bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Three Years of Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico, USA
Authors: Michel Jacqueline , Nixon Zachary , Holton William , White Mark , Zengel Scott , Csulak Frank , Rutherford Nicolle , Childs Carl 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
The oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico was documented as stranding on 1,773 kilometers (km; 1,102 miles) of shoreline as of May 2013. Of the shorelines oiled, beaches comprised 50.8%, marshes 44.9%, and other shoreline types 4.3%. One year after the spill began, oil remained on 830 km; two years later, oil remained on 685 km and three years later, oil remained on 632 km, with 74% of the shoreline classified as trace (&lt;1%) oiling degree. Shoreline cleanup activities were authorized on 660 km, or 73.3% of oiled beaches. Because the oil stranded over a three-month period and at a period in time when the beaches were in a relatively eroded condition, the oil became deeply buried and posed many challenges to its removal. The continued remobilization of oil buried in both intertidal and nearshore habitats resulted in the chronic re-oiling of sand beaches at trace levels for over three years, thus the slow rate of decline in the shoreline oiled lengths. Treatment of sand beaches in the first year focused on use of mechanical beach cleaners and excavation and sifting of deeply buried oil to minimize clean sediment removal. Later treatments were mostly manual except for mechanical excavation of deeply buried oil in Louisiana beaches in 2012 and 2013. Passive, manual, and mechanical treatments were authorized on 71 km, or 8.9% of oiled marshes and associated habitats, though actual treatment was conducted in smaller zones within these segments. Intensive marsh cleanup treatments were limited to ~1-2% of oiled marshes Gulf-wide and focused on areas with thick persistent marsh oiling. The Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) Program was the most complex and long lasting of any past spill. The SCAT Program evolved as needed to support the changing requirements and many challenges over the duration of the response. Many of the tools and products developed and used will be of value for future spill responses.
Upgraded RETOS™: An International Tool to Assess Oil Spill Response Planning and Readiness
Authors: Taylor Elliott , Moyano Miguel , Steen Alexis 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
In 2011 the Regional Association of Oil and Gas Companies - Latin America and the Caribbean (ARPEL) developed the “Oil Spill Response Planning and Readiness Assessment Manual” and its assessment tool, the “Readiness Evaluation Tool for Oil Spills (RETOS™)” with the support of regional and international experts from industry and government, including associations such as Clean Caribbean and Americas (CCA), RAC-REMPEITC-Carib, and IMO.
The ARPEL Manual and RETOS™ provide a general guide for industry and governments to assess their level of oil spill response (OSR) planning and readiness management in relation to pre-established criteria. These criteria are commonly agreed upon by the institutions involved in the project and consider international best management practices. The foundation for the ARPEL Manual's concepts and criteria is the “Assessment of Oil Spill Response Capabilities: A Proposed International Guide for Oil Spill Response Planning and Readiness Assessment”, a guideline developed for the 2008 International Oil Spill Conference.
RETOS™ adapts evaluation criteria according to the type of OSR program to be assessed.Seven different scopes from two perspectives (government and industry) are considered, including facilities, companies' business lines, and government national programs.For each scope there are three possible assessment levels for which OSR planning and readiness assessment criteria become increasingly more demanding.Each level contains criteria in 10 different categories (topic areas).
Training workshops on RETOS™ were held during 2011 and 2012. Field tests were conducted by experts and surveys were conducted among users including companies, governments and consultants. Feedback from workshops and the practical application of RETOS™ provided recommendations for upgrades that were reviewed by ARPEL. Subsequently, a proposal to upgrade RETOS was made to the IOSC Executive Committee, which decided to support the endeavor. This paper describes the upgraded version of RETOS and its availability.
The upgraded version of RETOS™ has garnered interest from several institutions that contributed to its completion as reviewers: a global Tier 3 organization (OSRL), Caspian and Black Sea's OSPRI, GI WACAF, and IPIECA. This multi-institutional review increased awareness of these readiness assessment tools, is expected to further expand worldwide awareness of the ARPEL Manual and RETOS™, and provides improved OSR planning and readiness management for industry and governments alike. A unique tool that is freely downloadable from the internet, the upgraded RETOS™ is being launched at the 2014 IOSC.
Resource Ordering and Tracking: Getting It Right in Exercises and Incidents
Authors: Callahan Thomas , Smiley Daniel 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
Tracking resources and implementing an effective resource ordering process within the Incident Command Post can seemingly be as challenging as the task of recovering spilled oil during an incident. A key goal of resource ordering is to get the right resources to the right place at the right time in order to mount a successful response to the oil spill incident. Resource tracking is essential to accurately know how many of what resources have been ordered or have arrived and where they are. Therefore addressing the challenges associated with resource ordering is a key element to implementing an effective and efficient response. This paper examines the resource ordering and tracking process, highlights lessons learned from exercises and incidents, and translates those lessons learned into recommendations for the resource ordering process.
This examination looks at the cutoff point between resources ordered during the initial OSRO callout and a more managed resource ordering process, applying Type and Kind to resources, use of the Resource Request Message (ICS 213RR) form, and integration with computer-based spill management tools. Lessons learned from exercises will be described and recommendations are put forward that may assist all elements of a spill management team (SMT) to efficiently and effectively order resources during exercises or actual incidents. A cohesive SMT that implements an effective resource tracking and ordering process will help ensure resource ordering does not slow the response, and the right resources get to the right place at the right time.
Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Capability in West, Central and Southern Africa: Sustaining momentum in a changing world of oil spill risks
Authors: Rhodes Anton , Chancerel Romain 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
The Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF Project) is a partnership between the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and IPIECA - the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues, to enhance the capacity of countries to prepare for and respond to marine oil spills.
The GI WACAF Project was launched in 2006 and is jointly funded by IMO and eight oil company members in order to strengthen national oil spill response capability in 22 countries of West, Central and Southern Africa through the establishment of local partnerships between the oil industries and the national authorities in charge of oil spill preparedness and response at the national level. This paper will describe how the GI WACAF Project cooperates with local stakeholders in order to develop a structure for preparedness and response in the region, and to detail what are the challenges lying ahead in order to make this structure fully operational taking into account the changes in the region in terms of risk profiles, industry representation and national and regional governance.
The analysis of the exercises organised under the umbrella of the GI WACAF Project in Congo, Nigeria (2011), Gabon (2012), Cameroon, and Mauritania (2012) emphasises the needs in terms of international cooperation, integration of response capabilities at the national and regional levels and the development of effective incident management structures.
In conclusion, we will present how the GI WACAF Project has evolved in order to maintain its momentum for the continuous development of preparedness and response capabilities in the region.
Insights from Meta-Analysis of Recent Exercises
Authors: Narin van Court Wade A. , Robinson Mark B. 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
Oil terminals maintain and assess their oil spill response readiness by conducting drills and exercises in general accordance with the Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) guidelines; however, they often do not realize the full benefits of the time and effort they invest in their exercise programs. Specifically, the way many terminals conduct and evaluate their drill and exercise programs does not provide an in-depth understanding of the capabilities and competencies of their personnel and their response contractors. URS Corporation (URS) recently performed a meta-analysis of tabletop exercises (TTX), equipment deployment exercises (EDX), and unannounced spill equipment deployment drills (UDD) that we facilitated at terminals around the United States. The meta-analysis was performed as a combined review of the after action reports from the various exercises to identify common lessons learned and areas for improvement. Specifically, the objective of the meta-analysis was to develop recommendations, based on an in-depth understanding of the identified common lessons learned and insights from our exercise facilitators, to enhance or improve terminals' oil spill response performance when implemented in the design of future drills and exercises. Based on our study, URS identified and developed recommendations to address the following areas for improvement: training/exercises did not build on previous efforts; TTX were “walk through” or discussion type of exercises and not conducted in “real time”; UDD were conducted in similar ways each time and did not “stress the system”; exercises and drills did not involve upper level (e.g., regional or corporate) personnel who may have significant roles in the response; terminal personnel did not have relationships with staff of industries, contractors, and/or agencies in their area; terminal personnel were not familiar with the Geographic Response Plans or Area Contingency Plans for their area; and exercise programs and post-exercise reviews and critiques did not effectively assess all 15 response plan components. By implementing the recommendations from our meta-analysis, terminals can expect to obtain significantly greater benefits in terms of competence and confidence to respond to oil spills for a modest investment in additional time, cost, and effort.
Exercising the Recovery Phase: Taking the Next Step
Authors: Leonard Joseph J. , Karwan Kerry G. , Hahn John , Gibeault Carl 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
All responses reach a phase in which the primary concern shifts from protecting life and property by controlling and mitigating the incident to recovering from the incident and restoring as near as possible the pre-incident conditions. This phase is rarely the subject of exercises. The advantages to “exercising the recovery” are pre-identification of priorities, pre-identification of needs, increasing the visibility of recovery problems, and identifying recovery organizations strengths and weaknesses.
Recovery priorities are a sensitive topic. Responder priorities often are different from those of the population impacted. This can lead to great discontent, confusion, and wasted resources. A common example is focusing on restoring automated banking facilities before the restoration of electricity. The resources devoted to the former would be better used on the latter. Pre-identification of priorities and communicating those will reduce problems later.
“What is needed to recover from this incident?” is best asked before the incident. Identifying the most basic needs will lead to a very large list. If those needs are pre-identified by means of an exercise, then preparations to create stockpiles, contracts with response organizations, and perhaps even locating staging areas and transportation blocks can begin before an incident occurs.
Increasing the visibility of potential recovery problems will allow planners to more effectively provide decision makers and money managers justification for expending pre-incident resources on essential incident recovery assets. Assets that have been pre-identified are that much closer to use.
Exercises that identify a recovery organization's strengths and weaknesses prepare participants for eventual use and better integration into the overall response. Participants develop knowledge of each other's organizations and what that organization brings to the recovery efforts. That knowledge is at a premium during a response.
Using exercises to identify recovery priorities, identify recovery needs, increasing the visibility of recovery efforts, and evaluating recovery organizations should be an increasing part of the responder's exercise programs.
Update on Developing and Commercializing Oil Herders for In-Situ Burning
Authors: Buist Ian , Nedwed Tim , Tidwell Amy , Lane Peter , Newsom Peter , Flagg Ken 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
Since the 2011 Conference (Buist et al. 2011 and Buist and Nedwed 2011), work on advancing oil herding agents for in-situ burning (ISB) has focused on three areas:Obtaining regulatory approvals for their use in North America;Developing an application system for use in a helicopter; and,Researching the effectiveness of herders for rapid-response ISB in open water.
Desmi-AFTI worked in conjunction with S.L. Ross Environmental Research to get approval to use herders in North American waters. The proscribed test data from an accredited laboratory in Louisiana on three candidate herding agents (also called surface collecting agents) was submitted to the U.S. EPA for approval to list them on the National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule. Two herders have been placed on the list and are now commercially available. These two can be used, with the FOSC's concurrence, for spill response operations in U.S. waters. Samples of all three herders have been sent to Environment Canada, along with all the EPA test data, for their consideration. Quantities (200 L) of the two herders listed on the NCP Product Schedule have been produced and are stockpiled at Desmi-AFTI in Buffalo, NY.
An application system, consisting of a pump, controls and reservoir has been designed to be placed inside an appropriate helicopter. It incorporates a reel-able hose that is used to lower the application nozzle to the correct height above the water for herder application. Dry land, static trials were conducted in September 2013 and helicopter flight trials are planned for summer and fall 2014. A back-pack sprayer system for herder application from a small vessel is available off-the-shelf, with only minor modifications required for cold-temperature use.
The US Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement sponsored a series of laboratory and Ohmsett experiments to see whether herders could contract oil slicks in wave conditions in open water. The results showed that the monolayer of each of the two best herders will survive for more than 45 minutes in a calm sea. The presence of breaking or cresting waves rapidly disrupts the herder monolayer and the oil slick resulting in the production of many small slicklets from the herded slick and the re-spreading of the oil to thin slicks. The monolayer survives for considerable periods of time in a swell condition, but the constant stretching and contracting of the herded slick results in elongating the oil slick and slowly breaking the slick into smaller segments.
Testing of the helicopter application system with a herding agent on a 10 m3 experimental crude oil release in drift ice is planned for spring 2015. Further laboratory study of the approved herders is also planned with the goals of better understanding their toxicity and biodegradation and the window of opportunity for their effective use on weathered, emulsified and waxy oils.
