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When oil spills or hazardous waste releases damage or close our favorite parks and beaches, NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) works to quantify the loss to the public. Leveraging new technologies, OR&R economists are exploring mobility data from smartphones to get a more complete picture of how community recreation is impacted after environmental disasters.
Supporting Clean, Healthy Coasts and Economies
Prepare • Respond • Restore • Recover
OR&R Services
Disaster and Pollution
OR&R delivers critical services to address increasing impacts from disasters and from pollution due to oil, chemicals, and marine debris. Our pollution and disaster mandates provide the backbone for our mission to the changing nature of coastal threats and hazards, which impact our coastal communities and the economies on which they rely.
Oil and Chemical Spill Response
OR&R provides scientific support to over 150 oil and chemical spills in U.S. waters annually. Spills impact lives, property, and public natural resources, as well as disrupt marine transportation with widespread economic impacts.
Oil and Chemical Natural Resource Restoration
OR&R and partners assess the impacts of oil spill and industrial pollution incidents and reach legal settlements with those responsible to fund restoration. Over the past 30+ years, NOAA and co-trustees have helped recover $10.8 billion for restoration of injured resources across the country.
Marine Debris Prevention and Removal
OR&R investigates and prevents the adverse impacts of marine debris. Since 2006, we have supported over 260 marine debris removal projects and removed more than 38,000 metric tons of marine debris from our coasts and ocean.
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
Through planning, training, exercises, disaster coordination, and continuous improvement, OR&R ensures the National Ocean Service and its partners have the tools and information necessary to plan for and respond to disasters so commerce, communities, and natural resources can recover as quickly as possible.
Featured News
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With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, NOAA Marine Debris Program, private donors, and small grant foundations, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) continues the legacy large-scale marine debris removal efforts to protect the wildlife and habitats of Papahānaumokuākea. We interviewed PMDP Field Logistics Specialist Lauren Fraser and Lead Marine Debris Technician Max Lee to learn more about their unique and important work.
Ship grounding refers to a vessel unintentionally making contact with the seabed, a waterway side, or underwater structures. Despite advances in navigation, ships of all sizes can still run aground in U.S. waters. Groundings can result from storms, mechanical failures, or even human error. NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) provides scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard which handles the immediate incident and vessel aspects.
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With support through a 2023 award from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Isla Mar Research Expeditions, LLC., and partners from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and HJR Reefscaping are removing abandoned and derelict vessels from the waters surrounding Puerto Rico. The 18 vessels removed so far weigh a total of over 130,000 pounds. The project is also supporting 11 jobs, and four new jobs were created. This cleanup effort makes Puerto Rico’s waters and beaches safer for boaters, fishers, and recreational users.