Service](https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/)  \n[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](https:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/) \\| [US Department of Commerce](https:\/\/www.commerce.gov\/) \\| [USA.gov](https:\/\/www.usa.gov\/)\n\n![NOAA Logo](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/sites\/all\/themes\/orr_2\/images\/noaa-logo-rgb-white-2022.png)\n\n- [Oil and Chemical Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills \"Oil and Chemical Spills\")\n  - [Oil Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills \"Oil Spills\")\n    - [Response Tools](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills\/response-tools \"Response Tools\")\n    - [Resources](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills\/resources \"Resources\")\n  - [Chemical Spills](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/chemical-spills \"Chemical Spills\")\n    - [Response Tools](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/chemical-spills\/response-tools \"Response Tools\")\n    - [Resources](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/chemical-spills\/resources \"Resources\")\n  - [Significant Incidents](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents \"Significant Incidents\")\n    - [Argo Merchant Oil Spill](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents\/argo-merchant-oil-spill \"Argo Merchant Oil Spill\")\n    - [Athos I Oil Spill on the Delaware River](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents\/athos-i-oil-spill \"Athos I Oil Spill on the Delaware River\")\n    - [Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study \"Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill\")\n    - [Exxon Valdez Oil Spill](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents\/exxon-valdez-oil-spill \"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill\")\n    - [Hurricanes Katrina and Rita](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents\/hurricanes-katrina-and-rita \"Hurricanes Katrina and Rita\")\n    - [Refugio State Beach Oil Spill Near Santa Barbara, California](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/significant-incidents\/refugio-state-beach-oil-spill-near-santa-barbara \"Refugio State Beach Oil Spill Near Santa Barbara, California\")\n  - [Historic Shipwrecks](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/historic-shipwrecks)\n- [Environmental Restoration](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/environmental-restoration \"Environmental Restoration\")\n  - [Assessment Tools](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/environmental-restoration\/environmental-assessment-tools \"Assessment Tools\")\n- [Marine Debris](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/marine-debris \"Marine Debris\")\n- [Disaster Preparedness](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/disaster-preparedness)\n  - [Hurricanes](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/disaster-preparedness\/hurricanes)\n  - [Disaster Response Center](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/disaster-preparedness\/disaster-response-center)\n- [Blog](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about \"About\")\n- [Resources](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources \"Resources\")\n  - [Maps and Data](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/maps-and-spatial-data \"Maps and Data\")\n    - [Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA)](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/maps-and-spatial-data\/environmental-response-management-application-erma \"Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA)\")\n  - [Education](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/education \"Education\")\n  - [Timelines](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/timelines)\n  - [Podcasts](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/podcasts \"Podcasts\")\n  - [Videos](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/videos \"Videos\")\n  - [Publications](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/publications \"Publications\")\n  - [Images](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/images \"Images\")\n    - [Hurricane Response](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/images\/hurricane-response \"Hurricane Response\")\n    - [Assessment and Restoration](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/images\/assessment-and-restoration \"Assessment and Restoration\")\n    - [Oil Spills and Ship Groundings](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/images\/oil-spills-and-ship-groundings \"Oil Spills and Ship Groundings\")\n    - [Injured Animals and Habitat](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/images\/injured-animals-and-habitat \"Injured Animals and Habitat\")\n    - [Marine Debris](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/images\/marine-debris \"Marine Debris\")\n    - [Response Techniques](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/images\/response-techniques \"Response Techniques\")\n  - [Training](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/training \"Training\")\n    - [Workshops](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/training\/workshops \"Workshops\")\n    - [Self-Study Resources](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/training\/self-study-resources \"Self-Study Resources\")\n  - [Infographics](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/infographics \"Infographics\")\n  - [Story Maps](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/resources\/story-maps \"Story Maps\")\n  - [Research](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/orr-research-projects \"Learn about research projects at the Office of Response and Restoration\")","attrs_readable_markdown":"## Incident\nOn April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the British Petroleum (BP) *Deepwater Horizon* Macondo oil well drilling platform in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). The explosion, which tragically killed 11 workers, caused the rig to sink and started a catastrophic oil leak from the well. Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the Gulf resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The incident resulted in an unprecedented impact to the Gulf’s coastal resources and the people who depend on them.\n\n## Response\nNOAA mobilized within three hours of the explosion to provide expert scientific support for the response; including trajectories of where the oil was going, what resources would be impacted, and weather and oceanographic predictions to the U.S. Coast Guard. Interagency coordination began immediately among federal partners. NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other federal, state and local representatives immediately began implementing response plans, providing on-scene and remote technical advice and access to resources and equipment, and overseeing BP’s response. After several unsuccessful attempts to plug the well, a “capping stack” was installed that stopped the release of oil on July 15, 2010.\n\n## OR\\&R Involvement\n### Science and Coordination\nOn scene from the earliest moments of the crisis, scientists used data from satellites, aircraft, ships, buoys, and gliders to collect and provide mission-critical information to guide the emergency response to the spill, as well as the long-term assessment and restoration of the Gulf Coast.