Following manual cleanup at Fourchon Beach, La., on May 27, 2010, booms made out of pom-poms are set to protect the sandy beach area. Plastic pom-poms are effective and low-cost tools that attract and hold oil. Credit: NOAA.

Emulsified oil remains on, and pooled below, vegetation in Pass a Loutre, La., following a previous week's storm. Image shot on May 22, 2010. Credit: NOAA.

Extensive tarballs are visible in the foreground and surf zone in this image from the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Flor., shot on July 1, 2010. Credit: NOAA.

Typical oiling in wetland areas on May 21, 2010, near the mouth of South Pass, La. Here, the oil forms a 'bathtub ring' marking the high tide line from a previous week's storm tide. Credit: NOAA.

Oiling along South Pass beach, La., on May 21, 2010. A clean-up crew is visible in the background. Credit: NOAA.

Evidence of oiling extends well into Perdido Bay, Ala. This image shows oil along the northern shoreline of the Bay on June 23, 2010. Credit: NOAA.

Cleanup crews at work just North of the entrance into Perdido Bay, Ala., on June 23, 2010. Credit: NOAA.

Oil and tarballs along the beach on Grand Isle, La. Credit: NOAA.

A closeup of weathered, emulsified oil located in an intertidal area on Grand Isle, La. Credit: NOAA.

At the end of a Sept. 2010 mission on board the NOAA Ship Pisces, researchers attached a few styrofoam cups to the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) device prior to lowering it into the water. Since the pressure at the depths of the CTD casts is much greater than at the surface, the air is squeezed out of the air pockets in the styrofoam, compressing the cup to about a quarter of its original size.

Mission scientists said that their research seems to indicate that the same pressure that causes the cups to shrink has also played a role in the fate of the natural gas that was emitted with the oil from BP's Macondo well. While natural gas is lighter than water and might be expected to rise to the surface, it seems that the enormous pressure of the 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) of water above the well exerts enough force to cause much of the natural gas to dissolve into the deep ocean instead. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

Scientist Kevin Mouyard performs a Winkler titration to analyze a water sample for dissolved oxygen during a Sept. 2010 mission on board the NOAA Ship Pisces. A titration is a technique where you add a chemical that will react with the substance in the sample you want to measure. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA Ship Pisces crew members take a small boat to shore to deliver water samples during a Sept. 2010 mission to look for chemicals in the water that would indicate the presence of natural gas and oil, as well as the dilution and decomposition of these products. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

Tamara Bryant and Molly Redmond, researchers from the University of California at Santa Barbara, examine a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) profile during a Sept. 2010 mission on board the NOAA Ship Pisces. A CTD is a device that detects how the conductivity and temperature of the water column changes relative to depth. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

John Kessler, chief scientist for a recent mission aboard the NOAA Ship Pisces, extracts a water sample from a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth). The CTD device detects how the conductivity and temperature of the water column changes relative to depth. Bottles mounted on the rosette are also used to collect water samples at different depths. Kessler is an Assistant Professor of Oceanography at Texas A&M. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

Lindsay Werra, a scientist from the University of California Santa Barbara, injects a sample into a gas chromatograph to analyze the sample for methane during a Sept. 2010 mission on board the NOAA Ship Pisces. Researchers use a syringe to extract air — into which the methane in the water is released — from the "head" space (the area of air between the surface of the liquid in the sample container and its seal) and then inject it into the chromatograph, which provides a read out of the amount of methane in the sample. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

Stephani Shusta, a scientist from the University of California Santa Barbara, uses gas chromatography to test a water sample for methane on board the NOAA Ship Pisces during a Sept. 2010 mission. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

Molly Redmond, a scientist from the University of California Santa Barbara, checks for bubbles in a sample of water on board the NOAA Ship Pisces during a Sept. 2010 mission. The sample will be analyzed for methane. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

Erik Quiroz, a Texas A&M University scientist, adds chemicals to a water sample that will be analyzed for dissolved oxygen on board the NOAA Ship Pisces during a Sept. 2010 mission. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

Stephanie Mendes, a researcher from the University of California at Santa Barbara, checks a water sample for air bubbles on board the NOAA Ship Pisces during a Sept. 2010 mission. Scientists collected water samples to analyze them for chemicals that would indicate the presence of natural gas and oil, as well as the dilution and decomposition of these products. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

A pod of dolphins rides the bow wave of the NOAA Ship Pisces at the beginning of a 10-day mission in September, 2010, as the ship departed Pascagoula, Mississippi. The Pisces mission focused on locating submerged natural gas that was emitted with the oil. Visit the Pisces online mission log for more details about the voyage. Credit: NOAA.

