On a relatively quiet afternoon on Oct. 19, 2020, the U.S. Coast Guard notified NOAA’s Frank Csulak that tar balls and oiled debris were scattered across approximately 12 miles of Delaware Bay’s shoreline. As the scientific support coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Region in NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, Frank is used to such calls and began working with his team on the trajectory, weather, and tidal information.

The year 2020 has certainly tested us all. It provided a wide and deep array of real-life events for us to address, respond to, and learn from. For the National Ocean Service (NOS) Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP), our ability to maintain our emergency response focus and adapt to the constraints of physical distancing was tested. Here’s a short recap of some of the successes that the DPP and our partners accomplished during the trying conditions of fiscal year 2020 ...

It was a dark and stormy night. A salty wind blew like ice and waves thundered beneath the Golden Gate Bridge as a storm broke on San Francisco. As the city slept, something sinister rose from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. In the morning the sea calmed and people resumed their daily habits. For awhile it seemed as if nothing were amiss — until the dead started to wash up on shore.

Philosophers, spiritual leaders, poets, novelists, and a variety of other historical thinkers have long attempted to define the concept of wisdom. Research on the subject alludes to the wise as being decision makers who tend to possess humility, strong cognitive capacity, reflection and compassion. I am grateful for the sage in my life, my grandmother, who at 96 years old continues to be one of the most resilient individuals I have ever known. She has always said that being ready for one kind of disaster will inadvertently help us be better prepared for another. I think that adage is relevant for us all, regardless of whether you live in the Gulf and focus on hurricane preparedness, or live along the Cascadia subduction zone in Washington state. 

This feature is part of a monthly series profiling scientists and technicians who provide exemplary contributions to the mission of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R). This month’s featured scientist is Dan Hahn, an environmental scientist in OR&R’s Assessment and Restoration Division.