906 Oil Spill Cleanup
Glossary
A
- Absorbent Boom. A type of boom designed to absorb oil from the water while also serving as a barrier to contain the spill. These booms are commonly used in smaller spills or in areas where oil needs to be absorbed rather than simply contained.
- Absorbent Materials. Materials used to soak up spilled oil from surfaces, including pads, rolls, and loose fibers.
- Adverse Weather. Weather conditions that hinder response equipment and personnel from effectively cleaning up or removing spilled oil. Factors include significant wave height, ice conditions, temperatures, visibility, and currents.
- Aerosol. Fine liquid droplets or solid particles suspended in a gas.
- Alteration. Any work on a container involving cutting, burning, welding, or heating operations that changes the physical dimensions or configuration of the container.
- Aquaculture. The cultivation of aquatic organisms (such as fish or shellfish) especially for food.
B
- Backhoe Dredgers. Machines used to remove contaminated soil or sediment during spill cleanup operations, particularly in areas where oil has sunk below the surface.
- Ballast Tanks. Special tanks on large ships used to provide stability when carrying less than a full load of cargo. These tanks are filled with water or other substances to keep the ship upright and are emptied when the ship is loaded with cargo.
- Barrel. A unit of volume used for crude oil or other petroleum products, equal to exactly 42 U.S. gallons or approximately 35 Imperial (UK) gallons.
- Bilge. The lowest point of a ship’s inner hull, where water and other liquids often collect.
- Bioremediation. The use of microorganisms or biological agents to break down or remove oil, accelerating the natural biodegradation process.
- Black Oil. A black or very dark brown layer of oil on the water's surface. Depending on the quantity spilled, oil tends to spread out over the water surface to a thickness of about 1 millimeter (0.04 inches).
- BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion). An explosion caused by the rupture of a vessel containing a pressurized liquid that has reached temperatures above its boiling point.
- Booms. Floating, physical barriers to oil, made of plastic, metal, or other materials, which slow the spread of oil and keep it contained.
- Breakout Tank. A container used to relieve surges in an oil pipeline system or to receive and store oil transported by a pipeline for reinjection and continued transportation by pipeline.
- Bulk Storage Container. Any container used to store oil, including those used before use, during use, or prior to further distribution in commerce. Oil-filled electrical, operating, or manufacturing equipment is not considered a bulk storage container.
- Bunkered Tank. A container constructed or placed in the ground by cutting the earth and re-covering it in a manner that breaks the surrounding natural grade, or that lies above grade and is covered with earth, sand, gravel, asphalt, or other material. Considered an aboveground storage container for regulatory purposes.
C
- Completely Buried Tank. Any container completely below grade and covered with earth, sand, gravel, asphalt, or other material. Containers in vaults, bunkered tanks, or partially buried tanks are considered aboveground storage containers for regulatory purposes.
- Containment Boom. A floating barrier designed to limit the spread of oil on the water's surface, often made of durable and buoyant materials to withstand harsh environmental conditions.
- Coastal Development. Buildings and other enhancements made along coastlines for human uses, including lodging or dining businesses.
D
- Dead Zone. A more common term for hypoxia, which refers to a reduced level of oxygen in the water.
- Decontamination Zone. A designated area where workers, equipment, and vehicles are cleaned and decontaminated to prevent the spread of hazardous materials during spill response operations.
- Degradation Rate. How long it takes an item to break down in the environment.
- Disaster Debris. Debris items that come from disasters or other extreme events.
- Discharge. Includes any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, or dumping of oil, but excludes discharges in compliance with a permit under section 402 of the Clean Water Act.
- Dispersants. Chemicals that remove oil from the water’s surface by breaking the oil into small droplets.
E
- Endangered Species Act. Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 to conserve endangered and threatened species and their ecosystems.
- Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) Maps. Tools used to identify sensitive areas and resources prior to an oil spill event, aiding in setting protection priorities and planning cleanup strategies.
- Emulsification. The process where oil and water mix to form a thick, viscous substance, making the cleanup process more challenging. Understanding emulsification is crucial for effective spill response.
- Eutrophication. When the environment becomes enriched with nutrients, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth to estuaries and coastal waters.
F
- Facility. Any mobile or fixed, onshore or offshore building, property, parcel, lease, structure, installation, equipment, pipe, or pipeline (other than a vessel or public vessel) used in oil-related activities, including drilling, production, refining, storage, and waste treatment.
- Floating Weir Skimmers. A type of oil skimmer that collects oil by allowing it to flow over a weir into a collection chamber, leaving water behind. These are effective for large-scale spills.
- Fossil Fuel. Materials formed over millions of years from the remains of ancient plants and animals. Oil, natural gas, and coal are fossil fuels.
- Fouling Or Oiling. When oil physically harms a plant or animal, often by coating its skin or surface.
