An oil spill surveillance program for Lake Pontchartrain

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Oceanography
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• The 2010 BP MC252 oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico necessitated rapid environmental monitoring.
• A critical need existed to track the oil slick and predict its movement towards sensitive areas like Lake Pontchartrain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a real-time, three-pronged oil spill surveillance strategy implemented during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon crisis.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy in informing response efforts and minimizing environmental damage.

Main Methods:

• Geographic Information System (GIS) monitoring using remote sensing data to map the surface slick daily.
• Hydrodynamic numerical modeling to simulate oil particle trajectories based on ocean currents.
• Weekly field reconnaissance to ground-truth model predictions and assess oil presence (sheen, tarballs).

Main Results:

• The integrated strategy provided consistent and actionable information in near real-time.
• GIS mapping effectively showed slick proximity to Lake Pontchartrain, aiding response asset deployment.
• Hydrodynamic modeling and field data corroborated potential oiling routes, enabling targeted mitigation.

Conclusions:

• An ad hoc, on-the-fly surveillance strategy combining GIS, modeling, and field work can be highly effective during environmental crises.
• This integrated approach successfully supported local responders in minimizing oiling impacts on Lake Pontchartrain.
• The study highlights the value of rapid, multi-faceted environmental surveillance in oil spill response.