Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill NSF Rapid Response Research Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) Dr. David Conover National Science Foundation January 24, 2011 Seoul, Republic of Korea
Accident Location The Deepwater Horizon was finishing work on an exploration well named Macondo, in an area called Mississippi Canyon Block 252. After weeks of drilling, the rig had drilled over 18,000 feet below sea floor in about 5000 feet of water.
What went wrong? Blow up of natural gas due to: Weak Casing Design Lack of casing tieback Too little nitrogen charged cement Premature removal of riser mud Failure of Blow Out Preventer
DWH GOM Oil Spill Timeline 20 April 05 May 20 May 21 May 27 May 15 Jun 13 July 02 August 13 August Explosion on Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling rig. Eleven people killed. NSF receives first Rapid Research Response proposal NSF awards first Rapid Response Grant First 2 Rapid Response cruises depart for Gulf (R/V Pelican cruise, R/V Walton Smith) Dear Colleague Letter: Rapid Response Research Grants Available for Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Research released by NSF BP announces distribution of $30 million in research money to: Louisiana State University, Florida Institute of Oceanography, and Northern Gulf Institute. Containment cap successfully installed. Static kill' operation begins. (Pumping heavy drilling mud and cement into well.) National Incident Command(NIC) issues directive for an Implementation Plan for Sub Surface Oil and Dispersant Detection, Sampling and Monitoring Strategy 18 August Don Rice, Director, Chemical Oceanography, dispatched to Unified Area Command (UAC) to coordinate academic and federal agency research efforts 31 August 2 September 19 September 1 October Three workshops held at Univ. S. Fla., Northern Gulf Institute, and Tulane Univ., to receive input from academic scientists on draft Implementation Plan for sub surface oil and dispersant detection, sampling and monitoring Relief well complete. Macondo well officially sealed. Release of Implementation Plan for Sub Sea and Sub Surface Oil and Dispersant Detection, Sampling, and Monitoring 5 6 October National Science and Technology Council's Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST) sponsored PI workshop in St. Petersburg, FL.
NSF Rapid Response Research Efforts Summary Total Awarded: $19,927,128 Total Number of NSF Awards: 171 Total Ship Costs: >$5,000,000
Division of Ocean Sciences Deepwater Horizon Rapid Response Research Estimated Number of requests: 443 Total Number of OCE NSF Awards: 64 Total Amount Awarded: $7,318,064 Average award processing time in OCE: 11.3 days Average award processing time at NSF: 27.8 days
GEO Directorate Rapid Response Research Number of Grants Awarded per Division in GEO Total Number of Grants in GEO: 81 Total Amount Awarded per Division in GEO Total Amount in GEO: $8.6m
NSF Ship Rapid Response Research Effort Cape Hatteras Endeavor Cape Hatteras Endeavor Cape Hatteras Walton Smith Pelican Pelican Oceanus Cape Hatteras Atlantis Pelican Atlantis Atlantis 30 Apr 31 May 1 Jul 1 Aug 1 Sep 2 Oct 2 Nov 3 Dec Total NSF Ship Days 224 R/V Pelican 12 R/V Cape Hatteras 61 R/V Walton Smith 22 R/V Endeavor 34 R/ Oceanus 46 R/V Atlantis 49 Cruise dates
NSF Rapid Response Research Effort DWH GOM Oil Spill First Rapid proposal submitted First Rapid grant awarded First publication from Rapid Grant Research Number of grants Official Start Date
Publications from Rapid Response Research OCE Awards August 19, 2010 (online). R. Camilli et al., Tracking Hydrocarbon Plume Transport and Biodegradation at Deepwater Horizon. Science Express. 10.1126/science.1195223 Subsurface hydrocarbon survey findings indicate the presence of a continuous plume of oil that persisted without substantial biodegradation. September 16, 2010 (online). D. Valentine et al. Propane Respiration Jump Starts Microbial Response to a Deep Oil Spill. Science Express. 10.1126/science.1196830 Investigation of dissolved hydrocarbon gases at depth. Propane and ethane may promote rapid hydrocarbon respiration by low diversity bacterial blooms, priming bacterial populations for degradation of other hydrocarbons in the aging plume.
Publications from Rapid Response Research OCE Awards January 6, 2011 (online). J. Kessler et al., A Persistent Oxygen Anomaly Reveals the Fate of Spilled Methane in the Deep Gulf of Mexico. Science. 10.1126/science.1199697 Methane was the most abundant hydrocarbon released. Methane and oxygen distribution measurements suggest bacterial bloom respired nearly all the released methane. By analogy, large scale methane releases from hydrate in the deep ocean are likely to be met by a similar rapid methanotrophic response.
NSF and the Federal Response Co led science summits, listening sessions Program Officer on scene at Unified Area Command NSF, NOAA shared resources staff, researchers, ships Co Led interagency PI Conference, 10/2010, FL Lessons Learned, Other Analyses of RAPID Beyond RAPIDs Continue research via core programs Ongoing participation in interagency efforts
Research Initiatives Funded by BP DWH GOM Oil Spill $500M commitment over 10 year period to support independent research Initiative currently being overseen by Gulf Coast governors First round of funding announced June 15 2010: $5M to Louisiana State University, with total of $10M over 10 years to LSU $10M to Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) hosted by University of South Florida $10M to Northern Gulf Institute (NGI), a consortium led by Mississippi State University Subsequent funding includes: $5M to a consortium in Alabama $10M to National Institutes of Health
NSF Rapid Response Research Grants to Gulf Coast States Number of Grants Awarded to Gulf Coast States Total Amount Awarded to Gulf Coast States Total number of grants: 75 Note: Alabama and Louisiana are EPSCOR states Total Awarded Gulf Coast States: $9,028,792
Renewal of Rapid Response Proposals Covered in GPG Section II.D.1.: Renewed funding of RAPID awards may be requested only through submission of a proposal that will be subject to full external merit review. Such proposals would be designated as RAPID renewals.
In Conclusion These tragic events, the loss of life and damage to the environment, serve as a poignant reminder that we must ever be prepared to respond.
Back Up Slides
Breadth of NSF RAPID Awards Illustrative Examples CISE: Radar and radar sensor networks assess impact on beach soil (U TX Arlington) EHR: Online Clearinghouse For Education and Networking Oil Interdisciplinary Learning (OCEAN OIL) (STEM)
NSF Rapid Awards SBE: BP Horizon Oil Disaster: Media Accounts and Community Impacts (University of New Orleans) ENG: Gas Hydrate Formation and Inhibition at the Conditions Encountered in the Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak from the Deepwater Horizon Well (Colorado School of Mines) MPS: Modeling and experiments of oil particulate mixtures of relevance to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (UCLA)