Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Project
Gulf Region; 2006-2009
Background | Materials, Tools, and Resouces | Photos and Video
Download a summary handout of this project (
705kb).
Background
During the 2005 hurricane season, hurricanes Katrina and Rita inflicted severe damage on the Gulf of Mexico coastal region, and deposited extensive amounts of debris over various areas of the Gulf coast. Submerged marine debris poses a hazard to vessel traffic and can adversely affect commercially viable fishing grounds. To address this debris problem, Congress appropriated funds to survey areas affected by submerged marine debris, tasking NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey and Office of Response and Restoration to conduct offshore surveys, compile and disseminate project data, conduct marine debris risk assessments, and lead outreach activities specific to this project.
One of the key elements of this project was to ensure the states' fishing communities and public were aware of survey planning, progress, and findings. The NOAA Marine Debris Program built a broad public outreach campaign to share debris survey and risk assessment results in a useful, effective, and timely manner. A website (see below) was developed to easily provide information to stakeholders with an interest in the project, which includes written reports, photos, and videos.
In total, the project surveyed more than 1,500 square nautical miles of nearshore waters across Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and over 7,100 individual targets were located and mapped.
To find out more about this project, visit the website*
*Note: The website above will be online until 2012.
Materials, Tools, and Resources
Download a summary handout of this project ( 705kb).
Marine Debris Survey: The project team coordinated technological surveys of submerged marine debris that posed a persistent hazard to navigation, commercial and recreational fishing & boating, tourism, and living marine resources.
Marine Debris Assessment: Following marine survey operations, the team mapped and assessed the debris to help prioritize removal efforts, develop or amend removal strategies, and coordinate stakeholder involvement.
Target Review Process: GIS information and side-scan sonar images were incorporated into Google Earth™ software to provide the location, dimension, and image of marine debris targets, thus enabling FEMA and LDNR to determine what targets to investigate further for removal consideration.
Outreach & Education: Information acquired was posted on the project’s website, and provided both static maps and GPS coordinates that can easily be downloaded and printed. During the project the NOAA Marine Debris Program worked closely with Louisiana Sea Grant and the Mississippi/Alabama Sea Grant Consortium to implement a comprehensive outreach program to effectively disseminate survey results to the public using media releases, posters, and maps to engage recreational boaters, recreational and commercial fishers, local fishing communities, state agencies, and other interested parties throughout the region.
Marine Debris Emergency Response Plan in the Gulf of Mexico
By: Nir Barnea, Jacqui Michel, Brendan Bray, Zachary Nixon, Gretchen Imahori, and Crescent Moegling
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-31
June 2009
This document is a response to the need identified by Gulf region stakeholders. Its goal is to assist in the planning, assessment, removal, and disposal or recycling of marine debris. It provides guidelines, information, and resources to deal with marine debris dispersion in marine areas outside of major shipping channels, and it incorporates experience and lessons learned from the post-Katrina and Rita marine debris survey and removal efforts. The document does not attempt to provide a fully detailed plan nor serve as a regulatory requirement. Rather, it is a simple, informal, and hopefully useful tool to assist managers at the Federal, State, and local levels to be better prepared to deal with marine debris the next time a powerful storm creates a major marine debris problem.
Download it here ( 2.2 MB).
Development of the Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Model
By: Zachary Nixon and Nir Barnea
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-35
January 2010
The purpose of the model is to characterize spatial differences in the distribution of relatively large, storm‐mobilized and deposited, anthropogenic marine debris objects across the nearshore seafloor so as to help prioritize these areas for survey.The guidance for developing the model was that it should be conceptually and statistically robust and based upon the data collected by the GOMMDP. In addition,the model should be as applicable as possible to a generic storm event, or a storm event to occur in the future.
Download it here ( 4.5MB).
Photos and Video
PHOTOS:
Click here for a photo gallery and slideshow of photos.
VIDEO:
Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Project (2008) - Approx. 4 minutes