A BP decontamination facility in the Pascagoula River, MS. Credit: NOAA.

Front-end loaders scrape away clean sand to find oiled areas along the beach at Gulf Shores, Ala. Credit: NOAA.

In Gulf Shores, Ala., BP-funded contractors clean beaches of oil released during the Deepwater Horizon spill. Credit: NOAA.

In Gulf Shores, Ala., a BP-funded contractor shovels and sifts sand to clean the beach of tarballs and other oil residue released during the Deepwater Horizon spill. Credit: NOAA.

A Kemp's Ridley turtle swims away following release off Cedar Key, Florida. Many sea turtles were recently returned to the Gulf following rehabilitation from oil exposure resulting from the Deepwater Horizon/BP spill. Credit: NOAA.

Sea World staff releasing a rehabilitated Kemp's Ridley turtle off Cedar Key, Florida. Credit: NOAA.

National Incident Commander Adm. Thad Allen and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco releasing two rehabilitated Kemp's Ridley turtles off Cedar Key, Florida. Credit: NOAA.

Kemp's Ridley turtles are returned to the Gulf for release off Cedar Key, Florida, following rehabilitation from oil exposure resulting from the Deepwater Horizon/BP spill. Credit: NOAA.

Charlie Henry (far left, seated), NOAA's Lead Scientific Support Coordinator for the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, demonstrates NOAA's 'Geoplatform' to a BBC film crew. Geoplatform is an online tool that provides near-real time response effort data. The BBC is producing a documentary about the spill, highlighting science and engineering involved in response efforts. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco conducted a live online video chat from the White House on Aug. 16 where she answered questions submitted by the public about seafood safety in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill. Credit: NOAA.

Standing on an oiled marsh island, BP consultants Bob Nalon (left) and Charlie Johnson discuss field observations with NOAA's Natural Resources Damage Assessment team lead Rich Takacs (on boat, left). Chris Grant (on boat, right), a consultant representing the State of Louisiana, uses a pole to check for oil in the marsh island's sediment. Credit: NOAA.

A boom rests on a marsh island that shows signs of heavy oiling. This boom originally was in the water, but was likely driven onto the island by storm waves and wind. A boom is a floating device used to contain oil on a body of water. Credit: NOAA.

On July 15, NOAA hosted media to demonstrate the Natural Resources Damage Assessment process for the Deepwater Horizon / BP oil spill. Here, NOAA Environmental Scientist and NRDA trustee Tom Brosnan explains various techniques and tools that will be employed once the NRDA team reaches designated field sites along the Gulf Coast. NBC News Producer Stephen Wende checks his camera in background. Credit: NOAA.

A boat tows cleaned boom across Barataria Bay to replace soiled boom. A boom is a floating device used to contain oil on a body of water. Credit: NOAA.

On July 15, NOAA hosted media to demonstrate the Natural Resources Damage Assessment process for the Deepwater Horizon / BP oil spill. Here, NOAA's Rich Takacs, head of a NOAA Natural Resources Damage Assessment team, explains to National Public Radio's Elizabeth Shogren what will take place during the day's expedition in a dockside interview. Credit: NOAA.

On July 15, NOAA hosted a media field trip in Grand Isle, La., to demonstrate the Natural Resources Damage Assessment process for the Deepwater Horizon / BP oil spill. Left to Right: Michael Massimi, Invasive Species Coordinator for Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program; Elizabeth Shogren, Environmental Reporter, NPR; Jim Amoss, Editor, Times Picayune and Chris Grant, Shaw Consulting who represents the state of Louisiana. Credit: NOAA.

