Oil and Chemical Spill Research Publications
Scientists from the Emergency Response Division (ERD) of NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration frequently conduct research on oil and chemical spill topics, both within NOAA and with other agencies and partners. Below is a sampling of their publications, grouped by year. To find more of ERD's scientific publications, you may want to check these sources:
- Catalogs of the NOAA Seattle Library and the NOAA Central Library. (NOAA has a network of over 30 libraries across the nation.)
- Bibliographies created by NOAA, such as the oil spills bibliography [PDF, 2.2 MB] and the Deepwater Horizon bibliography.
- Google Scholar, a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature.
- Proceedings of the International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC).
- Where to Find OR&R and other NOAA Information on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Zengel, S., Rutherford, N., Bernik, B.M., Weaver, J., Zhang, M., Nixon, Z., and Michel, J. 2021. Planting after shoreline cleanup treatment improves salt marsh vegetation recovery following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Ecological Engineering, Volume 169, 106288.
Westerholm, D., Ainsworth, C., Barker, C., Brewer, P., Farrington, J., Justić, D., Kourafalou, V., Murawski, S., Shepherd, J., and Solo-Gabriele, H. 2021. Preparedness, Planning, and Advances in Operational Response. Oceanography, 34(1), 212-227.
Manning, J.; Verfaillie, M.; Barker, C.; Berg, C.; MacFadyen, A.; Donnellan, M.; Everett, M.; Graham, C.; Roe, J.; Kinner, N. Responder Needs Addressed by Arctic Maritime Oil Spill Modeling. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9, 201.
Simecek-Beatty, D. and W. J. Lehr. 2021. Oil spill forecast assessment using Fractions Skill Score, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 164.
Barker, C.H.; Kourafalou, V.H.; Beegle-Krause, C.; Boufadel, M.; Bourassa, M.A.; Buschang, S.G.; Androulidakis, Y.; Chassignet, E.P.; Dagestad, K.-F.; Danmeier, D.G.; Dissanayake, A.L.; Galt, J.A.; Jacobs, G.; Marcotte, G.; Özgökmen, T.; Pinardi, N.; Schiller, R.V.; Socolofsky, S.A.; Thrift-Viveros, D.; Zelenke, B.; Zhang, A.; Zheng, Y. Progress in Operational Modeling in Support of Oil Spill Response. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8, 668.
Stacy, B. A., B. P. Wallace, T. Brosnan, S. M. Wissmann, B. A. Schroeder, A. M. Lauritsen, R. F. Hardy, J. L. Keene, and S. A. Hargrove. 2019. Guidelines for Oil Spill Response and National Resource Damage Assessment: Sea Turtles. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service and National Ocean Service, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-OPR-61, 197 p.
Simecek-Beatty, D., Lehr, W. J., 2017. Extended oil spill spreading with Langmuir circulation. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 122, 226–235.
Bejarano, A.C., Farr, J.K., Jenne, P., Chu, V. and Hielscher, A. (2016), The Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects database (CAFE), a tool that supports assessments of chemical spills in aquatic environments. Environ Toxicol Chem, 35: 1576–1586. doi:10.1002/etc.3289
Bejarano, A.C. and A.J. Mearns. 2015. Improving environmental assessments by integrating Species Sensitivity Distributions into Environmental Modeling: Examples with Two Hypothetical Oil Spills. Marine Pollution Bulletin 93 (2015): 172-182.
Helton, Doug. 2015. Between the Spills: NOAA's efforts to mitigate coastal hazards. The Coast Guard Journal of Safety & Security at Sea: Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council. Spring 2015. 48-51.
Nixon, Z. and J. Michel. 2015. Predictive Modeling of Subsurface Shoreline Oil Encounter Probability from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Environmental Science & Technology, 49: 4354-4361.
Thrift-Viveros, D.L., R. Jones, and M. Boufadel. 2015. Development of a New Oil Biodegradation Algorithm for NOAA's Oil Spill Modelling Suite (GNOME/ADIOS). In: AMOP 2015 Proceedings, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, June 2-4, 2015. Ottawa, Ont.: Environment Canada. (In press)
Zengel, S., B.M. Bernik, N. Rutherford, Z. Nixon, and J. Michel. 2015. Heavily Oiled Salt Marsh Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Ecological Comparisons of Shoreline Cleanup Treatments and Recovery. PLOS ONE, 10.
Barker, C.H. (2014) Subsurface Oil and Waves in the Coastal Zone. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 300025.
Bejarano, A.C. and M.G. Barron. (2014) Development and Practical Application of Petroleum and Dispersant Interspecies Correlation Models for Aquatic Species. Environmental Science & Technology, 48, 4564-4572.
Bejarano, A.C., V. Chu, J. Dahlin, J. Farr. (2014) Development and Application of Dtox: A Quantitative Database of the Toxicity of Dispersants and Chemically Dispersed Oil. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 733-746.
Bejarano, A.C., J.R. Clark, G.M. Coelho. (2014) Issues and Challenges with Oil Toxicity Data and Implications for Their Use in Decision Making: A Quantitative Review. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 33, 732-742.
Benggio, B., K. Chesteen, J. DeSantis, R. Knudsen, and J. Slaughter. (2014) Tidal Inlet Protection Strategies for Oil Spill Response; Concepts, Testing, and Considerations. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 287225.
Benggio, B., D. Scholz, D. Anderson, J. Dillon, G. Masson, L. Nelson, D. Odess, and E. Petras. (2014) Addressing the Uncertainty and Requirements for Oil Spill Response Consultations. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 1881-1898.
Conmy, R.N., P.G. Coble, J. Farr, A.M. Wood, K. Lee, W.S. Pegau, I.D. Walsh, C.R. Koch, M.I. Abercrombie, M.S. Miles, M.R. Lewis, S.A. Ryan, B.J. Robinson, T.L. King, C.R. Kelble, and J. Lacoste, J. (2014) Submersible Optical Sensors Exposed to Chemically Dispersed Crude Oil: Wave Tank Simulations for Improved Oil Spill Monitoring. Environmental Science & Technology, 48, 1803-1810.
Drury, A., G. Shigenaka, and M. Toy. (2014) Washington State Case Study and Guidance Developed on the Closing and Re-Opening of a Shellfishery Due to Oil Contamination. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings, 2014, 2273-2287.
Fukuyama, A.K., G. Shigenaka, and D.A. Coats. (2014) Status of Intertidal Infaunal Communities Following the Exxon Valdez Oil Crossmark Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 84, 56-69.
Jellison, K., L. Hannah, and J.B. Huyett. (2014) Hurricane Isaac Data Management Lessons Learned and Subsequent Plan Development. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 1029-1040.
Lehr, W. (2014) Communicating Study Results of Scientific Teams in Large Spills. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 1141-1148.
Levine, E., J. Tarpley, A. Drury, K. Jellison, and J. Lomnicky. 2014. Development of the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator Training Guidebook. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 1899-1909.
MacFadyen, A., E. Wei, C. Warren, C. Henry, and G. Watabayashi. 2014. Utilization of the Northern Gulf Operational Forecast System to Predict Trajectories of Surface Oil from a Persistent Source Offshore of the Mississippi River Delta. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 531-543.
Mearns, A.J., D.J. Reish, P.S. Oshida, T. Ginn, M.A. Remple-Hester, C. Arthur, and N. Rutherford. 2014. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms. (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 86(10): 1869‐1954.
Mearns, A.J., G. Shigenaka, B. Meyer, and A. Drury. 2014. Contamination and Recovery of Commercially-reared Mussels Exposed to Diesel Fuel from a Sunken Fishing Vessel. 1686 - 1705 In: Proceedings of the 2014 International Oil Spill Conference, Savannah, GA, May 5-8, 2014.
Michel, J., Z. Nixon, W. Holton, M. White, S. Zengel, F. Csulak, N. Rutherford, and C. Childs, 2014. Three Years of Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico, USA. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 1251-1266.
Michel, J. and N. Rutherford. 2014. Impacts, Recovery Rates, and Treatment Options for Spilled Oil in Marshes. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 82, 19-25.
