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small noaa logo Home | Emergency Responders | Marine Debris
Marine debris is any man-made object discarded, disposed of, or abandoned that enters the coastal or marine environment. It may enter directly from a ship, or indirectly when washed out to sea via rivers, streams and storm drains.


Marine debris threatens oceans and coasts; marine mammals, fish, and seabirds; human health and safety; and navigation.

Featured:Web Portals
Field Tools Team: Equipping On-scene Responders and Improving Situational Awareness The Emergency Response Division’s Field Tool Team works to advance ORR on-scene response capabilities through the development of tools for data collection, synthesis, management, and sharing.

Web Portals for Emergency Responders to sites about Marine Debris Pages on our site that provide information about and access to Web sites of closely-related agencies and programs.
NOAA's Marine Debris Program
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is undertaking a national and international effort focusing on identifying, removing, reducing, and preventing debris in the marine environment.
Marine Debris in Canada
Information and notices regarding marine debris in Canada.
GHOSTNET 2005: High Seas Debris Detection and Tracking in the North Pacific
A program that uses satellite data to locate and map marine debris in the open ocean. The data gathered will be made available to aid in the removal or destruction of lost and discarded high seas driftnets (ghostnets).
Marine Debris Abatement
Sources of debris in our oceans, its hazards, and what is being done about it. Provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Current News: Emergency Responders
Hurricane Ike Response Description of OR&R's on-going response to Hurricane Ike. (updated: September 17, 2008)
GNOME The GNOME Development team has released a Location File for New York Harbor, plus an updated GNOME 1.3.0! (updated: September 9, 2008)
SOS Workshops OR&R's Science of Oil Spills (SOS) Workshops focus on evaluating environmental risks during spills and making decisions to optimize environmental recovery. The next SOS Workshop is scheduled for October 21-23, 2008. (updated: August 11, 2008)
New Orleans Spill Incident: Barge DM932 NOAA OR&R's scientific support team is assisting the U.S. Coast Guard and the State of Louisiana in their response to the collision of vessels near New Orleans on July 23, 2008. (updated: July 29, 2008)
Of Special Note: Emergency Responders
IncidentNews News and information on current and historical incidents, including the July 23, 2008 collision and oil spill in New Orleans, LA.
An FOSC's Guide to NOAA Scientific Support A guidebook for oil and chemical spill responders, describing the products and services that the NOAA Scientific Support Team (SST) can provide to Federal On-Scene Coordinators (FOSCs).
CAMEO Chemicals Web Portal A Web portal for CAMEO Chemicals, an easy-to-use, online tool for emergency responders and planners. Use this free Web site to search for chemicals, get response recommendations, and find out how chemicals would react if they mixed.
CAMEO Software Suite Programs Tools for emergency responders and planners, including CAMEO, CAMEO Chemicals, ALOHA, and MARPLOT.
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