Office of Response and Restorati

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) 

is a center of expertise in preparing for, evaluating, 

and responding to threats to coastal environments, 

including oil and chemical spills, releases from 

hazardous waste sites, and marine debris. OR&R’s 

mission is to develop scientific solutions to keep the 

coasts clean from threats of oil, chemicals, and 

marine debris. To fulfill its mission of protecting and 

restoring NOAA trust resources, OR&R provides 

scientific and technical support to prepare for and 

respond to oil and chemical releases; determines 

damage to natural resources from these releases; 

protects and restores marine and coastal ecosystems, 

including coral reefs; and works with communities to 

address critical local and regional coastal 

challenges. OR&R comprises four divisions: 

Emergency Response, Assessment and Restoration, 

Marine Debris, and the Disaster Preparedness 

Program. Collectively, OR&R provides 

comprehensive solutions to marine pollution. Below 

are eight highlighted scientific projects by OR&R 

researchers and their partners.

Using Uncrewed Platforms to Characterize Oil in the Water

The ability to rapidly characterize oil dispersed in the water 

column and floating on the water surface during and after an 

oil spill is a primary need of oil spill response teams, and is an 

important objective of natural resource damage assessments 

(NRDAs). OR&R worked with multiple partners to develop 

and test a novel autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) 

platform and multispectral uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) 

for characterizing oil in the water after oil spills. Rapid 

characterization of oil in the water column and floating on the 

water surface during and after oil spills is critical information 

for both oil spill response and natural resource damage 

assessments. Testing from a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) vessel 

at the Coal Point oil seep site near Santa Barbara, CA, 

demonstrated how these systems have advanced the ability to 

respond to and assess impacts from oil spills. The AUV

REMUS 600 and sensor/sampling systems conducted threedimensional mapping of dissolved hydrocarbons and oil 

droplets in the water column beneath the oil slick while the 

UAS conducted surface mapping of the oil slick. These data 

can be provided to spill responders for situational awareness 

and rapid response decision-making. The project was conducted by a partnership that includes NOAA, Woods 

Hole Oceanographic Institute, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Environmental 

Protection Agency, the USCG, Water Mapping LLC, and the NOAA/University of New Hampshire Coastal 

Response Research Center (CRRC).

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Recovery of the AUV REMUS 600. Image 

credit: Dipinto 2019. NOAA ORR. 
FY20 Accomplishment(s): Results of this project are publicly available on the CRRC website and have 

been presented at multiple scientific venues.

Project Final Report: DiPinto 2019 Report to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement:

https://unh.app.box.com/s/ctjc6ipuzrm4fs0iqnnd0z4gv26wrsga

Fishing for Marine Debris

In the same way as bycatch 

and incidental species catch 

are modeled, OR&R’s 

Marine Debris Program 

(MDP), the NOAA Pacific 

Islands Fisheries Science 

Center and Walsh Analytical 

Service estimated the relative 

abundance of marine debris 

“caught” by Hawaii-based 

pelagic longlines as reported 

by fisheries observers. Nine 

years of observer data from 

this fishery were analyzed 

and modeled. The snagged 

debris was dominated by 

derelict fishing gear (~90%)

from other fisheries operating 

in the North Pacific Ocean. 

Modeling revealed that the 

relative abundance of derelict 

fishing gear “caught” by the 

Hawaii longlines has declined by two thirds (~66%) in less than a decade (2008-2016).

FY20 Accomplishment(s): Results of this project were published in the online open access journal, 

Scientific Reports. 

Peer reviewed journal article URL: Uhrin et al. 2020 Scientific Reports

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64771-1

Nature Sustainability Community invited blog article:

https://sustainabilitycommunity.springernature.com/posts/fishing-for-marine-debris

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Fishery observers from the Hawaii-based pelagic longline 
Examining Observer Bias in Marine Debris Data 

Collected by Citizen Scientists

OR&R’s Marine Debris 

Program (MDP) 

collaborated with the 

University of 

Washington’s Coastal 

Observation and Seabird 

Survey Team (COASST) 

to evaluate and identify 

ways to correct for 

observer bias in shoreline 

monitoring protocols 

developed as part of 

MDP’s Marine Debris 

Monitoring and 

Assessment Project 

(MDMAP). MDMAP is a 

citizen science initiative 

that engages both

domestic and 

international volunteers 

in conducting 

standardized shoreline 

surveys for marine debris 

items larger than 2.5 cm. These monitoring surveys help us answer fundamental questions about the types and 

distribution of debris on shorelines, such as where debris originates, what beaches accumulate the most debris, 

how debris patterns change over time, and if preventative measures lead to debris reductions. A series of field 

trials were conducted on a handful of beaches across Washington State. Findings show there are ways to 

improve the MDMAP protocols and the quality of data being collected by observers which will strengthen 

debris density estimates generated from MDMAP data. Protocol improvements include, streamlining walking 

patterns to search for marine debris, limiting the number of people actively searching for debris during a 

transect, adding an option to remove debris during all surveys, and providing more detailed information on the 

debris within the back barrier of the beach. 

FY20 Accomplishment(s): Results of this project are publicly available in the Marine Debris 

Clearinghouse; the project team is drafting a publication to be submitted to the journal, Citizen Science 

Theory & Practice; MDP is currently updating MDMAP protocols based on these findings

Project Final Report: Burgess et al. 2020, Report for the NOAA Marine Debris Program:

https://clearinghouse.marinedebris.noaa.gov/project?mode=View&projectId=838

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MDP and COASST staf
Using Invasive Mussels as Sentinel Organisms for Monitoring 

Microplastic Pollution in the Great Lakes: A Case Study 

OR&R’s Marine Debris Program (MDP) 

collaborated with the National Centers 

for Coastal and Ocean Science 

(NCCOS) Great Lakes Mussel Watch 

Program, and Loyola University 

Chicago to understand the distribution 

and abundance of microplastics across 

the Milwaukee Estuary, WI. This project 

took advantage of the Great Lakes 

Mussel Watch Program (GLMWP) by 

sampling additional mussels to assess 

whether those same invasive freshwater 

may be good candidates as biomonitors 

for microplastic occurrence. Mussels 

were collected from relatively clean 

reference sites in Lake Michigan and 

deployed for 1 and 2 months in 

experimental cages near the outfall of a 

WWTP and at the confluence of two 

rivers that drain the Milwaukee metro 

area and empty into Milwaukee Bay. 

The amount of microplastic found in 

mussel tissue was very different among 

different sizes of mussels and very 

different between sampling months. 

There was partial evidence for greater

microplastic ingestion near a wastewater 

outfall, but only for larger mussels. 

There was no clear relationship between 

presence of microplastics and legacy 

contaminants in mussels. 

FY20 Accomplishment(s): Results of this project are publicly available in the Marine Debris 

Clearinghouse and have been presented at a number of scientific conferences; the project team is 

drafting a publication to be submitted to the journal, Frontiers in Marine Science

Project Final Report: Hoellein & Rovegno 2020, Final Report for the NOAA Marine Debris and 

NOAA Mussel Watch Programs:

https://clearinghouse.marinedebris.noaa.gov/project?mode=View&projectId=839

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NCCOS sta
Guidelines for Assessing Exposure and Impacts of Oil Spills 

on Marine Mammals.

OR&R’s Assessment 

and Restoration 

Division (ARD) 

partnered with NOAA 

Fisheries Office of 

Protected Resources 

and external partners 

to publish a NOAA 

Technical Memo on 

Guidelines for 

Assessing Exposure 

and Impacts of Oil 

Spills on Marine 

Mammals. These 

guidelines were 

developed from a 

workshop that was

held to discuss, 

develop, and 

document methods 

and processes to 

evaluate the nature and 

extent of potential injuries to marine mammals from oil spills. The technical memo and its guidelines provide a 

review of considerations for marine mammals under NOAA's jurisdiction, incorporating knowledge gained 

from previous oil spills, especially the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill. The report describes NOAA’s response 

and assessment activities for marine mammals due to oil spills, descriptions of oil exposure and potential injury, 

and summaries of methods and approaches currently available for marine mammal assessment. This guidance 

will help NOAA and co-trustees to implement effective studies for assessing exposure and impacts to marine 

mammals affected by spills. 