Preble, K. and B. Benggio. 2014. Managing the Resource Consultation Process: A Case Study from the Jireh Grounding Response. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 686-696.
Rosiu, C., S. Lehmann, D. Sherry, W. Briggs, and P. Blanchard. 2014. When Oil Is the Lesser of Two Evils: Comparative Risk of the Shipwreck Empire Knight. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 299468.
Stout, J. and J. Rubini. 2014. National Contingency Plan Phase II Activities: A Problem Analysis & Decision Framework for Understanding & Evaluating Oil Pollution Threats from Sunken Ships Off California. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 2134-2145.
Tarpley, J., A. Drury, and D. Helton, 2014. Implementing Lessons Learned for NOAA's Emergency Response Division. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 1420-1430.
Tarpley, J., J. Michel, S. Zengel, N. Rutherford, C. Childs, and F. Csulak. 2014. Best Practices for Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT) from Recent Incidents. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 1281-1297.
Warren, C.J., A. MacFadyen, and C. Henry. 2014. Mapping Oil for the Destroyed Taylor Energy Site in the Gulf of Mexico. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 299931.
Whelan, A., J. Clark, G. Andrew, J. Michel, and B. Benggio. 2014. Developing Cleanup Endpoints for Inland Oil Spills. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, No. 1, pp. 1267-1280.
Bejarano, A.C., J.K. Farr. 2013. Development of short acute exposure hazard estimates: A tool for assessing the effects of chemical spills in aquatic environments [PDF, 1.35 MB]. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 32, 1918-1927.
Bejarano, A., E. Levine, and A. Mearns. 2013. Effectiveness and Potental Ecological Effects of Offshore Surface Dispersant Use during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Retrospective Analysis of Monitoring Data. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 185:10281-10295. DOI 10.1007/s10661-013-3332-y.
Gorman, D., J. Farr, R. Bellair, W. Freeman, D. Frurip, A. Hielscher, H. Johnstone, M. Linke, P. Murphy, M. Sheng, K. van Gelder, and D. Viveros. 2013. Enhanced NOAA chemical reactivity worksheet for determining chemical compatibility. Proc. Safety Prog. doi: 10.1002/prs.11613.
Jones, R., W. Lehr, D. Simecek-Beatty, R. Michael Reynolds. 2013. ALOHA® (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres) 5.4.4: Technical Documentation [PDF, 1.3 MB]. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OR&R 43. Seattle, WA: Emergency Response Division, NOAA. 96 pp.
Mearns, A. J., D.J. Reish, P.S. Oshida, T. Ginn, M.A. Rempel-Hester, C. Arthur, and N. Rutherford. 2013. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 85(10): 1828-1933.
Lehr, W. and D. Schmidt-Etkin. 2012. Ecological Risk Assessment Modeling in Spill Response Decisions. Proceedings of the Thirty-fifth Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) Technical Seminar. Emergencies Science Division, Environment Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Leifer, I., B. Lehr, D. Simecek-Beatty, E. Bradley, R. Clark, P. Dennison, Y. Hu, S. Matheson, C. Jones, B. Holt, M. Reif, D. Roberts, J. Svejkovsky, G. Swayze, J. Wozencraft. 2012. State of the art satellite and airborne marine oil spill remote sensing: Application to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Remote Sensing of the Environment, vol. 124. pp. 185-209.
Levine, E., A. Mearns, G. Shigenaka, S. Miles, A. Bejarano, B. Magdasy, and K. Bond. 2012. Review of SMART Data For Aerial Dispersant Operations. Report to the Federal On-Scene Coordinator, Deepwater Horizon MC 252.
Mearns, A.J, M. Lindeberg, D. Janka, J. Whitney and G. Shigenaka. 2012. Twenty-three Year Update of Shoreline Biological Observations in Prince William Sound. Poster presented at Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, Alaska. January 2012.
Mearns, A.J., D.J. Reish, P.S. Oshida, T. Ginn, M.A. Remple-Hester, and C. Arthur. 2012. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 84(10): 1737-1823.
