CSA Scientists Presenting Case Studies in Environmental Monitoring

Scientists from CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) will attend and present at the annual Clean Gulf Conference this week in New Orleans. Clean Gulf is a prominent oil spill response conference in which representatives from the oil and gas industry, response contractors, and government agencies convene to share the year’s case studies, research, response products and services, news, and technological advances in preparedness, prevention, and mitigation of oil spills. While the focus is on the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the international waters of the Gulf and other areas of oil and gas exploration around the world are also featured. For information on the schedule and sessions at the conference, visit http://2018.cleangulf.org/.

CSA’s Energy Director and Senior Scientist, Dr. Jodi Harney, will give two presentations at the conference, each addressing environmental components of preparedness and response. Joining other scientists in a special session on risk assessment, she will discuss the use of environmental data in evaluating oil spill response strategies, including subsea dispersant use. Dr. Harney will also join a session presenting case studies from a recent Stone Energy exercise in which she will provide insight on planning for the environmental monitoring component of subsea dispersant use, including gaining regulatory approval for the response tactic when appropriate.

Environmental data are crucial for planning, preparedness, and response activities during exercises and incidents. “In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the industry has solved the problem of having access to equipment and services for deepwater sampling and environmental monitoring,” said Dr. Harney. “We use our time in drills and exercises to improve the process of risk assessment, communication with regulators and stakeholders, and decision-making, all using incident-specific data.” Key to the process is the ability to connect to and consume data, whether from the field or model results, leveraging the concept of a Common Operating Picture (COP) to translate data feeds into useful information on demand.

CSA scientists will also be presenting in the exhibit hall at Clean Gulf, displaying a custom, web-based Environmental COP and teaming up with partner SeaRobotics to display the latest in autonomous surface vessels for data collection, the HYCAT.

CSA brings nearly five decades of experience in marine environmental consulting, preparing environmental assessments worldwide through offices in the United States, the Eastern Mediterranean, Qatar, Trinidad, Brazil, and Australia. CSA’s expertise in coastal, marine, and deep ocean surveys is built on the integration of science, operations, and an understanding of environmental data collection, management, and analysis within geospatial domains.