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September 23, 2025
Summary Report of Pre-Production Plastic Pellets Webinar Released
In June, the Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), in partnership with the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), hosted a two day webinar to discuss pre-production plastic pellet (PPPP) response after release into the environment. This webinar was the second discussion regarding PPPP that CRRC and OR&R conducted together, the first being an in-person workshop in 2023. The summary report—which was released via the CRRC's website—details the two-day event and the presentations given by experts across the world. Sessions focused on fostering collaboration between responders and researchers, evaluating recent case studies, and refining operational response strategies for PPPP incidents. The report also updates on the latest research findings and addresses critical next steps for improving the overall response framework to PPPP spills.
Web Highlight
NOAA Intern’s Spill Modeling of Potentially-Polluting Wrecks Helps Protect Louisiana’s Coast
Talk about a productive summer! Ainsley Vanderhyde, a rising senior at Barry University and a NOAA scholar, worked alongside OR&R to analyze potential oil spills from high-priority sunken shipwrecks off the coast of Louisiana. Her work, which uses NOAA’s spill trajectory model and statistical data tools, provides critical data that helps local communities and response agencies prepare for potential threats.
Caption: Ainsley Vanderhyde providing a demonstration of her Trajectory Analysis Planner (TAP) analyses at the NOAA Office of Education Science and Education Symposium. Image credit: Chris Zimmer Photography.