Betsy Broughton readies a Niskin bottle on a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) rosette for another deployment onboard the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow. Once the device is lowered into the water on a cable, torpedo-shaped Niskin bottles mounted on the device are used to collect water samples at different depths. Credit: NOAA.

David Graves and Regina Easley label water sample bottles. The samples were collected using a device called a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) rosette. Torpedo-shaped bottles mounted on the rosette are used to collect water samples at different depths. Credit: NOAA.

Liza Baskin and Ashok Deshpande gather water samples from a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) rosette. The CTD device's primary function is to detect how the conductivity and temperature of the water column changes relative to depth. Torpedo-shaped bottles mounted on the rosette are used to collect water samples at different depths. Credit: NOAA.

General Vessel Assistant Carl Coonce and Skilled Fisherman Jon Jarrell deploy a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) rosette onboard the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow. The Deepwater Horizon site is visible in the background. The CTD device detects how the conductivity and temperature of the water column changes relative to depth. Bottles mounted on the rosette are also used to collect water samples at different depths. Credit: NOAA.

Onboard the NOAA Ship Chris Henry Bigelow, Chris Sumner and Tamara Holzworth-Davis prepare a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) rosette for its first deployment in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon site. The CTD device's primary function is to detect how the conductivity and temperature of the water column changes relative to depth. Torpedo-shaped bottles mounted on the rosette are used to collect water samples at different depths. Credit: NOAA.

It's all about teamwork. During an "abandon ship" drill, scientists David Graves and Liza Baskin help Regina Easley don her survival suit onboard the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow. Although it's possible to put the suit on by oneself, it's much easier to have help. Credit: NOAA.

Wiper Elliott Mork and Chief Steward Dennis Carey discharge water from the firehose over the side of the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow. Even though the fire was only a drill, it's still important to charge the hose to ensure the firefighting system works properly and to allow the crew to practice handling a live fire hose. Credit: NOAA.

Survey Technician Jim Burkitt takes part in a simulated fire onboard the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow. NOAA ship crews regularly conduct a variety of safety drills while at sea. Credit: NOAA.

Onboard the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow, scientist Lauren Ridley demonstrates the process of taking an air sample for a visiting news crew. Credit: NOAA.

Skilled Fisherman Tony Viera serves as lookout onboard the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow while the vessel transits in the vicinity of other ships and rigs near the Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

Scientist Paul Walline and Survey Technician Jim Burkitt monitor acoustic data being gathered by the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow. The ship's acoustic gear uses sound waves to detect subsurface material with a different density than water, such as methane gas bubbles from seeps in the ocean floor. The ship is monitoring the Deepwater Horizon wellhead for any possible changes. Credit: NOAA.

Turtle in water near Pascagoula, Mississippi. Credit: NOAA.

LT Sam Greenway discusses readings from instruments onboard the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson during its mission to search for subsurface oil. Credit: NOAA.

Dan Wright decontaminates his boots before walking inside the ship. Credit: NOAA.

Surface oil samples taken from the Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

ENS Jasmine Cousins lowers a bucket to take a sample of oil from the surface in a heavily oiled area at the Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

Jonathan Anderson sprays the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) cable before the instrument is brought onboard after taking samples in a heavily oiled area at the Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

A helicopter preparing to land on a ship at the Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

Water samples are transferred from the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson to the Lady Ione. Credit: NOAA.

Oil in the boat wake at the Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

National Geographic videographer Bob Perrin films an oil slick at the Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

Fish at the Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

The Deepwater Horizon site. Credit: NOAA.

ENS Joe Carrier preparing an air sample for shipping. Credit: NOAA.

Tar balls float in the water around the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) rosette. The CTD device's primary function is to detect how the conductivity and temperature of the water column changes relative to depth. Credit: NOAA.

CDR Shepard Smith is interviewed by National Geographic videographer Bob Perrin. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson in Pascagoula, MS. Credit: NOAA.

Deep-draft ocean transporter in the Mississippi River near Venice, LA, being deconned after working out at spill site. Credit: NOAA.

Steve Wilson, chief quality officer for NOAA's Seafood Inspection Program, demonstrates sensory analysis of a sample of shrimp on July 8, 2010, at NOAA's National Seafood Inspection Laboratory in Pascagoula. Sensory analysis is a method used to evaluate the smell, look and taste of seafood that is part of the NOAA-FDA program to ensure the safety of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. Fish samples collected from the Gulf of Mexico by NOAA vessels operating within and outside closed fishing areas are being tested for taint by a panel of sensory analysts at NOAA's National Seafood Inspection Laboratory, and are shipped to Seattle for chemical analysis for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the components of oil, at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Credit: NOAA.

Steve Wilson, chief quality officer for NOAA's Seafood Inspection Program, demonstrates sensory analysis of a sample of shrimp on July 8, 2010, at NOAA's National Seafood Inspection Laboratory in Pascagoula. Credit: NOAA.

An Integrated Ocean Observing System glider collects data in Gulf waters. Credit: NOAA.

To assist in the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill response, staff used a glider to locate and track oil at various levels in the water column as well as on the water surface. Credit: NOAA.

Staff on the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter deploy a glider to track the oil in the Gulf. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter aids in the Deepwater Horizon BP spill response effort in the Gulf. Credit: NOAA.

Dr. Brian Stacy, NOAA veterinarian and pathologist, works with Jennifer Muller, a biological scientist at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, to examine a dead Kemp's ridley turtle that stranded alive with an oily substance on it, was brought in for rehabilitation, but subseqently died. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA's Dr. Brian Stacy carries a dead sea turtle to the table where he will conduct a necropsy. Credit: NOAA.

Dr. Yonat Swimmer and Dr. T. Todd Jones of NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center measure a dead Kemp's ridley sea turtle on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Credit: NOAA.

Shawn Murakawa and Dr. T. Todd Jones of NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center prepare to swab a dead Kemp's ridley sea turtle on a vessel of opportunity in the inshore waters of Mississippi. Credit: NOAA.

Shawn Murakawa of NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center retrieves a dead Kemp's ridley sea turtle from the inshore waters off Mississippi. Credit: NOAA.

Jim Jeansonne, NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator on an overflight mission. June 25, 2010. Credit: NOAA.

Member of U.S. Coast Guard National Strike Force on an overflight mission, observing an airplane spraying dispersant. June 25, 2010. Credit: NOAA.

Turtles brought in to the Audubon Nature Institute distressed and oiled are allowed to recuperate. When the turtles are brought in, they are given toxiban (activated charcoal); their mouths are cleaned with mayonnaise; they are given fluids and antibiotics; and they are cleaned. This image shows a cleaned Kemp's Ridley turtle. Credit: NOAA.

A juvenile loggerhead turtle that weighed 136 pounds was rescued distressed and oiled, two days prior to when this photo was taken. When the turtles are brought in to the Audubon Nature Institute by NOAA, they are given toxiban (activated charcoal); their mouths are cleaned with mayonnaise; they are given fluids and antibiotics; and are cleaned. Credit: NOAA.

LT Scott Price flying the NOAA P3 aircraft on a mission to document the pre-oiled Louisiana coast for the emergency response effort on May 29. Credit: NOAA.

Staff working on the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson after it returned from a mission in the Gulf on May 28. Credit: NOAA.

Mark Blankenship working on the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson after it returned from a mission in the Gulf on May 28. Credit: NOAA.

One of 10 Kemp's Ridley turtles recovered by a team of sea turtle experts from NOAA and the University of Florida. The team recovered oiled and endangered turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

Dr. Brian Stacy, NOAA veterinarian, examines a Kemp's Ridley turtle recovered in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

Dr. Brian Stacy, NOAA veterinarian, left, and Jennifer Muller, right, of the University of Florida, recover an oiled Kemp's Ridley turtle on June 14. They are part of a team of sea turtle experts from NOAA and the University of Florida working to recover oiled and endangered turtles in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

Stands of oil float below patches of sargassum, a type of sea plant where an abundance of sea life gathers. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

A patch of oil-soaked sargassum (a type of sea plant) where turtles and other sea life gather. Currents move the oil and sargassum in similar patterns. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

