Over 40 students attended the class during the week of June 3-7. Participants represented a wide variety of oil spill responders, from NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Navy, Polaris Applied Sciences, Weston Solutions, and several other organizations and agencies. 

The SOS class covered topics that included oil chemistry and properties, oil spill modeling, observations for tracking oil, Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps, and effects of oil toxicity. The class was centered around a scenario-based exercise of a spill response in Puget Sound. Students were able to walk through different angles of a spill response using a local scenario and follow-up class lectures with a field activity at Olympic Beach in nearby Edmonds, Washington. Hands-on activities at Olympic Beach reiterated the importance of classroom topics, such as marine ecology, Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT), and physical oil transport. Students made connections with other NOAA partners during a tour of the Seattle Weather Forecast Office and heard from National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Steve Reedy about NWS tools and resources.

The class was led by NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator for California Jordan Stout and an extended OR&R instructor and facilitation team which included several oceanographers; a chemist; regional operations, coordination and response specialists; environmental scientists; and scientist emeriti. OR&R also welcomed several other subject-matter experts who presented on their particular field of expertise.

The next SOS class will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan in September. Learn more about OR&R’s full training offering during 2024.