Monitoring Restoration of Gulf Coast After Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill

Concerned that monitoring of the restoration of the Gulf coast after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may be inadequate, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have created a publication identifying best practices for restoration monitoring, assessment, and synthesis. The publication also "offers specific guidance for a subset of habitats and taxa to be restored in the Gulf including oyster reefs, tidal wetlands, and seagrass habitats, as well as a variety of birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals." Download Effective Monitoring to Evaluate Ecological Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico for free on the Academies' site or purchase a paper copy for $52.00.

Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout Lessons

The National Academies have made available for free online the 196 page book, Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Offshore Drilling Safety.  After examining the causes of the blowout, the report makes recommendations for the oil and gas industry and government regulators and advises taking a "system safety" approach  "anticipating and managing possible dangers at every level of operation."

A paperback version is also available for purchase from the National Academies website.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Resources

Paula Webb from the University of South Alabama has created an online bibliography of national and Alabama resources relating to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill incident. For information from Texas state agencies see:

• Spills - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program - Texas General Land Office
• Spills and Clean-up - Texas Online

Deepwater Horizon Response hosts media briefings, fact sheets, graphs, and photographs to provide the latest updates about response efforts.