Incorporating Traditional Knowledge and Subsistence Mapping into the Arctic Environmental Response Management Application
Authors: Merten Amy A. , Winters-Staszak Zachary , Kinner Nancy E. 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
Access to information from local and indigenous communities is vital to improving oil spill preparedness and response, and to ensuring efficient prioritization and protection of subsistence and culturally sensitive areas. The Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) is an online mapping tool that integrates both static and real-time data, such as Environmental Sensitivity Index maps, ship locations, weather, ocean currents, and more in a centralized format for environmental responders and decision makers. This allows for high-impact and fine-resolution visualization of data for solving complex environmental response and resource issues. As part of the overall ERMA project, baseline datasets have been collected from government sources, private corporations, universities, local entities, and non-governmental organizations (NGO). Arctic ERMA—a regional instance of the ERMA application—covers the U.S. high Arctic, with use in all of Alaska as well as internationally.
To identify and gather Arctic-specific data, workshops were conducted in the Northwest Arctic Borough (NWAB), North Slope Borough (NSB), and Edmonton, Canada focusing on oil spill scenarios that could affect villages in each region, and developing prioritized datasets needed to support planning, response, and natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) work. As part of the overall ERMA project, baseline datasets have been collected from government sources, private corporations, universities, local entities and non-governmental organizations. Most of these datasets are publicly available. ERMA has been tested in Arctic drills and was used to support the USCG's “Arctic Shield” exercise, September 2013. Through this exercise, ERMA was able to incorporate onboard ship information, field-collected data, photos, sensor data and other scientific input collected during the USCG Cutter Healy cruise. The exercise identified some of the challenges the response community could face during a spill in the Arctic and the region's dependence upon local knowledge in successfully minimizing environmental effects and human-dimension impacts. This presentation will discuss collaborations and next steps.
Enhancing the Utility of Community Health Workers in Disaster Preparedness, Resiliency, and Recovery
Authors: Nicholls Keith , Picou J. Steven , Lowman Janel 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
As part of the Deepwater Horizon Medical Settlement, the University of South Alabama's Coastal Resource & Resiliency Center is charged with preparing Community Health Workers (CHWs) to serve in areas affected by the oil spill. The immediate objective of this effort is to enhance primary and behavioral healthcare capacity and health literacy, especially among disadvantaged and underserved populations. A review of previous research confirms the utility of CHWs in accomplishing this objective. Findings further suggest that CHWs could play a crucial role in the area of oil spill response and recovery, but fulfilling this role will require appropriate training. In this paper, we provide an outline of CHW training that includes: 1) educational outreach to enhance literacy and promote preparedness; 2) identification and management of diseases and conditions associated with or exacerbated by such technological disasters; and 3) essential elements in the recognition and referral of psychosocial problems associated with the oil spill experience. Community Health Workers have great potential to contribute in the area of oil spill response and recovery by motivating maximum preparedness, speeding recovery, and increasing resiliency for future spills. It is important that institutional actors involved in the area recognize this potential and contribute to its realization.
ALASKA'S APPROACH TO DETERMINING OIL RECOVERY RATES AND EFFICIENCIES
Authors: Miller Sharry , Kotula John 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
The determination of effective daily recovery capacities for oil skimmers and pumps has been controversial and increasingly critical in recent years. Oil discharge events around the world have highlighted the importance of having effective oil spill response plans, equipment, and procedures in place and available for immediate activation. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) has determined that the standard practice of using an effective oil recovery capacity equal to 20 percent of the equipment manufacturer's rated throughput capacity over a 24-hour period is not always realistic for predicting recovery capabilities during an oil spill response. Additionally, always using 20 percent does not give equipment manufacturers incentives to develop improved equipment, nor are plan holders motivated to use best available technology in their response systems.
The development of ASTM International (ASTM) “F 2709–08 Standard Test Method for Determining Nameplate Recovery Rate of Stationary Oil Skimmer Systems” (hereafter called ASTM 2709–08) provided a starting point for the assessment of realistic oil recovery rates (ORR) and oil recovery efficiencies (ORE). The standard states, “This test method defines a method and measurement criteria to quantify the nameplate recovery rate (capacity) of a stationary skimmer system in ideal conditions.”
The ADEC has worked with plan holders, oil spill response organizations, and oil shipping industry representatives to use the results of testing under ASTM 2709–08 (ideal conditions) as a baseline for determining ORR and ORE in realistic field conditions. This work has been based on a “systems approach” which takes into consideration the operating environments in which the skimmer will be used and the booms which will be used to concentrate and contain oil for skimming. The resulting “Request for Assessment of Skimmer System Efficiency” provides a means for plan holders to convey information which the ADEC can use to make a determination about the skimming system's recovery capabilities.