\n\n### Tools in Action\n**Maps of Shoreline Sensitivity and Coastal Resources at Risk**: Responders used [Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/esi) to quickly identify the most sensitive coastal areas at risk from spreading oil, including biological, ecological, historical, cultural, and human-use resources. The color-coded sensitivity rankings on the maps enabled responders to prioritize cleanup efforts and protection strategies in regions with vulnerable wildlife habitats and human-use resources, such as fisheries and recreational beaches. ESI data was instrumental in identifying sensitive habitats and shorelines, and helped damage assessment teams to develop sampling plans.\n\n**Oil Spill Trajectory Modeling:** The flagship oil spill trajectory model, [GNOME](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/gnome), was used by experts to generate daily [oil spill trajectories](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/oil-and-chemical-spills\/oil-spills\/response-tools\/deepwater-horizon-trajectory-maps-background.html) for 107 days of the response. These trajectories estimated where oil from the gushing wellhead would be transported over the next few days. With the possibility of oil being drawn into the northern portion of the [Loop Current](https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/facts\/loopcurrent.html), experts developed statistical modeling products [to examine the probabilities](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/attempting-answer-one-question-over-and-over-again-where-will-oil-go) of impacts outside the immediate spill area.\n\n**Environmental Response Mapping:** Experts incorporated essential environmental response information into NOAA’s web-based geographic information system tool, ERMA®. A month into the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard selected ERMA as the official common operating picture for all federal, state, and local spill responders to use during the incident. With this special designation, ERMA provided a quick visualization of the sprawling, complicated oil spill situation, and improved communication and coordination among responders, environmental stakeholders, and decision makers. Where ERMA integrates both static and real-time data, including ESI maps, ship locations, weather conditions, shoreline oiling conditions, and ocean currents, it provides a real-time overview of response operations and environmental threats.\n\n**Data Visualization and Reporting:** Within weeks of the spill, NOAA’s damage assessment team created a centralized data management system, now known as [DIVER](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/environmental-restoration\/environmental-assessment-tools\/diver.html). The data management application centralized and standardized the array of environmental data collected from on-site response and damage assessment efforts, as well as results and analyses from laboratory testing. The DIVER platform became the primary data management and data query tool as the incident’s natural resource damage assessment progressed through 2016. DIVER continues to provide public access to [data from the *Deepwater Horizon* response and damage assessment](https:\/\/www.diver.orr.noaa.gov\/deepwater-horizon-nrda-data), and now serves as a nation-wide application that supports OR\\&R emergency response efforts, NRDA cases, and research projects. DIVER directly supports NOAA’s ability to collaborate and share data and analyses with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners.\n\n### Damage Assessment and Recovery\nFollowing the spill, OR\\&R as part of NOAA’s [Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program](http:\/\/www.darrp.noaa.gov\/), and partners conducted a [natural resources damage assessment (NRDA)](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/environmental-restoration\/natural-resource-damage-assessment.html) to evaluate the impacts of the spill and specify the type and amount of restoration required. Leading the NRDA process, OR\\&R provided mission-critical expertise and used field and laboratory studies, scientific literature, and model-based approaches to evaluate potential impacts on fish, wildlife, surrounding habitats, and public use of those resources.\n\nOn April 4, 2016, the court approved an [\\$8.8 billion settlement with BP](https:\/\/www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov\/2016\/04\/trustees-settle-bp-natural-resource-injuries-gulf-mexico) for natural resource injuries caused by the *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill, concluding the largest natural resource damage assessment ever undertaken. The settlement is funding a [multi-year effort](http:\/\/gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov\/) to restore fisheries, protected resources, critical habitats (e.g., wetlands, oysters, corals, etc.) and recreational opportunities across the Gulf.\n\n### Advances in Science\nThe *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill challenged the spill response community, driving advancements in science to better prepare for future incidents. In the decades since the tragedy, OR\\&R has applied the many lessons learned during the spill to enhance its science, technology, communication, and coordination.\n\n***Highlights***\n\n- The *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill emergency launched a fledgling satellite mapping program into action. That program now [patrols America’s waterways for accidental or intentional oil spills](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/noaas-eyes-sky-how-satellite-technology-pioneered-during-deepwater-horizon-patrols-americas-oceans).\n- OR\\&R scientists have worked to advance the satellite technology — pioneered during the historic spill to detect and map the footprint of floating oil — [to now measure its thickness](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/how-thick-oil-slick).\n- OR\\&R expanded its oil spill trajectory model GNOME which forecasted where the massive discharge of oil from *Deepwater Horizon* would go into an [integrated suite of oil spill transport and fate modeling tools](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/advances-science-how-deepwater-horizon-helped-improve-noaas-oil-spill-modeling).\n- The [toxicity testing program](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/how-deepwater-horizon-spurred-advances-oil-toxicity-science) born from assessing *Deepwater Horizon* impacts created an unprecedented, large, and coherent dataset to draw conclusions about how natural resources in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) were injured by the disaster. The publicly available body of information expanded the scientific literature available on the ecotoxicity of oil to a wide range of species and continues to facilitate advances in science today.\n- Remotely Operated Vehicles examined the impacts of the oil spill on deep-sea corals. [A 2014 study](https:\/\/response.restoration.noaa.gov\/about\/media\/bottom-gulf-mexico-corals-and-diversity-suffered-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html) determined that observed impacts to life in the deep ocean are closely tied to the *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill.\n- Since 2015, NOAA experts have partnered with scientific leaders specializing in different backgrounds to continue studies to [determine how dolphins and large whales were impacted by the spill](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/dolphin-discoveries-decade-deepwater-horizon).\n- Marine mammal and sea turtle scientists partnered with oil spill experts to document lessons learned from *Deepwater Horizon* on the best ways to protect, rescue, assess, and restore [sea turtles and marine mammals impacted by oil](https:\/\/blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov\/advances-assessing-sea-turtles-and-marine-mammals-during-oil-spills), resulting in two technical memos.\n- NOAA scientists were among the 4,500 researchers involved in the [Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative](https:\/\/gulfresearchinitiative.org\/), which resulted in more than 1,700 scientific publications investigating the impacts of oil, dispersed oil, and dispersants on the ecosystems of the Gulf of America following the *Deepwater Horizon* oil spill.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	Incident On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil well drilling platform in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). The explosion, which tragically killed 11 workers, caused the rig to sink and started a catastrophic oil leak from the well. Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the Gulf resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The incident resulted in an unprecedented impact to the Gulf’s coastal resources and the people who depend on them. Response NOAA mobilized within three hours of the explosion to provide expert scientific support for the response; including trajectories of where the oil was going, what resources would be impacted, and weather and oceanographic predictions to the U.S. Coast Guard. Interagency coordination began immediately among federal partners. NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other federal, state and local representatives immediately began implementing response plans, providing on-scene and remote technical advice and access to resources and equipment, and overseeing BP’s response. After several unsuccessful attempts to plug the well, a “capping stack” was installed that stopped the release of oil on July 15, 2010. OR&R Involvement Science and Coordination On scene from the earliest moments of the crisis, scientists used data from satellites, aircraft, ships, buoys, and gliders to collect and provide mission-critical information to guide the emergency response to the spill, as well as the long-term assessment and restoration of the Gulf Coast. Tools in Action Maps of Shoreline Sensitivity and Coastal Resources at Risk : Responders used Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps to quickly identify the most sensitive coastal areas at risk from spreading oil, including biological, ecological, historical, cultural, and human-use resources. The color-coded sensitivity rankings on the maps enabled responders to prioritize cleanup efforts and protection strategies in regions with vulnerable wildlife habitats and human-use resources, such as fisheries and recreational beaches. ESI data was instrumental in identifying sensitive habitats and shorelines, and helped damage assessment teams to develop sampling plans. Oil Spill Trajectory Modeling: The flagship oil spill trajectory model, GNOME , was used by experts to generate daily oil spill trajectories for 107 days of the response. These trajectories estimated where oil from the gushing wellhead would be transported over the next few days. With the possibility of oil being drawn into the northern portion of the Loop Current , experts developed statistical modeling products to examine the probabilities of impacts outside the immediate spill area. Environmental Response Mapping: Experts incorporated essential environmental response information into NOAA’s web-based geographic information system tool, ERMA®. A month into the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard selected ERMA as the official common operating picture for all federal, state, and local spill responders to use during the incident. With this special designation, ERMA provided a quick visualization of the sprawling, complicated oil spill situation, and improved communication and coordination among responders, environmental stakeholders, and decision makers. Where ERMA integrates both static and real-time data, including ESI maps, ship locations, weather conditions, shoreline oiling conditions, and ocean currents, it provides a real-time overview of response operations and environmental threats. Data Visualization and Reporting: Within weeks of the spill, NOAA’s damage assessment team created a centralized data management system, now known as DIVER . The data management application centralized and standardized the array of environmental data collected from on-site response and damage assessment efforts, as well as results and analyses from laboratory testing. The DIVER platform became the primary data management and data query tool as the incident’s natural resource damage assessment progressed through 2016. DIVER continues to provide public access to data from the Deepwater Horizon response and damage assessment , and now serves as a nation-wide application that supports OR&R emergency response efforts, NRDA cases, and research projects. DIVER directly supports NOAA’s ability to collaborate and share data and analyses with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners. Damage Assessment and Recovery Following the spill, OR&R as part of NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program , and partners conducted a natural resources damage assessment (NRDA) to evaluate the impacts of the spill and specify the type and amount of restoration required. Leading the NRDA process, OR&R provided mission-critical expertise and used field and laboratory studies, scientific literature, and model-based approaches to evaluate potential impacts on fish, wildlife, surrounding habitats, and public use of those resources. On April 4, 2016, the court approved an $8.8 billion settlement with BP for natural resource injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, concluding the largest natural resource damage assessment ever undertaken. The settlement is funding a multi-year effort to restore fisheries, protected resources, critical habitats (e.g., wetlands, oysters, corals, etc.) and recreational opportunities across the Gulf. Advances in Science The Deepwater Horizon oil spill challenged the spill response community, driving advancements in science to better prepare for future incidents. In the decades since the tragedy, OR&R has applied the many lessons learned during the spill to enhance its science, technology, communication, and coordination. Highlights The Deepwater Horizon oil spill emergency launched a fledgling satellite mapping program into action. That program now patrols America’s waterways for accidental or intentional oil spills . OR&R scientists have worked to advance the satellite technology — pioneered during the historic spill to detect and map the footprint of floating oil — to now measure its thickness . OR&R expanded its oil spill trajectory model GNOME which forecasted where the massive discharge of oil from Deepwater Horizon would