From September 29 through October 1, 2014 OR&R Emergency Response Division (ERD) staff, Nicolle Rutherford and Kyle Jellison, along with Scott Zengel and Jennifer Horsman of Research Planning, Incorporated, returned to Bay Jimmy, Northern Barataria Bay, Louisiana to evaluate oiling conditions, erosion, vegetation, and macrofauna recovery in marshes heavily oiled during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

This effort is part of an ongoing study to examine marsh treatment effectiveness and environmental effects under the following conditions: natural recovery (no treatment, oiled controls), oiled areas that were treated, oiled areas that were treated and replanted, and vegetated reference sites that were either not oiled or were only lightly oiled and were not treated. The results of the study will be used to inform future oiled marsh cleanup efforts.

For additional information, please contact Nicolle.R.Rutherford@noaa.gov.

See related story from April of 2013, When Studying How to Clean Oiled Marshes, NOAA Scientists Have Their Work Cut Out for Them on the OR&R blog.

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