By NOAA and the Coastal Response Research Center
NOAA and the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) at the University of
New Hampshire announced research funding for three projects aimed at better understanding the impact of dispersed oil and chemical dispersants used during oil spills.
NOAA is awarding these grants using supplemental research funding provided
by Congress as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The grants, collectively
totaling nearly $500,000, were awarded on a competitive basis through a peer-review process that attracted 36 proposals from U.S. and international research teams.
“The subject of dispersant use will intensify the next time there is a significant spill in U.S. waters, which is why continued research in this area is needed,” said Doug Helton, incident operations coordinator for NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration.
“The Deepwater Horizon spill pointed to the gaps in our knowledge about dispersants. These grants aim to fill some of those gaps with scientific studies,” said Nancy Kinner, professor of civil and environmental engineering and UNH director of the CRRC, which is a partnership between NOAA and UNH.
Source: NOAA
