One Year Later, NOAA Scientist Remembers Deepwater Horizon

Rost Parsons

Rost Parsons, Ph.D. is the lead scientist at NOAA's National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), a division of the National Oceanographic Data Center. NCDDC is located at Stennis Space Center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Dr. Parsons is also a key member of the interagency Joint Analysis Group (JAG) for Surface and Sub-Surface Oceanography, Oil and Dispersant Data, which was quickly organized when leaking oil was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig. He was instrumental in developing the five JAG reports, which provided accounts of the characterization and transportation of the subsurface oil. Dr. Parsons recently spoke about his experience.

Describe the first few hours of April 22, after the initial media reports of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. When did you realize that NCDDC was going to play a major role? When we heard about the explosion, we were all saddened to learn about the loss of life. It wasn't until several days later that we received word from the Coast Guard that the oil was in fact leaking from the well head below the surface. My first thought then was this was another major disaster for the Gulf Coast on top of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.

Because of Hurricane Katrina, NCDDC had developed a relationship with NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) when we worked together on The Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Project Map. Within days of the reported oil spill, NCDDC began to work with OR&R and NOAA's National Fisheries Service to integrate OR&R oil slick trajectory information into the NCDDC Coastal Ecosystems Program-Gulf Coast - and that was the just the beginning. Things moved fast after that.

This map illustrates the observed oxygen depressions associated with the deep subsurface oil plume extending to southwest of the wellhead during the period July 22-October 16, 2010.[click image to enlarge]

As the crisis began to unfold, what was your role with the special Joint Analysis Group? Dr. Steve Murawski (Now retired Director of Scientific Programs for NOAA's National Fisheries Service) approached NCDDC for assistance analyzing the data that was beginning to come in from the ships sampling around the well head. The Joint Analysis Group (JAG) was formed very quickly in the beginning of June in response to this shipboard data and the growing interest in the subsurface oil and dispersant use at the wellhead. The JAG started with a Saturday phone call, and the group met every day by teleconference for months afterwards. Observations made aboard research ships came in slowly at first, but now we have data from almost 2,000 observation stations from 100 investigative cruises on 24 ships. In the seven months it has been working, the JAG has produced five reports which have helped scientists, policy makers and the public visualize the subsurface oil and where it traveled. The JAG is currently working on its summary report

When you reflect a year after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, what comes to mind? I think of the size of the effort put forth by a lot of people in a short period of time. There was a lot of concern over what was happening and a lot of new partnerships resulted because people saw the importance of collaborating. I'm not sure the public has an appreciation for the work put in by a large number of scientists and government employees during this period, especially off shore. I know we at NCDDC have worked very hard to make sure that the data have been handled properly and are accessible and preserved for the future. After all, this is where we live, too.

-by Angela R. Sallis, NCDDC Outreach Coordinator

Related Article(s)

• Deepwater Horizon-One Year Later
• Satellites Aided Response to Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

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