Svejkovsky, J., W. Lehr, J. Muskat, G. Graettinger, and J. Mullin. 2012. Operational Utilization of Aerial Multispectral Remote Sensing during Oil Spill, in Spill Response: Lessons Learned During the Deepwater Horizon (MC-252) Spill. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing. vol. 78(10). pp. 1089-1102.
Zelenke, B., C. O'Connor, C. Barker, C.J. Beegle-Krause, and L. Eclipse (Eds.). 2012. General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) Technical Documentation. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OR&R 40. Seattle, WA: Emergency Response Division, NOAA. 105 pp. [PDF version, 2.4 MB; Word version, 2.5 MB]
Zelenke, B., C. O'Connor, C. Barker, and C.J. Beegle-Krause (Eds.). 2012. General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) Technical Documentation: Data Formats. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OR&R 41. Seattle, WA: Emergency Response Division, NOAA. 49 pp. [PDF version, 880 KB; Word version, 851 KB]
Barker, C.H. 2011. A Statistical Outlook for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record Breaking Enterprise. Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 195. pp. 237-244. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C., doi:10.1029/2011GM001129.
Lehr, W.J., A. Aliseda, E. Overton, I. Leifer. 2011. Computing Mass Balance for the Deepwater Horizon Spill. In: Proceedings of the 2011 International Oil Spill Conference, Portland, OR, May 23-26, 2011.
Levine, E., J. Stout, B. Parscal, A.H. Walker, K. Bond. 2011. Aerial Dispersant Monitoring Using SMART Protocols During the Deepwater Horizon Spill Response. In: Proceedings of the 2011 International Oil Spill Conference, Portland, OR, May 23-26, 2011.
Liu, Y., A. MacFadyen, Z.-G. Ji, and R.H. Weisberg (Eds.). 2011. Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise. Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 195. pp. 271. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C., doi:10.1029/GM195.
MacFadyen, A., G.Y. Watabayashi, C.H. Barker, and C.J. Beegle-Krause. 2011. Tactical modeling of surface oil transport during the Deepwater Horizon spill response, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise. Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 195, pp. 167–178. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C., doi:10.1029/2011GM001128.
Simecek-Beatty, D., 2011. Chapter 11- Oil spill trajectory forecasting uncertainty and emergency response. In: Fingas, M. (Ed.), Oil Spill Science and Technology. Gulf Professional Publishing, Boston, pp. 275–299.
Mearns, A.J., D.J. Reish, P.S. Oshida, and T. Ginn. 2010. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 82(10): 2001-2046.
Mearns, A.J., D.J. Reish, P.S. Oshida, M. Buchman, T. Ginn, and R. Donnelly. 2009. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 81(10): 2070-2125.
Mearns, A.J., D.J. Reish, P.S. Oshida, M. Buchman, T. Ginn, and R. Donnelly. 2008. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 80(10): 1918-1979.
Johnson, L.E. and J.K. Farr. 2008, CRW 2.0: A representative-compound approach to functionality-based prediction of reactive chemical hazards. Proc. Safety Prog., 27: 212–218. doi: 10.1002/prs.10248.
Beegle-Krause, CJ, C. O’Connor, G. Watabayashi, I. Zelo, and C. Childs. NOAA Safe Seas Exercise 2006: new data streams, data communication and forecasting capabilities for spill forecasting. AMOP 2007 Proceedings, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, June 5-7, 2007. Ottawa, Ont.: Environment Canada. 2007.
Mearns, A.J., D.J. Reish, P.S. Oshida, M. Buchman, T. Ginn, and R. Donnelly. 2007. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 79(10): 2102-2160.
NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Emergency Response Division (ERD) (formerly Hazardous Materials Response Division [HAZMAT]) and U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters' Office of Search and Rescue, How to Make Your Model's Products Useful to NOAA HAZMAT and USCG Search and Rescue Operations [PDF, 6.0 MB]. 2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting, Honolulu, HI, February 20-24, 2006. Poster.