A team of sea turtle experts from NOAA and the University of Florida work to recover oiled and endangered turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

A team of sea turtle experts from NOAA and the University of Florida work to recover oiled and endangered turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

Blair Witherington, of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, recovers an oiled, endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle within 20 miles of the site of the Deepwater Horizon accident. Witherington and a team of sea turtle experts from NOAA and the University of Florida were working to recover oiled and endangered turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

Blair Witherington, of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, takes down the coordinates via satellite phone of the "burn box," close to the site of the Deepwater Horizon accident, where he and a team of sea turtle experts from NOAA and the University of Florida will work to recover oiled and endangered turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

One of 10 oiled Kemp's Ridley turtles recovered on June 14 by a team of sea turtle experts from NOAA and the University of Florida. The endangered turtle will be treated and transported to a safer habitat. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

One of 10 heavily oiled Kemp's Ridley turtles recovered not far from the site of the Deep Horizon accident site on June 14, 2010. He will be cleaned an treated by a team of sea turtle experts. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

One of 10 Kemp's Ridley turtles recovered not far from the site of the Deep Horizon accident site on June 14, 2010. He will be cleaned an treated by a team of sea turtle experts. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

An endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle swims out from under an oil pattie as rescue workers attempt to capture the oiled animal for rehabilitation on June 14, 2010. He was one of the unlucky turtles that got away. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

A large loggerhead turtle, 6 to 7 years old and over 100 pounds, evades being netted by a team of sea turtle experts while swimming in the polluted waters of the Gulf of Mexico, near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on June 14. He appeared to be in good condition, so the team decided not to capture him. Credit: Carolyn Cole/LA Times.

NOAA's Office of Coast Survey constructed this digital terrain model of the sea floor in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig using multibeam survey data collected during the 1990s. The hydrographic data and model can help experts better understand ocean circulation.

Dr. Brian Stacy, NOAA veterinarian, prepares to clean an oiled Kemp's Ridley turtle. Veterinarians and scientists from NOAA, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and other partners working under the Unified Command are capturing heavily-oiled young turtles 20 to 40 miles offshore as part of ongoing animal rescue and rehabilitation efforts. Credit: NOAA and Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Close-up of an oiled Kemp's Ridley turtle captured during a June 1 survey. The turtle was cleaned, provided veterinary care, and taken to the Audubon Aquarium. Efforts continue to assess the condition of these endangered sea turtles and capture turtles caught in heavy oil. Credit: NOAA.

Dr. Brian Stacy, NOAA veterinarian, prepares to clean an oiled Kemp's Ridley turtle. Veterinarians and scientists from NOAA, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and other partners working under the Unified Command are capturing heavily-oiled young turtles 20 to 40 miles offshore as part of ongoing animal rescue and rehabilitation efforts. Credit: NOAA and Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Mark Dodd, wildlife biologist from Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, surveying oiled sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: Georgia Department of Natural Resources

The R/V Pisces, commissioned on November 6, 2009, is the third of four new Fisheries Survey Vessels to be built by NOAA. Credit: NOAA.

Water-sampling equipment used on the R/V Pisces. Credit: NOAA.

Longline winch on board the R/V Pisces. The longline is used to survey shark and red snapper. Credit: NOAA.

Materials used for sensory testing training. The National Marine Fisheries Service Pascagoula lab is conducting training for Gulf State employees to be able to initially screen fish for the presence of petroleum. Credit: NOAA.

Materials used for sensory testing training. The National Marine Fisheries Service Pascagoula lab is conducting training for Gulf State employees to be able to initially screen fish for the presence of petroleum. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA scientists and partners at work in the BP Training Center, Houma, Louisiana. Credit: NOAA.

Mark Pickett, Paul Chamberlain, and Chad Smith in the BP Training Center, Houma, Louisiana. Credit: NOAA.

Workers being decontaminated after cleaning oiled boom in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Credit: NOAA.

Boom at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, in the process of being de-oiled so that it can be used again. Credit: NOAA.

Workers decontaminating a vessel before it enters Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Credit: NOAA.