go into an integrated suite of oil spill transport and fate modeling tools . The toxicity testing program born from assessing Deepwater Horizon impacts created an unprecedented, large, and coherent dataset to draw conclusions about how natural resources in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) were injured by the disaster. The publicly available body of information expanded the scientific literature available on the ecotoxicity of oil to a wide range of species and continues to facilitate advances in science today. Remotely Operated Vehicles examined the impacts of the oil spill on deep-sea corals. A 2014 study determined that observed impacts to life in the deep ocean are closely tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Since 2015, NOAA experts have partnered with scientific leaders specializing in different backgrounds to continue studies to determine how dolphins and large whales were impacted by the spill . Marine mammal and sea turtle scientists partnered with oil spill experts to document lessons learned from Deepwater Horizon on the best ways to protect, rescue, assess, and restore sea turtles and marine mammals impacted by oil , resulting in two technical memos. NOAA scientists were among the 4,500 researchers involved in the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative , which resulted in more than 1,700 scientific publications investigating the impacts of oil, dispersed oil, and dispersants on the ecosystems of the Gulf of America following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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[![NOAA Logo](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/all/themes/orr_2/images/NOAA-logo.gif) Office of Response and Restoration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/ "Home") - [Oil and Chemical Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills "Oil and Chemical Spills") - [Oil Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills "Oil Spills") - [Chemical Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/chemical-spills "Chemical Spills") - [Significant Incidents](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents "Significant Incidents") - [Historic Shipwrecks](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/historic-shipwrecks) - [Environmental Restoration](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/environmental-restoration "Environmental Restoration") - [Assessment Tools](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/environmental-restoration/environmental-assessment-tools "Assessment Tools") - [Marine Debris](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/marine-debris "Marine Debris") - [Disaster Preparedness](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/disaster-preparedness) - [Hurricanes](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/disaster-preparedness/hurricanes) - [Disaster Response Center](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/disaster-preparedness/disaster-response-center) - [Blog](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/) - [About](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about "About") - [Resources](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources "Resources") - [Maps and Data](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/maps-and-spatial-data "Maps and Data") - [Education](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/education "Education") - [Timelines](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/timelines) - [Podcasts](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/podcasts "Podcasts") - [Videos](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/videos "Videos") - [Publications](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/publications "Publications") - [Images](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/images "Images") - [Training](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/training "Training") - [Infographics](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/infographics "Infographics") - [Story Maps](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/story-maps "Story Maps") - [Research](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/orr-research-projects "Learn about research projects at the Office of Response and Restoration") [Menu](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study#off-canvas "Menu") ## You are here 1. [Home](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/) \\| 2. [Oil and Chemical Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills "Oil and Chemical Spills") \\| 3. [Significant Incidents](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents "Significant Incidents") \\| 4. [Oil and Chemical Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills) \\| 5. [Significant Incidents](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents) \\| [Back to top](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study#skip-link) ## You are here 1. [Home](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/) \\| 2. [Oil and Chemical Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills "Oil and Chemical Spills") \\| 3. [Significant Incidents](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents "Significant Incidents") \\| 4. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ## Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ## Incident On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil well drilling platform in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). The explosion, which tragically killed 11 workers, caused the rig to sink and started a catastrophic oil leak from the well. Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the Gulf resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The incident resulted in an unprecedented impact to the Gulf’s coastal resources and the people who depend on them. ## Response NOAA mobilized within three hours of the explosion to provide expert scientific support for the response; including trajectories of where the oil was going, what resources would be impacted, and weather and oceanographic predictions to the U.S. Coast Guard. Interagency coordination began immediately among federal partners. NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other federal, state and local representatives immediately began implementing response plans, providing on-scene and remote technical advice and access to resources and equipment, and overseeing BP’s response. After several unsuccessful attempts to plug the well, a “capping stack” was installed that stopped the release of oil on July 15, 2010. ## OR\&R Involvement ### Science and Coordination On scene from the earliest moments of the crisis, scientists used data from satellites, aircraft, ships, buoys, and gliders to collect and provide mission-critical information to guide the emergency response to the spill, as well as the long-term assessment and restoration of the Gulf Coast. ### Tools in Action Maps of Shoreline Sensitivity and Coastal Resources at Risk: Responders used [Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi) to quickly identify the most sensitive coastal areas at risk from spreading oil, including biological, ecological, historical, cultural, and human-use resources. The color-coded sensitivity rankings on the maps enabled responders to prioritize cleanup efforts and protection strategies in regions