restoring and protecting Louisiana’s coast

1. Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority August 18, 2010 garret graves Chair, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authoritygarret@LA.gov; 225.342.7669 restoring and protecting Louisiana’s coast

2. Where is the oil? Source: NOAA/DoI

3. Explanation of NOAA/Interior “Oil Budget Report” • 26 percent – “Residual” • On or below the surface as light sheen or weathered tar balls • Washed shore • Buried in sand sediments • 24 percent – “Dispersed” • Naturally dispersed (still in the water) • Chemically dispersed (still in the water) • Total of 50 percent of the 4,100,000 barrels of oil remains in the environment

4. Explanation of NOAA/Interior • “Oil Budget Report” • “until it is biodegraded, naturally or chemically dispersed oil, even in dilute amounts, can be toxic to vulnerable species.” • “the government and independent scientists involved in the Oil Budget have been clear that oil and its remnants left in the water represent a potential threat” • use of dispersants likely move the impact of the oil to species lower down in the food chain, such as zooplankton. • BP used nearly two million gallons of dispersants

5. University of Georgia • “The idea that 75 percent of the oil is gone and is of no further concern to the environment is just absolutely incorrect," Charles Hopkins, University of Georgia • "The oil is still out there, and it will likely take years to completely degrade,” Charles Hopkins, University of Georgia • "I have not seen data that leads me to conclude that 50 percent of the oil is gone," Samantha Joye, University of Georgia • "What we're trying to point out is the impacts of oil are still there. There's oil in the water, there's oil on the seafloor, there are going to be impacts on the system. We have to continue monitoring and evaluating what those impacts are,” Samantha Joye, University of Georgia • “The fact that this oil is “invisible” makes it no less of a danger to the Gulf’s fragile ecosystems.  Quite the contrary, the danger is real and the danger is much more difficult to quantify, track and assess,“ Samantha Joye, University of Georgia

6. University of Georgia • “The impacts of the oil, gas and dispersant on the Gulf’s ecosystems will be felt for years, if not decades.  We cannot pretend the danger has passed for it has not.  Additional and on-going studies of open water, deep seafloor, and coastal dynamics are necessary.  We must be diligent and we must insist that long-term monitoring programs be established and maintained so that we can evaluate and insure the recovery of the Gulf’s ecosystems,” Samantha Joye, University of Georgia • “Very few measurements of methane concentrations have been made and very few people are thinking about methane’s potential impacts on Gulf deep waters.  We, and a couple of others, have measured remarkably high methane concentrations in the water column.  Its oxidation, and the microbial growth it fuels, will influence oxygen and nutrient budgets in the deepwater,” Samantha Joye, University of Georgia • “The methane concentrations in the Gulf’s deep waters are extremely high.  The hazard posed by these high gas levels is that oxygen consumption will be stimulated and oxygen concentrations could become depleted.  At this point, very few measurements of methane concentration have been made so we cannot say with certainty how high widespread the elevated methane levels are,” Samantha Joye, University of Georgia • Up to 79 percent of the oil remains in the Gulf • 3.24 million barrels of oil (136,038,000 gallons )

7. University of South Florida • "Dispersed does not mean that it won't have an impact," David Hollander, University of South Florida • “The movement of the oil, driven by chemical dispersants, could wreak environmental havoc on the sea bed”, John Paul, University of South Florida • "The dispersant is moving the oil down out of the surface and into the deeper waters, where it can affect phytoplankton and other marine life,“ John Paul, University fo South Florida • Experiments in the northeastern Gulf where so-called plumes or barely visible clouds of oil had been found earlier had turned up oil in sediments of an underwater canyon. The oil was at levels toxic to critical marine organisms. • Oil droplets were found in the sediments of the DeSoto Canyon, where nutrient-rich waters support spawning grounds of important fish species on the West Florida Shelf.

8. Current Statistics • Oiled Louisiana Shoreline • July 15: 333 miles • August 10: 387 miles • Oiled Birds • Prior to July 15: 37 oiled birds daily • Since July 15: 71 oiled birds daily • Sea Turtles • More sea turtles collected August 1-10 than during the first three months of the spill As of August 10, 2010

9. Thank You garret graves Chair, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authoritygarret@LA.gov; 225.342.7669