Workers "maintaining the snare," or replacing oiled pom-pons with clean pom-pons. Because oil is attracted to and will stick to the pom-pons, pom-pons are one tool used to clean up spilled oil. Credit: NOAA.

Workers replacing oiled pom-pons with clean ones along a beach in Louisiana. Credit: NOAA.

Oiled boom along a beach in Louisiana. The boom will be cleaned so that it can be used again. Credit: NOAA.

Oiled waste on the beach in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson in port at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, before heading out for its mission. Credit: NOAA.

On May 28, Jerry Townsend, Electronics Technician from the Naval Oceanographic Office, briefed reporters aboard the Thomas Jefferson. On June 1, Thomas Jefferson left to sail from New Orleans to conduct sonar surveys, measure water chemistry, and take water samples. Credit: NOAA.

Thomas Jefferson crewmember David Miles loads supplies for the vessel's next cruise. Credit: NOAA.

On May 28, NOAA personnel prepared the Thomas Jefferson for the vessel's next cruise. Credit: NOAA.

On May 28, Thomas Jefferson crewmember Farron Cornell monitors preparations for the vessel's next cruise. Credit: NOAA.

A crewmember from the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson assists with unloading equipment from the vessel on May 28 in preparation for the ship's next cruise. Credit: NOAA.

The NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson arrived in New Orleans on May 28 following a five-day mission where it deployed a variety of U.S. Navy ocean monitoring instruments in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill. Data from this mission will aid researchers in monitoring the surface and deep currents that are distributing the oil. On June 1, Thomas Jefferson is scheduled to sail from New Orleans to conduct sonar surveys, measure water chemistry, and take water samples. Credit: NOAA.

The NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson preparing for its mission. Credit: NOAA.

LTJG Matthew Griffin, sensor operator; LT Price, pilot; and LT Keith Tucker, co-pilot, prepare for May 29 overflights of the area west of New Orleans to the Texas border. The purpose of the flights is to document the condition of the pre-oiled coast. Credit: NOAA.

LTJG Matthew Griffin, sensor operator, during a May 29 overflight of the area west of New Orleans to the Texas border. The purpose of the flights is to document the condition of the pre-oiled coast. Credit: NOAA.

Photo taken on May 27 near the convergence zone showing dark brown and red emulsion oil. Credit: NOAA.

Photo captured during an overflight on May 26. Credit: NOAA.

Image from an overflight on May 25, approximately 12 miles east of Pass a Loutre, Louisiana, showing dark brown and red emulsion in the convergence zone with dull and silver-colored sheens. Credit: NOAA.

An oiled marsh seen during an overflight on May 20. Credit: NOAA.

A view of the oil source as seen during an overflight on May 20. Credit: NOAA.

Dark brown oil in marsh seen during an overflight on May 18. Credit: NOAA.

Heavy band of oil seen during an overflight on May 12. Credit: NOAA.

In situ burn operations on May 10. Credit: NOAA.

Example of the oil stranded on the North Chandeleur Islands on May 8. There were four areas with this kind of oiling. The areas were in the range of 100 to 300 meters long and 0.5 to two meters wide, with 25 up to 90 percent distribution of oil less than one centimeter thick of cover. Three of the four areas were on the north sides of the inlets between the islands. Credit: NOAA.

Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) observed in emulsified oil on April 29. Credit: NOAA.

Dr. Nick Shay, professor of meteorology and physical oceanography at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Research, confers with Richard Henning, the NOAA flight director aboard a NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion (N42RF) during the May 21, 2010 mission to study the Loop Current. Credit: NOAA.

Dr. Nick Shay, professor of meteorology and physical oceanography at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Research, and NOAA flight electronics tecnician Bill Olney prepare to deploy an air-launched probe from a NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion (N42RF) during the May 21, 2010, mission to study the Loop Current. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA flight electronic technicians Mike Mascaro (left) and Bill Olney, aboard a NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion flying over the Gulf of Mexico, prepare to launch an airborne probe that measures wind speed and direction, air temperature, and pressure during a study of the Loop Current (May 21, 2010). Credit: NOAA.

A NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion (N42RF) prepares to fly over the Gulf of Mexico on May 21, 2010, to deploy probes that will aid researchers at NOAA and the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Research in monitoring the Loop Current. The aircraft is based at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. Credit: NOAA.

A close-up of a tar ball found on the beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama (May 13, 2010). Credit: NOAA.

A close-up of a tar ball found on the beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama (May 13, 2010). Credit: NOAA.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Dr. Larry Robinson (middle) prepares for an overflight of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He is shown here with NOAA Corps pilot Lt. Cdr. Mark Sweeney (foreground) and National Ocean Service Acting Assistant Administrator David Kennedy (May 13, 2010). Credit: NOAA.

The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Dr. Larry Robinson (standing), and NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator John Whitney investigate tar balls found along the shore on Dauphin Island, Alabama (May 13, 2010). Credit: NOAA.

A close-up of a tar ball found on the beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama (May 13, 2010). Credit: NOAA.

From left, Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT) team lead Graham McDonald, NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator John Whitney, and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Dr. Larry Robinson investigate tar balls washed ashore on the beaches of Dauphin Island, Alabama (May 13, 2010). Credit: NOAA.

Dr. Larry Robinson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, meets with the crew of NOAA's King Air aircraft on May 13, 2010, prior to an overflight viewing of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. From left: pilots Lt. Cdr. Mark Sweeney and Lt. Scott Tucker, Dr. Larry Robinson, National Ocean Service Acting Assistant Administrator David Kennedy, aircraft technician Andrew Halbach. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Dr. Eric Schwaab, and Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley assess how the sample is processed aboard the Research Vessel Caretta and chain of custody protocol used when handling specimens associated with the oil spill. Credit: NOAA.

NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Dr. Eric Schwaab and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco discuss sampling plans for future and ongoing vessel surveys with with Dr. Walter Ingram of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center Pascagoula Lab. Credit: NOAA.

On May 7, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco visited the Richard C. Shelby Center for Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management at Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama. Lab Executive Director Dr. George Crozier, shown here, briefed Lubchenco on ongoing research and monitoring efforts. Credit: NOAA.

On May 7, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco received an aerial tour of coastal Louisiana with Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Counsel on Environmental Quality. NOAA Corps CAPT Michele Finn coordinated the flight. Here, Lubchenco and Finn discuss the situation after the survey. Credit: NOAA.

Scientists use a Van Veen grab (a lightweight sampler designed to take large samples in soft bottoms) to collect sediments for analysis. Photo credit: NOAA.

Dr. Terry McTigue, Mussel Watch scientist, holds a sieve to retrieve burrowing animals from a sediment sample. Photo credit: NOAA.

Dr. Gunnar Lauenstein and Dr. Dennis Apeti use a Van Veen grab to collect sediment for analysis. Photo credit: NOAA.

Dr. Dennis Apeti, Mussel Watch scientist, brings up a trawl full of oysters for testing. Photo credit: NOAA.

NOAA Office of Response & Restoration's Ed Levine (far left) and Charlie Henry (third from left) brief Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (second from right) on April 28, 2010. Photo credit: Nickie Scillo.

NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, arrives at the Joint Information Center for the federal BP oil spill response in Robert, Louisiana. John Tarpley, Regional Operations Branch Chief from NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, briefs Dr. Lubchenco on the situation.

NOAA observer Dave Wesley records data during an overflight in the Gulf of Mexico. Visual observations made by Dave and his colleagues, in the form of maps and verbal briefings, are being passed along to oil spill modelers at NOAA's campus in Seattle. The Seattle modelers use these observations, along with oceanographic data on tides and currents, to predict the trajectory of the oil slick.

NOAA Office of Response & Restoration scientist Gary Shigenaka, with U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Maintenance Technician Cliff Fisher during spill overflight on May 5, 2010. Photo: Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen Lehmann, U.S. Coast Guard.

NOAA provides critical scientific information to the response effort dealing with the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Here, Charlie Henry, NOAA's on-scene Scientific Support Coordinator, explains an oil trajectory map at an April 29, 2010, press conference. To the left of Henry are Lars Herbst, Minerals Management Service, and Rear Admiral Mary Landry, U.S. Coast Guard. Photo: NOAA.