Mapping the Impacts of Marine Debris Left in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina 61 st Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference 7 March, 2007 Brendan M. Bray NOAA Marine Debris Program Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Project

Background Hurricane Katrina impacts Major shipping channels were surveyed and cleared Near shore fishing and recreation areas had not been surveyed Funding from Congress to NOAA

Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Project Goals Support improvement of fishing and recreational conditions Support efficient and cost-effective debris removal Public outreach to regional stakeholders

Hurricane Katrina deposited huge amounts of debris in the Northern Gulf of Mexico coastal zone

Sunken vessel in Lake Borgne, LA Visible danger to navigation in Biloxi Bay

NOAA hazard surveys Side scan sonar array Side scan image – Mobile Bay, AL

Project GIS and Mapping Products Project Web site o Maps and data o Photos and graphics o Links to partner organizations o Relevant publications and media Integrated debris database Static maps (PDF format) depicting location of debris found, debris dimension, sounding depth, clearance depth, etc. Internet Map Server (IMS) Static map of entrance to Biloxi Bay, MS

Marine debris maps and data for each survey zone Internal /external links to project partners Media information, related publications, photos, and video Link to interactive internet mapping server (Arc IMS)

PDF Debris Map – Biloxi Bay, MS

Mississippi Survey Debris Areas Internet Mapping Server (IMS)

Future Applications Marine Debris Density Model OBJECTIVE: Increase efficiency of post-incident response to marine debris. Debris density can be estimated using widely available information: hurricane track coastal zone population data coastal damage polygons general information on currents and winds data depicting environmental sensitivity Model depicts debris density surface derived from actual survey data; 2006 / 2007

Actual survey coverage in pink with identified debris items to date (black) FEMA damage polygons: Red – catastrophic damage ; Orange – extensive damage; Yellow – moderate to light damage

Debris Impacts and Environmental sensitivity Map of sensitive benthic habitats (sea grasses in green, oyster reefs in purple) for Mobile Bay, AL

Alabama Debris Survey Areas Marine Debris Removal Efforts

Thank You Contact the Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Project Team Web: NOAA Marine Debris Program NOAA Office of Response and Restoration NOAA Office of Coast Survey Research Planning, Inc. Genwest Systems Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources