Yesterday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made public a new website, the NOAA Deepwater Horizon Library. The site contains a treasure trove of information relating to the oil disaster in the gulf oil disaster. This includes reports on the incident itself, scientific reports on the wildlife affected, and a detailed history of the response and cleanup efforts undertaken by governments, private companies, and individuals. It also describes ongoing efforts to rebuild the coast and the Gulf ecosystem.

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"This website serves as a valuable learning tool and resource for scientists, students and historians of all backgrounds for many years to come," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "Good science underpins everything we do at NOAA, and our scientists worked tirelessly during the spill to monitor the oceans, coasts and skies. Much of that mission-critical information is now available in this library."

Maps can be found with forecasted trajectories of oil, as well as areas that were deemed no-fishing zones. There are 129 reports on the affected wildlife including fish, marine mammals, reptiles, and birds. There is an extensive video and picture gallery available. Many of the images show the damage on the coastline and efforts made at preventing the damage. Others show wildlife rehabilitation teams at work. Others show government officials on the scene.

The website can be very useful for educational purposes and should be utilized by teachers and college professors. For those interested, the website should be checked frequently because NOAA will be continually updating it with new information in the weeks and months ahead. Although the crisis has ended, major work still needs to be done.

Link to website: http://www.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.html