G
- Ghost Fishing. When lost or discarded fishing equipment continues to catch fish and other animals.
- Gyres. Rotating ocean currents in which marine debris collects.
H
- Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring System. The Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring System is a collection of forecasting tools that NOAA uses to alert coastal managers to algal blooms before they cause serious damage.
- Harvesters. People who catch fish, shellfish, or other commercial resources in an area, like shrimpers or fishers. Fishers is an inclusive term used in place of “fishermen.”
- HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response). A set of guidelines produced by OSHA regulating hazardous waste operations and emergency services in the United States.
- Hydrophobic Materials. Substances that repel water while attracting oil, often used in sorbents and absorbent pads for spill cleanup.
I
- In Situ Burning (ISB). A technique for oil spill response involving the controlled burning of oil on the water's surface to rapidly reduce the volume of spilled oil.
- Ingestion. When animals accidentally swallow non-food material, including marine debris items or oil.
- Invasive Species. Organisms that are introduced to new environments and upset the balance of the ecosystem.
J
K
L
- Land-Based Debris. Debris items that enter the ocean or marine environment from land.
- Loading/Unloading Rack. A fixed structure necessary for loading or unloading a tank truck or tank car, which includes a loading or unloading arm and may include piping assemblages, valves, pumps, shut-off devices, overfill sensors, or personnel safety devices.
M
- Marine Debris. Any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes.
- Marine Mammal Protection Act. Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972 to protect all marine mammal species.
- Marine Protection, Research And Sanctuaries Act. The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (also known as the Ocean Dumping Act) regulates the disposal of materials into the ocean and creates a system of national marine sanctuaries modeled after the national parks.
- Microplastic. Plastic particles that are smaller than 5mm in size.
N
- NOAA's Emergency Response Division. The Emergency Response Division (ERD) of NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration provides scientific expertise to support response to oil spills and other incidents.
- Nutrient Pollution. The process where too many nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to bodies of water and can act like fertilizer, causing excessive growth of algae.
O
- Ocean-Based Debris. Debris items that come from human activities that take place at sea.
- Oil Drilling Rig. A structure above an oil well that has special equipment attached to it for drilling and removing oil from the ground.
- Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO). An entity contracted or approved to provide oil spill response resources, including equipment and personnel, to contain and clean up oil spills.
- Oil Skimmers. Devices used to remove oil from the water's surface during spill response operations.
- Oil Toxicity. When oil chemically harms a plant or animal, often by inhaling oil vapors or ingesting oil.
P
- Permeable Surface. Solid surfaces that allow water to pass through into the ground, like grass or dirt.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Gear worn by workers to protect against health and safety hazards during oil spill cleanup, including gloves, respirators, and protective clothing.
- Phytoplankton. Microscopic plants, including algae.
- Pollution. Contamination of water, land, or the air by substances that can adversely impact the environment and human health.
- Polymers. A chemical compound or mixture of compounds consisting of repeating structural units.
Q
R
- Recreational Activities. Activities that people choose to do to refresh their bodies and minds and make their leisure time more interesting and enjoyable, including hiking, swimming, boating, fishing, and more.
- Refineries. A building and equipment for processing something (e.g., crude oil).
- Rehabilitation. The treatment and care of a sick or injured wild animal so that it can be released back to its habitat.
- Responder. Someone whose job is to be one of the first people to arrive to deal with an emergency.
- Restoration. To return a site to the same condition as before an injury like an oil spill.
- Runoff. Water that flows over land, often collecting contaminants like chemical fertilizers, litter, or oil.
S
- Skimmers. Boats and other devices that can remove oil from the sea surface before it reaches sensitive areas along a coastline.
- Sorbents. Materials used to recover liquids such as oil through absorption or adsorption during spill response.
- Storm Surge. The abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm, measured as the height of the water above the normal predicted astronomical tide.
- Stormwater. Rainwater produced by a storm.
- Subsistence. Fishing and other harvesting practices for cultural or survival rather than commercial or recreational purposes.
- Synthetic. Made from chemicals or artificial substances rather than from natural ones.
T
- Tanker. A cargo ship fitted with tanks for carrying liquid.
- Trustees. Government officials who act on behalf of the public when there is injury to, destruction of, loss of, or threat to natural resources (for which they have management responsibility) as a result of the release of a contaminant.
U
- U.S. Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). BOEM is an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees offshore energy resources like oil.
- U.S. Coast Guard. The United States Coast Guard is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA is an independent agency of the U.S. Federal Government that protects human health and the environment.
V
- Vacuum Trucks. Vehicles equipped with powerful suction systems to remove large quantities of oil from the environment during spill cleanup operations.
- Vessel Of Opportunity. Local commercial or recreational vessels identified to assist in responding to oil spills.
W
- Weathering. The physical and chemical changes that oil undergoes when interacting with the environment, affecting its behavior and the choice of response strategies.