with vulnerable wildlife habitats and human-use resources, such as fisheries and recreational beaches. ESI data was instrumental in identifying sensitive habitats and shorelines, and helped damage assessment teams to develop sampling plans. Oil Spill Trajectory Modeling: The flagship oil spill trajectory model, [GNOME](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/gnome), was used by experts to generate daily [oil spill trajectories](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/response-tools/deepwater-horizon-trajectory-maps-background.html) for 107 days of the response. These trajectories estimated where oil from the gushing wellhead would be transported over the next few days. With the possibility of oil being drawn into the northern portion of the [Loop Current](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/loopcurrent.html), experts developed statistical modeling products [to examine the probabilities](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/attempting-answer-one-question-over-and-over-again-where-will-oil-go) of impacts outside the immediate spill area. Environmental Response Mapping: Experts incorporated essential environmental response information into NOAA’s web-based geographic information system tool, ERMA®. A month into the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard selected ERMA as the official common operating picture for all federal, state, and local spill responders to use during the incident. With this special designation, ERMA provided a quick visualization of the sprawling, complicated oil spill situation, and improved communication and coordination among responders, environmental stakeholders, and decision makers. Where ERMA integrates both static and real-time data, including ESI maps, ship locations, weather conditions, shoreline oiling conditions, and ocean currents, it provides a real-time overview of response operations and environmental threats. Data Visualization and Reporting: Within weeks of the spill, NOAA’s damage assessment team created a centralized data management system, now known as [DIVER](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/environmental-restoration/environmental-assessment-tools/diver.html). The data management application centralized and standardized the array of environmental data collected from on-site response and damage assessment efforts, as well as results and analyses from laboratory testing. The DIVER platform became the primary data management and data query tool as the incident’s natural resource damage assessment progressed through 2016. DIVER continues to provide public access to [data from the Deepwater Horizon response and damage assessment](https://www.diver.orr.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-nrda-data), and now serves as a nation-wide application that supports OR\&R emergency response efforts, NRDA cases, and research projects. DIVER directly supports NOAA’s ability to collaborate and share data and analyses with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners. ### Damage Assessment and Recovery Following the spill, OR\&R as part of NOAA’s [Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program](http://www.darrp.noaa.gov/), and partners conducted a [natural resources damage assessment (NRDA)](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/environmental-restoration/natural-resource-damage-assessment.html) to evaluate the impacts of the spill and specify the type and amount of restoration required. Leading the NRDA process, OR\&R provided mission-critical expertise and used field and laboratory studies, scientific literature, and model-based approaches to evaluate potential impacts on fish, wildlife, surrounding habitats, and public use of those resources. On April 4, 2016, the court approved an [\$8.8 billion settlement with BP](https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/2016/04/trustees-settle-bp-natural-resource-injuries-gulf-mexico) for natural resource injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, concluding the largest natural resource damage assessment ever undertaken. The settlement is funding a [multi-year effort](http://gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/) to restore fisheries, protected resources, critical habitats (e.g., wetlands, oysters, corals, etc.) and recreational opportunities across the Gulf. ### Advances in Science The Deepwater Horizon oil spill challenged the spill response community, driving advancements in science to better prepare for future incidents. In the decades since the tragedy, OR\&R has applied the many lessons learned during the spill to enhance its science, technology, communication, and coordination. *Highlights* - The Deepwater Horizon oil spill emergency launched a fledgling satellite mapping program into action. That program now [patrols America’s waterways for accidental or intentional oil spills](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/noaas-eyes-sky-how-satellite-technology-pioneered-during-deepwater-horizon-patrols-americas-oceans). - OR\&R scientists have worked to advance the satellite technology — pioneered during the historic spill to detect and map the footprint of floating oil — [to now measure its thickness](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/how-thick-oil-slick). - OR\&R expanded its oil spill trajectory model GNOME which forecasted where the massive discharge of oil from Deepwater Horizon would go into an [integrated suite of oil spill transport and fate modeling tools](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/advances-science-how-deepwater-horizon-helped-improve-noaas-oil-spill-modeling). - The [toxicity testing program](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/how-deepwater-horizon-spurred-advances-oil-toxicity-science) born from assessing Deepwater Horizon impacts created an unprecedented, large, and coherent dataset to draw conclusions about how natural resources in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) were injured by the disaster. The publicly available body of information expanded the scientific literature available on the ecotoxicity of oil to a wide range of species and continues to facilitate advances in science today. - Remotely Operated Vehicles examined the impacts of the oil spill on deep-sea corals. [A 2014 study](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/bottom-gulf-mexico-corals-and-diversity-suffered-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html) determined that observed impacts to life in the deep ocean are closely tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. - Since 2015, NOAA experts have partnered with scientific leaders specializing in different backgrounds to continue studies to [determine how dolphins and large whales were impacted by the spill](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/dolphin-discoveries-decade-deepwater-horizon). - Marine mammal and sea turtle scientists partnered with oil spill experts to document lessons learned from Deepwater Horizon on the best ways to protect, rescue, assess, and restore [sea turtles and marine mammals impacted by oil](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/advances-assessing-sea-turtles-and-marine-mammals-during-oil-spills), resulting in two technical memos. - NOAA scientists were among the 4,500 researchers involved in the [Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative](https://gulfresearchinitiative.org/), which resulted in more than 1,700 scientific publications investigating the impacts of oil, dispersed oil, and dispersants on the ecosystems of the Gulf of America following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. [![An image of barataria monitoring.](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/barataria-320.jpg)](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/restoring-gulf-15-years-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill) ### [Restoring the Gulf: 15 Years After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/restoring-gulf-15-years-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill) [![Screenshot of video of NOAA scientist talking to camera, with a background display of oil spilled in water.](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/750x500-lisa-dipinto.png)](https://videos.fisheries.noaa.gov/detail/videos/southeast-region/video/6149129342001/deepwater-horizon:-a-first-hand-account-of-the-spill) ### [Video: Deepwater Horizon: A First Hand Account of the Spill](https://videos.fisheries.noaa.gov/detail/videos/southeast-region/video/6149129342001/deepwater-horizon:-a-first-hand-account-of-the-spill) [![An image of the deepwater horizon oil spill.](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/deepwater-horizon-explosion-320.jpg)](https://uat.oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/apr25/nop80-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html) ### [Podcast: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: 15 Years of Advancing Science](https://uat.oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/apr25/nop80-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html) [![Screenshot of video of NOAA scientist talking to camera, with a background display of oil spilled in water.](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/dwh%20repos.png)](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/cbrowse?pid=noaa%3A44280&parentId=noaa%3A44280) ### [Deepwater Horizon Collection of NOAA Science Literature](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/cbrowse?pid=noaa%3A44280&parentId=noaa%3A44280) ### News and Features - [Restoring Deep Habitats In and Around Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary](https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/2025/restoring-deep-habitats.html) - [A Fantastic Journey: From the Seafloor to the Museum Collection](https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/a-fantastic-journey-from-the-seafloor-to-the-museum-collection/) - [The Early Days and Hours of Deepwater Horizon](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/early-days-and-hours-deepwater-horizon) - [Attempting to Answer One Question Over and Over Again: Where Will the Oil Go?](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/attempting-answer-one-question-over-and-over-again-where-will-oil-go) - [Deepwater Horizon: Response in the Midst of an Historic Crisis](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-response-midst-historic-crisis) - [In Mapping the Fallout from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Developing One Tool to Bring Unity to the Response](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/mapping-fallout-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-developing-one-tool-bring-unity-response) - [Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Coastal Salt Marsh Habitat](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/effects-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-coastal-salt-marsh-habitat) - [Assessing the Impacts from Deepwater Horizon](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/assessing-impacts-deepwater-horizon) - [Recalling the Early Hours—and Challenges—of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/recalling-early-hours-and-challenges-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill) - [Advances in Science: How Deepwater Horizon Helped Improve NOAA’s Oil Spill Modeling](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/advances-science-how-deepwater-horizon-helped-improve-noaas-oil-spill-modeling) - [10 Things a Non-Scientist Has Learned in the Decade Since Deepwater Horizon](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/10-things-non-scientist-has-learned-decade-deepwater-horizon) - [From the Deepwater Horizon Incident Command, to the Helm of the Disaster Preparedness Program: A Career Built Around Disaster Coordination](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-incident-command-helm-disaster-preparedness-program-career-built-around-disaster) - [NOAA’s Eyes in the Sky: How Satellite Technology Pioneered During Deepwater Horizon Patrols America’s Oceans for Pollution](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/noaas-eyes-sky-how-satellite-technology-pioneered-during-deepwater-horizon-patrols-americas-oceans) - [How Deepwater Horizon Spurred Advances in Oil Toxicity Science](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/how-deepwater-horizon-spurred-advances-oil-toxicity-science) - [How Deepwater Horizon Data Tools are Used to Protect America’s Coastal Resources](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/how-deepwater-horizon-data-tools-are-used-protect-americas-coastal-resources) - [Dolphin Discoveries in the Decade Since Deepwater Horizon](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/dolphin-discoveries-decade-deepwater-horizon) - [How Many People are on that Beach? NOAA Economists Release Guide to Counting Coastal Recreators](https://darrp.noaa.gov/oil-spills/how-many-people-are-beach-noaa-economists-release-guide-counting-coastal-recreators) ### Multimedia - Timeline: [The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/timelines/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill) - Photo Album: [OR\&R Photos on Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=114578387%40N08&view_all=1&text=) - Photos from [Incident News](https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/8220): Deepwater Horizon aerial imagery accompanying daily situation report updates from OR\&R while advising the U.S. Coast Guard. - Videos: [Restoring the Gulf: 10 Years After Deepwater Horizon](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/restoring-gulf-10-years-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill) - Podcast: [Deepwater Horizon Response and Restoration](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/multimedia/podcasts/deepwater-horizon-response-and-restoration-episode-57.html-0) (Making Waves, Episode 57) - Podcast: [Deepwater Horizon, one year later](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/multimedia/podcasts/deepwater-horizon-one-year-later-episode-73.html) (Making Waves, Episode 73) - Storymap: [Gulf Spill Restoration Projects](https://www.habitat.noaa.gov/storymap/dwh/index.html) - Infographics: Browse [OR\&R’s library](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/infographics) for Deepwater Horizon\-related infographics. ### Data and Technical Reports - [NOAA Studies Documenting the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill/noaa-studies-documenting-impacts-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html) - [Trajectory Maps](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/response-tools/deepwater-horizon-trajectory-maps-background.html): Deepwater Horizon spill trajectories, generated by OR\&R from April 21 through August 23, 2010. Trajectory maps predict how an oil spill will spread and move within a local area. - Deepwater Horizon oceanographic data collected by [NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon/). The archive provides access to physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic datasets. - [Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Data](https://www.diver.orr.