Public Data Sets
The resources below provide data collected by federal agencies including, but not limited to: air, water, sediment, petroleum sampling locations and composition; coastal bathymetry; ecosystems studies; oceanographic currents; satellite imagery and emergency response.
Data.gov – Raw data and tools relevant to the Deepwater Horizon response
Time-series and current data on environment and natural resources, physical features, oil and gas data, climate and weather, emergency response and preparedness.
Department of Energy (DOE) – Department of Energy Oil Spill Data
Online access to schematics, pressure tests, diagnostic results and other data about the malfunctioning blowout preventer; data generated from technical operations; and oil flow and recovery data.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Air Monitoring data
- Coastal Water Sampling data
- Coastal Sediment Sampling data
- Waste Management information (includes petroleum waste products)
- Dispersants information page and data
- EPA air, surface water, sediment and waste sampling locations in Google Earth
This interactive tool from EPA, viewed though Google Earth browser (.kmz format), presents EPA air, surface water, sediment and waste sampling locations; results for air sampling of total Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Particulate Matter (PM); aerial photography and other information collected by a sampling plane, the ASPECT; the National Geospatial – Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) map of boom locations and daily updates of the oil spill; and imagery from NASA, NOAA and the European Space Agency’s satellite ENVISAT. - Comparative Toxicity of Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil (LSC) and Chemically Dispersed LSC to Two Gulf of Mexico Aquatic Test Species (PDF)
GeoPlatform – Mapping the Response to BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Online tool that provides near-real time information about the response effort and displays the oil spill’s trajectory with fishery area closures, wildlife data and place-based including locations of oiled shoreline and current positions of deployed research ships.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- MODIS Rapid Response System
A collection of images captured by MODIS aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. The photo-like, images are displayed in true and false color. May be used in GIS or imaging processing software.
- Imagery of the Oil Spill
A gallery of images collected by NASA’s satellites and remote sensing assets; includes interpretation of features.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) –
- Monitoring the Gulf of Mexico Conditions During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Data of ocean currents from satellite observations, probes and numerical models; measurements of surface and sub-surface currents from drifters and simulations; sea-level surface height maps and geostrophic currents; satellite- and probe-derived SSTs; satellite-derived ocean color; and tropical cyclone heat potential. - Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU)
Wiki set-up to address the immediate operational response needs and provide a foundation for subsequent assessment phases. - NOAA CoastWatch, Central Operations & Regional Nodes
CoastWatch provides a variety of environmental data (i.e. SST, ocean color, winds, etc.) from several different satellite platforms covering all U.S. coastal waters, including Hawaii and Alaska.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – Presence and Chemical Sampling in the Gulf
Map with locations of work-sites and listings of survey dates, clean-up activity, equipment used and results of clean-up efforts.
Ocean Leadership wants to ensure this site has the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on the ocean research community’s participation in the Gulf Oil Spill response. If you have information you would like us to consider for posting, please submit pertinent documents, announcements and opportunities to Ocean Leadership at oilspillresponse@oceanleadership.org
