As part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process, scientists from each Trustee entity work together to identify potential injuries to natural resources resulting from the spill and to design studies that will be used to determine and measure spill-related injuries (or impacts) to natural resources and their human uses. For the Deepwater Horizon spill, NRDA activities to date have been divided into categories that focus on specific organisms, habitats or uses. These categories include, for example:
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Natural Resource Groups |
Examples of Resources Included |
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Habitat |
Shoreline, submerged aquatic vegetation, nearshore (intertidal) sediment & water sampling, oyster, benthic habitat (bottom dwelling), sargassum (seaweed mats)
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Aquatic |
Water column, fish (shrimp & crabs), marine mammals and turtles
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Wildlife |
Birds, terrestrial and aquatic organisms
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Human Use |
Recreational losses
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Cultural |
Impacts to archaeological, cultural and historical sites
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