Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, discussed the Deepwater Horizon oil spill with faculty at the University’s School of the Coast and Environment on Wednesday.
Lubchenco, who was a marine biology professor at Oregon State before she took her current position, toured two University laboratories and met with faculty.
Lubchenco began her tour with a visit to the laboratory of Ed Overton, professor emeritus of environmental sciences, to examine methods of determining whether or not oil has actually reached different places.
Lubchenco said the oil spill has taught people the importance of confirming through testing the existence of oil in a location because there are a lot of things in the water that appear to be oil but are not.
Lubchenco then took a visit to the laboratory of John White, associate professor at the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, who is assessing wetland soil for oil content.
The NOAA’s role in oil spill response has centered on bringing science to the table of aid in restoration efforts, Lubchenco said.
“We had satellites in space, we had planes in the air, we had ships and buoys in the water, and we had scientists in the field,” she said.
Lubchenco said just because the flow of the oil has stopped, NOAA’s involvement will not.
“We won’t know for years or decades the full impact of this spill,” Lubchenco said.
She said one lesson the spill that “has totaled nearly five million barrels” has provided is the importance of a clean Gulf of Mexico to the lives and economy of the region.
“People in the area need a healthy Gulf, and we need to get it back to health,” Lubchenco said.
 
 
 
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Contact Frederick Holl at [email protected]