FY20 Accomplishment(s): Results of this project were published as a NOAA Technical Memo.

Technical Memorandum: Sullivan et al. 2019 NOAA Tech Memo NMFS-OPR-62

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/22425

Oil Spill Assessment for Marine Mammals Story Map:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/867559ca52cd43a6b347ca13f0c4bff9

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Mother sea lion and pup. Image credit: NOAA. 
Publication to Support Natural Resource Damage Assessment

OR&R worked with NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation (OHC), the Office of General Council for 

Natural Resources (GCNR), and external partners to publish a new, rigorous, and more legally defensible 

method for scaling habitat injury that supports NOAA’s most challenging damage assessment cases. The team 

introduced the new method, Habitat Based Resource Equivalency Method (HaBREM), that evaluates injury by 

relating the biomass of organisms that use specific habitats to the ecological functions of that habitat. By 

focusing on organism-based metrics HaBREM removes subjective aspects of traditional methods and increases 

both repeatability and defensibility. 

FY20 Accomplishment(s): Results of this project were published in a peer reviewed article in the 

journal Environmental Management.

Peer reviewed journal article: Baker et al. 2020 Environmental Management

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-019-01245-9

Project URL: 

https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/new-publication-habitat-based-resource-equivalency-method-habrem

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A restored wetland in Texas. Image credit: ORR, NOAA. 
Detection and Removal of Sunken Oil Mats (SOMs)

Available information on 

the processes that 

influence the formation of 

submerged and buried oil 

mats along sand beaches 

following an oil spill was 

reviewed and synthesized. 

This included a review of 

case histories, fieldcollected datasets 

(particularly the extensive 

field data and modeling 

studies of the submerged 

oil mats at the Deepwater 

Horizon spill), as well as 

recent publications on 

sand beach 

geomorphology and

sediment dynamics and 

interactions with oil. 

Simplified response 

guidelines were then 

developed for: 1) when 

buried and submerged oil 

mats and deposits are (and 

are not) likely to form and persist; 2) the best survey methods to detect them; and 3) removal methods that are 

most effective and minimize environmental impact. This project was carried out by OR&R’s Emergency 

Response Division in partnership with the Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

FY20 Accomplishment(s): Results of this project were used to develop a Response Guide for Sunken 

Oil Mats (SOMs), which is available online.

Project URL:

https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/resources/shoreline-cleanup-andassessment-technique-scat.html

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OR&R responders gather oil samples as part of a Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment 

Technique (SCAT) operation along the west shore of the Mississippi River, following a 

2008 vessel collision near New Orleans, La. Observations and data from SCAT surveys 

are critical to the decision-making process for shoreline cleanup at oil spills. Image 

Credit: ORR, NOAA. 
Assessing the Effectiveness of Repair and Stabilizatio

Actions Conducted in Damaged Seagrass Beds 

Response activities in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria caused damage to seagrass beds in St Croix, U.S. Virgin 

Islands. Repair and stabilization activities were conducted to limit further damage due to scour, erosion, and/or 

sediment migration and to allow seagrass re-growth and recovery. Recent snorkel surveys of the affected areas 

by OR&R’s Emergency Response Division revealed that repair and stabilization activities resulted in enhanced 

seagrass recovery and recolonization as measured by seagrass species composition (dominant, co-dominant, 

secondary), cover class, and canopy height, as well as the bottom elevation differential between the scarred 

areas and adjacent undamaged areas.

FY20 Accomplishment(s): Results of this project will inform future repair and stabilization activities 

in seagrass habitats.

Project URL:

https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/hurricane-maria-sea-grass-bed-damage

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A survey being conducted by OR&R researchers in turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) to evaluate repair and 

stabilization e