Mearns, A.J., D.J. Reish, P.S. Oshida, M. Buchman, and T. Ginn. 2006. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 78(10): 2033-2086.
Beegle-Krause, C.J. and W. Lynch. Combining Modeling with Response in Potential Deep Well Blowout: Lessons Learned from Thunder Horse [PDF, 150.2 KB]. IOSC 2005 Proceedings, Miami Beach, FL, May 15-19, 2005. Miami, FL: EIS Digital Publishing. 2005.
Reish, D.J., P.S. Oshida, A.J. Mearns, T. Ginn, and M. Buchman. 2005. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 77(6): 2733-2819.
Reish, D.J., P.S. Oshida, A.J. Mearns, T.C. Ginn, and M. Buchman. 2004. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 76(6): 2443-2490.
Beegle-Krause, C.J. Advantages of Separating the Circulation Model and Trajectory Model: GNOME Trajectory Model Used with Outside Circulation Models. AMOP 2003 Proceedings, Victoria, B.C., Canada, June 10-12, 2003. Ottawa, Ont.: Environment Canada. 2003. Vol 2: pp. 825-840.
Beegle-Krause, C.J., J. Callahan, and C. O'Connor. NOAA Model Extended to Use Nowcast/Forecast Currents. IOSC 2003 Proceedings, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, April 6-11, 2003. API Publication No. 14730.
Reish, D.J., P.S. Oshida, A.J. Mearns, T.C. Ginn, and M. Buchman. 2003. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 75(6): 1800-1862.
Yapa, P.D., F.H. Chen, and C.J. Beegle-Krause. Integration of the CDOG Deep Water Oil and Gas Blowout Model with the NOAA GNOME Trajectory Model. AMOP 2003 Proceedings, Victoria, B.C., Canada, June 10-12, 2003. Ottawa, Ont.: Environment Canada. 2003. Vol 2: pp. 935-951.
Reish, D.J., P.S. Oshida, A.J. Mearns, T.C. Ginn, and M. Buchman. 2002. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 74(5): 1507-1584.
Beegle-Krause, C.J. General NOAA Oil Modeling Environment (GNOME): A New Spill Trajectory Model. IOSC 2001 Proceedings, Tampa, FL, March 26-29, 2001. St. Louis, MO: Mira Digital Publishing, Inc. Vol. 2: pp. 865-871.
Reish, D.J., P.S. Oshida, A.J. Mearns, T.C. Ginn, and M. Buchman. 2000. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 72(5): 1754-1812.
Beegle-Krause, C.J. 1999. GNOME: NOAA's Next-Generation Spill Trajectory Model. Oceans '99 MTS/IEEE Proceedings. Escondido, CA: MTS/IEEE Conference Committee. Vol. 3: pp. 1262-1266.
Reish, D.J., P.S. Oshida, A.J. Mearns, T.C. Ginn, and M. Buchman. 1999. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 71(5): 1100-1115.
Galt, J.A. 1998. Uncertainty Analysis Related to Oil Spill Modeling. Spill Science & Technology, 4(4):231-238.
Galt, J.A., D.L. Payton, H. Norris, and C. Friel. 1996. Digital Distribution Standard for NOAA Trajectory Analysis Information [PDF, 225.5 KB]. ERD (formerly HAZMAT) Report 96-4. Seattle: NOAA Emergency Response Division (formerly Hazardous Materials Response and Assessment Division). 43 pp.
Reish, D.J., P.S. Oshida, A.J. Mearns, and T.C. Ginn. 1996. Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms (annual literature review). Water Environment Research 68(4): 784-796.
Wolfe, D.A., M.J. Hameedi, J.A. Galt, G. Watabayashi, J. Short, C. O’Clair, S. Rice, J. Michel, J.R. Payne, J. Braddock, S. Hanna, and D. Sale. 1994. The fate of the oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez. Environmental Science and Technology 28 (13): 561A-568A.
Galt, J.A. 1980. A finite-element solution procedure for the interpolation of current data in complex regions. Journal of Physical Oceanography 10:1984-1997.
Questions: Contact a NOAA Librarian with any questions about a publication.