Oil Spill Observation Checklist

Record your observations of spilled oil either in a notebook or directly on a chartlet of the area under observation. Here is a checklist for organizing your observations.

General Information

___ Date	___ Percent coverage
___ Time (start/end)	___ Stage of tide (flood, ebb, slack)
___ Case name	___ On-scene weather (wind, sea state, visibility)
___ Information filled out by (name/phone)	___ Platform (helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft, boat)
___ Observers' names/phone	___ Flight path/trackline (from GPS)
___ Observers' affiliations	___ Altitude where observations taken
___ Location of oil's source (if known)	___ Areas not observed (e.g., foggy locations, restricted air spaces, shallow water areas)

Note: When following a flight path or trackline:

• plan the tract to minimize the number of observations made while facing into the sun.
  
• get the best window seat.
  
• avoid midday light to minimize reflection.
  
• communicate with the pilot at all times.
  
• have access to GPS (lat/long).
  
• travel beyond known impacted areas to check for oil beyond these areas.

Oil Observations

___ Slick location(s)

___ Slick dimension(s)

___ Orientation of slick(s)

___ Distribution of oil (tarballs (tb), convergence lines (co), no structure (ns), windrows (wr), streamers (st), patches (pa))

___ Color and appearance (silver/gray (S), rainbow (R), metallic (M), transitional (T), dark (D), mousse)

___ Percent coverage (estimate of area with oil. See Percent Coverage Chart)

___ Is oil recoverable (Y/N)? (examples of recoverable oil types include black and transitional oil, mousse, and heavy metallic slicks from diesel or oil)

Note: Clearly describe (draw on the map or chartlet) where oil is observed, or if the oil slick consists of a number of smaller slicks. Consider flying the perimeter of both the entire slick and the smaller slicks with a GPS in Track mode. Also identify where no oil is observed.

Other Observations

Response Operations...

___ Skimmer deployment (general locations where skimmers are working. Are they working in the heaviest concentrations of oil?)

___ Boom deployment (general locations of boom(s). Does the boom contain oil? Is oil entraining under the boom?)

___ Source of oil (describe the status of the source. Is oil still being released?)

Environmental Observations...

___ Locations of convergence lines, rip tides, sediment plumes, coastal currents, and river/tidal estuary discharges

___ Locations of kelp beds, seagrass beds, and other features that might trap oil or be mistaken for oil

___ Wildlife present in area (locations and approximate numbers of birds and marine mammals)