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-nrda-data) - [Guidelines for Oil Spill Response and Natural Resource Damage Assessment: Sea Turtles](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guidelines-oil-spill-response-and-natural-resource-damage-assessment-sea-turtles) - [Guidelines for Assessing Exposure and Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine Mammals](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/22425) - [Best Practices for Collecting Onsite Data to Assess Recreational Use Impacts from an Oil Spill](https://darrp.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/node-attachments/TM_NOS-ORR_54%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Collecting%20Onsite%20Data%20to%20Assess%20Recreational%20Use%20Impacts%20from%20an%20Oil%20Spill%20508%20compliant.pdf) ### Other Links - Website: [Gulf Spill Restoration](https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/) - Webpage: [Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program Deepwater Horizon Case Page](https://darrp.noaa.gov/oil-spills/deepwater-horizon) - Webpage: [Deepwater Horizon: A Moment in Time, Decades of Restoration](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/habitat-conservation/deepwater-horizon-moment-time-decades-restoration) [Back to top](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study#skip-link) ### Sign up for news and announcements Stay informed of the latest news around OR\&R. #### General Information - [Accomplishments](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/accomplishments) - [Contact OR\&R](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/contact) #### For Practitioners - [Response Tools](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/response-tools/response-tools-oil-spills.html) - [Training Opportunities](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/training) - [Job Aids](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/resources/job-aids-spill-response.html) #### Research - [Publications](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/publications/) - [Projects](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/orr-research-projects) ## Stay Connected [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/noaaresponserestoration "Follow us on Facebook") [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/usoceangov "Follow us on YouTube") [Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/noaa_response_restoration/ "Follow us on Flickr") [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/noaacleancoasts "Follow us on Twitter") - 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[Oil and Chemical Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills "Oil and Chemical Spills") - [Oil Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills "Oil Spills") - [Response Tools](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/response-tools "Response Tools") - [Resources](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/resources "Resources") - [Chemical Spills](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/chemical-spills "Chemical Spills") - [Response Tools](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/chemical-spills/response-tools "Response Tools") - [Resources](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/chemical-spills/resources "Resources") - [Significant Incidents](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents "Significant Incidents") - [Argo Merchant Oil Spill](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/argo-merchant-oil-spill "Argo Merchant Oil Spill") - [Athos I Oil Spill on the Delaware River](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/athos-i-oil-spill "Athos I Oil Spill on the Delaware River") - [Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-case-study "Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill") - [Exxon Valdez Oil Spill](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/exxon-valdez-oil-spill "Exxon Valdez Oil Spill") - [Hurricanes Katrina and Rita](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/hurricanes-katrina-and-rita "Hurricanes Katrina and Rita") - [Refugio State Beach Oil Spill Near Santa Barbara, California](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/refugio-state-beach-oil-spill-near-santa-barbara "Refugio State Beach Oil Spill Near Santa Barbara, California") - [Historic Shipwrecks](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/historic-shipwrecks) - 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Readable Markdown	## Incident On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil well drilling platform in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). The explosion, which tragically killed 11 workers, caused the rig to sink and started a catastrophic oil leak from the well. Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the Gulf resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The incident resulted in an unprecedented impact to the Gulf’s coastal resources and the people who depend on them. ## Response NOAA mobilized within three hours of the explosion to provide expert scientific support for the response; including trajectories of where the oil was going, what resources would be impacted, and weather and oceanographic predictions to the U.S. Coast Guard. Interagency coordination began immediately among federal partners. NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other federal, state and local representatives immediately began implementing response plans, providing on-scene and remote technical advice and access to resources and equipment, and overseeing BP’s response. After several unsuccessful attempts to plug the well, a “capping stack” was installed that stopped the release of oil on July 15, 2010. ## OR\&R Involvement ### Science and Coordination On scene from the earliest moments of the crisis, scientists used data from satellites, aircraft, ships, buoys, and gliders to collect and provide mission-critical information to guide the emergency response to the spill, as well as the long-term assessment and restoration of the Gulf Coast. ### Tools in Action Maps of Shoreline Sensitivity and Coastal Resources at Risk: Responders used [Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi) to quickly identify the most sensitive coastal areas at risk from spreading oil, including biological, ecological, historical, cultural, and human-use resources. The color-coded sensitivity rankings on the maps enabled responders to prioritize cleanup efforts and protection strategies in regions with vulnerable wildlife habitats and human-use resources, such as fisheries and recreational beaches. ESI data was instrumental in identifying sensitive habitats and shorelines, and helped damage assessment teams to develop sampling plans. Oil Spill Trajectory Modeling: The flagship oil spill trajectory model, [GNOME](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/gnome), was used by experts to generate daily [oil spill trajectories](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/response-tools/deepwater-horizon-trajectory-maps-background.html) for 107 days of the response. These trajectories estimated where oil from the gushing wellhead would be transported over the next few days. With the possibility of oil being drawn into the northern portion of the [Loop Current](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/loopcurrent.html), experts developed statistical modeling products [to examine the probabilities](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/attempting-answer-one-question-over-and-over-again-where-will-oil-go) of impacts outside the immediate spill area. Environmental Response Mapping: Experts incorporated essential environmental response information into NOAA’s web-based geographic information system tool, ERMA®. A month into the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard selected ERMA as the official common operating picture for all federal, state, and local spill responders to use during the incident. With this special designation, ERMA provided a quick visualization of the sprawling, complicated oil spill situation, and improved communication and coordination among responders, environmental stakeholders, and decision makers. Where ERMA integrates both static and real-time data, including ESI maps, ship locations, weather conditions, shoreline oiling conditions, and ocean currents, it provides a real-time overview of response operations and environmental threats. Data Visualization and Reporting: Within weeks of the spill, NOAA’s damage assessment team created a centralized data management system, now known as [DIVER](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/environmental-restoration/environmental-assessment-tools/diver.html). The data management application centralized and standardized the array of environmental data collected from on-site response and damage assessment efforts, as well as results and analyses from laboratory testing. The DIVER platform became the primary data management and data query tool as the incident’s natural resource damage assessment progressed through 2016. DIVER continues to provide public access to [data from the Deepwater Horizon response and damage assessment](https://www.diver.orr.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-nrda-data), and now serves as a nation-wide application that supports OR\&R emergency response efforts, NRDA cases, and research projects. DIVER directly supports NOAA’s ability to collaborate and share data and analyses with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners. ### Damage Assessment and Recovery Following the spill, OR\&R as part of NOAA’s [Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program](http://www.darrp.noaa.gov/), and partners conducted a [natural resources damage assessment (NRDA)](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/environmental-restoration/natural-resource-damage-assessment.html) to evaluate the impacts of the spill and specify the type and amount of restoration required. Leading the NRDA process, OR\&R provided mission-critical expertise and used field and laboratory studies, scientific literature, and model-based approaches to evaluate potential impacts on fish, wildlife, surrounding habitats, and public use of those resources. On April 4, 2016, the court approved an [\$8.8 billion settlement with BP](https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/2016/04/trustees-settle-bp-natural-resource-injuries-gulf-mexico) for natural resource injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, concluding the largest natural resource damage assessment ever undertaken. The settlement is funding a [multi-year effort](http://gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/) to restore fisheries, protected resources, critical habitats (e.g., wetlands, oysters, corals, etc.) and recreational opportunities across the Gulf. ### Advances in Science The Deepwater Horizon oil spill challenged the spill response community, driving advancements in science to better prepare for future incidents. In the decades since the tragedy, OR\&R has applied the many lessons learned during the spill to enhance its science, technology, communication, and coordination. *Highlights* - The Deepwater Horizon oil spill emergency launched a fledgling satellite mapping program into action. That program now [patrols America’s waterways for accidental or intentional oil spills](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/noaas-eyes-sky-how-satellite-technology-pioneered-during-deepwater-horizon-patrols-americas-oceans). - OR\&R scientists have worked to advance the satellite technology — pioneered during the historic spill to detect and map the footprint of floating oil — [to now measure its thickness](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/how-thick-oil-slick). - OR\&R expanded its oil spill trajectory model GNOME which forecasted where the massive discharge of oil from Deepwater Horizon would go into an [integrated suite of oil spill transport and fate modeling tools](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/advances-science-how-deepwater-horizon-helped-improve-noaas-oil-spill-modeling). - The [toxicity testing program](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/how-deepwater-horizon-spurred-advances-oil-toxicity-science) born from assessing Deepwater Horizon impacts created an unprecedented, large, and coherent dataset to draw conclusions about how natural resources in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) were injured by the disaster. The publicly available body of information expanded the scientific literature available on the ecotoxicity of oil to a wide range of species and continues to facilitate advances in science today. - Remotely Operated Vehicles examined the impacts of the oil spill on deep-sea corals. [A 2014 study](https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/bottom-gulf-mexico-corals-and-diversity-suffered-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html) determined that observed impacts to life in the deep ocean are closely tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. - Since 2015, NOAA experts have partnered with scientific leaders specializing in different backgrounds to continue studies to [determine how dolphins and large whales were impacted by the spill](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/dolphin-discoveries-decade-deepwater-horizon). - Marine mammal and sea turtle scientists partnered with oil spill experts to document lessons learned from Deepwater Horizon on the best ways to protect, rescue, assess, and restore [sea turtles and marine mammals impacted by oil](https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/advances-assessing-sea-turtles-and-marine-mammals-during-oil-spills), resulting in two technical memos. - NOAA scientists were among the 4,500 researchers involved in the [Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative](https://gulfresearchinitiative.org/), which resulted in more than 1,700 scientific publications investigating the impacts of oil, dispersed oil, and dispersants on the ecosystems of the Gulf of America following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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